Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 238

4. VS

Jaime’s hands moved gracefully, like a musician playing an instrument, as he grilled the meat.

Each time he flipped the beef, an appetizing aroma filled the air.

A satisfied smile spread across the face of Muhammad Al-Din, the young lord of the Sekhmet tribe.

“As expected, Jaime, your skills are always impressive. At this rate, you could easily become a royal chef.”

“That position isn’t quite right for me yet. I still have much to learn. But do you happen to know the term ‘processed meat’?”

“Processed meat? Is that a technique to enhance the flavor of beef?”

Jaime gently touched the perfectly grilled beef and replied, “Yes, exactly. It’s a field that’s being actively researched in Gaul [ancient region of Western Europe, now France and surrounding areas]. Beef from older cows or those that no longer produce milk isn’t very palatable. Processing aims to make it as delicious as possible. Of course, the best option is meat from cattle raised specifically for consumption, but that comes with many limitations.”

“Truly befitting Gaul, the land of gastronomy.”

“See this tender texture? That’s due to tenderizing. It involves removing tough tendons or cartilage while preserving the meat’s original shape, making it easier to eat. People often pound meat with the back of a knife; that’s a form of tenderizing.”

There are several other methods for processing meat.

Tumbling marinates the meat in various seasonings to infuse flavor.

Injection introduces seasonings or oils directly into the meat.

Sometimes, smaller pieces of meat are combined to create a single cut.

“Even low-quality beef can become delicious with the right processing. In fact, the reason I accepted Muhammad’s offer was to explore the possibilities of processed meat. Ah, the meat is perfectly grilled. Would you like to try it?”

“Really? Let’s have a taste.”

Muhammad cut the grilled beef into small pieces and brought one to his mouth.

He was met with a rich juice and intense flavor that seemed impossible for low-grade meat.

It was a delicious steak that brought a smile to his face.

“At this rate, the guests will be very pleased. If we win the competition against pork, it will be all thanks to Chef Jaime.”

“You flatter me. I simply did my best with the ingredients provided. But it seems the servants are busy, so I should deliver this myself.”

When Jaime arrived at the dining hall, he immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.

“Squeak, cough… Ugh…”

“…Cough, Argh…”

The guests were sitting side by side, their eyes blackened, making incomprehensible noises.

Jaime, alarmed, tried to call for the guards waiting outside the door.

“…!”

But they were in the same disturbing state. What on earth had happened in this important meeting place?

As Jaime hesitated, Muhammad, who had been following behind, urged him forward.

“The guests are waiting. You must serve the best beef steak.”

“This isn’t the time for that…”

“It seems perfectly fine to me.”

Only then did Jaime realize who was responsible for the unfolding tragedy.

“…What on earth did you do to these people?”

Muhammad shrugged, as if brushing dust from his clothes.

“They’re the ones who acted first. They should be serving and following the holy Brother God, but instead, they seek the Sultan’s protection and submit to him. They deserve punishment as traitors, but He appeared in human form and granted me the power to enlighten them. What you see now is the result of that power.”

“…”

At that moment, one of the warriors, barely regaining his senses, drew his sword and charged at Muhammad.

“Y-You, you monster…! Do not defile the name of the holy Allah [Arabic word for God]…!”

Muhammad waved his arm dismissively. A black arm erupted from his body and devoured the warrior in an instant.

“What do you think, Jaime? This is another of the three powers He bestowed upon me. I call it the Holy Hand.”

Jaime was sweating profusely.

This, no matter how you look at it, was not a power received from God.

It was something far more sinister.

Perhaps Muhammad had made a deal with the devil…

The black hand shot out and grabbed Jaime by the collar as he tried to escape.

Muhammad chuckled.

“Where are you going? You were supposed to prepare food for them. To make them faithful servants of Him, they must commit a taboo they should never break: eating beef. The Meat War… What a wonderful excuse, hehe.”

Jaime wanted to scream, but black darkness already enveloped his body.

Just then, the aroma of something frying in oil wafted through the slightly open window.

