Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 282

Sedaniel’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the heaping Kraken salad on her plate.

It was a dish with a generous amount of reddish chili sauce drizzled over vibrant green vegetables, topped with beans and grilled Kraken.

“Then, I’ll enjoy this!”

“Thank you for the food.”

“Crunch, crunch, umm…! Hngh! Th, thih izh sho goohd.”

Impatient Gawain was already stuffing grilled Kraken into his mouth until his cheeks bulged.

Not to be outdone, Sedaniel also began to eat the salad.

Snap.

Crunch, crunch.

The arugula was fresh and had a pleasantly bitter taste that was great for chewing.

When combined with the spicy chili sauce, it created an unbelievably stimulating flavor. Perhaps it was because she suddenly ate something spicy, but sweat poured down like rain.

Sedaniel stuck out her tongue and fluttered her hands.

“…Spicy.”

But something was strange. This was food that she usually wouldn’t be able to swallow even a single bite of before spitting it out.

Yet, it tasted strangely delicious.

The softly cooked beans soothed her tongue, which was burning from the spice, and for some reason, she kept eating.

This time, she used her fork to pick up the main ingredient, the grilled Kraken, and brought it to her mouth.

Snap-!

The crispy grilled skin was chewy, and the flesh was tender. It was a strange texture she had never tasted before.

“…How can one ingredient have two such different textures when grilled like this?”

At first, it felt a bit greasy, perhaps because of the oil.

However, the generous amount of lemon juice cleansed the oiliness in her mouth.

On top of that, the spicy chili sauce brought out the Kraken’s flavor to the extreme.

“…Ah, this is so delicious…”

Then, Rain, who was sitting next to her, nodded in agreement.

“I agree. I didn’t know Kraken meat could be so tender. Plus, the charcoal scent is amazing…”

“But we can’t be satisfied with just this. Sea Serpent meat is also rich in flavor and really delicious. Ah, I want to eat it soon.”

Kainchel handed something with a sweet scent to those who had finished their Kraken salad.

“Try the Kraken sashimi first.”

“…What? Kraken sashimi?”

On the plate that Kainchel presented, thinly sliced Kraken sashimi was piled high, showcasing artistic knife skills.

It looked as beautiful as white flower petals. It was hard to believe that it came from a large monster with ten legs.

“I marinated it beforehand, so it’s perfect for eating. Try dipping it in the remaining chili sauce.”

“…Eugh.”

Even though the poison had been removed, eating a monster raw was off-putting.

However, the subtle sweet scent made her swallow involuntarily.

Usually, squid turns cloudy when it dies. The same goes for Kraken. However, using freshness restoration made it so transparent that you could see through it.

Gulp.

Sedaniel couldn’t resist and picked up a piece of Kraken sashimi, dipping it generously in chili sauce.

“…Nom.”

Along with a slightly sticky feeling, she felt an unbelievably elastic texture.

It was much chewier than grilled Kraken.

The more she chewed, the richer the flavor became. She was a mermaid who lived in the sea. She was used to eating fish raw. But this was a completely different delicacy.

Seeing Sedaniel eating Kraken sashimi, the other mermaids reached for the plate.

And they let out happy screams.

“Ah… How can it be so elastic and have such a savory taste the more you chew it?”

“The bouncy texture is so charming…!”

“If I had known Kraken was this delicious, I would have secretly approached it in disguise and taken one of its legs to eat!”

“…Hey, you’ll die if you do that.”

In the end, the Kraken sashimi that had been piled high on the plate disappeared in an instant.

After that, Kainchel continued to bring monster dishes to the mermaids.

When the Sea Serpent breast meat grilled with curry appeared, even Rain, who had been quietly eating Kraken sashimi, cheered.

“What should I do? It smells so good!”

“Is this the meat of the Sea Serpent that tormented our tribe so much? I’m going to eat it all, down to the last drop of juice!”

In the end, their meal didn’t end until they were so full that they were panting.

“Ugh, that was so good…”

“I’m so full I feel like I’m going to die… Ugh, ugh…”

“I told you to eat in moderation.”

“But I couldn’t stop once I put it in my mouth.”

“…I agree.”

But for some reason, their skin had become strangely smooth.

