Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 220

“According to Dr. Fabre’s writings, dragons are closer to plants or insects than animals.”

“Plants?”

“Yes. Most animals eat about one-hundredth of their body weight to survive. Creatures like mice, with their fast metabolism, eat even more. That’s why they die if they go without food for just three days.”

If dragons ate as much as other animals, whether they were herbivores or carnivores, the ecosystem would be a mess.

“Besides, dragons sleep for decades at a time. It’s on a different level from other animals hibernating. And dragon hearts store an enormous amount of mana. Could that all be generated from nothing?”

There are several hypotheses about that.

One is that they absorb mana from the atmosphere while sleeping, store it in their dragon hearts, and use it for activity.

“Dragons are mostly greedy, and metal dragons even eat gold and jewels. That’s probably because the gems grown underground contain a significant amount of mana.”

That would also explain why red dragons nest in volcanoes and white dragons in snowy mountains.

The more familiar the mana, the easier it is to absorb.

“I think I’ve heard something similar from Calliope. She said that eating my cooking gathers as much mana as sleeping soundly for about a year.”

Thinking about it that way, they are indeed similar to plants.

“Well, it seems they can get some energy from food, so you can’t say they’re completely plants. There are still many mysteries surrounding dragons. So, let’s go back to the beginning. Only dragons can block the door, right? What do you think? If you think based on the hypothesis from earlier, a very interesting conclusion comes out, right?”

Mana is the source that allows dragons to maintain their large bodies.

Goethe was arguing that she was trying to use it to block the dimensional rift.

However, only the person involved can prove that.

Calliope looked back and forth between Cainchel and Goethe with a very troubled expression.

It seemed like she had been hit right on the mark.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Nothing changes anyway. This is something only I can do… Instead of that, let’s eat Lost Chicken. This is the last time I’ll be eating Cainchel’s cooking anyway.”

A strangely lonely smile appeared on Calliope’s lips.

Cainchel remembered seeing that expression before.

‘That’s the kind of expression only someone who is prepared for death would show….’

The final battleground of the Seven Deadly Sins War, the White Mountains.

Paine, who was leaving for that place, definitely smiled like that. Why had he forgotten that until now?

“I’m sorry, but I have the right to hear.”

“H-huh?”

“In exchange for cooking for you, I agreed to receive blood, tail, bones, and all sorts of things. I have a stake in your body too.”

Calliope stroked the emblem she was wearing around her neck. She remembered making a covenant with that content.

“Hey, kid, a covenant! What kind of contract did you make with Calliope!? Tell this older sister the truth!”

Morgana embraced Elizabeth, who was causing a commotion.

“That’s why you’re called an idiot. Outsiders shouldn’t interfere.”

“Who’s an outsider!”

“I know you cherish the two of them. But let’s just watch here and see what kind of conclusion they come to, Elizabeth.”

“……Tch.”

As if she had finally made up her mind, Calliope opened her tightly closed mouth.

* * *

“Goethe is right. After the ritual, I will be in charge of supplying mana to the sealing ceremony. And after a thousand years, when I have completed all my missions, I will disappear.”

“……?!”

It was a voice without any emotion, as if she were talking about someone else’s story.

But Cainchel knew.

Calliope was just forcibly suppressing it.

As proof, she had been hiding her trembling hands behind her back ever since arriving at the White Mountains.

To sleep for a thousand years and then disappear as soon as you wake up…….

How is that any different from going to die right now?

Elizabeth’s squirming in Morgana’s arms intensified.

“Wait, stop, hold on! What are you talking about? Calliope is going to die?! When, where, what, why, how, explain according to the six principles……!”

“That’s why I didn’t want to talk about it……. I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep the promise to go play together.”

Leaving the excited Elizabeth behind, Cainchel faced Calliope.

When he first met her, he thought she was an ice sculpture.

She had met many people, traveled, and learned human emotions.

Now, she enjoyed watching Elizabeth and Morgana bickering, and she genuinely laughed when she ate delicious food.

“I think it’s probably because I ate a lot of heartfelt dishes made by Cainchel.”

“……You’re saying that emotions arose because of the food I made?”

“Yeah……. I didn’t have them before. It would be cumbersome for the sealing stone to have unnecessary emotions.”

He never imagined that 7-star cooking would work like this.

Calliope paused for a moment, then smiled brightly and said.

“At first, I even resented it. I thought it would be better not to have emotions since I’m going to disappear soon anyway. But that wasn’t the case. Did you know that dragons dream when they sleep?”

“Dreams……?”

“Yeah. Before I met Cainchel, it was about sitting alone on a desolate snowy mountain with nothing else. Originally, I would have slept like that for a thousand years.”

But after meeting Cainchel, she started having slightly more pleasant dreams.

Calliope looked at Elizabeth, who was bowing her head with a painful expression, and Batory, who was sobbing.

