Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 210

Gulp-

The sound of swallowing echoed unnaturally loudly. How could he forget that name?

“……So, you seem to know it, at least.”

Morgana’s face, which had been downcast, brightened up. If they couldn’t find the Third Witch, the opportunity to completely escape the Witch’s curse would be lost.

But a clue had emerged from the mouth of someone unexpected.

“Is that true?! Cainchel, you never cease to amaze me!”

Unlike the delighted Morgana, Bathory focused on the word ‘at least’ that Cainchel had used.

“Cainchel-nim. Is there perhaps a problem?”

“It’s because Faust isn’t human.”

“You mean a different race? Elf, Dwarf? ……Could it be Orc?”

As Cainchel continued to shake his head, the names of all the demi-human races on the continent came up.

However, none of them were correct.

Eventually, Morgana, unable to watch any longer, interjected.

“Why are you being so unlike yourself? Don’t drag it out, just tell us. Who exactly is Faust?”

“……He’s the protagonist of a novel.”

“Ah! An actor, then? Certainly, I’ve heard that acting relies heavily on talent. So, Faust became a witch for the same reason as me.”

A sigh escaped from Cainchel’s tightly closed lips.

Morgana and Bathory were desperate, but he had to say something so ridiculous.

“So, Faust doesn’t exist in this world. He’s just a character in a novel.”

“…….”

Cainchel briefly explained the contents of the ‘Faust’ novel he remembered.

Faust, a scholar of unimpressive stature who dedicated his life to academia.

The many bizarre adventures he experienced after making a deal with the demon Mephistopheles.

He hadn’t read it, so he only knew a simple outline, but even that was interesting enough to make him curious about the rest.

Goethe said it would be published no later than this autumn.

“So, they’re all characters from a novel…….”

“I didn’t expect a demon to come from there either.”

Cainchel frowned as he said that.

Objects imbued with human desire become Weaker Demons. He thought that much was possible.

He had felt hostility emanating from frequently used artifacts several times.

If such a thing continued for generations, it would surely become something worthy of being called a demon.

But in this case, whose soul became the medium for the contract?

Goethe, who wrote the novel?

Or the readers who read it?

A contract where both the contractor and the demon are fictional was unprecedented.

Surely even Goethe, who wrote Faust, hadn’t anticipated this would happen.

“But there’s no novel titled ‘Faust’ among Goethe’s works.”

“It’s because it’s still unreleased.”

Then Morgana’s eyes widened. It seemed she was also a huge fan of Goethe.

“……Then our next destination is decided. Talking about it here will only lead to theoretical arguments. Let’s go meet Goethe right now and explain the situation. I’ve heard he’s famous for being eccentric, but not unkind.”

“Excuse me. Before we leave, could you wait just a moment?”

Bathory, who had been fidgeting, ran to the study.

After a crashing sound, she returned with several of Goethe’s books in her hands.

“Bathory, you. Aren’t those all original editions written by Goethe himself? How did you get such precious items?!”

“……I kept them in case I ever had the chance to meet Goethe and get his autograph. I never thought I’d meet him because of something like this.”

Cainchel smiled wryly.

‘To think there was a Goethe fan so close by…….’

He remembered Goethe running away over the window from his editor’s request to write even a single line of his new work.

It seemed better not to mention that.

“But the problem is where to find him. I heard from his editor that he took off somewhere to clear his head before the final draft.”

Duke Beast, who had been sitting on a chair, admiring his reflection in the mirror with a pleased expression, stood up.

“I know where he is.”

“Is that true?!”

The free-spirited Goethe spent about half the year wandering aimlessly around the continent.

It was said that he earned enough money from the travelogues he wrote during that time to live on for the rest of his life.

“I heard that a servant who went to buy eggs was seen loitering near the market, wanting to eat scallop dishes.”

To think Goethe’s destination was the Gallia Kingdom!

Cainchel grabbed Morgana’s shoulders, who was sitting next to him, and said.