Kainchel groaned as he looked at the message that appeared in front of him.

‘This is…’

[The guest who ate the 6-star dish ‘Special Kraken Salad with Kraken’s Characteristics’ is very satisfied.]

[The guests are temporarily in a Latex state.]

“Sorry, but there’s something I need to check, so can I hit you once?”

“H, huh? W, what are you talking about?”

“I’m trying to test the abilities of the monster dish.”

“Ah… So, like how Gawain swam at an incredible speed? Does that mean each monster has a different effect?”

“Probably.”

“Okay. But don’t hit me too hard.”

Kainchel nodded and flicked his finger towards Sedaniel’s forehead.

Then, with a ‘thwack’ sound, Kainchel’s finger bounced back instead.

Sedaniel’s eyes widened.

“Huh? What? It doesn’t hurt at all?”

Rather, Kainchel, who had hit Sedaniel’s forehead, fell backward from the impact.

‘Latex… It’s similar to Vajra Body [an indestructible body], but different.’

Vajra Body is activated when you eat seasoned chicken made with Cockatrice [a mythical beast]. At the same time, you turn into a body of steel that cannot be broken by any attack.

But Latex wasn’t just about the impact disappearing, it was actually bouncing it back.

The ability of Latex wasn’t just that. The elasticity of the skin also improved, so if you pulled it, it would stretch out.

All of them were characteristics that the Kraken had.

The image of the Kraken emitting tremendous electricity from its legs flashed through Kainchel’s mind. It seemed that the sticky fluid was preventing it from being electrocuted.

‘If it has that ability, Latex will literally be the strongest armor.’

Inside the interdimensional pocket, there was a mountain of well-prepared Kraken meat.

If used well, it could create a miracle that no other monster dish has ever achieved.

Sedaniel also felt it.

“Amazing! If I have this, I can run away from any natural enemy!”

Rain, who had been in a daze for a while due to the amazing ability of Latex, opened her mouth.

“Is it possible to imbue the Kraken’s energy into the dish…? I think I know why the Chieftain formed an alliance.”

Before she knew it, the mermaids were sitting in a circle around Rain.

It was time to reveal the reason why they came here.

Rain sighed softly and said.

“It seems that the location of the shelter has been discovered. We were attacked by various monsters, including the Kraken and Lizardmen. Fortunately, we were able to escape safely using disguise… But we couldn’t retrieve the elixirs that were being stored…”

Then Sedaniel proudly stuck out her chin.

“Heheng. I had a feeling that would happen, so I brought all the elixirs with me when I came out. Well, I used a few of them, though.”

“…Chieftain? How many times have I told you! The removal of elixirs from the outside is prohibited!”

“Thanks to me, they weren’t taken by the enemy. Anyway, let’s move on from trivial matters. So, are all the kids who aren’t here dead?”

“Don’t kill them off as you please… They’re just seriously injured and being treated.”

“That’s a relief. Ahaha.”

The mermaid tribe lives hidden in a shelter deep in the sea.

However, they lost their precious home due to a sudden monster attack.

Sedaniel tried to act bright, but there was a deep despair in her eyes.

“Anyway, I’ll keep my promise to help you deal with Andras’s agents. But no matter how I think about it, I’m concerned that the shelter was attacked by a monster alliance. I think it’s best to assume that the enemy knows about the existence of the elixirs from now on.”

“I think so too.”

What would happen if the elixirs fell into the hands of the agents?

It was already difficult to deal with them just by controlling all the monsters like limbs, but they would also have tremendous regenerative power.

It was a terrible thing to even think about.

In the end, Sedaniel, as well as the other eight mermaids, were on the same boat.

“But Sedaniel, do you have anywhere to go after this is over?”

“No. Well, the sea is wide, so I’ll have to find a better place.”

“…I’m sure mermaids mainly eat seafood, right?”

“Yeah. Everyone is good at catching fish.”

A strange light flashed in Kainchel’s eyes. The mermaid tribe needed a place to hide.

And he happened to know a very suitable place.

‘Maybe I’ll be making a lot of dishes with fresh seafood in the future.’

Sedaniel, who had no idea what Kainchel was thinking, just tilted her head with an innocent face.

