Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 266

It was utterly unbelievable.

Every chew of the rotten fish released an explosion of umami [a savory taste]. The vegetables, which looked completely wilted, were surprisingly crisp and fresh.

Salty, slightly sour, musty, and rich.

Especially the half-rotten fish innards tasted like the rich, fatty flavor you only get from the finest butter.

“What on earth…….”

It wasn’t like it was made with some special ingredient, either.

It was just herring, a cheap fish called the ‘wheat of the sea’ due to its massive catches, that had been left to rot.

Herring roe is a delicacy, but the fish itself is bland and full of bones, making it unpleasant to eat.

That’s why it’s not usually served at the table.

“……What kind of magic did he use to create such a complex and deep flavor…….”

And the absurdity didn’t end there.

What seemed like simple moldy bread was chewy, moderately oily, and had a strange flavor the more he chewed.

In that moment, something flashed through Gottfried’s mind like lightning.

“Could this be blue cheese……?”

In Gallia, the land of gastronomy [high-quality cooking], they say they make cheese with a very deep flavor using mold.

He thinly sliced it and spread it on the bread crust.

Thud.

Eventually, Gottfried dropped the sandwich he was holding.

What he had just eaten wasn’t just food waste made from rotten ingredients.

It was a dish completed after thorough calculation.

Gottfried felt a chill run down his spine. He pushed himself up from his chair.

“Stop eating right now! That’s an order!”

But it was already far too late.

Most of the knights gathered there had already eaten more than half of their sandwiches.

Then, the chef who made this ridiculous dish entered the room.

Hair disheveled, dirty chef’s uniform stained with food scraps. That face was the one who had made him a loser.

“Did you enjoy the sandwich I made, Your Majesty Gottfried? Hmm. Judging by your expression, it seems you enjoyed it very much.”

Gottfried’s body trembled as if struck by lightning.

“You fiend, Keinzel van Gistard……! What are you doing! Seize this insolent wretch immediately……!”

However, the expressions of the knights looking at him were coldly indifferent.

“Why have we been following that traitor’s orders until now…….”

“……I feel like I was bewitched. It’s like I was dreaming.”

The knights said such things as they drew the swords they wore at their waists. The direction was clearly towards Gottfried.

Siana von Schleicher, who had followed him into the audience chamber, muttered.

“Good heavens……. He really subdued Gottfried without anyone shedding blood…….”

She swallowed hard and looked at the sandwich Gottfried had thrown on the table.

A foul odor, enough to make one gag, was seeping out from the slightly opened gap.

To think he could make the best dish out of such rotten fish.

Siana sighed softly as she recalled what had happened over the past week.

It had been like a storm every single day.

* * *

Gottfried had simultaneously obtained loyal subordinates and hostages through his absolute command.

“This isn’t something that ends simply by fighting and winning. We need to minimize the damage to not only our allies but also the enemy.”

To deal with him, you have to assume all possibilities and then choose the best course of action.

Siana von Schleicher had once been his loyal subordinate for a while due to Gottfried’s ability.

The memories of that time were vaguely stored in her mind.

“……That’s absolutely impossible. We have to accept some degree of damage. Gottfried has become incredibly cautious since losing the battle for the throne. There are dozens of guards protecting his residence day and night.”

Of course, Heinrich, a former Pentagram [elite knight], was also among them.

If that man wasn’t there, it would have been much easier to deal with Gottfried.

“Besides, that’s not the only problem. He knows that the key to解除 [release/undo] his ability is delicious food. So he deliberately feeds his subordinates only half-rotten food. Ugh……. Even thinking about it now makes me want to throw up.”

“He only makes dishes with rotten ingredients and gives them to them?”

“Yes. Moreover, he gathered all the troops in the garrison and had them eat together every time. Given the situation, no matter how great your cooking is, it will be difficult to feed it to them.”

“But do you happen to remember the structure of the garrison?”

Siana thought about it for a moment and nodded.

“Of course. Who do you think I am? However, even if you know that, it won’t be easy to infiltrate. The patrol routes and the order in which they stand guard change every day.”

