Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 75

When Cainchel raised his left arm, his reddened fist blazed fiercely.

It wasn’t just raising the temperature of his hand; he could now contain a certain amount of actual flames.

A feat made possible by his fire resistance exceeding 40%.

Sirius’s eyes widened, seemingly surprised.

“What’s this? You’ve got some interesting tricks. Even though the world changes in ten years, I never thought I’d see a bastard using a heated fist as a weapon!”

Thud!

“Cough, cough!”

Sirius threw Percival, whom he had been holding by the collar. His strength was so great that the wall cracked from the impact alone.

“It’s not bad to have dessert before the main course!”

Sirius raised his claws, imbued with a distinct Aura Sword.

Cainchel’s eyes narrowed.

‘He’s manifesting an Aura Sword using his own body as a medium?’

The werewolf’s sharp claws were as good as a fine sword in themselves.

‘The old man said Sirius couldn’t use Aura Swords, though…’

He could now understand why Percival had been so helplessly defeated.

He had been attacked by an Aura Sword he never expected.

His experience of having fought Sirius several times had actually tripped him up.

‘No wonder he was holed up here; he was gathering Aura.’

The magic power of the dungeon core accumulated in the monster’s body in crystal form. Sirius was using it like Aura.

A feat possible because he was a half-human, half-monster werewolf.

Cold sweat beaded on Cainchel’s back. His left hand was burning red and looked very threatening.

But in reality, he had only heated his hand over charcoal to make it red.

He could barely grill an egg, let alone meat.

In a word, it was a bluff.

‘Looks dangerous, doesn’t it? You think I’m going to launch some incredible attack with this? Then you’re fooled.’

Cainchel moved his fiery fist as threateningly as possible and said,

“Don’t you know you eat an appetizer before the main dish? Don’t ruin the order of the chef’s carefully prepared course!”

“Krooooar!”

As if not even worth answering, Sirius lunged forward, one hand raised.

Clearly meant to keep Cainchel’s left arm in check.

Cainchel’s eyes widened as he caught Sirius’s movements. He felt a stronger hostility than from anyone he had faced so far.

The murderous intent alone made the hair on his entire body stand on end.

But Sirius didn’t know.

That the man he was facing could sense his hostility.

‘He’s aiming for my left arm!’

Knowing it, he could avoid it.

Cainchel’s body disappeared. Or rather, it moved out of Sirius’s sight.

A werewolf, with human intelligence combined with animal instincts, was a difficult monster to deal with.

But this was a dungeon.

Although it had been enlarged several times by the core, the fact that it was enclosed on all sides remained unchanged.

He couldn’t use the werewolf’s most powerful attack: leaping in to bite.

All that remained was the wolf’s superhuman senses.

The wolf’s vision was much wider than a human’s. Moreover, as a canine, its sense of smell was also excellent.

That’s why he had used garlic to numb his nose.

‘And if I thoroughly exploit the blind spots in his vision, it will feel like he’s being attacked from an invisible place.’

Thud! Thud!

Panicked, Sirius swung his claws wildly. The walls struck by them were gouged, and the entire dungeon vibrated.

An attack that could only be described as monstrous strength.

But no matter how strong the attack, it was useless if it didn’t hit.

Cainchel thoroughly targeted Sirius’s blind spots. And occasionally, he provoked his opponent by pretending to attack with his left arm.

“Y-you…! You fly-like bastard!”

Sirius’s mind was tracking Cainchel’s movements, but his eyes were fixed on his left arm.

He called it a fiery fist, didn’t he?

What kind of attack was he planning to launch with that red-hot left arm?

It was like a thorn digging into an invisible place. Not very painful, but constantly bothering him.

It was like a curse, making Sirius’s movements passive.

That was the decisive difference that determined victory or defeat.

“Fiery Fist!”

Twitch!

When Cainchel stretched out his left hand and shouted, Sirius’s ears reacted to it.

From the result of clashing sword against claws, he knew that the young man in front of him was by no means weak.

But now he was using his left hand, which he hadn’t used until now, for an attack?

No matter what, he had to block that attack!

The werewolf’s instinct, feeling a threat to his life, awakened. Something he had been suppressing with reason until now.

“Kuaaagh! Kuaaaagh!”

Sirius swung his claws, aiming for Cainchel’s shoulder. Cainchel used the arm strength enhanced by the booster to deflect it.

“Khehehehe!”

And now was the moment to unleash the secret weapon he had been holding back.

“–Flambé!”

The Aura surrounding Cainchel’s sword transformed into flames and began to blaze.

It was the technique used by Julius Konrad, the Flame Emperor.

Using a special mana cultivation method, he converted the Aura flowing through his body into fire.

That was reproduced in Cainchel’s hands.

‘I’ve been grilling meat so hard that I can even do this now.’

Cainchel decided to call the Flame Emperor ‘Flambé’ [a cooking technique where alcohol is added to a hot pan, creating a burst of flames to burn off the alcohol and infuse the dish with flavor].

A technique of pouring high-proof alcohol on a hot pan to set the dish on fire.

Using flambé, you can burn off the alcohol in the liquor and use only its aroma.

Isn’t it a perfect name?

He had been using the fiery fist to deceive his opponent until now for this one strike.

Cainchel stepped forward and swung his sword imbued with flambé. As befitting a sword plated with mithril, it still emitted tremendous sharpness even while holding a lot of fire.

Fwoooosh!

Cainchel’s sword pierced through the werewolf’s armpit. The blade, imbued with the flames of flambé, pierced through the thick hide and cut through the bone in an instant.

“Kuaaaaagh!”

Various emotions flashed in Sirius’s eyes. Anger, bewilderment, and the question of what on earth was happening.