“Morgana-nim. I’m sorry, but could you please catch Goethe, who’s probably wandering around the market right now? I have somewhere I need to stop by briefly.”

“Where are you going?”

“I want to see what a Weaker Demon is like first. And I need to ask Calliope if she has the power to create a connection.”

“Can you get a cursed item that easily?”

“It wouldn’t be easy anywhere else, but this is a port city. There’s bound to be a shop that deals with decoys [cursed items used as sacrifices].”

“Ah, decoys!”

“Then I’ll leave Goethe to you.”

With her extrasensory perception, Morgana should be able to find Goethe without much difficulty.

“Okay. I’ll go quickly then. Full Buster of body enhancement!”

As the Aura Blade activated, she became a gust of wind.

The merchants selling fish in the market that day said they saw a storm in the shape of a person raging through.

* * *

While Morgana was stirring up the market, Cainchel headed to the back alleys of Marseille.

After giving a few coins to a bearded passerby, he easily found the location of a shop selling decoys.

Creak.

Opening the door and entering, he saw suspicious objects of unknown use.

An old man, who appeared to be the owner, scanned Cainchel’s clothes and asked.

“How can I help you?”

“I heard I could find decoys here.”

“Are you a sailor?”

“So, are you going to sell them or not?”

Cainchel showed a pouch full of silver coins. The old man’s eyes lit up.

Decoys are a term mainly used by sailors, referring to various ominous things.

Before setting sail, they offer cursed tools or demon-possessed dolls to the sea as sacrifices to ward off evil.

Sailors lose not only their entire fortune but also their lives in a sudden storm.

That’s why they cling to such superstitions.

“Heh heh heh. You’ve come to the right place. I just got a few useful ones in.”

The old man led Cainchel to the back door. Passing through it, they arrived at a small warehouse.

‘Ugh, just looking at this place is ominous. Why did they even make that creepy doll?’

Most of the items here are crudely made imitations, but occasionally, there are real ones mixed in.

The old man told him to take his time looking around and returned to the general store.

“Calliope, are there any items here that have become Weaker Demons?”

“Yes. I can feel the aura of a demon from that necklace over there. Be careful. It’s a cursed ornament.”

It was placed between an unidentified mask covered in blood and a doll with disheveled hair.

To think that the only item that looked somewhat normal was a Weaker Demon.

Cainchel tried using Fallen Star as a test. Then, he felt a very faint hostility from within the necklace.

When he presented it at the counter, the old man was startled and asked.

“……Hmm. I don’t know if you’re lucky or unlucky. This is the strongest one in the shop right now. It’s a real cursed necklace, so never wear it around your neck. If you offer it as a sacrifice, you’ll have three safe voyages.”

It was said to be an item worn by a woman who eventually committed suicide after her husband, who had gone to war, didn’t return.

Cainchel paid for it with a silver coin and left the shop.

Then, with a smirk, he put the cursed necklace around his neck.

A sinister voice was heard from somewhere.

― Hehehe. I am the Great Demon Baal. Young knight, do you not wish to become stronger! Offer me blood, your soul. Then I shall make you a Sword Master with absolute power……!

Even if he was in a hurry, to start talking about making a contract as soon as he put it on.

It seemed his judgment had dulled after rotting in the warehouse for so long.

Cainchel deliberately pretended to be tempted by the Weaker Demon’s words and watched the situation.

Then, it started talking even more excitedly.

― Draw the sword at your waist. Then you will see a brilliantly shining Aura Blade! If you make a contract with me, all that power will be yours!

Curious about what would happen, Cainchel tried drawing his sword.

Then, the image of a brilliantly shining Aura Sword forming on the blade appeared before his eyes.

‘It seems it has the ability to manipulate light and show simple illusions.’

This is how it deceives its wearers and steals their lives.

“But something’s not right. This is an Aura Sword, right? Aura Blades are said to manifest in countless forms depending on the user’s skills and tendencies.”

