Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 231

The wasabi was a completely new experience for Abdullah.

The moment it touched his tongue, his nose tingled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

In Osman [the heartland of the Ottoman Empire], they eat a lot of spicy food to forget the heat.

Abdullah was also used to strong spices and hot flavors.

But the spiciness of wasabi was unlike anything he had ever tasted before.

Abdullah mumbled with a dazed expression.

“…It’s as if the sunlight has clearly swept through my entire body.”

“Of course, it’s spicy if you only eat wasabi mayo. You should spread it on a tortilla and wrap it with coleslaw and steak.”

He said that, thinking Abdullah didn’t like wasabi mayo.

But then he dipped his finger into the wasabi mayo again and brought it to his mouth.

‘Could it be that he liked it just now?’

Abdullah enjoyed the tingling, spicy sensation of wasabi for a while.

“Kuh! This is the taste! Indeed, Cainchel is confident enough to present it. But with such a strong presence of the sauce, won’t the taste of the main steak taco be overshadowed?”

“Wasabi is definitely a spice with a strong taste and aroma. But if you eat it, you’ll know why I used mayonnaise.”

“I understand. Then I’ll try it.”

The slightly burnt tortilla with its savory smell looks appetizing on its own.

But the steak inside was in an unusual state.

The juices and marinade were mixed together, creating an unbelievably rich flavor.

Even Abdullah, who had never tasted beef in his life, couldn’t help but salivate.

“It looks much more delicious than I thought. Then….”

It was already cut into bite-sized pieces, so you can eat it as a taco.

Abdullah bit into the steak taco in one bite.

The well-baked tortilla made a crisp sound as it broke apart in his mouth.

And it began to release the flavors of the vegetables and meat that were sealed inside.

Abdullah almost cried out without realizing it.

Delicious. More delicious than any other gourmet dish he has ever eaten!

The first thing he felt was the refreshing crispness of the cabbage spreading sweetly in his mouth.

And what about the taste of Gorgon steak [a fictional meat source]?

When he bit into the surface of the well-cooked meat, the sweet-tasting oil flowed out along with the juices.

It was possible because the fat was not removed and grilled as if it were melted, so the taste was all absorbed into the meat.

“…The taste of the marinade in which the meat was soaked is also special. The sweet and subtly sour taste makes the combination of meat and cabbage even more perfect.”

This time, Abdullah put the part with plenty of wasabi mayo in his mouth.

And he was shocked.

He had just said it was perfect, but it was a mistake.

The unique aroma of wasabi completely eliminates the greasiness of the meat and increases the umami [savory taste] several times.

The steak, which is delicious even when eaten on its own, has been enhanced with an incredibly fantastic flavor.

Literally, beyond heavenly.

The saying that there is a sky beyond the sky must be referring to this wasabi mayo.

“Besides, the tingling aroma that reaches the inside of my nose is really attractive. Wasabi mayo… Once you get addicted to this, you won’t even look at other condiments.”

In the end, Abdullah even took off his turban and began to devour the steak taco.

Crispy tortilla. Sour cabbage. Steak with a rich flavor.

Ingredients that would be delicious even if eaten separately became one with the power of wasabi mayo.

But all good things must come to an end.

Abdullah looked at the empty plate with a dumbfounded expression.

And he seriously considered whether to lick the wasabi mayo off the plate.

“It seems like you still want more. Gorgon meat is surprisingly edible, right?”

“Kh, khm!”

Even if Gorgon is not a cow, its appearance is similar to one.

But it was natural for him to feel embarrassed since he had eaten it so deliciously.

“Would you like another serving?”

“…Of course! I will enjoy it!”

At Cainchel’s question, Abdullah’s eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously.

He was ready to eat the taco in front of him even if it was made with real beef.

In the end, Abdullah ate four servings of steak tacos.

His body, rubbing his bursting stomach with a pleasant expression, had all the burn marks disappeared.

Abdullah looked at Cainchel with sunken eyes and thought.

That a man who can make such delicious food might be able to end the ‘Meat War’ that has been going on for hundreds of years.

* * *

Cainchel smacked his lips with a regretful expression.

In the end, he couldn’t get fresh wasabi, so he had to use the powdered one.

According to what he heard from the sailors, wasabi tastes and smells best when freshly picked and ground on a grater made of shark skin.

Even with wasabi made by mixing powder with water, it was this good, so what would it taste like if he ate it in the production area?

As long-distance navigation developed, it became easy to obtain spices and ingredients from other continents.

However, no matter how good the ability to restore freshness is, it is not as good as ingredients obtained from the production area.

In the end, this meant that the foreign dishes Cainchel had made so far were not perfect.

‘If I have a chance someday, I must go and eat fresh wasabi.’

To create an 8-star dish, you need the hearts of many people in the dish.

There will definitely come a time when another 8-star dish is needed.

For that time, he wanted to gather as many hearts as possible.

Cainchel was sure.

