Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 50

I discovered that Coq au vin, especially when made with plenty of rosemary, was a dish steeped in memories.

But one problem remained.

‘So, how do I get Vincent to actually eat it?’

The easiest solution would be to simply change the cafeteria menu to Coq au vin.

However, I didn’t have nearly enough ingredients to make Coq au vin for hundreds of people.

What I managed to get from Bruno was only enough for about two or three servings at best.

‘There’s not enough time to ask the Count to procure the ingredients….’

That meant the only option left was to entice Vincent to come to me.

And Cainchel had experience in attracting a crowd.

“······It’s time for Hool to make an appearance after all this time.”

Cainchel’s jester impersonation had become almost flawless, thanks to Zeke’s enthusiastic coaching.

I could probably even busk [perform in public places for tips] on the street now.

‘Vincent will go to great lengths to taste Coq au vin if he believes someone knows how to make it properly. If I spread the rumor just a little, he’s sure to take the bait.’

The trainee knights spent most of their day at the training center, so even the smallest rumors spread like wildfire.

First, I approached Waygan, who was particularly sociable among the rookies, and spun him a fabricated tale.

“······I was walking down Main Street the other day, and there was this peculiar jester cooking. He’d set up a pot in a makeshift performance area and was cooking and selling food….”

“Oh, a cooking jester, how interesting! What kind of dish was he making?”

I paused for dramatic effect. Cainchel cleared his throat a few times before continuing.

“It was a dish called Coq au vin, a common dish in the Kingdom of Galia [likely a fictional kingdom, similar to France]. The aroma was so unique that I couldn’t resist buying some. And it was incredibly delicious.”

“Sir Cainchel! That sounds like a fascinating experience. If I get the chance to go out, I’ll definitely have to try this jester’s Coq au vin.”

“It’s Coq au vin. Don’t get the name wrong.”

“Haha! Do you think I’m a child?”

Waygan scratched the back of his head and hurried off.

He was probably going to spread the interesting story to others.

By this evening, everyone in the training center would be craving the jester’s Coq au vin.

@

“······.”

Cainchel was once again reminded of just how potent rumors could be.

The rumor of the cooking jester had spread throughout the training center in a single day.

Not only that, but the story had changed considerably in the retelling.

‘······If you only listened to the rumors, you’d think it was some kind of fantasy dish created by a legendary chef.’

The instructors were starting to get annoyed. The number of requests for off-base passes had increased dramatically.

“Instructor! I really want to go out! I want to try the fantasy Coq au vin too!”

“What are you talking about, going out without a pass! Go earn some victory points!”

“Aaaaaaah!”

Even with the source of the rumor standing right there, testimonies of having eaten the fantasy Coq au vin continued to surface.

Eventually, the rumor reached Vincent’s ears.

“······Fantasy Coq au vin?”

“That’s right! It’s been quite the buzz these past few days. A jester with incredible cooking skills is traveling around the small towns nearby, selling it. And the taste is supposed to be amazing.”

“Hmm. Tell me more about it.”

Cainchel, having heard that Vincent had taken the bait, immediately began preparations.

I had enough outing passes saved up from the last three years of not using them.

Starting today, after work, I could go to Springfield, the next town over, and wait for Vincent to arrive.

Two days later, dressed as a jester and waiting, Vincent finally came to Springfield.

He was wearing plain clothes, but Vincent, with his aristocratic bearing and striking blonde hair, was easily recognizable from afar.

“······Here······.”

“Ah, it’s just over there······.”

Vincent spotted the wagon with the pot hanging from it, narrowed his eyes, and approached.

Vincent didn’t seem to suspect for a moment that the jester before him was actually Cainchel in disguise.

“Are you the street performer who makes this unique Coq au vin?”

Cainchel bent into a deep bow, then gestured theatrically with his arms.

A common gesture for jesters.

“Welcome, guests! Welcome to my, Hool’s, humble performance!”

“I’m not interested in the performance, just the Coq au vin. I’ll pay you whatever you want, can you make it for me?”

“Haha! Heehee! Hohoo! Hehe! Hoho! I, Hool, am not skilled enough to give you a truly fun performance! But instead, I can offer you some very special food.”

Vincent crossed his arms, looking somewhat satisfied.

“Now, I will introduce the members of the program you are about to see. Not particularly funny, but a decent cook, the cooking jester Hool!”

Cainchel gestured as if introducing someone, pointing to the wagon.

Then he shuffled sideways and clapped his hands.

Clap clap clap-!

“Actually, it’s just me! Haha! Heehee! Hohoo! Hehe! Hoho!”

And he began cooking with exaggerated gestures, as if performing a circus act.

He juggled small onions, gave names to the live chickens, and even put on a short puppet show.

Vincent didn’t say anything, but he nodded occasionally.

He seemed to be enjoying it more than I expected.

“Tada! Now, if you let this simmer, a delicious Coq au vin is complete! Applause!”

Clap clap clap······.

“Hahihuheho! The guest doesn’t seem to be enjoying my performance very much!”

“Well, it’s worth watching.”

“It will take a little time for the dish to be ready, but in the meantime, would you like to see my, Hool’s, fun card reading? I will tell you what meaning the dish you are making will have for you.”

Cainchel pulled a deck of tarot cards from his pocket and spread them out on the table.

“Please pick three cards that you like!”

“······I don’t recall agreeing to this. But, I’m bored of waiting, so let’s do it.”

