Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 268

Clearly, the soft and gentle voice that made the listener feel good belonged to Frelia.

However, the atmosphere she exuded was completely different from her usual self.

Frelia had been cursed by the Seven Deadly Sins and had been asleep for ten years. Perhaps that’s why all her actions had a childlike innocence.

This voice, so sweet and seductive that it could melt eardrums, didn’t suit her at all.

As Cainchel’s eyes coldly narrowed, the crow tilted its head.

“Don’t you like it? Hehe, it’s a big problem since I’ve already killed her, and I can’t undo it. But I want you to know this much: I just did what you couldn’t do.”

It was a direct hit.

Without the crow’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to eliminate the seeds of discord this time either.

“What exactly is the reason for this?”

Cainchel’s voice, full of wariness, was sharp. The crow he was talking to was clearly a minion of the devil. If he let go of his guard even a little, he didn’t know how it would attack.

“Oh my. I’m so sorry. This is our first time meeting like this. I forgot to greet you. I’m Sitri. As you can see, I’m a demon.”

“Could it be the Archduke of Hell…?”

“Hehe, am I that famous?”

Cainchel swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. How could he *not* know that name?

The model for Mephistopheles, the devil in Goethe’s novel *Faust*, was Sitri.

“Before that, let me ask you this: What did you do to Frelia?”

Demons deceive humans and steal their souls. The fact that Sitri was using Frelia’s voice meant that something might have happened to her.

Despite Cainchel’s cold attitude, the crow’s voice was relaxed.

“Haa… It’s almost time for her to wake up. If you’re so curious, why don’t you check it out yourself? I, Sitri, don’t hide or run away.”

“So, you’re saying there’s a demon in Citizen now?”

Flap-!

The crow didn’t answer any more and flapped its wings. It seemed that whatever was dwelling there had disappeared.

Cainchel’s eyes narrowed.

He still had a lot of debt to repay to Frelia.

Without her, he wouldn’t have known that he could break the curse of the Seven Deadly Sins through cooking.

Cainchel took out Fragarach [his sword] and gripped it tightly.

If she had been deceived and forced into a contract…

Even if Sitri approached with good intentions, he was going to hold her accountable.

* * *

Cainchel had to leave for Citizen right after entrusting the cleanup of El Agrad to Siana.

It was that urgent.

Phihley was very sorry that she couldn’t even properly thank him when she heard the news.

‘I hope Frelia is safe…?’

If something had happened to her, the Well-Ride mansion would have been in chaos.

However, the atmosphere there was as peaceful as usual.

When he knocked on the mansion’s door, the butler, Brad, greeted him very happily.

“Y-You’re Duke Gistad! Please, come in. But…”

Cainchel swallowed hard as Butler Brad bowed his head with a strangely troubled expression.

“Has something happened to the mansion?”

“Well, you see… Count Well-Ride is currently away. If you had sent a letter in advance saying you were visiting, he would have welcomed you very much, but it’s a pity.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant.”

Count Well-Ride had gone to help with the restoration of western Britannia, which had been devastated by the orc invasion. He was said to be so busy that he had no time to breathe.

Cainchel smiled bitterly. Even if he had contacted them in advance, it would have taken a week for them to arrive.

The only faster means of communication than the gate was through vampires.

“Then I’ll bring Lady Frelia. We have a very precious tea that came from the Ming Dynasty [historical Chinese dynasty, 1368-1644] this time. Would you like to wait while drinking that?”

“Is Lady Frelia safe?”

Then Butler Brad grabbed Cainchel’s hands with a strangely moved expression.

And he bowed his head several times and said.

“Of course. She has been very healthy since Duke Gistad completely lifted the curse of sloth. Thank you so much for saving her.”

It seemed that he had misunderstood Cainchel’s words a little.

The tea that Butler Brad brewed was a form he had never encountered before.

He crushed something like a black disc into small pieces and used it, and when he looked closely, it was tea leaves that had been fermented and clumped together.

“It’s Pu-erh tea, which the Ming Dynasty is actively exporting these days. It’s so good in taste and aroma that it was recently selected as a royal tribute.”

Cainchel admired it as soon as he took a sip of the tea.

“It’s similar to black tea, but it has a unique flavor. It’s very delicious.”

As a result of using the gourmet skill to analyze it, he learned that it was a tea made by fermenting tea leaves.

It was also a common way to consume tea in Britannia.

But this deep color and aroma are completely different from black tea. Why on earth is there such a difference?

Lady Frelia came into the drawing room and explained the reason.

“You know that the taste and aroma of tea completely change depending on the fermentation, right?”

It was Frelia whom he had met in almost a year. The youthful atmosphere disappeared, and she smiled brightly with a completely mature face.

“…I’m so glad you seem safe, Frelia.”

Frelia put her index finger to her lips and winked.

“Didn’t I tell you? Frelia will be fine.”

“…?”

At that moment, Cainchel realized something huge. What was in front of him was not Frelia.

She had her appearance, but what was contained within was the Archduke of Hell, Sitri.

To Cainchel, who was demanding an explanation, Sitri first dismissed Brad.

“Then have a good time, master.”

Brad didn’t seem to know that what was in front of him wasn’t Frelia.

Cainchel’s back was soaked with cold sweat.

“Frelia… No, Sitri. Can you explain?”

“Haa…, Pu-erh tea really has a good aroma. It’s definitely worthy of being called the king of tea.”