But Cainchel had no intention of ending it here.

“Onion Swordsmanship!”

An absurd strike combining two intermediate sword techniques.

It tore the body of Sirius, the King of Wolves, to shreds.

‘If Sirius had moved with the instincts of a wolf from the beginning, like other werewolves, I wouldn’t have been able to end it so easily.’

But Sirius ridiculed Percival and ignored Cainchel.

Until the very last moment, he was a human, not a werewolf.

That gave Cainchel the victory.

“Hoo…”

Of course, he didn’t defeat him without any injuries.

Especially the state of his left shoulder, which he had used as a bluff, was terrible.

The wound was so deep that the bone was visible, not just blood flowing.

But he had won.

Against the great villain who had massacred countless people in the Seven Deadly Sins War.

Kundam, who was late in defeating the remaining werewolf, rushed over.

“C-Cainchel! A-are you alright!”

“Percival is in much worse shape than I am. There’s a regeneration potion in the dimensional pocket, so please give him first aid.”

“Roger.”

As Cainchel said, Percival’s condition was serious.

The muscles were cut, and both arms were dangling powerlessly.

He was also bleeding profusely, so his life would be in danger if he didn’t receive treatment quickly.

“Percival! Please have some of this! It’s a regeneration potion!”

“Cough, cough… I’m sorry… I never thought I’d be defeated so miserably…”

Percival slowly raised his head. Surprise flashed in his eyes, which had been filled with despair when he learned that Sirius was using Aura.

Kundam, who had faced the werewolf alone, was already terrifyingly skilled for his age.

But what was Cainchel, who had even defeated Sirius, the King of Wolves?

Percival muttered quietly.

“As expected, Joanna… She was right. When the sun sets, a new star rises.”

Three people, who could be called supernovas, supported his body.

And the regeneration potion boasted tremendous effects, as befitting its price of 50 gold per bottle.

@

Perhaps because the fight had been long, the kebab was lukewarm. But rather, because it was cold, he could properly taste the meat itself.

If you put plenty of seasoned meat on a wide, grilled tortilla, you can empty three bowls with just that.

But you can only say you’ve eaten a proper kebab if you add plenty of vegetables such as bell peppers, paprika, onions, and tomatoes, and serve it with spicy mustard sauce.

“Could you put a lot of minced garlic in mine?”

“I’ll take mine with plenty of meat and no vegetables.”

Cainchel, who had taken the orders, began to move his hands to put the ingredients in.

The wound on his shoulder had been treated to some extent using regeneration potions and bandages.

But he would have to receive proper treatment from a priest when the work was done.

“Give me a lot, anyway.”

“Your wound is severe, are you sure you can eat it?”

“Hehe! I’ve lost a lot of blood, so I have to eat that much to get better.”

Percival laughed awkwardly.

His broken arms had not yet been set, so Kundam next to him had to feed him.

“That guy’s hands were fierce. It’s a good thing I retired.”

“You’re still active enough.”

Abel put butter on the bread left over from making the kebab and put it in his mouth with a strangely dissatisfied expression.

“Dalgun.”

Using the dough that had been fermented in an instant using the fiery fist, you can make incredibly delicious bread with a crispy crust and a soft inside.

The ears that had been tied up perked up, as if the scent of wheat and butter was pleasing.

“I didn’t play a proper role this time, but as soon as I return to the mansion, I’m going to use all of my magic stones. Today will be the last time I see an incomplete Aura Sword.”

Cainchel smiled and said.

“Thank you so much, Abel. I wouldn’t have been able to defeat Sirius without you.”

“W-w-what!”

“You supported me several times from behind with Enatos Xiphos. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to complete Flambé without you.”

“You mean the Flame Emperor. I can’t wait to see the expression on Julius’s face when he sees it.”

Abel smiled with such a happy face when he ate the food Cainchel made.

He certainly wouldn’t have been able to complete Flambé without him.

The group, who had eaten all the piles of kebabs, patted their stomachs and took a break.

Percival looked at Cainchel, who was re-bandaging his wound.

“You defeated Sirius, who was building up his strength in the dungeon. If this incident becomes known, your name will surely become very famous. A completely different world will unfold from now on.”

Cainchel nodded quietly.

If they hadn’t defeated Sirius here, he would have become even stronger than he was now.

And he would have gone out and caused a terrible bloodbath.

They had stopped it.

It was an amazing achievement that was hard to believe was done by a rookie who had been a Free Knight for less than three months.

“The party starts now. Ugh! I’m sorry, but let’s postpone mining the gemstone salt for a few days. I don’t think I can fight anymore.”

Cainchel smiled and put the severed head of the werewolf into his dimensional pocket.

Ten years ago.

There was a great war that stained the entire continent with blood.

Many heroes died, and several territories disappeared from the map.

Cainchel couldn’t do anything at that time.

No, it wasn’t just that; he had no memory of that time itself.

The war ended with the defeat of the Seven Deadly Sins, but the scars of that time still remained in everyone’s hearts.

There is an old man who has lost loved ones. There is a girl who is still suffering from the curse of the Seven Deadly Sins.

And there was a boy who was tormented by the powerlessness of not being able to do anything.

A kitchen knife placed on the counter came into Cainchel’s view.

When he grabbed it, the stopped time began to flow.

This time, he looked down at the sword he was wearing on his waist.

A criminal who had massacred countless humans had fallen to this, transcending time.

He felt like he was finally qualified to stand proudly next to the heroes.

Cainchel said, holding two swords at the same time.

“Then who gets the last piece?”

Then, sparks began to fly in the eyes of the group, who had been subtly fighting a war of nerves.