Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 259

He was so sure because of one man: the leader of the Highlander Mercenary Corps, known as the Spear King.

‘Parzival… No, old man Percival was always tormented by the fact that so many of his comrades had died because of his incompetence.’

Moreover, the more times he saved the mercenaries’ lives, the more their favor with him increased.

Now, some even showed him portraits of their daughters, asking if they were pretty.

— …Examinee, it seems you’ve found some answers.

Keinzel nodded, as if it were obvious.

He could accumulate more than enough practical experience, but he was still hungry for more.

Just as he had learned *aglio e olio* [a simple Italian pasta dish made with garlic and olive oil] from Hector, this time he had to win Percival’s heart.

Iris, seeing the strong will in Keinzel’s eyes, eventually gave up trying to persuade him.

— I understand… But no matter how strong the will, it will eventually erode. Even if there are no scars left on your body, you only have about two or three more times left.

“That’s enough.”

Certainly, from some point on, his body had felt strangely heavy.

He should have gotten enough sleep, but his mind itself was languid and drooping.

Keinzel had experienced over a thousand deaths in just over two weeks.

Wasn’t it thanks to the hearts of the countless people he had met since wielding the kitchen knife that he was able to endure?

He had to complete the trial before it was all worn away and disappeared.

As he gently closed and opened his eyes, a pure white snowfield unfolded before him.

* * *

Keinzel first looked around.

Seeing that there were no undead legions nearby, it seemed he had quite a bit of free time this time.

At that moment, the mercenary leader Percival’s voice echoed loudly.

“You only have to hold out for exactly two hours from now! Defend this place at all costs until then!”

‘So, that means I have about an hour of free time. I’m lucky.’

To make good food, you need time to prepare the ingredients and cooking utensils.

The same was true for this trial. It wasn’t just about surviving alone, was it?

You had to keep as many people alive as possible until reinforcements arrived. To do that, you needed advance preparation.

Keinzel moved without a moment’s hesitation.

Just because he was given an hour of free time this time didn’t mean it would be the same next time.

Perhaps this was the last chance.

As Keinzel approached, the mercenary leader Percival stood up.

“What’s the matter, rookie? Hmm… You were definitely a militia conscripted from the Gistad Territory, weren’t you?”

Out of the past thousand challenges, the number of times he had even exchanged a word with this man was about half.

He had to persuade Percival based on those memories.

“There’s not enough time to beat around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point. If you fight the undead legion as you are now, the Highlander Mercenary Corps will be annihilated.”

At that, the eyes of the mercenaries sitting nearby widened.

He had said something that would have caused a riot if he hadn’t already gained their favor.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“You’re planning to deploy infantry and knights at the front, and archers in the rear, aren’t you, Captain?”

“…How did you know? I haven’t even briefed you yet.”

“It’s definitely an efficient formation against skeleton knights and ghouls. But there are thirty death knights, who are high-level undead, included in the enemy.”

Death knights riding skeletal horses were a terror to the archers in the rear.

To win this battle, protecting them was the top priority.

Percival’s eyes narrowed. He was a cautious man who listened carefully even to the words of a rookie.

“Is that true?”

Then a man with an impressive scar on his face, Stigma, interjected.

“Captain, I saw it too. I was on sentry duty on the central front until I joined here, and there were quite a few guys riding skeletal horses mixed in among the marching undead.”

Then Percival, his face turning red, couldn’t hold back and shouted.

“Why are you only telling me now! Stigma!”

“Damn it, I thought you knew that much!”

Percival put his hand on his head as if he had a headache and looked at Keinzel.

This was the problem with mercenary corps that didn’t have a proper command reporting system.

“I understand, rookie. I’ll take your word for it. Skeletal horses certainly have tremendous mobility. I almost made a ridiculous mistake.”

“So, I’d like to recommend a three-man cell consisting of one archer and two infantry, or one cavalry and two infantry.”

