Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 244

“So, when will the dish you’re making with that unfamiliar method be finished?”

Seherazade’s nervously clasped hands trembled faintly.

One wouldn’t imagine it just from looking at her yawning languidly.

The man before her was an Ancient Dragon, practically a living legend.

Moreover, he was from the Red Dragon clan, notorious for their fiery temper.

If anything were to displease him even slightly, the entire Ottoman Empire could be engulfed in flames.

Seherazade answered as cautiously as possible.

“We needed fresh ingredients, so someone has gone to the Tuscan Confederation to get them. They should be back soon, so please wait a little longer.”

“Haaahm… If I fall asleep now, I might not wake up for another hundred years. I’ve waited this long with great difficulty, so it better be worth it.”

“…….”

When the cause of the great drought was revealed, Seherazade was honestly delighted.

However, upon learning that it was due to an Ancient Dragon, she felt a deep sense of despair.

Wasn’t that the same as a natural disaster beyond human control?

Watching Seherazade tremble like a mouse before a cat, Magnus grinned.

“Don’t be so nervous. I’m not going to eat you or anything. This old dragon has lost his appetite lately.”

“T-Then, if your appetite returns…”

Seherazade’s face turned as white as the snowy fields of the north.

Magnus was an opponent she couldn’t possibly handle.

But there was no choice.

Who else but Seherazade, who possessed a slight divine power, could deal with Magnus?

“The reason this old dragon has lived for ten thousand years is because of my easygoing nature and dislike of troublesome things. Ah, there was this one time when this old dragon was in his prime. I fought the king of the giant race, who supposedly held up the world. Shall I tell you that story to pass the time?”

“…Yes. I would love to hear it.”

Magnus sat up straight, seemingly overjoyed. It didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon.

And two days passed.

“The moon-devouring beast Fenrir was incredibly strong, just as his name suggested. In the end, this old dragon had no choice but to realize he had to revert to his true form. Hmm? Miss, are you dozing off?”

“…Umnya. Ah…?! I wasn’t sleeping! Really! Please believe me!”

“I guess this part is a bit boring. Oh, right. Skipping ahead a bit, let me tell you about when this old dragon invaded Asgard…”

Seherazade turned pale in a different way.

It turned out that Magnus was an incredible chatterbox. Moreover, he had ten thousand years’ worth of stories to tell.

Would she have to be reincarnated at least three or four times to hear them all?

Clatter-

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s get started right away.”

Seherazade smiled brightly at the person who opened the door and entered.

“Wow! Lord Magnus! Sir Cainchel, whom you’ve been waiting for, has finally arrived!”

“It was just about to get to the interesting part, what a shame. Ah, don’t worry. I’ll eat quickly and continue the story.”

“…….”

Seherazade had to look at Cainchel with pleading eyes.

The Ottoman Empire and her future depended on the dish Cainchel was about to make.

But what on earth was he trying to make that required him to be away for three days?

As if in answer, Cainchel took out a large piece of paper from his dimensional pocket.

“I’m going to use this to make the dish.”

A strange exclamation escaped Seherazade’s lips.

“That’s paper?! You’re not going to burn it to make food, are you?”

Magnus, too, watched with shining eyes, intrigued.

“No. I’m going to use this as a pot.”

“…Use paper as a pot?!”

Even thick parchment would be one thing, but what Cainchel had brought was thin Western paper.

As paper made from wood, it would instantly turn black and turn to ash if set on fire.

How could he use that as a pot?

Cainchel smiled and folded the paper into a small pot.

Then, he poured water into it and placed it over the fire, and it began to bubble and boil.

Seherazade’s eyes widened.

“The paper pot really isn’t burning on the fire…!”

“Oh, I’ve certainly never seen anything like this before. You didn’t use Aura [magical energy], did you?”

“As you can tell by touching it, it’s just pure paper that’s been oiled to prevent leaks.”

“Indeed.”

Cainchel briefly explained why this was possible.

“In order for something to burn, it needs to maintain a temperature above its ignition point. As a Red Dragon, Lord Magnus, you must know that very well.”

“Hmm. If it’s wood, it’s definitely 400 degrees Celsius [752 degrees Fahrenheit], right?”

