Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 70

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@

Wild, a Silver-ranked mercenary, had been guarding a large merchant guild until recently. It was a stable job with a steady paycheck, but he didn’t want to settle for just that.

So, he took a new job: mining magic stones from a dungeon near the White Mountains.

It was moderately tense, as he had to defeat monsters possessing magic stones, but the pay was good.

His only complaint was that the field rations didn’t suit his palate.

This was truly distressing for Wild, who had grown accustomed to luxurious food while working for the merchant guild.

“…But this fried rice is incredibly delicious…”

Wild’s eyes widened as he examined the rabbit meat fried rice made by the new recruit.

Tomatoes, meticulously peeled and deseeded, and neatly sliced onions. Moreover, the perfectly fried artichokes were an excellent dish on their own.

A subtle hint of brandy mingled with the generous aroma of cinnamon, a clear sign that the fried rabbit meat had been flambéed [a cooking technique where alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames].

Flambéing, which involves pouring high-proof alcohol over the dish and setting it alight, isn’t just for show. It eliminates the gamey smell of the meat and enhances the flavor.

To find something he’d only occasionally seen in high-end restaurants in the capital, in a place like this…

Wild wore a pleasant smile, warmed by the hot fried rice, and continued to devour it.

The meat, still retaining a hint of its wild origins, enhanced the rice to its fullest potential, along with the garlic and onions.

It had a unique umami [a savory taste] flavor, perhaps because the oil used to fry the meat was also used to fry the rice.

“But that alone wouldn’t create such a rich flavor…”

Keinzel, busy serving the long line of customers, glanced at Wild with a subtle smile.

“Ah, did you notice? I used chicken broth.”

Wild raised an eyebrow.

“You put broth in fried rice?”

“It’s a bit different, isn’t it? It’s a common cooking method in the Tuscan Confederation [likely a fictional region with Italian culinary influences].”

“…It’s not soggy at all, even with the broth.”

“I baked it separately in the oven for 20 minutes.”

“Delicious. It’s really delicious. To be able to eat such a labor-intensive dish, usually only found in high-end restaurants, in a place like this.”

Unlike Percival’s cooking, Keinzel added the extra steps of using chicken broth and baking the rice in the oven.

That satisfied the palate of Wild, a mercenary famous for being a gourmet.

Just then, the Joma Kyung [likely a magical item or artifact] hanging around Keinzel’s neck vibrated.

[The guest is satisfied with your cooking.]

[Satisfying a guest with a high gourmet level has greatly increased experience.]

Unfortunately, his cooking level didn’t increase, but he was confident he’d reach a new level soon.

‘I was right to bring the mirepoix [a mix of diced vegetables used as a flavor base] and bouquet garni [a bundle of herbs used to flavor stocks and soups] in case they were needed.’

Boiling the trimmed chicken with mirepoix and bouquet garni easily creates a broth with a deep flavor.

Gourmet mercenary Wild gave a thumbs up. That was the signal.

“I thought Tom would eat anything, even slop, but Wild is famous for being picky, right? If he likes it that much, it must be really delicious, right?”

“The price is the same anyway, so should I try that?”

“Um, me too.”

More than half of the people lined up in front of Percival moved to Keinzel’s side.

Only about ten mercenaries, those almost at the front of the line, remained.

The difference, which had been overwhelmingly large, narrowed incredibly quickly.

The mercenaries who ate Keinzel’s cooking all gave a thumbs up.

“This is the first time I’ve ever eaten fried rice with such a deep flavor!”

“Wow, so this is what it means to not be able to stop eating.”

“Hey! Newbie! Where have you been!”

The long line had dwindled to just one person.

And there was one serving each of the rabbit meat fried rice made by the two chefs.

A mercenary, unaware that he had become the final judge of the cooking competition, said,

“It doesn’t seem like anyone else wants to eat more anyway. Can I buy and eat the rest?”

In the end, the match was a draw.

@

Percival looked surprised.

He thought there were plenty of hungry mercenaries, so there wouldn’t be any leftovers.

Still, he hadn’t expected the difference, which had widened to more than 70%, to narrow so quickly.

As there wasn’t much food left, quite a few mercenaries turned away. If they had also participated in the judging, the result might have been different.

“Although it ended in a regrettable draw, your cooking skills are more outstanding than I thought. I can trust you to take charge of the kitchen with that level of skill.”