What could they be frying that smelled so savory and strange?

To be curious about that in a life-threatening situation… Jaime was a chef, after all.

Then, an unbelievable thing happened.

“Haa… What was I doing here? I think I dozed off… Oh, why are you here?”

“Hey, aren’t you the chief of the Ammut tribe? This place is…”

Muhammad’s face twisted in horror as he saw them seemingly awaken from a nap.

Why had they regained their senses?

Although there were some limitations, the power granted by Him was absolute.

But it had been broken. It was unbelievable.

Muhammad reached out to the confused people. A red mist enveloped them.

“I suppose I’ll have to slowly figure out what happened.”

Unfortunately, no one remained to answer his words.

* * *

Osman, just before the rainy season, was notorious for its intense heat, which even the imperial people struggled to endure.

Moreover, there was no rain to offer relief.

Unless you were a dwarf, venturing out in the middle of the day was practically suicide.

So, most people began their activities in the late afternoon when the heat subsided.

Before that, it was common to rest at home or in the shade to conserve energy.

The residents of the Sekhmet tribe were no different.

“Ugh, I’m so hungry today.”

“We’re out of water to make soup. Do I have to ride a camel all night to fetch water again? Damn it, this shiny pebble I can’t even eat. How nice would it be if I could buy water with this.”

“We’re still better off. The Horus tribe, for example, has had all the nearby rivers dry up, so they have to travel for three days and nights.”

“Hoo… The heavens are merciless. We’re barely surviving on the beer we buy from the Tuscan Confederation, but that’s running out too…”

“Don’t even mention it. My son is only nine years old, but he’s more of a drunkard than I am.”

“Haha, that’s…”

Keinzel used his skills to retrieve the jellies he had placed out of sight.

‘The situation in the Ottoman Empire seems worse than I thought. Even in this situation, they’re fighting over meat, so I understand why Scheherazade is fed up.’

― That also means that religion and belief are that scary. Partner, you were also in conflict with the Seven Deadly Sins Church until recently.

‘Those guys aren’t so much a religious group as just crazy people. Anyway, is Zoid staying still?’

― Hmm. He’s been strangely quiet. I think the fall of the Titan was quite a shock.

‘Then keep an eye on him and tell me right away if anything seems strange.’

― But why is Partner paying attention to the stone doll? Abdullah’s request was clearly to bring back Scheherazade and win her heart.

‘That’s because…’

Keinzel recalled the information he knew about the golem that the guy was making.

It was made of culture soil where plants grow well, and the core of the super-large golem had the power of a dragon.

Besides, Zoid had built a workshop in the vast Arabian desert, exactly under Byzantium [ancient Greek colony, later Constantinople, now Istanbul].

‘…No matter how I think about it, the great drought and Zoid seem to be related. Anyway, shall we start frying chicken?’

Bishop’s voice, which had become much louder, echoed.

― I’ve been waiting, Partner!

Cooking would be much more enjoyable than eavesdropping on citizens’ conversations.

Soaking chicken pieces in milk makes them softer and more moist, so the powder ingredients stick well.

Put it in a pot heated to 200 degrees and fry it until crispy.

Since it had been pre-low-temperature aged, there was no need to use different breading for each part.

You just have to be careful to put them in one by one every 5 seconds so that the chickens don’t stick together.

If you master this trick, even a dwarf with poor cooking skills can make delicious chicken.

As he began to fry the chicken in earnest, people smelled it and gathered.

He remembered when he was selling honey butter sandwiches at Citizen, and a smile appeared on his face without him realizing it.

Of course, he wasn’t wearing a ridiculous clown costume like he did back then.

“Don’t you smell something delicious somewhere?”

“That’s right. It sounds like they’re frying something somewhere.”

“What is it? They’re frying something? It doesn’t look like a lizard, is it chicken?”

“I know that. It’s definitely a dish called fried chicken. But where did they get so much chicken?”

A man with a turban pulled low over his face approached Keinzel and asked.

“Are you selling that?”

