Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 287

17. Gathering Orcs

Hampshire Territory, despite its vastness, had a surprisingly small population.

This was understandable, given that most of the region was considered backcountry within the Argon Union.

However, James van Jackson, the lord of the territory, was far from content with this situation.

“Sheriff.”

“Yes, Lord James.”

“How much longer until the completion of the 7th Hampshire Reservoir?”

“It will be finished in two months.”

James reclined in a tub filled with red-tinged magic crystals, a look of satisfaction on his face.

He possessed aristocratic features that complemented his flamboyant platinum blonde hair. Yet, a strange madness gleamed in his eyes.

The sheriff continued, his face as tense as a herbivore facing a predator.

“But there is a slight issue…”

“Speak. I am in a good mood today because the purity of the magic crystals is exceptionally high. I will overlook minor transgressions.”

“…The problem is, the consumption of Orc slaves is too great to maintain the schedule. The corpses of those who have died from exhaustion are piling up.”

“Hahaha! What is there to worry about? There are plenty of replacements to rot. Just ensure a sufficient supply of warrior blood.”

“Understood. Ugh…”

The sheriff frowned at the mention of blood, reflexively taking a deep breath despite trying to ignore the scent.

James chuckled, as if greatly amused.

“Haven’t you grown accustomed to this smell yet? I am truly fortunate. Who would have imagined that the blood of lowly pigs would elevate the purity of magic crystals to such heights? Isn’t that right, Sheriff?”

Even with excellent mana cultivation techniques, there’s a limit to the aura one can obtain from magic crystals.

It’s like being limited in the amount of food you can eat in one sitting, no matter how lavish the feast.

But James had discovered that tremendous mana emanated from magic crystals that had absorbed warrior blood.

Thanks to this, he had reached the level of Sword Master [a master swordsman, a very high rank].

The sheriff’s body trembled, knowing how many Orcs had died to make it possible.

“Hahaha! They provide labor while alive and become my aura after death. I am grateful. Moreover, once all the reservoirs are completed, the worst-case scenario of people starving to death due to a single drought will never happen again. I refuse the humiliation of having to rely on food provided by Orcs.”

“But… recently, some of the Orc tribes are attempting to break free from slavery and become independent. I believe we should be more cautious.”

James rose from the magic crystal tub, revealing his broad, marble-like physique.

“If slaves rebel, kill them all!”

Just then, the door burst open, and a soldier rushed in, his face flustered.

“Lo, Lord! An Orc warrior has escaped from the basement!”

“Really? I was feeling stiff anyway, so this is perfect. Shall we loosen up a bit?”

James donned his clothes and drew his sword from the scabbard beside him.

Outside, an Orc covered in blood was rampaging with a glaive [a polearm weapon with a single-edged blade].

“Grrr… We will no longer live as slaves! We would rather die honorably as warriors!”

When he swung the glaive, a tremendous shockwave erupted. The aura, which had transformed from a straight line to a curve, and from a curve to a plane, began to lash out like a whip.

“Kuaaaak!”

“My arm! My arm!”

Before that tremendous force, the soldiers’ limbs flew like rotten branches.

With just one swing, four soldiers were seriously injured. James clicked his tongue, lamenting the loss of his valuable subordinates.

“Tsk. I explicitly instructed you to use ‘Dream Fragrance’ generously when dealing with Orc warriors.”

Dream Fragrance was an incense made by mixing addictive herbs.

Smelling it would render even the fiercest Orc warrior as docile as a herbivore.

Thanks to the phenomenon the Orcs themselves called the brand and Dream Fragrance, they could enslave them, who were several times stronger than humans.

“…So, sorry. There was almost no stock left…”

“Really? Mistakes must be punished.”

James drew his sword and, in one swift motion, decapitated the soldier in charge of managing the Orcs.

“Huh? That’s my body…”

At the same time, the soldier’s head fell to the ground with a thud. Until the very end, the soldier seemed unaware of what had happened to him.

It was such a tremendous quickdraw that ordinary people couldn’t even perceive the act of drawing the sword.

James gazed at the sword, soaked with the soldier’s blood, with a satisfied expression.

This is far from enough. He was still hungry.

Then, the Orc warrior flew into a rage.

“To kill a subordinate who follows you with your own hands! How can you be so cruel!”

“Hmph, you talk too much. Come on.”

“Krash, Germa!”

The muscles of the already large Orc warrior swelled tremendously.

The enemy was strong, but he was also confident in his strength and speed. The Orc warrior quickly took the initiative to gain the upper hand in the attack.

With a tremendous roar, as if thunder was rumbling in the clear sky.

The halberd, wielded by the Orc warrior with both hands, struck toward James’ head.

If it had hit directly, it would have been an attack that would have split the body in half in one blow, even if it was protected by aura.