“Yes. And the boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius [212 degrees Fahrenheit]. When you heat the pot, the paper gets hot first, but the water inside takes the heat away again. That’s why it can boil the contents without burning.”

Magnus groaned, looking like he’d been outsmarted.

“Using heat conduction, huh? Tch, this old dragon knew that, but I never thought you’d apply it to cooking. When did human technology develop this much? Alright. You win the bet. I’ll eat the dish you make.”

“Thank you.”

Seherazade also rejoiced, her face flushed.

“You’re amazing, Sir Cainchel! You’ve satisfied that difficult condition!”

It seemed she had been having a hard time listening to Magnus’s endless chatter.

Magnus clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“But that only means I’ll try it. You know I’ve lost my sense of taste, right? I’ll spit it out if it’s not good.”

“That’s enough.”

Cainchel looked at the paper pot that was boiling vigorously.

What he had to make now was a medicinal cuisine that could restore his lost sense of taste.

And it had to taste good too.

To do that, the freshness of the ingredients was paramount.

And so, Cainchel began the dish that would determine the fate of the Ottoman Empire.

* * *

What you can make with a paper pot is limited to soup dishes. You can’t grill or fry anything.

So at first, he was going to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

It was the best soup dish of the Ming Dynasty [a major dynasty in Chinese history (1368–1644)], made by boiling over 30 ingredients, including bamboo shoots, sea cucumbers, abalone, shark fins, ginseng, and dried scallops.

As the name suggests, it was famous for its appetite-stimulating aroma.

But to make it, he needed ingredients from far away Ming Dynasty.

Inevitably, Cainchel changed course to a dish using ingredients that could be found here.

Cainchel first spread a generous amount of mung bean sprouts at the bottom of the paper pot.

They were a very common ingredient in the Tuscan Confederation, as they could be grown simply by watering mung beans.

And the crunchy texture was also excellent.

“You know the dessert called mille-feuille [a French pastry], right?”

“Yes. I’ve never eaten it, but I’ve seen it in books. Isn’t it a dessert made by stacking multiple layers of pastry, with cream and fruit layered in between?”

“What I’m going to make now is called mille-feuille nabe, which is similar to that. However, instead of stacking pastry and cream, it’s vegetables and meat.”

“You boil that in broth? Hoo… That sounds really delicious.”

Cainchel began to carefully prepare the fresh-looking napa cabbage and bok choy leaves one by one.

Next, he placed a cabbage leaf on top of Aegis [his shield] and placed thinly sliced beef on top of it.

Finally, he placed the bok choy on top, and it was done.

“By the way, is that meat beef tongue?”

“You have a good eye. That’s right. I got a chunk from Chef Jaime. The nutrients in this and the bok choy will help restore your lost sense of taste.”

As you get older, the number of taste cells decreases, making it difficult to taste.

In addition, saliva secretion decreases, making all food taste bitter.

That’s why he was making a soup dish with plenty of meat and vegetables, boiled until tender.

Cainchel stacked the ingredients, divided into thirds, in the pot. The cabbage, meat, and bok choy formed overlapping layers.

“So that’s why it’s called mille-feuille nabe.”

“Now, I’m going to add shiitake mushrooms to add a rich flavor to the broth. I’ll make a few slits and place them in the center of the pot as a decoration.”

For the broth, he used kelp boiled in water. He kept the seasoning simple with just salt and soy sauce.

Seherazade, who was used to stimulating spices, was startled and widened her eyes.

“Is it already done?”

“Yes. Now, all that’s left is to let it simmer slowly so that the flavors of the ingredients come out.”

There wasn’t even proper spices, let alone the butter and cream that came to mind when thinking of ‘Gallian cuisine’.

It was a dish that looked bland to the point of being tasteless.

Would this really taste good?

Knowing or not knowing Seherazade’s burning heart, Cainchel gave a meaningful smile.

“Don’t worry. The magic will begin soon.”

Cainchel placed the paper pot, with all the preparations completed, back on the fire.

Then, the mille-feuille nabe began to boil.

So that the flavors of the ingredients, as well as the hearts of the many people contained within, would all come out.

Very slowly.

* * *

Magnus’s expression was indifferent.

The idea of using paper as a pot was novel. But for the dish made with it to be so simple…

At least there were a few pieces of beef, but most of it was vegetables.