Keinzel spoke with a strangely annoyed expression.

“Old man, you didn’t use gemstone salt in the competition just now, did you?”

“You really have an amazing sense. So, you’re saying I didn’t do my best to make the dish, right?”

“I could have definitely made it more delicious.”

Percival laughed heartily, as if very pleased.

“Seeing you reminds me of a chef I met when I was young. We argued a lot. I’ll tell you what I said back then. What would you do if you didn’t have olive oil to stir-fry vegetables?”

“…I’d find olive oil no matter what.”

“Ha ha! Even the answer is the same. In my case, I look for a substitute. If you use animal fat, it adds a unique flavor and you can eat it very deliciously. Do you know why I didn’t use gemstone salt in today’s dish? The reason is simple: there was almost none left. Didn’t you see it too?”

“Ah!”

“So I used chili seeds to season it. It must have been very spicy.”

Keinzel smiled bitterly.

Percival was a chef with the opposite disposition to Gordon [likely a reference to a famous chef known for perfectionism].

If it were Gordon, he wouldn’t cook at all if the ingredients or time were insufficient to produce a satisfactory result.

If Gordon was Jeongdo [likely a reference to a strict or orthodox approach], then Percival was a heretic.

He still didn’t know what the right answer was. But either way, there are advantages and disadvantages.

‘Then just take the good points. Learn anything you can learn.’

“Well, I’ve had a good rest, so let’s start preparing for the evening business.”

“Yes, Old Man.”

A day at the hot tavern, as if a fire was burning, began.

“We’re out of potatoes!”

“There are dried sweet potatoes in the warehouse, so chop them up and fry them!”

“Th-then fish and chips…”

“Sweet potato fries are surprisingly delicious too. They’re sweet and go well with fried fish.”

Keinzel learned that he could make fish and chips with not only potatoes but also many root vegetables.

If you fry parsnips, commonly called sugar carrots, they taste almost the same as potatoes.

“Before we started cultivating potatoes in earnest, parsnips and tulip bulbs were mainly used as food ingredients. Even now, some regions use parsnips for fish and chips.”

Not only that.

When there was a shortage of oil, they sometimes used the oven to fry.

After applying a small amount of oil to the fish, put it in the oven and cook it at a low temperature.

Then the fat from the fish renders out and it is fried. It’s less crispy, but a plausible fry is achieved.

Keinzel, who had a good stomach, frowned at the part where he could use dried dung to make a fire when there was no fuel.

Like a sponge absorbing water, Keinzel learned a lot of cooking knowledge needed in the field.

Especially useful was how to slaughter livestock.

A mercenary gave a large wild boar instead of paying for food. It had a large wound on its abdomen, but it was still alive and grunting.

Percival looked at the wild boar with sunken eyes and said.

“Have you ever caught a wild animal?”

“I’ve caught small birds a few times.”

“But you’ve never dissected such a large animal.”

“No.”

“Then I’ll share my know-how.”

Slaughtering was a much-needed skill for Keinzel.

How much trouble had he had when cooking lizardman meat?

He couldn’t handle it properly and only used the thigh meat.

If he had learned proper slaughtering techniques, the result would have been different.

Percival said, infusing Aura [likely a magical energy or ability] into the slaughtering knife.

“From now on, I’ll teach you how to turn animals into meat. The most important thing in slaughtering is to end everything without causing pain. If they feel the fear of death even for a moment, the muscles throughout their body will contract and the meat quality will deteriorate. In that sense, the Aura Sword is the best tool for slaughtering.”

Percival quietly stepped forward. As he swung his sword, the pig’s neck was severed in an instant.

“The skin and blood are put in stews and boiled, and the pig’s feet are smoked and grilled. The intestines are also used in various dishes. Especially in the sausages made here…”

Keinzel realized that his choice to leave the Knight Academy was the right one.

Cooking according to a set recipe with pre-prepared ingredients. Until now, he thought that was all there was.

But it wasn’t.

He learned about the infinite possibilities of food ingredients from Alchemist Bishop. He learned from Percival, the master of field cooking, that there is more than one way to complete a dish.

All of that became nourishment for Keinzel’s cooking skills to improve.

Eventually, the fruit was borne.

[The path to creating higher-grade dishes has been opened.]

Keinzel recalled when his cooking level reached 5 stars. Several coincidences overlapped, and a masterpiece called Honey Butter Sandwich was born.