But James’ response was a little faster.

“…Bullet Time.”

As the Aura Blade was activated, James’ body vanished from the Orc warrior’s sight.

It was a speed that even a Sword Master could not comprehend.

And the stopped time began to flow again. Before he knew it, dozens of wounds had appeared on the Orc warrior’s body.

Chwaaaak!

At the same time, blood gushed out, an unbelievable amount to have come from one body.

James smiled bitterly, covered in the Orc warrior’s blood.

“Gulp… That was good. But I’m still hungry.”

Numerous monsters still inhabit Hampshire Territory, and cowboys [monster hunters] kill them to collect magic crystals.

The labor shortage can be supplemented through Orc slaves. The entire territory existed to make James stronger.

* * *

There are dozens of slums in Hampshire Territory where Orc slaves reside.

Kainchel, along with the Orc chefs, first infiltrated a slum on the outskirts.

“Orc, Orcs…!”

A soldier on guard screamed when Orcs with fierce faces suddenly invaded.

He seemed to be hoping that reinforcements would arrive upon hearing his voice.

But no lord would mobilize a large number of soldiers just to protect Orc slaves.

Ziiing-!

Kainchel used pasta to quietly silence the soldier before he could raise a loud alarm.

“Are you not killing them, Gran Gray?”

“Hmm. There’s no need to escalate things unnecessarily. If we’re not careful, monsters in the area might smell the blood and flock here. Let’s get what we want as quickly as possible and leave.”

Royten, who was following behind with a large pot, was inwardly impressed by Gray’s calm command.

After infiltrating near the slum using a wyvern [a dragon-like creature] without being detected, he crossed the enemy lines using an infiltration route that no one would notice.

And he only subdues the minimum number of guards needed.

It was as if he knew the movements of all the troops in Hampshire.

The Fire Looters clan is particularly known for its tremendous belligerence, but most of them were not suitable as commanders.

To be an excellent commander, one must make rational decisions without being swayed by emotions in any situation.

“That’s why Lord All-Talmus gave him the title of Great Warrior.”

In the slum, straw huts were lined up around a large bonfire.

It was a flimsy sight that would collapse in an instant in a heavy rain.

“Then, is it a long-awaited field meal?”

At Kainchel’s instruction, the Orc chefs began preparing to serve food.

Perhaps because they had practiced so many times, a large pot was installed over the bonfire in less than 10 minutes.

It takes more than half a day to cook beef stew. Inevitably, they had to heat up what they had made in advance.

As the beef stew began to boil in the pot, an indescribably rich aroma of vegetables and meat mixed together filled the air.

Smelling it, the Orc slaves who had been asleep woke up one by one.

“Orc, hungry…”

“There’s a delicious smell coming from somewhere.”

And they came out of the huts and slowly approached the boiling beef stew.

“Get in line! There’s plenty of food!”

“…Aratta, Orc. Get in line.”

Royten filled a wooden plate with beef stew and handed it out.

The combination of meat, vegetables, and various spices created a dizzyingly rich smell.

The Orc slave who received it began to eat the food as if possessed.

Will this really erase the cursed brand?

“Gulp…”

Royten swallowed hard and watched the reactions of his fellow tribesmen. And the moment he had been waiting for so long had arrived.

“…Huh? What on earth was I doing here?”

“Damn it, I was deceived by James! I shouldn’t have smelled that nasty scent!”

“Oh, my God… Aren’t you Royten? I feel like I’ve seen you since you were crawling. When did you grow up so much?”

Royten felt his heart warming with a strange emotion.

The minds of his fellow tribesmen, who had lost their intelligence and become slaves, had returned to normal. Of course, they will have to continue eating beef stew in the future. But now, the newly born Orc chefs will be with them.

But Abhim, who was sharing the stew with him, was in an unusual state. After seeing an old Orc among the slaves, his face suddenly began to contort in pain.

“Yo, you are… Chief, aren’t you…?”

It was a face he hadn’t seen in almost ten years, but how could he forget it?

Then the old Orc looked at Abhim and stammered.

“Abhim… you didn’t do anything wrong… The bad thing is…”

“……!?”

He was Abhim’s father and the chief of the Crushed Heart Tribe.

It was a miracle, literally. Orcs become adults much faster than humans, but their lifespan is only about 2/3 as long.

Moreover, they cannot escape their natural lifespan unless they awaken Mystic Arts.

But the old Orc in front of him had lived for nearly 60 years.

“A, Father…!”

Abhim put the stew in the old Orc’s mouth with trembling hands.

Then his hazy eyes cleared, and Abhim’s figure was reflected in them.

The old Orc hugged Abhim with warm arms and said.

“You’re back. Abhim… my son…”