Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 212

64. Evolving Steak

“I’m sorry, but that’s out of the question. Or, perhaps it’s better to say it’s impossible.”

Kainchel, who had somewhat anticipated Goethe’s response, nodded with a heavy expression.

“I understand. Then, even if time is short, I’ll have to look for another witch.”

“But hearing the word ‘witch’ suddenly piques my interest? So, who exactly is this witch? It seems like everyone knows except me.”

Morgana’s brow furrowed deeply at Goethe’s brazen words.

Yet, strangely, she felt indifferent.

Just because she was tricked by a devil into becoming a witch didn’t mean she could force sacrifices on others.

However, Marquis Beast, unable to accept the situation, interjected.

“Mr. Goethe, can’t you reconsider? As Calliope said, the souls of two people are in your hands.”

Kainchel hadn’t told Goethe about the witch’s identity.

If that fact were to be known, it would be fatal to Bathory, if not Morgana.

With the bad precedent of Lulutia, the best-case scenario would be ending up at the stake [being burned as a witch].

“Faust will be a masterpiece surpassing Werther and Wilhelm. It will surely remain my life’s greatest work. And you’re asking me to give that up? I can’t do that, even with a knife to my throat.”

“Didn’t you say you could rewrite it with the motifs you have?”

“Of course, if the work gets better, I can rewrite it as many times as necessary. I’ve already revised this manuscript fourteen times.”

“F-Fourteen times…….”

“It’s not like I’ve been doing nothing for three years. I also wrote Götz von Berlichingen during that time.”

“The play with the mercenary with the iron hand?”

“I was in charge of the script and directing. It’s hard to make a living with just novels, you know? It’s not like the gate to the Demon World is opening right now, and they say we can get a ten-year grace period with just two witches.”

“…….”

Marquis Beast pondered. Should he draw his Aura Blade right now and threaten him?

He was willing to do anything despicable if it meant saving Bathory’s soul.

Unconsciously, his right hand fidgeted with the scabbard at his waist.

Then, Calliope, sitting across from him, shook her head.

“It must be a voluntary cooperation, after all.”

“……Is that so.”

Goethe, watching Marquis Beast lower his head with a look of utter despair, said,

“You can call me selfish. It’s true, after all. In the first place, I write novels for myself.”

“……No, sir. Rather, it seems we were the selfish ones. There’s nothing to gain from cooperating. It was an unreasonable request.”

At that moment, Kainchel was thinking about the words Goethe had said.

Although he seemed to have rejected them outright, he had clearly left some room for negotiation.

‘He said he could rewrite it if he was sure the work would get better. In that case…….’

“Marquis Beast, could you leave this matter to me until the end? I’ll try to persuade Mr. Goethe.”

“……You will, Duke Kainchel?”

Then, Goethe interjected with an interested expression.

“You’re going to change my mind? I’d prefer it if you did it with food. If I have to do it anyway, it’s better to eat something delicious.”

The great writer Goethe threw down the gauntlet once again.

Prove that his work can be improved through cooking.

Kainchel wasn’t the type to refuse such a challenge.

“That’s what I wanted. In the first place, Mr. Goethe is not someone you can win over with words.”

However, he knew it wouldn’t be easy from the start.

‘He lowered the grade of that highly perfected dish by one star just because he preferred beans. It’s going to be a difficult challenge.’

He had to create a dish that would capture Goethe’s whimsical taste and change his mind.

But he wanted to try.

Goethe, anticipating Kainchel’s cooking, smacked his lips and said.

“I feel bad for making demands unilaterally, so let me give you some advice.”

And with a smile, he organized the manuscripts scattered on the table.

“Do you know what sword masters and chefs have in common?”

After thinking about it for a moment, Kainchel voiced his answer.

“They both deal with those who currently exist.”

“Correct. A sword master participating in battle and defeating enemies, or being treated as a deterrent to war, all involve dealing with someone who currently exists. The same goes for chefs. But novels are different. They compete with the past and face the future.”