And his cooking level rose to 5 stars.

Then wouldn’t it be the same this time too?

To reach 6 stars, he would have to make a dish better than the Honey Butter Sandwich.

‘Of course, just because your cooking level goes up doesn’t mean you can make high-grade dishes indiscriminately.’

Even now, most of the dishes Keinzel made were 3-4 stars.

What the Joma Kyung presents is just a possibility.

It is up to oneself to complete the dish.

Keinzel muttered, looking at Percival, who had already completely dissected the pig and divided the meat by part.

“Okay! I’ll do it.”

@

Time passed quickly. Kundam and Abel arrived at Mino Territory three days later than scheduled.

As the carriage, pulled by two fine horses, arrived at Mino Territory, the merchants who were buying magic stones at the campsite glared.

“Isn’t that the Edelweiss Merchant Guild’s crest?”

“Wow… If such a large merchant guild eats up everything even here, are peddlers like us supposed to starve to death?”

However, two men and women wearing shabby clothes emerged from the carriage.

Plain clothes, roughly made of brown and gray, commonly seen anywhere.

Nevertheless, the woman’s dazzling appearance couldn’t be hidden.

Clear blonde hair and large eyes filled with confidence. A face that radiated a strange dignity.

Abel looked at Kundam, unaware that he was being mistaken for a woman.

“Didn’t you say there was a tavern somewhere around here?”

Kundam, smiling with a friendly face, scratched his head.

“We’re later than scheduled, so shouldn’t you look a little apologetic?”

“You came all this way. My friend isn’t someone who would get angry just because I’m a little late.”

“Then that’s a relief. Shouldn’t we take a look around first to find it?”

Just taking a tour of the village to find the tavern they were supposed to meet at.

With just that, the two became famous people in an instant. That’s how dazzling Abel’s appearance was.

“Why does everyone seem to be staring? I’m sure I wore the most ordinary clothes possible.”

“I don’t think that’s the problem…”

Kundam rubbed the back of his head as if he had a headache. He had heard about the situation in advance.

However, you don’t know how dangerous the bloodline of an elf is until you see it in person.

Damn it, if he wasn’t my friend…

That’s how the two were able to arrive at the tavern they were aiming for.

“Sorry I’m late. We ended up being chased by orcs.”

“No, you came at the perfect time. Today is the end of training.”

“Training?”

“I’ll tell you the details later. Oh, this is Abel Carter, a friend from the Knight Academy who will help with this, and Kundam. This person is…”

“Hyung [Korean term for older brother or close male friend]! Why are you leaving out my introduction?”

That’s how the group briefly introduced themselves and exchanged greetings.

Kundam and Abel were shocked to hear that the owner of the tavern, Percival, was a mercenary who had been active in the Seven Sins War.

“It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

“Haha, I’m just an old man who has retired and is running a bar now. I’m going to be in charge of Pathfinder in this case.”

Keinzel sent Kundam, who didn’t know the real purpose of the trip, out for a while, and then started talking in earnest.

Abel is a friend and a knight of Frelia.

He was also one of the few people who now knew that Keinzel’s cooking was the key to breaking the curse of the Seven Sins.

Abel asked, widening his already large eyes even more.

“So, if we find that salt, we can break the curse on Lady Frelia?”

“I’m not sure. It’s just a possibility.”

“Isn’t it great to have found a possibility! I can give my life for Lady Frelia!”

Keinzel was curious as to when they became like that, but decided not to ask.

“But you didn’t come all the way here looking like that, did you?”

“Why? Is there something wrong?”

“It’s a problem if you call it a problem…”

Keinzel sighed, thinking of Kundam, who must have had a hard time.

How surprised he was to hear that Abel was a half-elf and was hiding such a beautiful appearance.

His swearing on his sword that he would never leak it was quite cool.

Keinzel told Kundam, who had been out, to come in and explained the plan for the future.

“First of all, we will attack the deepest part of the dungeon within two weeks. If we delay too much, we may be misunderstood as aiming for the core [the heart or source of power within the dungeon].”

To get to the deepest part of the dungeon, you have to defeat a lot of monsters. Moreover, the deeper you go, the more difficult it becomes to supply.

Usually, it takes at least three months, no matter how fast you are. If you take it easy, it takes about half a year.

Nevertheless, no one here complained about Keinzel’s words.

Cooking Meat in the Center of the Dungeon #1