Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 234

When the Gourmet skill reached 7 stars, it wasn’t just the tongue that became sensitive.

Smell is as important as taste in perceiving flavors.

If you eat food with your nose blocked, you can only slightly perceive simple sour, sweet, bitter, and salty tastes. It’s difficult to distinguish the unique aroma and flavor of the food.

“I heard that the Ottoman royal family is forbidden from eating beef. But I think I smell well-grilled beef steak coming from Jasmine.”

“……!”

Jasmine widened her eyes in astonishment.

However, as a head maid who had been trained since childhood, she quickly regained her composure.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The word ‘beef’ itself is an insult to Allah. Please refrain from using it.”

It seems she intends to play dumb until the end. Cainchel brought his nose close to Jasmine’s body and sniffed exaggeratedly.

“Actually, my nose is a bit sensitive. Abdullah, try smelling it too. Doesn’t it smell like an intensely strong floral fragrance?”

“……Indeed.”

“It’s because she’s applying perfume almost in its undiluted form all over her body. This fragrance is Jasmine. Using a perfume with the same name as herself, how romantic.”

Although not to the extent of Morgana’s extrasensory perception, he was several times more sensitive to food and spices than before.

In the hot Ottoman climate, perfumes and oils are frequently used to mask body odor.

The problem is the amount they use is excessive.

Unless they are attending a special ceremony, why would they need to apply so much expensive perfume while working?

“……It must be to erase the traces of eating food that should not be eaten.”

Then, a terrifying murderous aura emanated from Abdullah’s body. Even the half-elf Abel frowned.

“Tell me the truth, Jasmine……! Then, in consideration of your contributions to the royal family, I will spare your life!”

Before he knew it, he was holding a large claymore [a large two-handed sword] in his hand.

He felt a strong will to cut her throat if she didn’t answer.

However, Jasmine did not open her mouth until the end.

Eventually, just as an enormous sword aura was about to erupt from the enraged Abdullah’s hand.

“Abdullah. Stop it.”

A voice so sweet it could melt ears rang out from somewhere.

The moment he heard it, Abdullah’s body froze as if time had stopped. He barely opened his mouth and let out a scream mixed with a cry.

“Se, Scheherazade-nim?!”

As if responding to that, Scheherazade chanted a spell.

“Open Sesame.”

Thud-!

Then, the bookshelf that had been filling one corner of the room began to open with a cheerful sound.

Walking out from there was a woman with dazzlingly white skin, befitting the title of pure and lovely.

Clean and pure.

And ephemeral and heartbreaking.

It was as if she would melt away in an instant under the scorching Ottoman sunlight.

Cainchel momentarily made eye contact with her.

“Ugh?!”

And before he knew it, an exclamation burst from his mouth.

Hair that shimmered blue like the embodiment of clear river water. Sparkling eyes containing all the wisdom of the world.

He had met many beautiful women, but this was the first time he had seen an appearance that inspired awe.

Jasmine knelt before her.

The only master she had to serve, and the one who held the lifeline of hundreds of thousands of Ottoman citizens.

It was the appearance of Scheherazade.

* * *

Cainchel had to take deep breaths for a while to calm his pounding heart.

‘The divine power is reacting violently. They say the Weaver has the power of God, it’s true.’

Scheherazade said with a small sigh.

“If I disappear, my personal maid Jasmine will be severely reprimanded. I sent her out for a while to prevent that, but it ended up backfiring.”

“I’m sorry. If I had acted a little more perfectly…….”

“I’m not blaming you. It was bound to be discovered someday. But I didn’t expect you to find out that Jasmine was an ‘accomplice’ so quickly. I thought it would take at least another month. So, Abdullah, don’t scold Jasmine too much. She was just following my orders.”

Cainchel, who barely calmed the surging divine power, asked.

“Then what about the beef?”

“That’s what I asked for too. But I really didn’t expect you to bring him……. As expected, Abdullah’s initiative is amazing.”

Abdullah looked at Scheherazade with a look of utter disbelief.

In the end, everything was a self-created drama she had orchestrated.

“It seems like it will be a long story, would you like to sit down for a moment? Oh, did you read the letter I sent? It’s all true. If I didn’t have shackles on me, I would have gone to eat the dishes you made, even if it took months.”

Scheherazade fiddled with her hair with a lonely expression.

Then, as if to reflect her mood, dark clouds gathered around her.

“I didn’t want to meet you like this…….”

“Scheherazade-nim……! Tell me! Why did you do this?!”

Jasmine, who had been kneeling, raised her head and looked at Abdullah.

“Abdullah-gong [a respectful title], I will explain it for her.”

She began to explain in a calm voice the reason why Scheherazade had to disappear on her own.

“First of all, most of what Cainchel-gong has revealed is correct, except that Scheherazade-nim was not kidnapped by me, but hid herself using a secret passage.”

“So that was the secret passage.”

“Yes, that’s right. There are several secret doors in this harem [the women’s quarters in a Muslim household] that even the Sultan doesn’t know about. They were created for when the worst situation occurs.”

Due to the great drought that had lasted for more than ten years, the Ottoman Empire was slowly drying up.