* * *

Even though it was late at night, Marcus couldn’t leave the Cowboy Auckland branch.

When he heard the news that the receptionist had given Gray a B-class monster subjugation request.

Marcus reflexively grabbed him by the collar.

“You idiot! You should have reported something like that sooner! We were going to wait for support from other branches to subjugate the Kraken! But what? You sent Gray and Green? Damn it, what branch gives a B-class request for the first request! If the rumors spread, we’ll be treated like complete fools!”

“So, the branch manager… wanted the request…”

“There’s a limit to that! Ah, really…! I thought we had a decent cowboy join us after a long time… Anyway, contact Sheriff Douglas right now! Tell him to keep an eye on those two airheaded orcs.”

“Y, yes, sir.”

But the news that came back surprised Marcus even more.

It could be passed off as a coincidence that the monster to be subjugated was attacking the port.

But the orcs jumped into the sea without waiting for support.

“…But what? They overwhelmed the Kraken? And they even flew over the sea? What the hell are you talking about?!”

Eventually, the two orcs disappeared beyond the horizon, chasing after the fleeing Kraken.

If he had known this would happen, he would have secretly followed them.

“Damn it! The Kraken was in a dying state, right? Damn it, what the hell is going on? I wish I could wake up from this bad dream…”

Did the disappeared orcs successfully catch the Kraken?

If so, what the hell were they that they were so strong?

Of course, Marcus hadn’t been just playing around for a few hours either.

There might be someone among the orcs near Auckland who knows about Gray and Green.

He sent a messenger with plenty of silver coins, so there would be some results.

Then, with a crash, the receptionist who had been waiting came in.

“B, branch manager! They’re here!”

“What is it?”

“So, the orcs who left for subjugation have returned!”

Marcus’s eyes widened. He didn’t expect them to come before the messenger he was waiting for.

But he was also dying to know the whereabouts of the Kraken.

“…Tell them to wait right there. I’ll go out right away.”

When he went to the reception desk, he smelled a strong salty smell. Marcus stared at the two orcs with a shocked expression.

“Th, th, that’s…”

What Gray was holding was clearly something that looked like the eyeball of a giant monster.

Not only that, but a large fin that filled the reception room was rolling on the floor.

The salty smell was coming from there.

Marcus’s body trembled. He couldn’t believe that just two people had succeeded in subjugating the Kraken.

“Orc, monster caught. Orc gets money.”

“…Of course, you have to give it to them.”

When Marcus moved his chin, the receptionist took out a bag full of gold coins from the safe.

“Count it. It’s exactly 82 gold.”

“Thanks, overwhelming thanks.”

It was a huge sum of money that was hard to believe they had earned in half a day.

The Kraken was originally a monster that several branches’ veteran cowboys and sheriffs were supposed to work together to subjugate. It was natural that the reward was higher than others.

“…Come to think of it, you didn’t bring the magic stone separately. If it’s from a large monster, it’s traded for quite a bit. I can give you about 20 more gold as a settlement.”

“Orc defeated monster. Brought eyeball as proof. No problem.”

“…Tch. You left that expensive magic stone behind. I guess you need to learn about the qualities of a cowboy.”

Marcus licked his lips without realizing it. They had the ability to easily defeat even the Kraken, but they didn’t even know about the existence of the magic stone.

The rumor of the flying orc that appeared in Auckland would surely spread throughout Argon in an instant.

He wanted to make them completely his people before that happened.

How could he win the hearts of the two orcs? But Marcus’s worries didn’t last long.

“Orc caught more monsters.”

“…Another monster?”

“Snake. Big.”

Instantly, Marcus’s pupils swelled several times. For some reason, the word Sea Serpent came to mind. But he soon smiled and shook his head.

No matter how strong they were to catch the Kraken, the Sea Serpent was a monster of a different dimension.

It wasn’t called by such terrifying nicknames as the Tyrant of the Sea or the Sea God for nothing.

They must have caught a few Lizardmen who were spacing out somewhere.

But he wanted to see it with his own eyes. Gray was an orc who was far beyond his common sense.

“So, where is the other monster you caught?”

“Outside.”

Marcus shrugged his shoulders, opened the window, and leaned his head out.

And he fainted on the spot.