“Hmm. A three-man cell is an efficient combination in small-scale skirmishes. To maintain a proper formation in a melee, their teamwork has to be very good. That’s why it’s not usually used.”

Certainly, in a three-man cell, individual capabilities and compatibility are paramount.

What Percival knew was only half of the original Highlander Mercenary Corps.

In particular, the hunters who made up the core of the archer unit had only joined less than a week ago.

“I think I can help with that. I’ve thought about how to organize the three-man cells, even if only briefly. Would you like to hear it?”

Alarm flashed in Percival’s eyes. Was he saying that he knew about the abilities of the members that even the mercenary leader didn’t know?

But he didn’t look like he was joking at all.

“…It wouldn’t hurt to hear it. As you said, time is too short, so tell me about just one team first. And tell me the reason why.”

“First, I’d like to recommend the fire arrow Josh, Martin, and Baker, who are all hunters, as one team.”

“That’s strange. Martin is definitely a hunter, isn’t he? That’s why I remember assigning him to the archer unit. So, there are two archers in one cell. It’s hard to expect proper coordination with that.”

“Martin is working as a hunter now, but he was a mercenary until a few years ago. So, he’s better at traps and swords than bows. So, if necessary, he can assist Josh. Sword and bow. The balance of the team is improved by including someone who can handle both.”

Percival called Martin and asked if that was true. Martin was sweating profusely. He clearly looked flustered.

“No one knows that I’m from a mercenary corps… How did you know…? Don’t tell me you even know about ‘that incident’….”

Keinzel smiled and put his index finger to his lips. Then Martin’s face brightened.

Martin was from a gold-ranked mercenary corps who could even handle aura [a life energy or spiritual force].

But when he saw a colleague trying to loot a private house and kidnap a child, he couldn’t stand it and drew his sword.

‘He said it was like his daughter?’

After that, Martin left the mercenary corps and hid in the north, hunting beasts.

Then the War of the Seven Deadly Sins broke out, and he volunteered as a hunter.

Keinzel then looked at the fire arrow Josh and said.

“Josh sometimes sets his bowstring on fire when he’s flustered, but his skills are top-notch. Do you need any more explanation?”

“No, that’s enough. Can you do one more team?”

As it was a matter of life and death, Percival was very meticulous. Only after perfectly organizing a total of three teams was he able to gain Percival’s approval.

It took about 40 minutes to complete the organization of a total of 320 teams.

He didn’t expect to finish this quickly. Percival was secretly thinking that even finishing half would be a success.

“Then the last 321st team is me, Stigma, and rookie….”

“It’s Keinzel.”

“Hmph, sorry for not even remembering your name. Everyone calls you rookie, so I’ve gotten used to that title. Anyway, I’m counting on you, Keinzel. I hope that this will allow a few more people to return alive.”

At that moment, a scout who had gone on patrol returned.

“Hey, Captain! I’ve discovered an undead legion advancing from the White Mountains! Judging by their speed, they’ll be here in 20 minutes.”

“Good work. Return to the main force.”

Percival, with a face that said the inevitable had come, spurred on the preparations for battle.

Meanwhile, Keinzel gathered as much food as possible.

Mercenaries carried food that didn’t require cooking and had good preservation, so they could eat it even in places where it was difficult to make a fire.

Usually, it was jerky, salted meat, nuts, or dried fruit.

Some people carried hardtack or ship biscuits.

When they had time, they would cook stew, but most of the time, they filled their hungry stomachs with preservation food that was as hard as a rock.

After fighting together a thousand times, a strong bond had formed between Keinzel and the mercenaries.

When Keinzel said he needed food, they readily handed over their treasured combat rations.

“Here, some leftover hardtack.”

“Thank you.”

Another mercenary took out something black and large that he had hidden deep in his pants and held it out.

“I also have some lamb jerky.”

“Wow, I’ll enjoy it.”