Commonly, when people say Aura Blade, they think of a sword made of Aura. But in reality, that’s rarely the case.

― Th, th, that is. That’s just a form to help the contractor understand……. In reality…….

“Could it be that you don’t know exactly what level a Sword Master is at?”

The necklace began to tremble so much that it could be heard, as it was being passed to Cainchel.

― ……Tch. In that case, I’ll just kill you and steal your soul!

The Weaker Demon, realizing that something was wrong, finally decided to kill Cainchel.

However, it couldn’t even scratch Cainchel’s body, which possessed divine power at the level of an archbishop.

Cainchel chuckled and infused Aura into the necklace.

Then, the surprised Weaker Demon screamed.

― I, I, I am the Great Demon, Ba, Baal! Do you not desire power, human!

“Sorry, but it’s been over three months since I became a Sword Master. Well, goodbye, self-proclaimed Great Demon Baal. Nice to meet you. Next time, make sure to look at your opponent before trying to scam them.”

― Kk, Kkyaaaaak!

A Weaker Demon dwelling in a necklace couldn’t withstand Cainchel’s Aura.

In the end, it turned to dust.

Cainchel brushed the dust off his hands and asked Calliope, who was standing there blankly.

“How was it? Did you get any reaction?”

“Yes……. It seems Weaker Demons are also demons. A connection was about to form. But Cainchel, are you okay?”

It seemed she was asking if he had his soul stolen.

Looking closely, his pupils were trembling slightly, as if uneasy.

Cainchel chuckled and stroked Calliope’s head.

“Are you perhaps worried about me? Hearing those words from Calliope makes me so happy I could cry.”

“……Don’t tease me.”

Calliope, who was more like a doll than Asura when they first met.

At some point, she started blushing and expressing something.

A very small smile appeared on Calliope’s lips as she walked behind Cainchel.

As if she was enjoying this moment, which wouldn’t last much longer.

* * *

“Ugh, where the heck am I?!”

Goethe was dragged along by the scruff of his neck like a runaway pet.

He was so flustered that an unidentifiable dialect was coming out.

Morgana threw Goethe onto the carpet and bowed her head.

“Goethe-sensei [term of respect for a teacher or master], I’m sorry. The situation was so urgent that I acted impolitely. Please forgive me.”

“Oh? I wondered which noble lady was kidnapping me, but it’s Morgana-gong [formal title]? But you seem younger. Oh my. Cainchel-gong [formal title]? Don’t tell me Arc told you to catch me?!”

Arc was the name of the editor in charge of Goethe.

He had such incredible tracking skills that even Zick, a Mithril-class mercenary, was amazed.

Not long ago, he found Goethe, who had run away to the Gistad territory saying he couldn’t write, in just two days.

Goethe screamed with a desperate expression.

“Arc-ssi [term of respect]! I didn’t really run away this time! I’ve finished the entire ‘Faust’ manuscript! I’ve been saying I just need to finalize it for three years, but this time it’s really, really true! I just came to eat clams to clear my head! Look! Look! Here’s the completed manuscript!”

And he proudly took out a bundle of parchment he had put inside his coat. As he said, it was filled with small writing.

“Goethe-sensei. Arc-ssi isn’t here.”

“Really? Ehehe! Ah, I was really creeped out for a moment. I thought he came all the way to Gallia to catch me even after I finished the manuscript!”

The book that Bathory was holding so dearly fell to the floor with a thud.

She hadn’t imagined that the great writer Goethe would have such a personality.

“……Are you really Goethe-sensei?”

“I am Goethe-nim [honorific title]! Hmm? That book you just dropped. That’s my first edition, isn’t it? Give it here. I’ll sign it for you.”

“Th, thank you!”

But this flippancy was also one of Goethe’s charms.

At that moment, Calliope, who was hiding behind Cainchel, peeked out slightly.

And she stared intently at Goethe’s body and muttered.

“I can feel a connection to the Demon World from the paper that person is holding. This is a first…….”