Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 79

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Chapter 24: Even Sweeter

“Let’s get straight to the point. Would you like to take over a dessert shop?”

In the culinary world, scouting is a common occurrence.

However, Joffrey had never imagined such an opportunity would come his way.

So, when he heard those words from the man in front of him, he was stunned for a moment.

“Lord Kainchel, what on earth are you talking about?”

“I mean I want to scout you, Joffrey.”

“Ha… To hear such a proposal from someone who became a free knight after leaving the academy, I’m honestly a bit taken aback.”

Kainchel smiled at Joffrey’s awkward expression.

“They say the most important thing in a negotiation is getting the other party to the table first. Now that that’s done, it’s time to show each other our cards. I know your dessert-making skills well, Joffrey. So, now it’s my turn.”

Kainchel took out a piece of parchment decorated with gold leaf from his pocket.

“A building in Citizen and the rights to do business there.”

Joffrey’s eyes sharpened. The man in front of him was ready to make a deal. But first, there was something he needed to confirm.

“Isn’t that something you can only get after living there for several years?”

“I received it as a reward for my service. You don’t have to worry about the certificate having any issues.”

“There was a bit of an unpleasant incident in the past. I apologize if it sounded like I was doubting you.”

Joffrey, who was prickly when they first met, had become quite mellow.

Kainchel’s dedication to his work had stirred something within him.

And that was now turning into a massive wave.

“It would be a waste to leave the shop empty. But I have no experience running a shop. I think we both have something the other needs. What do you think, Chef Joffrey?”

Joffrey would occasionally use the cafeteria’s oven to make desserts.

Sugar was expensive.

Too precious to simply use as a pastime.

Clearly, Joffrey wanted to work as a pastry chef again.

“…Are you making this offer knowing that I’m a failed pastry chef?”

“I heard from Chef Ainkel that you had an incredibly popular dessert shop in the capital, but you were framed by a noble and lost it.”

“Even now, I still think about the rumors that spread back then every night. That I baked pastries with rotten wheat and used the blood of young children instead of sugar for sweetness. Damn it, do you think that makes sense? The reason I use gold dust-like sugar is because there’s no substitute! And what? Use the blood of young children? Tell them to try making a cake with that if they can!”

Everything that had been building up for years burst out at once. Kainchel nodded, looking like he understood everything.

“That’s why I’m planning to make the dessert-making kitchen open so it can be seen from the outside. If you show your passion for cooking there, you might be able to regain the trust you’ve lost, Chef Joffrey.”

“Oh, an open kitchen? The kitchen is a sanctuary for chefs. You’re going to make it public?”

Kainchel smiled. He wasn’t a chef. He didn’t need to be bound by their preconceptions.

“It’s a good idea, right?”

“It’s certainly not a bad idea.”

“The desserts you make are delicious, Chef Joffrey. The pound cake you made for me before was so good it brought tears to my eyes. And your plating sense is outstanding. The fact that nobles lined up to buy them means your desserts are that good.”

Joffrey’s face turned red at the sudden praise. He kept clearing his throat, looking embarrassed.

“Ahem, ahem. I understand that you need my skills. But how do you plan to sell desserts in Citizen? I refuse to work in a failing shop.”

It was a valid point.

Many nobles resided in the commercial city of Citizen, but most of them were adult men.

Their families were mostly in the capital, and they were only staying temporarily for work.

“You mean the problem is that there aren’t any customers to buy desserts?”

“That’s right.”

“If there’s no sales route, can’t we create one? Surely the nobles in Citizen have families mostly staying in the capital. But the families of the commoners who work there live in Citizen, don’t they? We can sell desserts to them.”

“Who hasn’t thought of that? The problem is the price. Do you know how much a handful of sugar costs?”

“The current market price is 1 silver per pound, isn’t it?”

An amount that commoners who earn wages in copper units couldn’t even imagine.

“That gold dust-like stuff goes in as much as flour.”

“What if you could get that sugar very cheaply?”

Kainchel smiled, recalling what the Count had told him about Britannia’s trade situation.

During the famine, trading companies in Britannia had opened several routes to import wheat. And from this year, they would begin to import many things using those routes.

“Coffee, silk, spices, black tea, salt, and sugar. The things that are now too expensive and considered the exclusive property of nobles will become popularized.”

Joffrey’s eyes widened.

If that was true, a dessert boom might occur in the Empire. And he would be the one to lead it.

“How much cheaper will the price be?”

“It won’t plummet immediately, but it will drop to about 20% of the current price within a few years. When that happens, even commoners will be able to eat cake once a year, on very special days.”

“Like on birthdays?”

“That’s right. Then the dessert market will become even more active. We’re just trying to bring that forward a little.”

Kainchel had arranged to receive several sweeteners from the Edelweiss Trading Company at prices close to cost.

Joffrey screamed when he heard the amount.

“At that price, we can make cakes that even commoners can afford!”

And so, the two began to put their heads together and discuss future business strategies.

Ideas poured out non-stop.

“Instead of minimizing sugar, how about using plenty of sweet honey or fruit?”