Using Amehurashi [a magical rain-summoning technique] can bring dark clouds to the dry sky and bring rain.

“……Scheherazade-nim had to use Amehurashi every day without rest.”

However, even so, it was said that it was not even half of the required amount.

To use the power of God, divine power is needed.

Like Aura, it is depleted when used, and time is needed to recover.

“What is drying up is Scheherazade-nim as well. If this abuse continues, she won’t last even a month.”

Even Abdullah, who could be said to be the Sultan’s right-hand man, was hearing this for the first time.

“Ah, you won’t last even a month?! Why didn’t you tell me!”

“Does anything change if I tell you?”

“Kuh…….”

“In the end, Scheherazade-nim decided to take all the blame on herself, just like the former Sultan, Mustafa II, did.”

If Amehurashi is continuously used throughout the Ottoman Empire, it will reach its limit in one month.

To avoid that, the amount of rain had to be reduced by half.

Cainchel realized something strange in Jasmine’s story.

“It might be a bit complicated, but wouldn’t it be possible for everyone to gather and live where it rains?”

Then Abdullah and Jasmine shook their heads at the same time.

“The Ottoman Empire is divided into people who do not eat beef and those who do not eat pork, depending on the god they believe in. It is impossible for them to mix.”

“It’s a matter of life and death. Can’t you put aside your stubbornness and live together?”

“I would rather die than live with barbarians who eat sacred cows.”

He felt like he knew why the Ottoman Empire had lived so closed off.

Even Britannia doesn’t eat beef or pork.

Scheherazade reached out her hand towards Jasmine, who was about to explain something more.

“I’ll talk from here. The Ottoman Empire is divided into beef supporters and pork supporters. In terms of numbers, the latter is slightly more numerous, but there isn’t a big difference. That’s right. I’m planning to rain only on one of the two from now on.”

It was certainly a rational choice.

Then the Ottoman Empire, which had been divided for hundreds of years, would be united into one.

Although the number will be reduced by half, trade with other countries will be active in the future.

Of course, it required tremendous sacrifice.

That too, pork and beef. They have to die just because they don’t eat one of them.

Abdullah recalled that Jasmine had grilled beef steak for Scheherazade.

“Su, surely Scheherazade-nim is a beef supporter?!”

Then all the people of Byzantium who do not eat beef will dry up and die.

Among them were Abdullah, as well as Sinbad.

Scheherazade sighed and confessed the truth she had hidden for decades.

“Actually, I like both. Beef steak, bacon sandwiches……. Why can’t I eat such delicious things?”

“Th, that’s…….”

“That’s right. I was worried about it until my head was about to break for a while. Which is right to eat, beef or pork? In the end, I was able to reach one answer. Since it’s a matter of life and death, let’s decide it ourselves. Once it is decided which is superior, I will only rain on that side. Isn’t it very fair?”

Cainchel realized why Scheherazade had gone so far as to stage a play and hide her appearance.

If this had been known in advance, the entire Ottoman Empire would have fallen into a cauldron of chaos.

Scheherazade added a few conditions. The given time is three weeks.

The beef faction and the pork faction must each create dishes that support them and impress the other party.

The victory goes to the side that attracts the most people to their side during the time limit.

Of course, the use of force is strictly prohibited.

“But then the existence of the Weaver will not be known to the imperial people? How do you plan to handle the aftermath?”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to say that it’s to decide on the food to be used for the rain ritual? That should be enough to stimulate competitiveness.”

“Certainly, with that kind of content, it will be possible to proceed without revealing the existence of the Weaver.”

Abdullah approached Cainchel and bowed.

“Cainchel-gong. I’m sorry that things have turned out this way, but I have a favor to ask. Can’t you join the pork faction? If it’s the pork dish you made, you can increase the number of supporters by about a thousand in an instant.”

He seemed to have already made up his mind to support pork.

It was only natural. The target he had to protect was, after all, the Sultan, Sinbad.

Cainchel shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can grant that request.”

“……Then don’t tell me you’re going to support beef?”

Despair appeared on Abdullah’s face.

Byzantium, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, supports pork. Moreover, the Sultan is also a pork faction. It is decided before the start which one is dominant.

But if Cainchel joins the beef faction, he will have a formidable enemy with tremendous cooking skills.

However, he couldn’t use force, so his heart was only burning black.

“No. I will not support beef or pork.”

“Hoo……. I forgot for a moment. Cainchel-gong was a Britannia. It is enough if you remain neutral. Anyway, now that things have turned out this way, we will have to postpone dealing with Zoid for three weeks.”

He doesn’t know what that guy is doing in the basement of Byzantium.

However, his goal is to create the strongest golem, not the destruction of the Ottoman Empire.

If you don’t poke the rat hole, you don’t have to worry about it crawling out.

‘Still, I should ask Bishop to keep an eye on him, just in case.’

“But Scheherazade-nim, the meat that is supported by the most people in three weeks will be the winner, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Are you perhaps thinking of participating too?”

“Well.”

From now on for three weeks, he will be an enemy with Abdullah.

Then, he can’t tell them what he’s going to do from now on.

Cainchel had a secret plan to end the war without anyone being sacrificed.