“Anyway, rookie. If you survive, I’ll make you some amazing oatmeal porridge. So don’t die.”

“I can’t die, even if it’s just to eat oatmeal porridge.”

When he gathered it all, there was quite a bit. Keinzel found a small backpack and stuffed the combat rations inside.

‘With this, I can replenish my aura even while fighting. But it’s really inconvenient without a dimensional pocket. Magical tools are worth the high price after all.’

Food was like aura to Keinzel. With this much, he could fight at full strength for an hour.

Keinzel spread frozen sheep’s milk butter on a hard biscuit and brought it to his mouth.

It was as hard as chewing on a rock, but it was a delicacy compared to the food made by goblins.

Before he knew it, the undead legion was so close that vibrations were transmitted through the ground.

Beyond a thousand deaths.

The battle to save everyone had begun.

* * *

A pure white flash emanated from Percival’s halberd at the forefront.

The aura-wreathed blade easily pierced the armor of the skeleton knights, inflicting fatal wounds.

“Archers, fire fire arrows! If you hit their eye sockets, they won’t be able to move, even if they’re undead!”

Then the hunters, mixed in among the infantry, loaded arrows into their longbows.

The archery skills honed by hunting beasts accurately targeted only the vital points of the enemy even in a melee.

The oil used for the fire arrows was holy oil made by the Deus Church.

It was an oil mainly used for religious ceremonies, but when lit on fire, it became a weapon that could inflict fatal wounds on the undead.

Keinzel was frantically dismembering the undead using a sword imbued with a faint aura.

The skill with which he wielded aura was unbelievably skillful. Percival, who was wielding his spear right next to him, groaned.

“Hoo, I never thought you’d be this strong… Are you perhaps the heir to some martial arts family?”

“Something like that.”

“…Then that makes sense. I have to thank Deus for having you with us.”

Percival was sincerely relieved that Keinzel was on their side.

He didn’t have any particularly flashy techniques, but his fundamentals were amazing. It was like watching Meliot, who had risen to the rank of Sword Master with only basic swordsmanship.

Keinzel scraped together the aura from his entire body and activated a booster. Then, he stepped on the ground and shouted.

“Stigma! Lend me your shoulder!”

“Ooh!”

Keinzel stepped on Stigma’s body and leaped into the sky.

The power emanating from his aura-enhanced body instantly moved Keinzel to the center of the enemy lines.

And Keinzel’s sword plunged into the crown of the death knight’s head.

Crack-!

The explosion of aura that erupted from Keinzel’s body and the impact of the fall combined into one strike.

The death knight’s skull was shattered along with the helmet he was wearing.

No matter how undead they were, they couldn’t move properly if they lost their heads. There was no need to completely destroy them. All he had to do was prevent them from participating in the battle.

‘Shall we have a bite?’

The reduced aura was quickly restored to its original state when he took out the jerky in his backpack and chewed on it.

Keinzel’s gaze turned to the skeleton knights in front of him. With each step he took, the power in his entire body was surging as if it would explode.

The skills and stats were the same. But fighting wasn’t just about that.

The combination of strength and the timing of moving the body. And above all, the sense of reading the enemy lines.

Those things had changed beyond recognition after a thousand deaths.

As Keinzel’s sword brushed past, the hard armor worn by the skeleton knight was instantly cut in half.

A result that was hard to believe was achieved with only basic swordsmanship.

The mercenaries who were fighting nearby cheered wildly.

“Woo-hoo-hoo!”

“Don’t miss the gap created by the rookie, all troops charge!”

A defense line that could never be breached was established around Keinzel.

But the number of enemies was still large. If this situation continued, they would meet an ending that was not much different from the last time.

They would have fought well, but in the end, less than 1/10 would survive.

That’s why they needed a skill like a large-scale magic that could wipe out countless enemies at once.

‘This will never end. I guess I have no choice but to use that.’

Keinzel quietly took a deep breath and looked at the status window that appeared in front of him.