Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 207

Batory hung her head as if she had committed a great sin.

As if echoing her feelings, a voice filled with guilt escaped her lips.

“Beast Uncle raised me after my parents passed away when I was young.”

“So you called him Father.”

Their relationship seemed deeper than mere guardianship, and understanding the reason, I nodded.

“I don’t know if a cursed woman like me, who feels responsible for her parents’ death, deserves that title…”

Batory bit her lip until it bled, continuing her story, as if confessing her sins was a form of atonement.

“My dear, your brother and his wife’s passing was an accident. I’ve told you countless times that you don’t need to feel guilty about it,” Marquis Beast said gently.

“…But if I hadn’t insisted on you returning quickly, they would have chosen a safer route.”

“Cough, cough!”

Marquis Beast’s wolf ears drooped, betraying his discomfort. It’s said that emotions are usually revealed on the face, but it seems werewolves show it in their ears.

“Actually, it wasn’t Uncle who was conscripted into the Seven Deadly Sins subjugation force. It was my husband, Count Ferentz… Originally, he was supposed to participate in the war…”

Batory had many worries about her husband’s deployment shortly after their marriage.

Count Ferentz wasn’t very skilled in swordsmanship, and she feared he would die in the war.

Moreover, the image of her parents, who died in an accident, overlapped with the sight of her husband preparing for war, fueling her anxiety.

“…In the end, I consulted with my uncle. Then he chuckled and said this:

— Would that skinny bean sprout even be able to wield a sword properly? I’d rather go in his place. Either way, I’ll be going as the commander of the rear support unit, so there’s no need to worry about getting hurt.”

Morgana stared at Marquis Beast with a somber expression.

“I thought it was strange from the start that they dispatched one of only three Sword Masters in Gallia [a fictional country].”

Britannia requested support from various countries to fight the Seven Deadly Sins.

If they failed to defeat the Seven Deadly Sins, the consequences would eventually spread throughout the continent.

Nevertheless, Gallia was the only country that sent a Sword Master [a master swordsman of exceptional skill].

Marquis Beast, the person in question, stroked Batory’s hair and said.

“My dear, I still haven’t changed my mind. That choice was the right thing to do.”

“…Father.”

Thus, Marquis Beast maintained the central front and supported the Seven Virtues and Aslan.

However, even that wasn’t without its challenges.

Marquis Beast opened his mouth, recalling the memories of the past with a distant look.

“We mainly had to deal with the Church of the Seven Deadly Sins. Especially Antares, who freely manipulated magical imprints, still makes me shudder just thinking about him. He wouldn’t die even if you cut off his head, and every time he appeared, a supply base would be destroyed.”

“Antares!?”

“Could it be that you also know about him?”

“Know about him? I was running around trying to catch him until recently.”

“Hahaha… What a coincidence…”

From Deneb, who wielded colorless and odorless poison, to Vega, who commanded powerful chimeras [a mythical creature composed of different animal parts].

The central front had no time to breathe due to the battles with the Church of the Seven Deadly Sins.

“Especially heinous was Sirius, who called himself the King of Wolves. Compared to the other members of the Church of the Seven Deadly Sins, he was much weaker, but he went around killing women and children who couldn’t wield a sword.”

In the end, Marquis Beast drew his sword to capture Sirius himself.

And after four days of searching, he found him in a corner of the White Mountains.

“He was a guy who couldn’t even properly use the physical abilities he gained from transforming into a werewolf. It was hard to believe that so many people had died because of such a guy.”

However, Marquis Beast couldn’t kill Sirius.

Because the guy had taken a young woman from a nearby village as a hostage and ran away.

“In the process, I was fortunate enough to cut off one of his arms. After that, he couldn’t rampage on the central front as much as before.”

He even rescued the people who had been kidnapped by Sirius.

It was an amazing achievement, even now.

“But the problem started then. I didn’t know that the women had already been bitten by Sirius and turned into werewolves. Moreover, she had a severe leg injury. While I was carrying her down, I was bitten as well.”

That’s how Marquis Beast became a werewolf. If everything was Sirius’s plan, he was a very cunning guy.

“In the end, even the Archbishop of the Deus Church was mobilized, but they couldn’t lift the curse on my body. After that, I became a beast craving blood at night. And a beast wielding an Aura Blade [a blade imbued with magical energy].”

Other werewolves only turn into beasts on nights with a full moon.

However, Marquis Beast turned into a wolf even when the moon wasn’t out, whenever he fell asleep.

“I managed to endure it for the first month. I may not be smart, but I was confident in my stamina. But I couldn’t stay awake forever. …The first person I killed was my adjutant. And countless soldiers were injured trying to stop the beast I had become. In the end, I had to return to my home country.”

He was speaking in a calm tone, but Marquis Beast’s face was distorted with pain.

Batory spent three days and nights crying when she saw him return as a beast.

It felt like everything was happening because of her selfishness in sending her uncle to the battlefield instead of her husband.

“It must have been five days after my uncle returned. I thought I would sell my soul to turn him back into a human. Then that guy appeared.”

The candlelight lit to dispel the darkness flickered, and before I knew it, a demon had appeared.

— Beautiful Mademoiselle. I have come to grant your wish. If you make a contract with me, I will ensure that your only remaining family member does not turn into a wolf even in his sleep. Of course, it won’t be free. I’m not running a charity here. I will take your soul after you die. What do you think? Even I think it’s a great deal that benefits both of us.

The demon tempted Batory with a very sweet voice.

“…I should have realized something was wrong there. The demon said that there was only one family member left, but I still had my beloved husband.”

But Batory didn’t have the clarity to make such a judgment at that time.

In the end, Batory made a contract with the demon to save her uncle.

