Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 271

13. To You, This Rich Aroma

“The New Continent is home to countless unexterminated monsters. To survive there, we need the strength of the Uruk, who are born strong warriors.”

And the Argon Union chose domination, not cooperation. They used mind-altering herbs to turn the Orcs into complete slaves.

“So, the Orcs declared independence there?”

“Yes. It started with something small. A lord promised to provide meals to the Orc slaves but fed them rotten food. Eventually, an epidemic broke out, and the lord had no choice but to burn down the slum where they lived.”

At the mention of rotten food, a murderous glint appeared in Cainchel’s eyes.

“…Damn it, how could a human do that?”

Sitrri was surprised and widened her eyes at Cainchel’s unexpectedly strong reaction.

*To think he would be so angry at the death of a different race.*

As expected of the lord of Gistad, where Elves and Dwarves lived together in harmony.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t know you cared so much about Orcs.”

“No, I just don’t like the idea of feeding rotten food to anyone. And for the record, Surströmming [a Swedish dish of fermented Baltic Sea herring] is definitely not rotten. Beneficial *is* fermentation, harmful *is* decay! Please make that distinction clear.”

“O-Of course.”

For the demon Sitrri to so readily admit her mistake and apologize…

It seemed that the ‘Black Beer Pie for the Left Behind’ had instilled unfamiliar emotions in her.

Cainchel had recently been researching fermented foods to fill the fourth slot in his sous vide [a cooking technique where food is immersed in temperature-controlled water].

Soy sauce from the Eastern Continent was also a seasoning made by fermenting soybeans.

Rotting and fermentation basically go through the same process.

Perhaps that’s why he was so bothered by the fact that rotten food was the cause of the rebellion.

Sitrri, seemingly embarrassed, continued with a series of coughs.

“Of course, if it had ended there, it would have ended as a minor dispute. But from then on, rumors began to spread in some parts of the Argon Union that Orcs were spreading the epidemic. Eventually, any misfortune was blamed on the Orcs.”

If it didn’t rain and the crops withered, it was the Orcs’ fault. Earthquakes and tsunamis were all because of the Orcs.

“…So Andras is behind that incident?”

“Yes. His epithet is ‘Monster Lord.’ He wields absolute control over monsters that move only by instinct.”

It was a pathetic ability for a demon duke.

In the Demon World, monsters were merely seen as a meal.

“I guess I know how they’re treated. Like a shepherd among humans.”

“Yes. So his rank is low. But the New Continent is home to countless monsters that have escaped from the Demon World… It can be said to be Andras’s playground.”

Cainchel thought he knew why Sitrri had killed Gottfried. If the two demons’ agents joined forces, not only the New Continent but even this place would fall into their grasp.

“Monster Lord… It’s definitely a tricky ability to deal with in the New Continent.”

“Moreover, considering he’s even brought in the difficult Orcs, it doesn’t seem like he plans to leave that place.”

Cainchel had Pragarakh, the ultimate weapon against demons, and cooking that could undo curses.

“So, in the end, I have to go to the Argon Union for a catering job.”

Sitrri stroked the crow sitting on her shoulder.

Odin could move very discreetly without other demons noticing.

That was why she had so much information about other demons.

“But there are two problems we need to solve first. First, we don’t know who Andras’s agent is.”

It was dangerous to move rashly without knowing who the contractor was.

“Then what’s the second problem?”

“I think it’s better to see it in person. I think it would be good to move together for a while, so could you explain it to Prelia for me?”

“Are you saying Prelia is going to Argon with us too?”

“No, just to Liverpool for now.”

Cainchel scratched the back of his head. *How on earth was he supposed to explain that a demon was dwelling in Prelia’s body?*

* * *

Arriving in Liverpool, he understood what Sitrri had meant.

Within the same continent, gates could be used to drastically reduce travel time.

But to get to the Argon Union, they had to take a ship for a long voyage of nearly a month.

But they couldn’t find a ship that could go that far.

Prelia lowered her head with a sullen expression.

“I’m sorry… No, I’m sorry, Cainchel… I tried to use all the connections of the Merchant Guild, but no ship goes near the New Continent.”

Cainchel had told Prelia to speak casually to distinguish her from Sitrri.

But it seemed inevitable that honorifics would occasionally slip out.

“But aren’t you uncomfortable in that armor?”

Black shadows flickered around Prelia’s body.

It was a crow’s armor made by Sitrri with her remaining magic to protect her body.

“U-Uh! It’s as comfortable as wearing nothing at all.”

“That’s a relief then.”

She accepted Sitrri’s existence more easily than he had expected. She seemed happier that she could be of help to Cainchel than afraid of being possessed by a demon.

But the situation was not good. It wasn’t that all the ships capable of long-distance voyages were wrecked.

They had decided to borrow a trade ship from the Ming Dynasty [a major dynasty in Chinese history] through the Edelweiss Merchant Guild.

But there were no sailors to take it to the New Continent.

A bronze-skinned sailor drinking in the daytime at a tavern sighed so hard that the table collapsed.

“I wish I could go if they paid that much. But no matter how good gold is, you can’t take it with you when you die. No fool would set sail while incurring the wrath of the Sea God.”

It is said that the success of a long voyage depends on the heavens.

That’s why sailors believe in various superstitions.

Among them, there was one that had to be followed: never defy the Sea God.

Cainchel gestured to Prelia.

“U-Uh, you want me to call Sitrri? Okay… Just wait a moment.”

Then Prelia took out a large sleeping bag from somewhere. She was going to take a nap to switch with Sitrri.

“Umm…”

Prelia fell asleep at an incredible speed, befitting someone who had been under the curse of sloth for 10 years.

