Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 53

Kainchel earnestly began preparing Fish and Chips, a dish combining French fries and fried fish.

First, he needed to fry potatoes for hundreds of people.

He retrieved the potatoes, which had been peeled and soaked in cold water in the storage room. Kainchel cut them into bite-sized pieces and blanched them in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes.

‘If I fry them after this, they’ll be even crispier,’ he thought.

He removed the half-boiled potatoes, placed them in a sieve, and shook them a few times to remove the excess moisture.

Then, he seasoned them with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of spicy paprika powder.

Now, all that remained was to fry them in a pot full of oil until they were crispy and salty French fries.

‘Now it’s time to make the finger fish.’

Kainchel smiled wryly as he looked at the fish, which was so fresh it almost seemed a shame to fry it.

Having come this far, he was determined to make the most delicious Fish and Chips possible.

Remembering the method Ainkel had taught him, he carefully coated the well-prepared white fish with seasoned flour.

‘You have to roll it by hand so that there are no protruding parts. If anything sticks out, it’ll burn when you fry it.’

Since he had to fry a large quantity at once, it was difficult to meticulously attend to each piece.

He had to consider that before frying and prepare everything in advance.

The fish, now even whiter after being coated in flour, was dipped into an egg wash and mixed well. An enticing aroma began to rise.

Now, all that was left was to coat it in breadcrumbs and fry it. But Kainchel decided to finely chop dill, an herb often used with fish, and add it to the breadcrumbs.

That would enhance the flavor of the fish and make it much more delicious.

‘Adding this will get rid of any fishy smell and improve the color.’

Kainchel placed the fish in the boiling oil and activated Fallen Star [his unique skill, likely related to cooking or perception].

This allowed him to tell which pieces were cooked perfectly inside without having to take them out.

‘Finally, if I sprinkle a little butter on top…!’

The Fish and Chips, which looked so delicious it was hard to believe they were fried in such large quantities, were complete.

They looked incredibly crispy and smelled amazing.

Ainkel, who was watching from the side, widened her eyes.

“Wow! It’s fried so crispy! Let me taste it…”

Finger fish were small, finger-sized pieces of fried fish.

They were the perfect size to pick up and eat one by one.

As she brought a fork to it, a pleasant crackling sound and a savory smell wafted up.

She opened her mouth wide and bit into it, savoring the incredibly crispy batter.

The soft and salty fish inside had a unique umami [savory] flavor.

“Hoo-ah! Delicious…”

A happy smile appeared on Ainkel’s face.

In particular, adding dill, which is often used in fish dishes along with basil, to the batter was a brilliant touch.

The unique fishy smell disappeared, leaving only the taste of the crispy batter and the tender flesh to enjoy.

It was so delicious, it didn’t even need any sauce.

Ainkel licked the oil off her lips and then took out vinegar and sprinkled it on the fish fingers.

“Eating it like this is amazing too.”

In the end, Ainkel devoured five pieces of finger fish in one sitting.

[4-star dish ‘Fish and Chips’ has been completed.]

[The guest is satisfied with your dish.]

When he checked the message that appeared on the Joma Mirror [a magical item displaying information], it indicated a whopping 4-star dish.

But the truth was, he felt a little disappointed. If he hadn’t had to make it in bulk for distribution, he could have made even more delicious Fish and Chips.

‘If I had added a little beer to the batter, I could have fried it even crisper. And I could have created variations by preparing a variety of dipping sauces….’

But there was nothing he could do. This was a place where he had to cook for a large number of trainee knights.

Since he had to make food for hundreds of people at once, a 4-star dish was the limit, no matter how much effort he put in.

Nevertheless, the reaction was explosive.

“Kha~! What is this! Why is it so crispy!”

“The outside is crispy and the inside is moist—it’s incredibly delicious!”

“The Fish and Chips I’ve had until now were like fried tree bark!”

“The fish is super fresh too? The umami is no joke!”

“What’s that sprinkled on the outside? It gets rid of the greasy fried taste and is strangely refreshing.”

Kainchel sighed softly as he served the food. It was only because he used such fresh fish that he was able to achieve this level of perfection. There was a limit to cooking in large quantities, after all.

‘But freshness recovery…? Why on earth is this effect happening?’

Of course, activating Aura strengthens the body.

But using it to restore the freshness of ingredients didn’t make sense.

‘Like Father said, there’s a reason for everything. There must be a reason why my Aura is restoring the freshness of the ingredients….’

Suddenly, Kainchel’s eyes widened.

Something he had forgotten for a while came to mind.

He definitely had that stat.

Hiding from the eyes of others, he brought up his status on the Joma Mirror he had hidden in his pocket.

[Kainchel Ban Zistaad – Lv40]

– Stamina (42), Agility (40), Strength (40), Dexterity (40), Intelligence (44), Mana (39), Divinity (39)

‘That’s right, Divinity!’

A stat that he had been thinking of as just a bonus that came with the others.

But now that he could use Aura, the situation had changed.

‘39 is higher Divinity than most priests. If that’s imbued in my Aura….’

Kainchel recalled the time when he first manifested the Aura Sword. The sword he drew was definitely shining brilliantly.

‘…So that’s why it was emitting such a sacred light. To think I’d be meeting the conditions to become a Paladin like this….’

