Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 314

24. The Heart That Paints the Moon

If I were thinking rationally, eliminating the Gumiho as swiftly as possible would be the most logical course of action.

Naturally, I brought a generous supply of Mapo Tofu cans to help resist the curse of lust. But who knows what unforeseen circumstances might arise?

Nevertheless, Cainchel hesitated.

‘……I already sacrificed Calliope for Britannia. Are you asking me to do the same thing again here?’

She had to sleep for a thousand years to seal the ‘Gate’ in the Zistad estate.

All Cainchel could do was promise to cook Calliope’s favorite dishes for her as soon as she woke up.

Even now, her genuinely delighted face often vividly came to mind.

‘Besides…….’

Sanga believed that Jeok-un had abandoned her and eloped.

In a way, it was understandable.

Jeok-un was kidnapped by pirates and met a lonely end at sea.

The only one who knew this was Cainchel, who had encountered the lingering essence of Jeok-un’s heart.

‘……So, at the very least, I must convey the feelings of the master I received.’

“Hmph, it seems you’ve made up your mind.”

Dalgie, resigned to her fate, quietly closed her eyes.

In her final moment, she saw a small dagger with a very sharp blade reflected in her eyes. Strangely, it resembled a kitchen knife.

‘Do they use such things as weapons in the Central Continent?’

“Cough, cough! You’re planning to kill me as painfully as possible, I see. I wish you would just cut me in half with that big sword you’re wearing on your waist. Well, it’s ridiculous to ask for mercy after saying such things.”

Dalgie had lived several times longer than the lifespan a fox was originally born with.

But death was still frightening. Her mocking and provoking of Cainchel was merely a way to mask her fear.

“……?”

But something felt off. She could only hear the sound of something being moved and set up, but she wasn’t being killed.

Dalgie finally slightly opened her tightly closed eyes to see what was happening.

And the sight that greeted her was far beyond anything she had anticipated.

“……A cooking table? Human……! What on earth are you doing! If you don’t kill me now, you’ll be in trouble!”

Cainchel, having swiftly prepared to cook, smiled at the Gumiho and replied.

“In Britannia, you see, there’s a custom called the Last Supper. It’s about preparing the food that the person facing death usually enjoys the most.”

“Is there a right to refuse?”

“Try if you can. Oh, and tell the Geumuiwi [Imperial Guards] hiding up there on the ceiling to leave. It’ll only make things worse for them if they rush in.”

Dalgie gritted her teeth and growled in a low voice.

But unless her only weapon worked, resistance was futile.

In the end, a makeshift kitchen was set up in the most precious room in the imperial palace.

“Hmph, you don’t think I would eat food made by the person who is about to take my life, do you? If so, that’s a very big misjudgment!”

“Well, don’t eat if you don’t want to. Just wait a little bit. It’ll be done in about 10 minutes.”

“……!?”

She was so surprised that the fox ears hidden amongst Dalgie’s hair popped out.

She usually only ate dishes made with great care by special chefs over a long period of time.

But there was a dish that could be completed in just 10 minutes.

‘As expected, even if you say you don’t like it with your mouth, your stomach is honest. Shall we begin then?’

Cainchel first piled flour high on the noodle-making table. The savory smell indicated it was of very good quality.

“Dough? Are you perhaps making noodles? Hmph, to feed me such a low-class food. It was foolish of me to have expected anything for even a moment.”

“You did have expectations.”

“……Keuk!”

As expected, perhaps because she was originally a fox, her way of thinking itself was simple. No wonder she was deceived by Asmodeus and became a medium for spreading the curse.

Jeok-un was most confident in making Cheonhajaeil noodles [lit. “The Best Noodles in the World,” a boastful name], kneading only with brine and salt. But now Cainchel added eggs to it.

Then the color of the dough turned light yellow and began to smell slightly fishy.

‘But once you start boiling it, it turns so savory that you can’t resist it.’

Dalgie crossed her arms and closed her eyes, pretending not to be interested.

But in reality, she was keeping a close watch on Cainchel making noodles with her eyes slightly open.

Her perked-up ears were proof of that.