Sitri suddenly began to explain about tea.

“In the East, tea that is not fermented at all is called green tea. And slightly fermented tea is called oolong tea. You can enjoy the refreshingness of green tea and the deep, rich aroma and taste of black tea at the same time.”

Oolong tea is made by ripening somewhat aged tea leaves. Then the fermentation stops, and it has different aromas and colors depending on the process.

“To be exact, it’s called stir-frying. And tea leaves that are completely fermented are black tea. But Pu-erh tea is a bit special. The aging continues until you boil the tea. So it’s called post-fermented tea.”

Sitri’s knowledge of tea was enormous. If Brad had been here, he would have been so surprised that he would have fallen backwards.

“…But what does the fact that you’re dwelling in Frelia’s body have to do with tea?”

A subtle aura emanated from Fragarach, which Cainchel was holding in his hand.

Sitri sighed with a sullen expression.

“…Hehe. I know how much you value Frelia.”

“Of course! Frelia is my… Well, she’s my first customer!”

“Ahaha. Please say that to Frelia one more time. She’ll definitely be very happy.”

Sitri’s personality was strangely similar to Frelia’s.

“As you can see, my main body is in the Demon Realm. But for some reason, my soul came to dwell in the body of a little girl. Would it be easier to understand if I said it was an avatar?”

“What is that…”

Cainchel, who was about to shout, stopped when Sitri suddenly approached.

This was because her appearance, which was in full bloom like a blossoming flower bud, was so beautiful.

In addition, Sitri had a seductiveness that Frelia did not have.

‘Darn it, she’s so pretty…’

“Pu-erh tea, you know, was made when tea leaves were fermented by yeast that accidentally entered during transportation to sell wet tea abroad. I’m the same. I don’t know why my mind dwelled in Frelia. …My father might know. I was created to spread the curse of sloth to humans.”

“…”

“There’s a saying in the Ming Dynasty called the Butterfly Dream. A man named Zhuangzi [Chinese philosopher] dreamed of becoming a butterfly, and when he woke up, he said this:

– Hey. I don’t know if Zhuangzi dreamed of becoming a butterfly, or if the butterfly dreamed of becoming Zhuangzi. Who am I?”

Sitri described herself as being like a butterfly in the Butterfly Dream.

When Frelia falls asleep, she becomes Sitri, and when Sitri falls asleep, she becomes Frelia.

When on earth did that strange symbiotic relationship begin?

Then Sitri smiled shyly and replied.

“Honey butter sandwiches were more delicious than any other dish I’ve ever eaten. I’m really sad that you haven’t made them lately.”

Until then, Sitri was said to have been in a deep sleep. She was able to start her activities in earnest from the moment Frelia was completely free from the curse of sloth.

“Perhaps when the curse of sloth disappeared from Britannia, I, who was the medium, became unnecessary.”

And it was the rule of the Demon Realm that useless demons were disposed of. Even the top ten demons cannot escape from it.

“Then…”

“Yes, that’s right. Thanks to Lord Cainchel closing the gate to the Demon Realm, I’m still alive like this. Well, to put it simply, you can say that you are my savior.”

Cainchel’s eyes narrowed.

There is every possibility that Sitri’s words are an elaborately crafted lie.

Perhaps she stole Frelia’s body with a vile trick.

And she might be trying to trap Cainchel and take Fragarach.

However, the sight of her eyes shining as she recalled the honey butter sandwich seemed genuine.

“Will you believe me if I do this? Behind the Argon of the United States, there is an agent planted by the Archduke of Hell, Andras. The orcs are just being played by him.”

“Where did you hear the word agent again?”

“Goethe came to visit a while ago and was talking about it alone.”

If what Sitri said was true, she would be betraying her own kind.

If this becomes known, she will be targeted by countless demons.

“…Sitri. Why are you doing this? If the purpose is simply to survive, there seems to be a better way.”

Sitri looked at Cainchel with strangely hot eyes.

“That’s because… I fell in love with the food you made… No, I fell in love with you at first sight.”

“…?”

“I share memories with Frelia. Of course, she doesn’t know I exist. So I know how kind and passionate you are, and what you did to save Frelia. Love—is that a word that doesn’t suit a demon?”

“…Don’t tell me Frelia feels the same way?”

“Hehehe… Frelia also adores you, but she’s too nice. She’s been forcibly hiding her feelings all this time so as not to block your path.”

Sitri slowly approached Cainchel and whispered in his ear.

“But I’m different. I’m going to move very actively. How about it? Why don’t we form an alliance? Most of my power remains in my body in the Demon Realm, but I can still provide a lot.”

To think that he would receive a proposal to cooperate with the Archduke of Hell.

However, Cainchel was still unsure. Can he really trust Sitri?

It’s not just an alliance with different races such as elves, dwarves, or orcs.

Sitri is a demon—the worst enemy of mankind, who eats souls and thrives on desires.

However, if what Sitri said was true, he would have the best card in dealing with demons.

“Sitri… Before the alliance, I want to check one last time if what you’re saying is not a lie.”

Then Sitri tilted her head. If he used Leman’s Eye, he could read the other person’s mind, but it wouldn’t work on her, a demon.

How on earth is he going to check?

Cainchel slowly reached for the sword he was wearing on his waist.

Using this, he will be able to confirm whether the words of the Archduke of Hell, Sitri, are true.