“That’s enough. We have Lehman. Surely no one would think that a bat is watching the entire situation of their garrison.”

“Ah……. I was a fool. I even recommended naturalization a moment ago and didn’t think to utilize that power…….”

“Besides, now that we know they eat rotten food together, shall we use that in reverse?”

Keinzel secretly contacted Abel, leaving the bewildered Siana behind.

She, who is in charge of selling Cola, has connections with various merchant guilds.

By going through there, he was able to obtain the ingredients he wanted more easily than he thought.

Siana’s eyes widened as Keinzel took out a well-aged blue cheese from the wooden box.

“Ew……. The cheese is completely rotten……. The mold has turned blue, so I can’t possibly eat it.”

“This isn’t rotten, it’s aged. It may not be common in El Agrad, but in southern Gallia, they usually make it like this and eat it.”

Siana brought the blue cheese to her nose and sniffed.

The smell is strong, but it’s not repulsive, and the sourness makes it strangely appetizing.

“If you spread a lot of this on bread and eat it, the rich cheese flavor is really amazing. Would you like to try some?”

It seemed like she could eat this enough.

When she cut off a small piece and put it in her mouth, she felt a refreshing acidity along with the deep taste of cheese.

“……It’s delicious.”

“It’s edible, right? It’s characterized by a rich taste that you can’t usually feel in ordinary cheese.”

“But it seems insufficient to just make moldy bread with blue cheese. At this rate, a starving person can eat it enough. It doesn’t feel like food waste yet.”

“The real protagonist hasn’t even appeared yet.”

This time, Keinzel took out a large jar from the wagon.

It was sealed very tightly, as if the contents should never be revealed.

At that solemn sight, Siana swallowed hard without realizing it.

“I’ll open it. It’s going to smell pretty bad, so it’s best to cover your nose.”

And the herring, which had been aging very carefully inside the jar, revealed its appearance.

“……!”

A nauseating smell that brought tears to her eyes spread at an incredible speed. The flies nearby all rushed in at once.

“It’s a food called Surströmming, mainly eaten in Macedonia [a region in Northern Greece]. It means sour herring.”

Salt is very precious in the northern part of the continent.

It is usually collected by evaporating seawater, but it is impossible to do so due to the lack of sunshine.

So it is difficult to preserve fish completely salted. That’s how Surströmming was created.

Roughly sprinkle seawater to give it a slightly salty taste, then put it in a completely sealed jar and let it ferment thoroughly before eating it.

“In the north, where fish is precious, it is a valuable source of protein.”

“What is protein?”

“……There is such a thing.”

It seemed that Siana didn’t know the terms used by alchemists.

Even though she covered her nose, the foul smell was coming in through her mouth. Eventually, Siana couldn’t stand it and had to roll around on the floor, crying.

“Ugh……. No matter how I think about it, isn’t the reason why Macedonia collapsed because they suffocated from this smell?”

“Surely not. The smell is like this, but the taste is good. Would you like to try some?”

The herring looked rotten no matter how she looked at it.

Siana’s face turned pale and she shook her head violently from side to side.

“N, no way……!”

Blue cheese is okay, but this is a food that people who are not familiar with it can never put in their mouths.

“In the first place, this is eaten by filleting the flesh well and then sandwiching it between thin, wide potato bread. You can also add butter, mashed potatoes, or red onions. But if you can’t stand the smell at all, you can drink a glass of milk.”

“……Hmm. I see.”

The Surströmming sandwich that Keinzel made looked more delicious than she thought.

Besides, when she added milk, the foul smell was neutralized and it was more bearable than she thought.

Eventually, Siana closed her eyes tightly and decided to try it.

“Um……. Um……. Huh…….”

Surströmming had a subtle taste that was hard to feel in ordinary herring.

It was definitely a terrible taste, but as she ate it, she kept eating it without realizing it.

[4-star dish ‘Surströmming Sandwich’ has been completed.]

[The guest is bewildered by the taste of the fermented food they are eating for the first time.]

