Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 30

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Surprisingly, three days felt like an eternity.

It wasn’t complete starvation; I was allowed to eat rye bread and cabbage soup each day.

At first, I thought I could endure it without much difficulty.

‘But this cabbage soup… isn’t this what young ladies eat to lose weight?’

The only meat was a bit of chicken breast.

Most of the ingredients were vegetables.

Fortunately, this week’s schedule was quite relaxed.

Until the upcoming survival training, most of it would be indoor education.

When Cainchel clutched his stomach, Abel asked with a worried expression.

“Are you not feeling well? You haven’t been eating properly for days… Um, wait a moment. I’ll call a priest to give you a blessing.”

“…Ah, it’s okay. I have very special training scheduled for this weekend. I’m doing this to prepare for it.”

“Special training?”

“It’s all for the Yellow Knights. I want to get a high rank in the upcoming training, so I’m preparing for it.”

Then Abel smiled and said.

“It’s good to work hard, but you should rest when you need to. Anyway, if you have any trouble, tell me anytime. How are we supposed to train without Meister [Master]?”

Cainchel could read the sincerity in Abel’s words.

‘He really seems worried about me.’

A gentle smile appeared on Cainchel’s lips.

His first friend was unexpectedly warm-hearted.

“Thanks, Abel.”

The Second Season is a team event.

Cainchel becoming stronger means the entire knight order’s strength increases.

‘The Yellow Knights… No, even for Abel, who is worried about me, I need to become stronger, even if just a little bit more.’

To do that, I had to endure this maddening hunger.

Cainchel drank water from his canteen to fill his empty stomach.

Gulp, gulp.

@

The day to learn cooking from Gordon arrived.

Cainchel wore light clothes and went to find Gordon.

He was told not to wear armor or a chef’s uniform.

“As promised, you’ve only eaten the designated food for three days, right?”

“Yes, Chef.”

“Originally, you should have fasted completely, but I couldn’t do that to a trainee knight, so I allowed you a minimal amount of food.”

A look of bewilderment appeared on Cainchel’s face.

Originally, it was supposed to be even tougher?

Gordon stroked his chin and continued.

“From now on, I will give you the insight to create a dish. It only has meaning when accompanied by hunger.”

“Yes, Chef!”

“Only take a combat knife and a kitchen knife. You’ll need to use them for various purposes, so choose the ones you’re most familiar with.”

What process do I have to go through to complete a dish?

I had to find the answer from now on.

“Follow me.”

The place Gordon led him to was familiar to Cainchel.

“…Isn’t this the survival training grounds?”

The next thing the Rookie Class trainee knights would receive was survival training.

A knight must be able to survive with strong vitality and will, even if dropped in the wilderness with nothing.

That was what survival training was about.

‘Gathering leaves to build a house, securing drinking water, collecting edible plants, and learning how to hunt animals for meat.’

No matter how strong your swordsmanship is, humans cannot survive with that alone.

In particular, knights often become leaders who lead others in the field.

To solve their food, clothing, and shelter problems, they must fully understand how to survive in the wild.

‘I’ve already received this training several times.’

Moreover, it was the only training where Cainchel had achieved good results.

Cainchel, who had nothing but his body, had lived in the forest since he was young.

He could easily distinguish edible plants and herbs.

Hunting wild animals for meat was also not difficult.

‘In the wild, knowing how to make a small trap is more helpful than excellent swordsmanship.’

“Now, I will teach you how to complete a dish. No, let me be precise. The wilderness will teach you. The time limit is two days. Complete a dish here—not just food—and bring it to me. Then I will let you make a dish to serve a VIP [Very Important Person].”

“…Then the reason you told me to bring a kitchen knife is…”

“Yes. To cook. I will not provide any other ingredients. Everything you can find in the wild will be ingredients.”

Cainchel swallowed hard.

It was an absurd mission.

This place was created for survival training. Fish that are easy to catch swim in the stream, and wild animals run through the forest.

If you search the forest, you can easily collect edible vegetables and mushrooms.

However, it is only a place optimized for survival.

To complete a dish here?

“…Aren’t you going to tell me the difference between cooking and preparing food?”

“You will find the answer here. It seems too difficult, so I will give you a small hint. Aren’t you incredibly hungry right now? Then what should you do?”

“I need to eat food.”

“Yes. Just think of this place as a slightly larger pantry and make the best dish you can. I’ll be waiting.”

“Yes, Chef.”

Cainchel got up from his seat with two knives in his hands. Gordon was right.

I felt like I would be in danger if I didn’t eat something first.

If I starved any more, I wouldn’t have the strength to run.

Before that, I had to secure as many ingredients as possible.

@

“I can eat this.”

Cainchel filled a basket made of woven leaves with tree nuts.

Inside it were various root vegetables, edible mushrooms, and fish caught from the stream.

‘Should I check the trap I set earlier?’