And although they weren’t here right now. She recalled the faces of Abel, Nimue, and the countless people in the Gistad Territory.

“Thanks to you, I’ve made so many wonderful friends. I’ve seen so many beautiful landscapes……. I’ve eaten so much delicious food made by Cainchel that I’m full. The sweet dreams from now on will definitely be very enjoyable. So, I’m not afraid of falling asleep anymore.”

Cainchel bit his lip. What must Calliope have felt during the journey to find the witch?

Why had he pretended not to see the sadness and fear in her eyes?

‘Think, Cainchel……. There must be something…….’

And he remembered that the food he made replenished Calliope’s mana.

Even if Calliope slept for a thousand years, there must be a way to convey it…….

“There’s a delicious smell coming from the oven. It seems like the Lost Chicken is almost done, let’s eat together. It’s the last time I’m eating Cainchel’s cooking, so I want to eat it slowly.”

“I’m sorry, but it needs to be baked a little more for the crispy skin. Do you know what’s most important for delicious food?”

Calliope shook her head.

“……No.”

“From preparing the ingredients to plating. It’s about putting your heart into every moment. Only then is a bowl of food complete. So, I don’t want to end it like this.”

“What do you mean? The story is already…….”

“I’m talking about what will happen in a thousand years. You’re saying that you’ll use all the absorbed mana to block the door and eventually disappear, right? Can’t you leave some to spare?”

“Yeah. That’s impossible.”

“Then…….”

Cainchel asked if she could adjust the time she woke up.

The subject of the seal was Calliope, after all. Depending on her will, there would be some leeway.

“I can do that. But it’s only about an hour.”

Sleeping and dying, or looking back on the end of life and dying. Calliope chose the former.

According to the plan, Calliope would disappear in her sleep a thousand years from now.

Cainchel quietly clenched his fist.

That much is enough.

“By the way. How do you think you’d feel if you woke up and there was a delicious meal prepared in front of you?”

“……I’d definitely be very happy. But how? Cainchel will die before even a hundred years pass.”

“Of course, I will. But my disciple. Or a child……. Someone will learn to cook from me. Just like I did from Gordon, Jeokwoon, and countless chefs. So, don’t worry about anything, Calliope. All you have to do is wake up an hour early. Then there will definitely be the best dish prepared in front of you.”

“Really……? Really, will you do that for me?”

“Can’t I even give that much service to a regular customer?”

A thousand years.

It was a long time that was so distant that it even made him dizzy, but it was nothing compared to what Calliope had done.

Besides, recently, people’s interest in gastronomy has been increasing.

The ingredients used are becoming more diverse, and cooking techniques are also developing.

In a thousand years, things that can only be seen through the Brilliant Road now will become commonplace.

Elizabeth muttered with an impressed face.

“The kid is going to train a disciple for Calliope, I can’t just let that pass. Should I pick out a few smart guys from the ones training in the Tower of Trials and send them?”

“Isn’t Elza more interested in something other than disciples?”

“What are you saying so embarrassingly!”

Goethe also patted his chest and guaranteed.

“I’ll write this down and leave it to posterity. Since it’s a masterpiece by Goethe, it’ll be passed down for not just a thousand years, but ten thousand years.”

Calliope’s eyes widened and she made a blank expression at the unexpected reaction.

“See? Humans can’t even live for a hundred years, but the heart that thinks of you will never disappear even after a thousand years. So, eat your fill and take a good nap and wake up.”

Calliope nodded vigorously with an indescribably happy face.

“Yeah……. I’ll wait……. So, you have to come and make delicious food.”

“Of course. Ah, it’s about time the Lost Chicken is done.”

Cainchel took out the finished dish from the oven. The twice-baked Lost Chicken looked crispy just by looking at it.

“To be exact, it’s Roasted Cockatrice [a mythical rooster with lethal powers]. But the taste will be better than chicken.”

The juices from the meat and various spices in the tray were giving off an unbelievably good aroma.

“I’m going to mix well-baked lemon juice here to make gravy sauce. The salty umami [a savory taste] and the greasy taste unique to meat juices will be felt even better thanks to the sourness of the lemon.”

While being baked twice, the deep flavors from the Chorizo [a type of pork sausage] and Mandrake [a plant with magical properties] were extracted, so there was no need to season it separately.

Cainchel took out the surprisingly well-cooked stuffing from inside the meat.

Putting it on a plate and pouring the chicken juice sauce over it made it a great dish on its own.

“Now, shall we cut the Lost Chicken? First, I’ll slice the large breast meat diagonally. Can you see the beautiful texture here?”

“That’s too much……. Let me eat quickly instead of talking.”

“It’s almost over. If you pour plenty of lemon-flavored sauce on the chicken, the stuffed roasted chicken is complete.”

