Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 206

Lulutia groaned, glaring at the seven Fragarachs [powerful magical swords].

Even with her body protected by Bone Armor, a direct hit from those would be dangerous.

Apparently giving up on summoning Bune, she took a battle stance.

“Kihhihi! But this body still has over two hundred undead left! I’ll show you the true terror of a Necromancer! Come, my servants!”

Lulutia snapped off the spine of the Death Knight beside her, turning it into a sharp blade.

And at her signal, the undead legion that had disappeared somewhere began to gather.

Moreover, Skeleton Knights buried in the ground beforehand sprang up around Lulutia.

“Let bone and flesh separate and become my armor! Full Armor Summon!”

Then, the essence of over thirty Skeleton Knights gathered around Lulutia.

She instantly transformed into a massive Bone Golem.

Keinzel, not willing to wait for the enemy to gain strength, accelerated his attack.

‘Igi Swordsmanship……!’

Thwack! Crack! Crunch!

In the time it took to inhale once, dozens of consecutive strikes battered Lulutia’s body.

Each time, the bones forming the Bone Golem shattered. However, another Skeleton Knight quickly filled the gap.

If the main force joined, it would be several times stronger than this.

“Bone Spear!”

With Lulutia’s shout, the bones encasing her body shot out. They aimed for Keinzel’s heart with a roar that seemed to shake the earth.

‘Each Skeleton Knight has about two hundred bones. A golem made of thirty means it can attack six thousand times before being destroyed.’

Keinzel activated Brilliant Road.

The skill that showed the best sword path in any situation was already close to precognition.

Using it to lightly deflect the Bone Spear fired from his blind spot, Lulutia was aghast.

“Kuh. How can you see through all my attacks that mix feints!? But I still have plenty of ammunition left!”

“As expected, the frontal attack was a bluff to hide long-range sniping.”

Behind her, the undead legion of two hundred had already joined.

Morgana swung her sword at the undead rising from the ground and shouted.

“As expected of a follower of a high-ranking demon, her own abilities are considerable.”

A Necromancer becomes terrifyingly strong as the number of servants they can command increases.

That was why Gluttony King Beelzebub was the worst adversary in the Seven Sins War.

Beelzebub’s avatar, commanding thousands of undead, was a walking disaster and the pinnacle of a one-man army.

“Keinzel, do you know why a small elite force is important when facing a Necromancer?”

“Isn’t it because those killed by them become enemies again?”

“……That’s right. The feeling of despair when a comrade who was fighting back-to-back with you just moments ago becomes a zombie… If you taste that even once, you can never forgive a Necromancer.”

Morgana’s eyes blazed with anger.

It seemed like she wanted to wipe out the undead legion with Blood Sword Explosion right away.

“Leave Lulutia to me and deal with her subordinates. Any more blood consumption will be truly dangerous.”

“……Okay. Sorry for making you worry. Just don’t die. I don’t want to see any more comrades become undead.”

“You call me a comrade.”

Morgana chuckled at Keinzel’s playful words.

“Then you’re saying you’re not?”

“I’d prefer you called me a friend if possible.”

“……Oh my.”

Keinzel turned around and took out the cola bottle he had put in his dimensional pocket.

It was about half full of Dracula’s blood. It would be gone after another two or three sips.

‘I wanted to save it if possible, but I have no choice in this situation.’

Before he knew it, the surroundings darkened, and a deep sunset was setting. If he dragged it out any longer, it would be midnight, when the undead’s power would increase.

However, it wasn’t just the undead that grew stronger at night.

Gulp-

[Vampirization has been activated.]

The moment the bright red liquid passed down his throat, an unbelievable amount of power erupted.

In this state, his alignment changes to evil, so he can’t handle Fragarach.

However, to defeat Lulutia, he needs the increased stats from Vampirization.

The Durendal [Keinzel’s sword] in Keinzel’s hand disappeared before Lulutia’s eyes.

Swoosh-!

And the strike, launched with a speed that couldn’t even be properly perceived, cut off one of Lulutia’s arms.

“Uwaaaaaaak!”

Lulutia was flustered. How could his power be so strong that it damaged the main body protected by the Bone Golem?

The Igyeo [a sword technique] was an upward thrust following a mid-section cut.

It was still impossibly fast. And the power contained within it was enough to shatter even a mountain.

In just two attacks, the Bone Golem was completely destroyed, revealing Lulutia with one arm severed.

“Kuh. In that case, that……!”

Lulutia moved her only remaining arm to activate Corpse Explosion.

Kugugugugung……!

The bodies of the surrounding Skeleton Knights shattered, and the fragments covered Keinzel.

But there was no need to avoid it. No matter how strong the explosion, it couldn’t harm a vampire who could turn his body into mist.

“……To think you were hiding such power! You! You’re not just a Sword Master!”

“I’ll just say I’m a vampire who doesn’t have a hobby of sucking the blood of beasts, let alone beauties.”

“Va, Vampire?!”

Keinzel fired a jelly at the horrified Lulutia. A slime-type tentacle with a will wrapped around Lulutia’s remaining arm.

“What is this sticky stuff!”

No matter how many undead a Necromancer commands, their body is not much different from an ordinary human.

Lulutia tried to order the Death Knight to cut off the tentacle. But at the same time, a large amount of mucus blocked her mouth.

“Oop, uuuuup!”

Yonggong Bune [Lulutia’s demon] is an eloquent speaker who deceives humans with flamboyant words. Therefore, she cannot command the undead without a voice to give orders.

Crack!

The jelly clinging to Lulutia’s body shattered her bones and pulled out her joints.

With this, Keinzel had completely neutralized the Necromancer Lulutia.