Among the works called masterpieces, many have been read for hundreds of years.

And the novels Goethe wrote will surely be read for thousands of years to come.

Goethe answered those who asked who his rivals were like this.

He wanted to write a novel that stimulated the reader’s heart more than any story that had ever existed.

“I hate the saying that there hasn’t been a completely new novel since Shakespeare. Of course, I acknowledge that he’s a great writer. But that makes it seem like all writers are writing to surpass him.”

A chill ran down his spine.

Although he denied it with his words.

Goethe regarded countless great writers who had existed since the age of mythology as his rivals.

“Then, are you saying that Faust has surpassed them?”

“Of course, I can’t guarantee that. But at least I think it’s on par with them. Well, the evaluation is up to the readers, so we’ll have to wait until the publication date, right?”

In an instant, something struck Kainchel’s mind like lightning.

Could there be a hint to an 8-star dish hidden in Goethe’s answer?

Until now, he had only created dishes to satisfy the customers in front of him.

‘Gordon said he wanted to create dishes that everyone, regardless of race or border, could enjoy.’

Kainchel had created a dish that elves and dwarves, who had completely opposite tastes, could eat together.

And he was able to become a Sword Master.

Perhaps what’s needed for an 8-star dish is…….

He felt like he had found a small clue. Kainchel said with a lighter heart.

“I will persuade you with food, Great Writer Goethe.”

Perhaps all of this is a process to reach an 8-star dish.

Goethe smiled as if he had received a challenge.

“That sounds promising. Delicious food is always welcome.”

* * *

Morgana mumbled, messing up her hair.

“Hmm. If Elsa were here, she would have grabbed Mr. Goethe by the collar and said this.”

—You better grant my request when I ask politely. Otherwise, you’ll die here now, and I’ll die of old age. How about that? Very fair, right?

“Isn’t that what you want to say, Morgana?”

“Oh, my. Surely not. But it’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d refuse a request after eating such delicious food.”

“People don’t usually grant requests just because of food.”

Then Morgana’s face turned red to the tips of her ears.

Kainchel couldn’t bring himself to ask what was so embarrassing.

“Anyway, first, we need to ask someone who has read Faust for help. We need to create a dish that gives him confidence that he can write a better novel, so we need someone who knows the content.”

“But are there people who have read a novel that hasn’t even been published yet?”

“Yes, there is. Mr. Ark, Goethe’s editor, would remember not only the content of Faust but also every single word.”

“Ark…… So, where do we find that person?”

“He’s probably closer than you think.”

“……I think I know why Mr. Goethe was so afraid.”

Kainchel had never met Ark in person. But through several contacts, he knew what kind of person he was.

As long as Goethe was here, Ark was here too.

And Leman found Ark hiding in the building in front of the inn where Goethe was staying.

He was a tall man who looked good in a monocle, with an atmosphere strangely similar to Zeke.

Zeke, seeing Ark’s appearance, shouted in shock.

“Brother!? Why are you here?”

“Oh, Zeke, isn’t it? How many years has it been? Hmm……. About ten years?”

Kainchel asked the two people, who seemed to know each other well, what their relationship was.

Zeke’s answer was shocking.

“Well, he’s my older brother. Arkreod [Ark’s full name] hyung [term of endearment for older brother] is the one who taught me the basics of tracking and investigation.”

Kainchel understood why Ark was in charge of Goethe.

With tracking skills that Zeke feared, it was impossible to escape his eyes.

Ark put his arm around his long-lost brother’s neck and bowed deeply.

Then, a pig-squealing sound came from Zeke’s mouth.

“Ugh! Brother! I’m dying! I’m really dying! Ugh…….”

“Hahaha. I owe you a lot for when that Goethe bastard ran away last time. I pretended not to notice because he seemed to be working hard, but after that, he kept trying to escape. Thanks to that, I’m watching him from such a close place.”

Without Ark, 1/3 of Goethe’s books would not have been published in this world.

Morgana and Bathory began to send respectful glances.