Of course, she would return to normal after 2 hours.

Sitrri, who opened her eyes, shook her head from side to side with a troubled expression.

“As you can see, we can’t go to Argon without solving the Sea God problem.”

The Sea God refers to the giant sea serpent, the Sea Serpent, which sailors worship as a god.

Recently, whenever a ship went out to sea, it was attacked by the creature.

Many ships had sunk, and for about two weeks, they hadn’t even been able to set sail.

“It must be Andras’s doing, right?”

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t be guarding the waters near Liverpool like a gatekeeper.”

The only remaining option was to borrow a griffin from El Agrad and cross the sea.

But if they flew into the sky, they would likely encounter the Orcs.

*At least if we’re on a ship, we can deal with them to some extent with pasta, but we can’t fight properly on a griffin.*

In the end, it was impossible to go to sea unless they proved that it was safe from the Sea Serpent.

“…Wait a minute. But how does the Sea Serpent know that a ship has set sail?”

“What do you mean?”

“No matter how great the Monster Lord’s ability is, he can’t control multiple Sea Serpents, right? But they definitely said that they meet it even if they depart from other ports, not just Liverpool. That means there’s some way to find out that a ship has set sail.”

Then Sitrri’s eyes widened.

“…You’re right.”

Cainchel immediately contacted Duke Vlad, who had dedicated himself to monster research for hundreds of years.

He had been in mourning for a while because of Gottfried’s death.

He looked like he hadn’t eaten anything for a while. But after eating the blood sausage soup that Cainchel had cooked, he quickly regained his energy.

― …So, demons were fighting each other and killing each other? A guy who would sell his soul is not a descendant of Princess Leia! So, you’re curious about the Sea Serpent? If you cook me blood sausage soup again next time, I’ll tell you.

That’s how Cainchel learned from Duke Vlad that the Sea Serpent uses its incredibly good sense of smell to find food.

“Then, if we paralyze the Sea Serpent’s sense of smell, we can go to Argon without any interference. Well, we’ll have to go a little out of the way.”

“…How on earth are you going to block the nose of that huge creature?”

Cainchel smiled and took out a wooden box from his interdimensional pocket.

Even though it was completely sealed, an unusual smell was emanating from it.

It was something that Sitrri also knew.

“Isn’t this the worst-smelling food made by humans?”

“…Ugh, s-surely… D-Don’t open t-that here…!”

The moment the box was opened, an enormous gas began to spew out with a hissing sound.

Inside, it was filled with Surströmming, said to be the most foul-smelling dish made by humans.

Sitrri couldn’t bear it and grabbed her nose with both hands.

But Surströmming was not something that could block the stench with just that much.

“Koh…! M-My, Koh-hoooo Gaaaaaa…!”

“Ah, sorry. Anyway, how is it? I think this level of power will be enough for the Sea Serpent.”

Then Sitrri glared at Cainchel with teary eyes for a while.

“…You’re too much! At least give me some time to prepare myself!!”

She had only been exposed to the stench for about 10 seconds, but the rotten smell had permeated even her armor.

Cainchel smiled and told Sitrri one more scary fact.

“If I use the effect amplification skill here, the power will be about 10 times stronger.”

“…Ew.”

Sitrri’s face turned pale as if she had imagined it.

At this point, it was enough to drive away not only monsters but even demons.

* * *

Cainchel contacted not only Edelweiss but also the Big Deer Merchant Guild to purchase a large quantity of Surströmming.

Lorenzo, the head manager, tilted his head at the mention of purchasing as much Surströmming as possible.

“If Lord Gistad needs it, we can get it for you as much as you want. About thirty large wooden boxes should be possible in about a week.”

“That’s enough.”

“But why do you need so much Surströmming? If you don’t eat it within two weeks after taking it out of the storage, it will explode.”

Only then did Cainchel realize that he had missed something big.

Surströmming produces a huge amount of gas during the fermentation process.

Of course, it can be removed and resealed, but that would eliminate the precious stench.

In the end, he needed a way to ship it while maintaining the stench gas.

As expected of the head manager of the Big Deer Merchant Guild, Lorenzo offered a good idea.

“Then it would be better to make it yourself. If you need to store it for a long time, how about putting it in jars before fermenting it and making it into canned goods?”

“Canned goods?”

“Ah, it’s a kind of preserved food that sailors who have to live a long voyage have created. Put food in a glass jar and then heat it to remove the air.”

Then it won’t rot for at least half a year.

It is said that glass jars are so expensive that the method is not widely known to the public.

Lorenzo asked with a merchant-like smile.

“But where on earth do you get the cola bottles from? No matter how I calculate it, I can’t make it at that price… If you just give me a little hint… I will really think of you as a lifelong benefactor. Haha!”

“Well, I’ll let you know later if I have the chance. But if it’s a bottle, it doesn’t seem like it would be much different from a wooden box. It will break if the gas builds up.”

“Ah… That’s right. I’m sorry. I think I made you have unnecessary expectations.”

“No. It’s enough to know about canned goods. Then I’ll get the ingredients I need to make it. I’ll see you in a week.”

After parting with Lorenzo, Cainchel wondered how he could store Surströmming without breaking the bottles.

The problem was the material. It had to stretch to some extent even if gas built up, and it had to be completely sealed.

As he was holding his head, a familiar tentacle popped out from his left shoulder.

― As expected, my partner can’t do anything without me.

“B-Bishop?!”

― This body happens to have a very good material for storing Surströmming. But this might create another ridiculous thing.”

Cainchel swallowed dryly without realizing it.

He had a feeling that if it was completed, it would be a form of preserved food that had never existed before.