“Of course. But this is called Chimaek [Korean dish of fried chicken and beer], and it’s delicious when eaten with beer. So I’m selling it together.”

“Hmm. I just drank a glass of beer that was all flat and sour.”

Keinzel smiled and pointed to the beer barrel next to the stall.

Unlike its seemingly unremarkable appearance, pure white frost was spewing out.

Gulp…

“Don’t tell me that’s chilled beer?”

“Of course. It will definitely be cool enough to freeze you to the bone.”

“I, I’ll buy it!”

At the words ‘cool beer,’ exclamations burst from the mouths of the onlookers.

“What?! Cool beer? That can’t be true?! This is Osman!”

“I’ll check it out, so don’t push me! It’s, it’s real! The beer barrel is incredibly cold!”

Ice is more precious than gold here.

“So how much do I have to pay to eat it?”

Keinzel held up five fingers. 5 silver for a piece of chicken.

Even for the wealthy Ottoman people, who have many rich people, it was a burdensome amount to spend on one meal.

But it’s cool beer.

If not now, you may never be able to eat it again in your life. In the end, the man willingly took out a gold coin from his pocket and handed it over.

Osman is famous for producing a lot of stones that cannot be eaten. Various jewels roll around like stones. That was the driving force behind maintaining the title of empire even in a barren environment.

Bishop clicked his tongue.

― You’re a complete robber. Didn’t you buy one chicken for 20 coppers? Are you really making almost 100 times the profit?

‘It’s beer frozen with Durandal [Keinzel’s sword], which is called the Holy Sword. I think it’s worth that much?’

― Hmph, you’re really good at talking.

The price of a magic tool that emits cold air is over hundreds of gold.

Moreover, in hot regions like Osman, the maintenance cost alone is several times that amount.

There’s a reason why they say that if a royal family has a hobby of bathing in ice water, the country will be ruined.

The man who received the chicken and beer enjoyed the cold for a while, then hurriedly began to eat it for fear of it becoming lukewarm.

First, he gulped down the cool beer in one go. Then, a coldness that made his head go white began to spread throughout his body.

“Keuh. This is the taste of cool beer… It’s so delicious that I feel like I’m going to cry…”

And thinking of warming his chilled mouth, he bit into the chicken in one go.

“…?”

The man widened his eyes and didn’t move for a while.

A man who was watching from the side asked with a face that he was curious to death.

“I know the cool beer is amazing, but how’s the fried chicken?”

“The end…”

“The end?”

“It’s the beeeeeest! This is really, really delicious! I just thought it was a bonus to sell cool beer, but it’s no joke! The slightly spicy and crispy skin is amazing, but the soft and moist flesh is really no joke. The moment you chew it, soft juice overflows, and this is real…”

“Aaaaaah! I was just going to watch because the price was expensive, but I can’t! That’s right, when else will I drink cool beer if not now? Give me a piece here too!”

“Me too!”

“One piece here too!”

Almost at the same time, dozens of people started shouting for one piece. The speed of frying chicken could not keep up.

“What is this? It’s really amazingly delicious?!”

“Hoo-ah… When I eat chicken and drink beer, the cool carbonation washes away the greasy meat taste. Damn it, why are you only selling one piece at a time?! I’ll give you all the gold coins, so sell me a whole chicken!”

“Are you going to eat all the chimaek by yourself?! Leave some for me to eat!”

‘It was the right answer to sell only one piece at a time.’

One piece of chicken and one glass of beer per person.

The regret of not eating enough will further enhance the reputation of Chimaek.

In the end, 50 chickens were all sold out in less than an hour.

Not only was his pocket full, but a message popped up that the customers who ate Chimaek were satisfied.

The huge experience was a bonus.

Today, Keinzel sold it alone, but from tomorrow, 500 dwarves will join.

But there was something to deal with before that.

‘As expected, an uninvited guest has arrived.’

Fallen Star sensed the approach of a huge hostility.

He had just started selling chicken, but the reaction was faster than he thought.