Keinzel smiled bitterly as he looked at the message that appeared in the Joma Mirror. It was the first 4-star dish he had seen in a long time since his cooking level had risen.

However, the musty taste of Surströmming is only disgusting to those who are not familiar with it.

It was a great thing just to make it edible.

After finishing the tasting, Siana could only breathe after rinsing her mouth several times with water.

Still, she still had a stuffy feeling.

“Ugh……. It’s definitely a strangely addictive taste. But I didn’t have the feeling that my soul was drawn to it like when I ate the hot dog that Sir Keinzel made. Can you really return Gottfried’s subordinates to their original state with this kind of dish?”

“The taste of food is relative. If you eat it after starving for a few days, even the humblest food feels like a feast, and the water you drink while crossing the desert tastes sweet even if it’s dirty water. Think about what they usually eat.”

Only then did Siana realize what Keinzel was talking about and exclaimed softly.

“Ah! For a while, they only ate things made with rotten ingredients, so this properly fermented food will taste the best……!”

Certainly at least 5 stars.

If he does well, he can aim for up to 6 stars.

At that time, Frèreman, who had left to find out the infiltration route, returned.

If you go through there, you can go to the restaurant where Gottfried and his party eat without anyone knowing.

“You said that the people who do odd jobs are definitely not under subjugation, right?”

“Yes. It seemed that the number of people who could be kept as subordinates was limited. It won’t be around 1,000 people.”

“Then we can negotiate with this.”

Keinzel confidently held out the kitchen knife he was wearing at his waist.

“……With that? Are you going to peel potatoes?”

“I took it out wrong. It’s this way.”

This time, he showed the Holy Sword Durendal, which he had put in his two-dimensional pocket.

Only then did Siana nod as if she understood.

“That’s right. Sometimes, intimidation works better than anything else.”

All preparations were complete. It was time to shout checkmate to the would-be king.

* * *

Gottfried shouted with his face flushed like a ripe apple.

“Damn it! Can’t you get rid of this sticky thing tying me up right now! And what, the guys working in the restaurant dared to betray me? That’s an order! Behead those impertinent wretches right now!”

Keinzel shrugged and munched on jerky made from Giant Sand Worm meat.

It was so tough and hard that he had to chew it for at least 10 minutes before he could swallow it.

“I don’t know what you’re expecting, but you won’t be charmed by your ability while I’m eating this. My throat hurts. Should I make you a cup of tea?”

“Kuh……! How dare a dog I raise bite its owner! Damn it!”

Gottfried seemed even more angry at the fact that the cause of this was the betrayal of the odd jobbers working in the kitchen.

“Well, those people have to make a living too. What else can they do when they have a knife to their throats? Anyway, it looks like I’m almost done eating the jerky, so shall we finish this up?”

Keinzel stuffed a fist-sized potato into Gottfried’s mouth.

Then, even if he tried to shout, only muffled groans came out.

“Now, let’s find out how many Surströmming sandwiches are needed to completely eliminate the devil’s ability. Thanks to you, I also got a clue to fill the slot for the sous vide skill, so I’ll be happy to cook it for you.”

“Uuuuuub……!”

Tears welled up in Gottfried’s eyes.

He felt like he would have a seizure just hearing the word fish, let alone sour herring.

But Gottfried also had a hidden trump card left.

“Although he is a guy I don’t like, he is a collaborator of our clan! I can’t watch him fall into the hands of the enemy! Here I come, Rising Strike……!”

Kugugugung-!

At the same time, the ceiling collapsed and an aura like a tidal wave covered the place where Keinzel was.

Keinzel reflexively drew Fragarach and activated ‘Aglio Olio’ [garlic and oil].

The will to protect someone created a steel wall that blocked any attack.

The intensity of the aura increased even more in an instant, as if coating the pasta with olive oil.

Gran Karack muttered as if he was amazed.

“Hoo. I only fired it as a threat, but to think you could block this body’s Mystic Arts so easily. You’ve learned a new skill in just half a year, Keinzel van Gistard.”

“I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this, Karack.”

There was the great warrior of the Orc clan, Gran Karack, and his subordinates.