“That’s good, but it’s still too much of a burden to buy a whole large cake. How about cutting it into small pieces and selling them?”

“That’s a good idea too. Then how about making the cakes themselves small…”

In the end, the two continued their conversation late into the night. Joffrey stood up and said,

“Then when should I start?”

Kainchel smiled, looking at the man he had hired with his own hands for the first time.

If someone was too awkward to take as a teacher, he could just hire them.

“I’d like you to come to the shop in Citizen by tomorrow.”

@

“I was going to quit the academy anyway.”

After Kainchel and Gordon left, the cafeteria was said to be a complete mess.

The chefs, who were already overworked, had their numbers halved, so how could it not be?

But even if he left, there was nowhere else to go.

Who would hire him, with his prickly personality and bad rumors following him?

But the man he had liked since his academy days said he wanted his skills.

It felt like a helping hand from heaven.

But on the outside, he casually spat out prickly words as if nothing was wrong.

Joffrey was that kind of man.

“First, I want to see you make something.”

Then one corner of Joffrey’s mouth went up. It was a sneering expression, but it was just a smile.

“You’re going to watch everything? I can make over a thousand kinds of desserts. To make them all…”

Kainchel showed him the ingredients stored in the shop.

It was enough to make about half of the recipes in Joffrey’s head.

“Is this enough?”

“Kh, khm. I understand. I’m sorry, but can you do some kneading?”

‘Just as planned.’

Joffrey would now begin to make countless desserts. He could watch it right next to him. A real-time cooking class would be in progress.

And if he needed someone to do chores, he told him to feel free to ask.

Joffrey wasn’t the type to refuse such things.

‘From now on, I can learn about desserts and even raise my cooking level.’

In addition, all the dishes he made would become his experience and aura.

At this point, it wouldn’t be a waste to give all the profits here to Joffrey.

Of course, Kainchel promised 30% of the total income with a greatly generous expression.

It wasn’t a bad condition for Joffrey either.

Because he was receiving raw materials at such a low price, he would make huge profits even if business was only slightly successful.

The first menu Joffrey decided to make was a strawberry shortcake. It was said to be his most confident menu.

“Then, after whisking the eggs in a bowl, whip them until traces remain.”

It was a completely different method from making other breads.

There was no fermentation process at all.

After whipping until traces remained, Kainchel added sugar and vanilla essence.

Stirring it slowly, he mixed in flour, butter, and milk to complete it.

“Be careful not to stir it for too long, or the cake will become heavy overall.”

While Kainchel was making the cake batter, Joffrey baked a tart.

A dessert made by mixing flour and butter to make a bowl, then filling it with fruits or cream.

“Pear crumble tart. The slightly chewy pears and soft almond cream inside the tart are very delicious with the crispy crumble on top.”

“Isn’t that a Galia-style pie? You can make that too?”

“That place is a dessert paradise. I stayed in Galia for several years to learn how to make desserts. Macarons, eclairs, Mont Blanc, mille-feuille [a layered pastry], dacquoise [a meringue-based cake], soufflé… Even now, when I close my eyes, I can still remember the desserts I ate back then.”

And the memories of that time began to be recreated in Joffrey’s hands.

Joffrey placed the finished dessert in front of Kainchel.

“First, crème brûlée [a custard dessert with a hard caramel layer]. The ingredients used are…”

Kainchel raised his hand to stop Joffrey. When else would he use his gourmet skill if not now?

He took a small spoon next to him, scooped up some cream, put it in his mouth, and savored it.

“Soft custard cream topped with sweet caramel sauce. The egg yolks and cream cheese blend together for a really smooth taste. And the sweetness of the caramel… It’s a taste that melts right in your mouth.”

Then Joffrey’s eyes widened.

“Lord Kainchel… No, now you’re the employer. Anyway, since when have you been so proficient in gourmet?”

“From now on.”

Kainchel smiled and began to eat the desserts Joffrey had made. Each one was the best taste.

[You have tasted the 4-star dish ‘Apricot Cream Mille-Feuille’.]

[Due to the influence of the gourmet level, some of the experience and aura contained in the dish has been absorbed.]

[Level up!]

Kainchel clutched his bursting stomach and cheered.

Joffrey muttered with a disgusted expression.

“I didn’t know you were really going to eat all these desserts. You’ve eaten almost 2 gold worth.”

His level had risen so much, what did that money matter?

After eating all the dozens of desserts Joffrey had made, his level had risen by as much as 3.

It was thanks to the gourmet skill that absorbed the experience and aura contained in the dishes.

[Kainchel Van Zistard – Lv50]

– Stamina (52), Agility (50), Strength (50), Dexterity (50), Intelligence (54), Magic (49), Divinity (49)

– Aura (120/130)

‘He definitely said he could make hundreds of kinds of desserts, right? Let’s raise my level a lot while we’re at it!’

Kainchel’s eyes sparkled. After eating all the desserts Joffrey made, he was planning to create his own menu in earnest.

A dessert using jewel salt.

Now that he had obtained it, he had to use it well.

Even Sweeter #2