Fortunately, a small wild animal had been caught in the snare.

I even managed to find a lump of rock salt and some herbs to use as seasoning.

Crunch-!

Cainchel munched on a tree nut.

Was it thanks to all the increased stats?

Cainchel was able to roam the forest faster than he had expected.

‘My body feels light. At this rate, I could run around all day.’

In no time, he had gathered a tremendous amount of ingredients.

After all, this place was a training ground. There was no need to worry about a sudden beast attack.

It was even more relaxing since I didn’t have to use Fallen Star [his special skill].

“Hoo… I’ve roughly prepared the ingredients… The problem is that I still don’t know the difference between preparation and cooking.”

Just then, the hunger he had momentarily forgotten came rushing back.

“Ah, let’s eat something first and then think about it!”

Cainchel went to the stream and started a fire.

Using the fallen leaves and dry wood he had gathered in the forest, he was able to start a fire without difficulty.

First, he sprinkled rock salt on the fish and applied crushed herbs to remove the fishy smell.

When he skewered it and grilled it, it quickly cooked, and the oil dripped down.

‘Let’s grill the mushrooms and tree nuts too.’

And so, a simple but satisfying meal was born.

“I’m glad I learned how to cook. To think I can eat food of this quality even out here.”

It would have been better if there was butter, but this was the wild. I can’t expect that much.

Cainchel quickly devoured the mountain of food and patted his stomach.

“Ah… that was delicious.”

With his stomach full, he had the余裕 [yoyu – leeway/room to spare] to think.

Before he knew it, stars that seemed within reach were floating in the sky.

‘Originally, I was supposed to wander around diligently looking for ingredients and naturally gain enlightenment, but I ended up finishing it so easily.’

Cainchel licked his lips.

Having grown up running around in the forest since he was young, he knew the wild very well.

But was there something he had missed?

“Preparation and cooking… What’s the difference?”

There were plenty of things to eat in the wild.

Hungry, Cainchel ate them.

‘I sprinkled salt and cooked it, skewered mushrooms and grilled them… I took ingredients and made food to eat. I prepared it. What exactly is missing for that to become cooking?’

Cainchel shifted his gaze and began to observe everything in the forest.

Gordon had clearly said that the answer was in the wild.

Pitter-patter-!

A small wild animal was digging into the ground to find food. It turned its head to the side again.

Whaeeeng-!

A bee was flying around the brightly blooming flower to collect honey.

‘Right, everyone is looking for food to survive… If I didn’t have survival skills, I would be desperately looking for something to eat like that…’

Ah!

In an instant, the riddle was solved so simply it felt absurd.

A flower was reflected in Cainchel’s eyes. If it didn’t seduce bees with its beautiful appearance, it wouldn’t be able to survive.

A gray-haired wild animal perked up its ears.

It was changing its fur color to hide from predators.

Even those living in this wild were adorning themselves. And…

Surely cooking also had such a technique.

Cainchel shouted without realizing it.

“…That’s right, what was missing from the food I made! It’s plating!”

It was a word that meant the technique of arranging food on a plate.

Until now, he had thought that as long as he made it delicious, everything necessary for cooking was complete.

But that alone was missing one of the necessary processes for cooking.

In order for a bowl of food to be complete, one must pay attention to the presentation of the food on the plate.

Furthermore, in the case of a course meal, plating involves considering the order in which the dishes are served and the harmony of flavors.

As the clue began to unravel, things that had not been visible until now came to mind.

“…Even a trivial dish can look like a high-end dish depending on how it’s presented. The swordsmanship I’ve done so far has only been about trimming ingredients and slicing food. That’s why it only rose to beginner swordsmanship.”

But what if I paid attention to plating too?

“Depending on how it’s presented, the same food can look like a completely different dish. That’s right, just like intermediate swordsmanship!”

An exclamation burst from Cainchel’s mouth.

Why hadn’t he thought of something so simple until now?

Until now, there was no need to plate the food made in the kitchen.

This was because it was made in large quantities at once and distributed.

In order to transfer it to a bowl, plating must be done.

He licked his lips.

The riddle Gordon had presented and the clue to intermediate swordsmanship were solved at the same time.

“Plating… In other words, if I raise the level of decoration, I will definitely be able to acquire intermediate swordsmanship.”

Now that the riddle had been solved, there was no need to hesitate.

From now on, I will make food with the ingredients in front of me.

A bowl of food is completed by paying attention to plating and placing it on a plate.

If he gets a good result by being evaluated by Gordon, then surely…

Cainchel’s eyes sparkled.

Show Gordon the answer he found in half a day, which he said would take two days.

What kind of expression would he make?

As he said, the answer was in the wild.

No, Cainchel, who had grown up in the forest, already knew the answer. He just hadn’t realized it.

Cainchel grabbed the kitchen knife.

Now the real game was about to begin.

Teachings of the Wild #3