‘Egg noodles taste best when eaten raw right after kneading.’

Only then can you properly feel the chewy and savory taste. There was a reason why he declared that he would make the dish in just 10 minutes.

Cainchel started boiling water and preparing additional ingredients to put in the noodles.

He put oil in a large Chinese wok and used the flames of the flambé to maximize the heat.

“When the oil starts to smoke slightly, add green onions, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry them. You have to be careful here because adding too much of the strongly scented ginger will break the overall balance.”

“Hmph, I’m not interested in such food.”

“Suit yourself.”

When the spicy and fragrant smell began to intensify, he added soy sauce and stir-fried it again as if simmering it.

Jeok-un always said that dishes with oil, green onions, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce could never be bad.

He added shrimp and chicken breast and stir-fried them over high heat as if smoking them. This allowed the flavor of the spices to permeate, making it even more delicious.

As the meat began to cook in earnest, the smell quickly spread throughout the room.

Then, following her ears, even her tail popped out from Dalgie’s body.

“……? Th, this feeling is…… What on earth…… Something deep inside my heart seems to be getting hotter. And strangely, I feel nostalgic and happy…….”

For some reason, Dalgie’s condition became strange. But Cainchel didn’t stop cooking.

Because now was the most important moment in making noodles.

He added fresh carrots and bok choy and stir-fried them, while simultaneously adding egg noodles to the boiling water.

The dough was so well made that you could feel the elasticity just by looking at it. Boiling it in boiling water for about 1 minute and 30 seconds would properly bring out the unique elasticity and taste of the egg noodles.

“Oh, and even if you boil noodles made with brine well, they still have a bitter taste. So you have to rinse them in cold water and then shake them to completely remove the moisture.”

“…….”

“Now it’s time to mix all the prepared ingredients together and make them one.”

Cainchel cracked two eggs on top of the savory and spicy-smelling meat. And before the heat touched it, he turned the pot and stirred it well with Fragarach.

Then it would cook with a lumpy texture, as if making scrambled eggs.

The total time from kneading to this point was 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Now it was time to combine the two ingredients into one.

First, he added the chewy egg noodles on top of the other ingredients and stir-fried them.

Sizzle-!

When he added the sauce made by fermenting oysters, an indescribably good smell began to emanate.

When the meat was fully cooked, he piled bean sprouts on top and then turned off the heat and cooked them using the remaining heat.

Now there were about 30 seconds left until completion.

Cainchel looked at the Gumiho, who had completely reddened eyes and was shedding tears like chicken droppings.

“Don’t you feel strangely nostalgic? That’s because this dish is the one that Master always made for his hungry daughter.”

“……!?”

“It’s just made by stir-frying Sanga’s favorite ingredients and noodles, so it doesn’t even have a proper name. So this can be said to be a dish for only one person. Well, if I had to force a name, I’d have to call it Sanga Noodles.”

“……Sniffle, sniffle. Waaaaaaah!”

In the end, unable to hold back, Dalgie’s body collapsed. Cainchel was convinced that Sanga was alive.

“Oh, and there’s something you’re misunderstanding. Master Jeok-un didn’t run away. He was just kidnapped by pirates on the way to meet his daughter after becoming independent. Nevertheless, he tried to survive no matter what. With the single thought of wanting to meet his daughter again.”

“……Ah, ah, aaaaaah……!”

For some reason, the Gumiho’s voice split into two. One was Dalgie’s, and the other sounded a little more delicate.

Cainchel paused for a moment and took out the hair ornament he had treasured in his arms and placed it in Dalgie’s hand.

“But in the end, he was brutally murdered at the hands of pirates. And he was holding onto this tightly in his hand until the moment he closed his eyes.”

“……Keuk. Yo, no, y, you, how do you know that, or, is it?”

It was a strange way of speaking. Perhaps it was because Dalgie’s and Sanga’s consciousnesses were intertwined.

“What I met was the soul of the master who had become a vengeful spirit after death. Somehow, I learned how to make noodles. But now I think I know the reason why.”

“…….”