“The demon laughed as he saw the mark of a witch appearing on my most private area. I can still vividly hear the laughter I heard then.”

— Kihihhihi! You foolish woman! Now your family will really only have one member left!

It was a frivolous voice that sent shivers down my spine.

Suddenly, Batory had a bad feeling and went down to the basement where her uncle was staying. There, she found Marquis Beast completely transformed into a werewolf.

“Only then did I realize that I had been deceived by the demon. That’s right. My uncle would no longer turn into a wolf… Because he’s always in the form of a beast!”

Thump!

In the end, Morgana couldn’t stand it and smashed the table. She took a rough breath and gestured to Cainchel.

“Let’s go kill that vile demon right now. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Cainchel looked at Morgana, who was furious, and gave a bitter smile.

She, too, had been deceived by a demon and became a witch. It must feel like looking at her own face in a mirror.

“I’m sorry, but Countess Batory’s story isn’t over yet. Let’s listen to everything first. Maybe there’s an answer there. Besides, we don’t even know which of the 72 demons it is, so how can we kill him?”

“…I’m sorry. I suddenly got emotional.”

The tragedy didn’t end there.

Marquis Beast, who had become a complete werewolf and lost his reason, even tried to kill his beloved daughter.

Count Ferentz drew his sword and charged when he saw his wife being attacked by a werewolf.

— Ba, Batory?! I’ll try to stop him somehow, so you run away!

— A, nooooooooo!

In the end, Marquis Beast regained his senses thanks to his struggle.

But all that remained was a scene of carnage stained with blood.

Marquis Beast embraced the wailing Batory and said.

“What I saw when I opened my eyes was Batory, covered in blood and wailing. I killed him. I… killed my daughter’s most beloved person…”

It took a very long time to hear the story after that.

Cainchel drank the cold tea and waited for Batory to calm down.

After about 30 minutes, Batory, who had barely regained her composure, parted her dry lips.

“After that, my uncle tried to take his own life several times. But each time, he couldn’t because he was worried about me being left alone. I’m a witch… If that fact is revealed, I’ll be stripped naked and burned at the stake, just as the demon wants.”

In the end, Marquis Beast and Batory continue to live each day with a sense of atonement.

Cainchel voiced a question that suddenly came to mind.

“But why did you teach the slaves the technique and then set them free? If it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t have been branded with the stigma of the Crimson Witch.”

Batory smiled sadly and replied.

“That was something I did with the feeling of grasping at straws. Do you happen to know the story of Beauty and the Beast?”

“Of course. I heard it from a chef from Gallia. It was a very touching ending.”

It was a story about a prince who was cursed and turned into a beast, and his vassals who became tools.

The beast eventually meets true love and returns to his original form.

“There are similarities between my story and my uncle’s, so I tried to follow what came out there. Surely, turning the vassals who had become tools back into people weakened the curse on the prince.”

“Turning tools into people…”

“Yes. I’m a witch, but I can’t use the sorcery to turn people into tools. So instead, I returned the slaves who were treated as tools back into people. The limit of what I can do is only about ten people a month… But when I do that, I strangely feel like I’m alive.”

Was she enduring the stigma of the Crimson Witch for just that reason?

Cainchel felt something hot trying to burst out from deep within his throat.

What’s really bad is…

“This is the end of my story and my uncle’s story. Unlike the touching Beauty and the Beast, it’s a ridiculous story that doesn’t even make you laugh, right?”

Marquis Beast rose from his seat. He spoke with a face that seemed to have made up his mind.

“Duke Cainchel. Duchess Morgana. I have a request for you two. The reason I can maintain my reason is because Count Ferentz’s desire to protect Batory has changed the Aura Blade. If Batory leaves, I will turn into a monster again. Before that happens, please put an end to the story with your own hands.”

“…Are you saying you want us to kill you?”

“It’s my last request. In the first place, the only reason I’ve lived with this cursed body so far is to protect my daughter. If Batory can break free from the shackles of the witch…”

A startled Batory screamed.

“F, Father! What are you talking about!”

“This is it, Batory… This is…”

Cainchel flatly refused Marquis Beast’s request.

Of course, the purpose of finding the witch would be achieved, but he didn’t want to do that.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do that. Countess Batory. Do you happen to know how the slaves you taught the dyeing technique are living?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know that far…”

“They asked me to convey their gratitude several times. There were even people who called you a saint. They couldn’t even express their gratitude because they were afraid that it would be a nuisance if it was revealed that they were slaves.”

Batory’s eyes widened.

She didn’t seem to have realized that what she did for them would be so helpful to them.

“…Is that so? I’m really glad to hear that they’re doing well.”

“Your story wasn’t just full of tragedy. And I don’t want to end it like this.”

“Yes? What do you mean…”

“I actually really like the story of Beauty and the Beast.”

The Seven Deadly Sins War spawned countless tragedies.

In Britannia, there are already many people who are still suffering from the curse left by the war that ended 11 years ago.

But to think that I would meet the victims even in a foreign land.

Cainchel knew how to break that wretched curse.

“First, let me ask. Marquis Beast was clearly cursed by Sirius, right?”

“That’s right. If I had been a little more careful, this wouldn’t have happened…”

“Then I will return you to your original form. It may be a little disappointing that it’s not a beauty’s kiss, but please bear with it.”

“C, Cainchel is saying?”

The source of Sirius’s power is Mammon, the King of Greed.

Just as he awakened Frelia from the slumber of Belphegor, the King of Sloth.

Just as he calmed the miners cursed by Satan, the King of Wrath.

— He will shatter Mammon’s curse.

Cainchel took out the Mithril kitchen knife he was wearing on his waist.

It was shining as if it was asking to peel potatoes right now.

“Please show me where the kitchen is. It’s time to make a dish that will end all the tragedies.”