Paladins are holy knights who belong to the church and spread faith. They are usually treated as highly as archbishops.

Of course, he had no intention of becoming a Paladin.

If he did, it would be like having his nose pierced by the church [being controlled or forced to conform].

‘But what if I could imbue Mana into my Aura as well?’

Kainchel swallowed hard.

@

After hours of grueling basic physical training,

Kainchel was learning about the theory of Aura from Ian.

“…Mana is the natural energy that exists in the world. It’s difficult for a knight who wields a sword and shield to use it, let alone a wizard who twists providence to create flames at their fingertips.”

The reason why such formal education was being conducted was simple.

The promotion of the trainee knights was determined based on the evaluations they had received so far.

The annihilation battle with the Golden Knights had not yet taken place, but that was more of a bonus training.

It was meant to let them experience the power of the Aura Sword and encourage them to work harder to improve their skills in the future.

A whopping three rookies, including Kainchel, had succeeded in double classing up [achieving a higher rank or skill level].

The trainee knights who had become seniors would learn about Aura for the next year.

Since they were skipping that, this special lecture was necessary.

Ian’s explanation continued.

The world is full of Mana.

Living things naturally refine and absorb it through eating, sleeping, and breathing, and then have it in the form of Aura.

Normally, it is impossible to artificially increase it.

“But there is something that makes it possible. It’s called the Mana Cultivation Technique.”

First, they take in more Mana into their body by controlling their breathing.

Then, they use the Mana Cultivation Technique to convert it into ‘Aura’ and store it in their dantian [energy center in the body].

That was why those who possessed the Mana Cultivation Technique could have a much larger amount of Aura than ordinary humans.

Ian sighed, as if he was very disappointed.

“The Mana Cultivation Technique you can learn here is really basic, without even proper incantations. I’d like to grab a manageable guy and make him spit out the Mana Cultivation Technique I know….”

“You’ll go to jail if you do that, Instructor.”

“Hoo…. Aura is the life energy that living things have. You can increase it, albeit very little, by eating well, sleeping well, and breathing well. Ah, to think I can only give such obvious advice! Damn it!”

With the Aura Sword, you can use it with just the basic Aura that humans have.

But to reach a higher level than that, you need a much larger amount of Aura.

While explaining Aura, Ian despaired at why he wasn’t from a martial arts family.

“I’m sorry, Kainchel. This instructor can teach you the technique of strengthening muscles with Aura, but I can’t increase the amount of Aura.”

Kainchel felt his heart warming as he looked at Ian’s regretful face.

“I’m really grateful just for that. Do you remember me saying that I wouldn’t have been able to survive here without you, Instructor?”

“Did you?”

“Yes. And you promised to pass on the techniques you’ve created while training your muscles for a lifetime, didn’t you? I’ll not only see you as a trainee knight and instructor, but also as a master from now on.”

“……There’s no master as incompetent as me.”

Ian’s face twisted in agony.

He too was a trainee knight who dreamed of becoming a Sword Master.

But all he could obtain in his life was just one technique called Booster, which strengthened his muscles.

And he was highly praised for his know-how in physical training and became an instructor at the knight training center.

A new dream was born for Ian.

He couldn’t become a Sword Master.

But if someone who learned Booster became a Sword Master, wouldn’t that be possible?

If that happened, Booster would be forever remembered as a Sword Master’s technique.

But the first successor he found was a very admirable man who had nothing but worked hard silently.

Kainchel looked into Ian’s eyes and asked.

“Did you want to become a Sword Master too, Master?”

Ian answered with an awkward smile.

That was enough.

Kainchel realized that if he was to be taught Booster by Ian, he would have to carry not only his own dream but also his master’s dream.

‘Think, Kainchel. Of course, if you learn Booster from Master, defeating Vincent won’t be that difficult. But that’s not all we want, is it?’

He recalled Ian’s explanation once again from the beginning.

Living things gain the Aura they need to live by eating, sleeping, and breathing.

……Wait a minute. Eating?

At that moment, Kainchel clenched his fist.

He recalled the passage in Ian’s explanation that everything alive has Aura.

Of course, the ingredients used in cooking would also contain a small amount of Aura.

‘Normally, it wouldn’t make sense to gain the life energy that ingredients have. But I have something that makes it make sense, don’t I?’

The Gourmet skill that allows him to absorb the experience contained in the dish and level up.

The current Gourmet level was 3 stars. Now he could gain experience from cooking more efficiently.

‘……Maybe if the level of the Gourmet skill goes up, I’ll be able to absorb not only the experience contained in the dish but also the Aura contained in the ingredients?’

Of course, it wasn’t certain. But it was definitely worth a try.

In order to raise the level of the Gourmet skill, he had to experience eating delicious food.

‘I’m sure I’ve leveled up after eating food made by goblins. That means the more different the food is from what I usually eat, the more Gourmet experience I get.’

That was also something that had limitations at the Stanise Knight Training Center.

Kainchel sighed.

The Stanise Knight Training Center, where he came to save his ruined family by becoming a knight.

The countless people and incredible opportunities he met there.

This place was like another hometown to Kainchel.

But he had a feeling that it was time for him to leave this place.

Oh, it’s turning out like this? #4