Having subdued his opponent in less than 30 seconds, Keinzel turned around and joined Morgana.

“You’re already done? As expected, a midnight vampire is amazing.”

“There’s still a little time left before the sun completely sets. Let’s finish up quickly and go eat some potatoes.”

Gueooooo-!

The undead, having lost their master, began to rampage on their own. It seemed that their previously orderly appearance was all Lulutia’s doing.

Then, before the duration of Vampirization ends, he just needs to wipe them out.

Keinzel’s body shot like a cannonball into the undead.

The air burst, spreading a shockwave, and the earth exploded around his feet planted in the ground.

It was the result of Keinzel’s already tremendous stats being further increased by becoming a vampire.

Even a mere graze of his body was enough to shatter large rocks.

Morgana stared blankly at Keinzel’s charge and muttered.

“……I might have to give up the title of the strongest in personal combat at this rate.”

Of course, it was a temporary power gained by drinking Dracula’s blood, but it was still amazing considering that.

Sword light poured down. Each consecutive strike shattered Skeleton Knights and decapitated Death Knights.

3 minutes.

That was the time it took to eliminate the entire undead army of over two hundred.

* * *

Marquis Beast bowed so low that it seemed his head would touch the ground.

“I never imagined they were servants of a Necromancer. If their numbers had continued to grow, the Kingdom of Gallia might have been destroyed.”

It was a statement without the slightest exaggeration. If Lulutia had gathered strength for just a few more months, Gallia would have disappeared from the map.

“Lulutia was also the one who falsely accused Countess Bathory. She must have framed her as a witch to use as a smokescreen.”

“……Hoo. To save Gallia from crisis and clear my daughter’s name, I don’t know how I can ever repay this debt.”

“Isn’t Gallia a friendly nation to Britannia? I hope this will be an opportunity to maintain a good relationship in the future.”

As the conversation turned to national affairs, Keinzel yielded his seat to Morgana.

“Ahem. The story has become too long. Ah, my daughter said she wanted to thank Lord Keinzel.”

“I understand. But what exactly is the relationship between Marquis Beast and Countess Bathory? It doesn’t seem like a simple guardianship.”

“The story is long, would that be alright?”

“Of course.”

“First, I will have my daughter brought in.”

Marquis Beast rose from his seat and opened the door to the drawing room. Then, a woman holding a teapot entered.

She was wearing a plain black dress from head to toe.

It wasn’t flashy, but it had a sense of nobility. She had an atmosphere like a magnolia.

“Nice to meet you. I am Bathory, the witch.”

Then Morgana put her hand on her forehead. It seemed like she had a sudden headache.

“You just cleared your name, you shouldn’t be saying things like that!”

Bathory bowed deeply to Morgana this time.

“I’m sorry. I felt like it would be impolite to hide it. I wanted to express my gratitude to both of you, so I shamelessly came to greet you. This is Dragon Mist Tea brought from the East, I hope it suits your taste.”

“Isn’t that a high-end tea that costs dozens of gold per handful? I’ll enjoy it.”

After a brief greeting, Keinzel drank the Dragon Mist Tea that Bathory poured.

A slight astringency was felt along with a deep and subtle sweetness. It meant that it contained all the taste and aroma of Dragon Mist Tea.

The scent was so good that it felt like walking on clouds.

[By drinking Eastern tea, you have gained a broader perspective on tea ceremony.]

[Tea Ceremony level has increased.]

‘……My Tea Ceremony level has increased after a long time. Is it 4 stars now?’

It was a skill whose growth had stopped because he hadn’t brewed tea for a while. A different light flashed in Keinzel’s eyes.

It seemed like he would have to look into it in detail later.

Keinzel briefly explained the reason for coming here.

At the part where there was a gate to the Demon World in northern Britannia and a dragon was blocking it with its body, Marquis Beast stood up from his seat.

“T, then does that mean this small and delicate girl is a White Dragon?”

“That’s right. Her name is Calliope.”

“Good heavens……. Then, that White Dragon back then?”

“Back then?”

“Ah, I was so shocked to hear such a shocking story that my explanation was delayed. I also fought together during the Seven Sins War. As a representative of Gallia.”

Then Morgana, surprised, asked.

“Are you saying that Lord Beast was there at that time? I’m sure the Gallia representative was a handsome man in his late 30s…….”

“That was me. My appearance has changed a bit, but still.”

Marquis Beast scratched the back of his head as if he was embarrassed. The two, who did not know they would meet a comrade-in-arms in such a place, clasped each other’s hands.

“We wouldn’t have been able to maintain the central front without Gallia’s help.”

“I heard about Lord Morgana’s performance all the way over there. Did you use the Blood Sword from that time to defeat the Necromancer this time?”

“I only helped from the side. It was all Keinzel’s performance.”

“Hahaha!”

Eventually, the story progressed to what was needed to close the gate to the Demon World.

Keinzel looked back and forth between Beast and Bathory and said.

“I don’t know why Countess Bathory made a contract with a demon. But if this succeeds, you can regain the soul that was taken from you by the demon. Of course, you’ll have to give up what you gained by becoming a witch.”

Bathory looked at Keinzel with a confused expression. It was as if she had something to say, but her mouth wouldn’t open.

How much time had passed? Marquis Beast stroked Bathory’s head.

“Bathory. Do whatever you want to do. I’m fine now. I should have died twelve years ago. All this time I’ve been able to live is all thanks to you.”

“Father…….”

Marquis Beast bowed his head to Keinzel once again.

“Rather, I would like to ask you a favor. Please take this child with you. Please save the soul of my daughter, who became a witch for her unworthy father.”

What on earth happened between these two that one became a beast and the other became a witch?

Everything goes back to 12 years ago.

During the Seven Sins War.