Moreover, there were no expensive spices, just a little salt and soy sauce from Ming Dynasty.

Boil, boil-

“Hmph…! This old dragon has eaten all sorts of delicacies for the past ten thousand years. Do you think I can regain my lost sense of taste with such a simple dish?”

But why was that?

The sound of the mille-feuille nabe boiling began to feel strangely pleasant.

Then, a strange groan escaped from Magnus’s lips.

“…Haa. This, something…”

The more the broth from the vegetables and meat was added to the kelp broth, the better it smelled.

Before he knew it, his stomach was growling.

Magnus’s lips were already wet with drool.

“Kuh, cough. I guess I’m not fully awake yet. For this old dragon to show such a disgraceful sight.”

Cainchel smiled and scooped up the broth from the vegetables with Pragarakh [his ladle/sword] and poured it over the top.

Then, a pleasant smell wafted through the air, making his lips twitch involuntarily.

“Lord Magnus’s tongue has been tormented by all sorts of stimulating flavors for a lifetime. Of course. You’ve eaten countless delicacies for ten thousand years. It’s only natural that you’ve lost your sense of taste. That’s why I deliberately chose the mildest mille-feuille nabe. It seems to be cooked enough, would you like to taste it?”

Cainchel scooped up a ladleful of broth with Pragarakh and handed it to Magnus.

Magnus didn’t even ask why there was a wooden ladle attached to the Holy Sword.

He just took it and stared at it silently.

“…Well, I said I’d taste it, so I have to keep my promise. Then, shall we try it?”

He stuck his tongue out slightly and dipped it in the broth. Then, a thrill he hadn’t felt in a thousand years ran through his entire body.

“Wh-What, I can taste it?!”

The broth, with its subtle salty taste, contained all the flavors from the vegetables and meat.

Not even a handful of salt had been added, but it was strangely salty.

That was because his body had not consumed salt for a very long time.

The savory taste of the beef was added to the broth from the cabbage and bok choy.

A storm of flavors he hadn’t felt in a thousand years began to rage through his body.

He felt like screaming.

Cainchel, who had been watching Magnus’s sense of taste recover, handed him a small plate.

It was filled with well-boiled vegetables, meat, and mushrooms.

“You can dip it in ponzu [a citrus-based sauce] or chili sauce to your liking.”

“…….”

Magnus didn’t seem to have the leisure to answer, and began to eat the mille-feuille nabe ravenously.

The bitter bok choy and the cabbage soaked in broth. And the mung bean sprouts still retained their crunchiness even after being boiled thoroughly.

They retained their texture while being well-cooked to the core.

Magnus liked meat more than vegetables.

But if it was this delicious, he felt like he could turn into an elf and live on grass for a while.

With each bite, he could taste the crunchy texture and the salty vegetable broth.

This time, he dipped the beef in plenty of ponzu sauce with a refreshing yuzu [a citrus fruit] flavor and ate it.

“Haa… The chewy and elastic taste of the meat is no joke. Especially since it’s a fatty part, contrary to its appearance. It melts into the salty broth and tastes so good.”

“You know why I didn’t season it strongly, right?”

Then, his eyes, which had always been half-closed with a hazy expression, widened.

“That’s right. If I had, the original taste of the ingredients would have been completely killed. But what is this feeling that can’t be explained simply by the fact that it tastes good…? I want to do it, but I can’t. I want to save it, but I can’t… The bittersweetness that comes from that contradiction… What is this…”

Cainchel clenched his fist tightly as he looked at the status window that appeared before him.

“[7-star dish ‘Mille-Feuille Nabe That Will Never Be’ has been completed.]”

“[Aura Blade proficiency greatly increases.]”

He had created another new 7-star dish.

What was melting in the pot was the hearts of Seherazade and countless unknown rainmakers.

They had given up even the small wishes they had wanted to achieve in their lives.

While continuing to make rain to save as many people as possible.

Because that was the reason they were born and the goal of their lives.

In the end, it was their hearts that moved Magnus’s burned-out heart.

Magnus looked at Seherazade without even thinking of wiping his reddened eyes.

“…It seems this old dragon has been talking too much. Then, shall we listen to the young lady’s story this time?”

Seherazade nodded her head with great vigor and replied.

“Yes…!”