Vincent casually picked three cards with a slightly annoyed expression and pushed them forward.

It was the Empress, the High Priestess, and the Lovers in reverse.

“Th, th, th! Th, th, th! O, men!”

Cainchel pretended to stumble backwards.

“What great result did you get that makes you react like that?”

“The guest first picked the Empress, the High Priestess, and the Lovers in reverse. If you interpret the meaning contained within them······.”

In truth, I would have said the same thing no matter what cards he picked. I already knew the answer from the start.

Cainchel paused for a long moment, then licked his lips and said.

“The guest cannot forget the taste of the food that his mother made for him when he was young. And haven’t you been searching for it for a very long time?”

“······!”

Vincent’s eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

“The Empress card represents the mother, and the High Priestess signifies how precious that existence was to you. And the Lovers in reverse symbolizes loss. There must have been a very unfortunate accident.”

“H, how did you······.”

“The cards do not lie. Now, the dish is complete.”

Cainchel, like Bruno, first placed onions and mushrooms on a plate and ladled the soup over them.

Finally, he added the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, and sprinkled parsley on top.

“Here it is. Coq au vin with memories of your mother.”

“······I have a lot of questions I want to ask, but I’ll eat the food first.”

Vincent picked up a spoon and began to devour the Coq au vin with a look of intense focus.

A completely different flavor from any Coq au vin he had ever tasted.

This scent, it’s unmistakably······.

“······I’ve finally found it.”

The Coq au vin had an incredibly strong aroma that was almost intoxicating. But it only amplified the savory taste of the chicken.

The chicken meat, infused with pork fat, was so tender it melted in my mouth.

The onions, saturated with the flavorful soup, were a delicacy in themselves.

The grilled mushrooms, with their smoky aroma, made me want to eat more and more.

Vincent held out an empty bowl.

“Can I have another bowl?”

“Yes, here you go.”

He devoured it again in an instant and repeated the same action.

“Please give me one more bowl.”

“Yes.”

Vincent emptied four bowls of Coq au vin.

And when the pot was empty, he finally stopped eating and looked up at the sky.

“It was very delicious. But the dish you made had a very unique aroma. What kind of spices did you use?”

Cainchel grinned.

The pot was empty, but the dish is only truly complete when you consume all the heart that went into making it.

“There was a lot of a spice called rosemary in it.”

“······Ro, rosemary? W, wait a minute. What are you talking about? Is there really such a spice?”

“Yes. It’s a very common spice in the Kingdom of Galia. It has a pleasant scent and can be used for ornamental, edible, medicinal, cosmetic, preservative purposes, and more, making it a very versatile spice.”

Vincent’s face turned pale. He seemed to have realized something.

“······If there’s a dish with a lot of rosemary, what does that signify?”

“Rosemary has the effect of improving memory, so it symbolizes beautiful memories. And it embodies the desire to always be remembered.”

“Th, that’s right······. So my mother made such a dish······.”

Vincent’s body seemed to collapse in on itself. The face that had always maintained a stoic expression was now contorted with pain.

Rosemary Coq au vin made by Mrs. Rosemary.

It contained the wife’s heartfelt wish to never let precious memories fade.

Vincent realized that after 10 long years.

‘Everything I can do is done. It’s up to the guest who eats it to decide whether to accept the heart contained in the dish or not.’

“Well, everyone. Today’s performance will end here.”

“······Jester Hool.”

“Yes, guest.”

“I truly enjoyed the food you made. And as you said, the reading was remarkably accurate.”

“Haha! Heehee! Hohoo! Hehe! Hoho! The smile of a guest who enjoys the food is the reason I perform!”

Vincent took out a jewel-encrusted dagger from his pocket and placed it on the table.

It was far too valuable for the price of Coq au vin. But for a street performer, whatever the guest offers is the price of the performance.

“Do you plan to continue performing like this in the future?”

“I am a wandering performer. The whole world is my stage.”

“That’s a shame. I was hoping to eat it again.”

“If fate wills it, perhaps someday.”

Vincent quietly turned and walked out of the village.

His steps were light, as if he had shed a great burden.

Cainchel was certain. This was a success.

He had clearly seen a smile appear on Vincent’s face in the last moment. His frozen heart had melted.

With trembling hands, I pulled out the Joma device. It had been vibrating like crazy since earlier.

‘Come on!’

[5-star dish ‘Coq au vin of Memories’ has been completed.]

[The guest was moved by your dish.]

·········.

······.

[You have succeeded in melting the other person’s frozen heart through cooking.]

[The will to move hearts has melted into the ‘Aura Sword’ skill.]

Cainchel heard countless voices echoing in his ears.

― Did you hear? He failed again. He receives the same training, but how can he still not have raised a single level?

― And when he opens his mouth, he lies. What? He saw a Poison Goblin? Don’t be ridiculous. Why would such a rare species come out here?

― You have to work hard to avoid becoming like that. Ah, I’m glad I learned intermediate swordsmanship in advance.

― What’s the point of becoming a knight without talent or money? Hey, let’s go practice mana training.

The taunts and ridicule that I had endured countless times over the past three years.

They began to coalesce and transform into a single star.

Cainchel opened his eyes, which had been tightly shut. He was holding a sword, which he had drawn without realizing it.

And······.

Something brilliantly shining pierced through the darkness and began to illuminate the surroundings brightly.

What he had been longing for so desperately was now in Cainchel’s right hand.

Oh, so it turned out like this? #1