‘The disappearance of Uin and the continuing drought… If I find out the cause, I can definitely make another 7-star dish.’

Of course, he was also curious about the veiled food culture of the Ottoman Empire.

After the meal, Abdullah clicked his tongue as he looked at the magma created by the Meteor Punch [a powerful magical attack].

“Defeating the super-large golem is a great achievement. But if you don’t catch the person who made it, won’t this kind of thing happen again?”

That was something Cainchel also agreed with. Britannia was almost destroyed thanks to one crazy alchemist.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch because it was another country’s problem.

― Um, I think I can help you find Zoid. If you search the two-dimensional pocket, you will find a bracelet-shaped magic tool. Can you take it out and attach it to my body?

As Bishop said, there were a lot of magic tools he had never seen before in the pocket.

‘When did you put all this in here?! I knew it. I definitely put in enough firewood, but it’s not enough.’

― It is a ring of sensory amplification made exclusively for me. If you equip it and concentrate, the detectable range will increase to about 2km. If there is an alchemist’s workshop within that range, I will let you know immediately. Instead, be careful because I won’t be able to answer even if you talk to me during that time.

It was a wide if wide, and narrow if narrow range.

The area of the Ottoman Empire is 1,000km². The probability of finding Zoid’s workshop while going to Byzantium was very low.

‘But it’s better than nothing.’

Abdullah’s expression brightened when he heard Bishop’s story from Cainchel.

“If we can find the location of the super-large golem’s creator, all the Janissaries [elite Ottoman soldiers] will help Cainchel.”

For three days on the way to Byzantium, Bishop did his best to find the alchemist’s workshop.

And luckily, he was able to find where Zoid was.

― Hek, hek… This is really tiring. But I was really lucky. Zoid’s workshop is 2km ahead of my partner!

‘It’s right in front of me.’

Cainchel narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction Bishop had told him.

What was there was a huge city surrounded by a vast desert.

It was Byzantium, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Abdullah trembled, his face horrified.

“S, surely the creator of the super-large golem is hiding in this sacred city where the Sultan resides?”

“There is an old saying that it is dark under the torch [the safest place is sometimes the most dangerous]. This is exactly the case. Since he made a huge golem, the exact location is probably underground. The problem is how to get the alchemist hiding deep in the sandcastle out.”

Cainchel looked at the scenery of Byzantium, where many people lived.

What would happen if a battle with a super-large golem broke out here?

Even if they win, it will be a victory with only scars.

He had to avoid that at all costs.

“I think I should meet the Sultan first and talk to him.”

Cainchel recalled the Sultan’s face at the award ceremony. He was a middle-aged man with a stylish mustache.

“…Before that, will you listen to me? In fact, there is one thing this body has hidden from Cainchel.”

“Hidden? What is it?”

“That’s… I think it would be faster to explain if you see it in person. Please wait a moment. I will contact the Sultan through a secret communication network.”

Soon after, Cainchel realized why Abdullah had said that.

* * *

“I am the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa III!”

Cainchel looked down at Mustafa III, who stood proudly, chest out and hands on his hips.

According to Abdullah’s explanation, the unique Sultan does not need a name.

He is only called by the surname inherited from the previous Sultan or by the title of Sultan.

In front of Mustafa III, Abdullah, who could be said to be his right-hand man, was kneeling.

Cainchel gave a light knightly salute and said.

“On behalf of Britannia, I congratulate the new Sultan on his accession.”

The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa III, was a boy with brown skin and an innocent face.

He looked so young that he couldn’t have been more than 10 years old.

He was too young to be the ruler of a country.

The Sultan sniffed and ran to the bag Cainchel was wearing on his waist.

“Why does it smell so sweet?”

It was a meringue cookie made as an emergency food in case of an emergency.

When Cainchel handed over the bag of snacks, a smile bloomed on the Sultan’s face as he opened the entrance.

“Can I really eat it? I really like snacks!”

The prince of a country receives education to become a king from birth.

But Mustafa III felt much younger than commoners of a similar age.

The Sultan held out the meringue cookie to Abdullah. He seemed to be asking for permission to eat it.

When Abdullah nodded, the Sultan smiled brightly and put the meringue cookie in his mouth.

Then, the sweet taste that melted away like cotton candy pleased his tongue.

The Sultan instantly became Cainchel’s prisoner.

“I like the snacks Cainchel makes. From now on, you can call me Sinbad!”

Sinbad is said to be the name he used before becoming Sultan.

Abdullah explained the tragedy that struck Osman a few months ago with a heavy face.

“The late Sultan knew that the Ottoman Empire had no future relying on Sheherazade alone. In the end, he devoted all his efforts to finding the cause of the great drought. He always said this. There is no phenomenon without a cause.”

However, as Cainchel knew, there were no results.

In the end, the Ottoman Empire became increasingly dry, and Sheherazade’s burden became enormous.

At that time, a revelation from Allah [the God of Islam], the god worshipped by the Ottoman Empire, came down.