And finally, the moment that had been anxiously awaited arrived.

Calliope grabbed the fork and knife with an expression that she couldn’t wait any longer.

“I’ll enjoy the meal, Cainchel. It’s really the best dish for the last meal.”

“It’s not the last one. You’re going to eat again, right?”

“Yeah!”

First, she scoops up the hot, steaming stuffing and brings it to her mouth.

The soft and chewy taste unique to well-cooked beans was felt all over her mouth.

The beans, which were full of the salty and spicy taste of chorizo, didn’t seem to get boring even if she ate until her stomach burst.

“Haa, haa…….”

Hot breaths continued to leak out when she opened her mouth. But she couldn’t stop eating.

This time, it was time to eat the main menu, the Lost Chicken.

Calliope looked at the golden-brown meat with expectant eyes and moved her hands.

She took a bite full of the rich and savory smell emanating from the warm chicken.

Then, she felt the unbelievably soft and moist taste of the meat.

What about the skin that was torn apart while emitting a delicious smell with the oil removed?

For this, the tray was sealed so carefully and baked twice.

The oil on the skin attached to the lean meat and the moist juices soaked in the flesh.

When combined with the crispy skin, it was so delicious that goosebumps rose.

“Besides, the sourness of the lemon is so annoying. The stimulating acidity is not at all overwhelmed by the intensity of the meat. No, it seems to be even more delicious because it harmonizes.”

The large Cockatrice was enough for nearly ten people to eat.

However, it was a pity that she had to give up the pleasure of holding and tearing off the whole chicken leg.

“Then, since I ate the breast meat, shall we go to the leg meat this time?”

“I’ve been waiting for this moment!”

“After all, chicken legs are delicious.”

Calliope stopped eating the Lost Chicken for a moment and looked at the faces of the other people who were chattering.

In a thousand years, all of them will disappear when she opens her eyes.

But let’s never forget this memory.

The White Dragon vowed.

* * *

After the meal, Goethe and Batory’s bodies became as hard as steel. Even if a demon popped out of the door now, it would be safe for about half a day.

“Hoo! I can’t believe my stomach has become so hard. I’m sorry, but can I borrow a kitchen knife? I want to test if a drop of blood will come out even if I stab it with a knife.”

“I’m sorry, but this is made of Mithril [a fictional metal known for its strength and lightness]. It hurts if you get cut.”

“Ah, really? I’ll have to ask someone else. Duchess Morgana, can I borrow the sword you’re wearing…….”

“Mine is also Mithril.”

“Tsk. Turns out everyone was just relying on their equipment!”

Thanks to Goethe’s joviality, they were able to forget the tension ahead of the ceremony.

At that time, Calliope’s face, who was preparing to return to her main body, hardened.

Could something have gone wrong at the last moment?

Then, as if the dimension and space were distorted, the black-stained earth came to mind before her eyes.

“……That’s the Demon World?!”

“What? Why are you suddenly like this?!”

“I, I don’t know either! Lady Calliope, why are you suddenly doing this?”

Calliope bit her lip and replied.

“It seems that the dimensional rift has expanded rapidly as the Abyss collapsed.”

“Then what happens?”

“If it continues to grow like this, even high-ranking demons, not to mention mid-ranking demons, will be able to come and go freely.”

In the end, Merlin must have met his end.

It had already been two days since he escaped the Abyss. How many years had he endured inside?

“Tsk, he’s a guy who gives me a headache until the day he dies.”

As the dimensional rift opened, the screaming cries of demons trying to escape from the Demon World leaked out.

It was literally the worst situation.

“……You can close the door, right?”

“Yeah……. That’s no problem. But we need to get the demons trying to push out from the inside to back off for a while.”

In the end, that meant someone had to go to the Demon World.

Then Morgana drew her sword.

“I’ll go. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t give the demons a really painful blow.”

Calliope shook her head.

“Morgana can’t. All three witches must be on this side.”

Then, Gawain, who had already finished preparing for battle, puffed out his chest and walked forward.

“It’s finally my turn to step up. I’ll show you a great side of my senior self.”

“I’ll go too. That’s why I came along.”

Kugugugugung-!

The distortion of the dimension became even more severe.

It seemed that there was very little time left until the door was completely opened.

In the end, all the Sword Masters except Morgana decided to enter the Demon World.

Elizabeth sighed.

“I was hoping the kid would stay here…….”

“I agree with my junior’s opinion. I refuse to have a conclusion that I couldn’t block it properly because I lacked strength.”

Cainchel looked back and forth between Gawain and Elizabeth’s faces.

He could trust these people and leave his back to them.

“Since there were three of us when we went in, let’s make sure three of us come out.”

“I never thought I’d be returning to my hometown like this…….”

As he stepped towards the dimensional rift, a pure white light covered Cainchel.

When he opened his eyes, he was already in the Demon World.