Dalgie looked at the hair ornament that Cainchel had handed her and trembled.

Compared to the splendid jewels decorating her body, it was no better than a pebble.

But the moment she held it in her hand, the emotions swirling throughout her body became crystallized and began to pour out through her eyes.

“Ah, ah, a, Dad, Dad……. Ugh, ugh, waaaaaaah……!”

Cainchel transferred the stir-fried noodles, which were steaming hot from being freshly made, to a small plate.

“Here, this is a special stir-fried noodle that is the only one in the world, passed down by Master Jeok-un. Eat it before it gets cold. Oh, did you say you don’t eat such low-class food?”

Dalgie, no, Sanga, shook her head desperately.

“N, no. I’ll eat it. ……Please let me eat it. I didn’t say what I said earlier.”

“……Are you perhaps Sanga?”

“Yes……. I’m Sanga. I’m sorry. I wanted to come to the surface of consciousness no matter what…… But Dalgie wouldn’t let me.”

The heart that was passed from Jeok-un to Cainchel.

It was only in front of that that she was able to be in a state where conversation was possible.

Sanga looked at Cainchel, sobbing.

“To think that such a handsome man is Dad’s disciple…….”

“……Wait a minute. The point of being moved is a little off, isn’t it?!”

You never know when Dalgie’s consciousness might pop out again. Cainchel handed Sanga chopsticks.

“Anyway, this tastes best right after it’s cooked. It’s not as good as the noodles Master Jeok-un made himself, but I still worked hard to make it, so I hope you’ll eat it all.”

“……I wanted to eat it so badly anyway. Thank you for the food.”

Sanga smiled brightly, like a flower blooming, and began to eat the dish named after her.

* * *

Vivid orange carrots and green bok choy. On top of that, light brown noodles formed a clear contrast.

It was Sanga Noodles itself, made by Jeok-un.

“……When work was over, Dad always made this for me. I wanted to eat it so badly all this time……. Haa……. It’s like Dad has come back to life…….”

Sanga bit into the shrimp that had been prepared for easy eating. She could feel the taste of the flesh, which was chewy and combined with various sauces.

“Ah, it’s so delicious…….”

Next was the bean sprouts. They were cooked so exquisitely that they weren’t wilted, so the crunchy taste was still alive.

And what about the noodles that had fully absorbed the broth of the sauce and various ingredients?

Slightly dry but savory chicken breast and the spiciness of bok choy. On top of that, the umami [pleasant savory taste] of the sauce made with oysters.

An incredible feast of flavors unfolded in Sanga’s mouth, so much so that it was hard to believe that it was contained in one dish.

The stir-fried noodles that had been piled high on the plate quickly revealed the bottom.

“Then it seems like you’ve almost eaten it all, so shall we start soon? I’m a little sorry, but those noodles aren’t completely finished yet.”

“Yes? Even though it’s so delicious?”

“Um……, I have to convey the heart of the master contained in it. Actually, the reason I came here was for that.”

“……Thank you so much. I never thought I would be reunited with Dad like this.”

If she closed her eyes, it felt like her dad was right in front of her. Sanga perked up her fox ears and focused on Cainchel’s story.

“Master……. So, your dad left three words as his last words before ascending to the Celestial Realm.”

Sanga unknowingly stroked the hair ornament she was holding in her left hand.

It was rough like her dad’s hand, but strangely warm.

Cainchel took a deep breath for a moment and then continued.

“I’m sorry.”

Jeok-un promised his daughter that he would definitely make a lot of money and come to pick her up.

But in the end, he couldn’t keep that promise. That regret remained and he became a vengeful spirit and met Cainchel.

“I love you.”

Jeok-un loved Sanga so much that he could add the share of his wife who died of illness.

“……Be happy.”

In a situation where he was caught by pirates and didn’t know when he would die. Even at that moment, Jeok-un wished for his daughter’s happiness.

“Dad…….”

At this moment, Jeok-un’s heart was definitely conveyed to Sanga through Cainchel.

[The 8-star dish ‘Sanga Noodles Containing the Heart That Paints the Moon’ has been completed.]

And a miracle happened.