Kainchel briefly explained the situation to Ark.

Of course, he hid the identity of the witch and the fact that many demons could pop out if things went wrong.

He just said it was very dangerous.

If he knew the details, he would literally panic.

“That’s just like Goethe. Then, maybe you came to the right person. Do you know why I’m working as an editor?”

He didn’t expect an answer to the question he asked, so he immediately answered.

“Because I’m the person who loves Goethe the most in the world.”

Then Bathory’s face turned bright red.

“Oh, what should I do…….”

Ark, realizing that something was going wrong, immediately corrected his statement.

“To be exact, I love the novels he writes. I can dedicate my whole life to it.”

“……Oh, is that what you meant? I liked it for nothing.”

“An editor is also the first reader for a writer. I’ve read his novels so much that I can recite them with my eyes closed.”

Kainchel asked Ark what kind of novel Faust was. Then Ark stroked his chin as if he was in great trouble.

“In short, it’s a masterpiece. It contained something overwhelmingly different from the novels Goethe has written so far. The moment I turned the first page, I couldn’t stop……. When I came to my senses, I had become Faust.”

A novel that turns the reader into a contractor of the devil.

It was almost questionable whether such a thing should exist in this world. But that was just a metaphor.

Fortunately, there was no connection to the Demon World in Ark’s body.

The medium was only the novel Faust itself.

“But.”

Ark lowered his voice and whispered.

“Ah, I’m telling you this because the situation is so urgent. Faust is a good novel. It will surely sell like hotcakes the moment it’s published. And it will be read by many people. But I felt something was missing.”

“Missing?”

“Originally, an editor’s job is not just to criticize. Anyone can simply say it’s fun or not fun. I think you should be able to attach the clause ‘how’ before that.”

How can it be more fun? Why doesn’t this part resonate?

He advises in that way to make the novel even better. That was the role of the editor that Ark thought of.

And Ark was a great editor and Goethe’s companion.

“So, I’ll say it. The completed Faust is a masterpiece. But it can’t be a classic.”

“Didn’t you say it was an overwhelmingly well-written novel?”

“That’s right. That’s why it’s a pity. Do you know why ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ resonated with so many young people?”

“Isn’t it because of the sentences that instantly immerse you in the protagonist and the sad ending?”

Ark nodded.

But it was a slightly insufficient answer.

“If Goethe finds out that I said this, he’ll strangle me to death. So, please keep it a secret.”

“Of course.”

“Werther. That novel is not fiction. It’s all based on what Goethe experienced when he was young.”

“……!”

The protagonist of the story, Werther, loves his friend’s wife.

He endlessly agonizes and suffers over that fact and eventually hangs himself.

And that was all real?

“That’s not all. Götz von Berlichingen is also a reconstruction of the story of a real mercenary. Of course, the personality of the protagonist has completely changed.”

“So, that’s why such overwhelming psychological expression was possible?”

“But Faust is different. Goethe has never met a devil or its contractor. Didn’t he seem strangely happy at the word witch?”

“He kept asking me to introduce him.”

Ark crossed his arms and nodded. As if he knew it would be like that.

“I think that’s all the advice I can give you. I hope this helps to persuade that idiot.”

Ark drank a herbal tea to clear his mind and gave Kainchel an unknown smile.

“The difference between a masterpiece and a classic……. Moreover, unlike before, there is no experience melted into the writing……. That’s enough. Thank you, Mr. Ark. Thanks to you, I found a clue to persuade Mr. Goethe.”

“Oh, please tell Goethe this. I’ll follow him until Faust is completed, no matter how many years it takes.”

It was as if he was sure that Goethe would rewrite Faust.

He was truly the man who loved Goethe the most in the world.

‘Then, is it now the chef’s domain?’

It’s not enough that the witch Goethe was so desperately looking for is actually so close.

He has to express all of that in a bowl of food.

‘To do that, there’s only this.’

Kainchel recalled the beef he had heard about by chance.

Evolving Steak.

That was the name of the dish he had to make from now on.