Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 80

While Joffrey was preparing the dessert,

Keinzel ate, his eyes fixed on Joffrey’s every move.

He understood the subtle nuances of each gesture without needing explanation.

Then, something truly fascinating caught his attention.

‘He’s making dessert without a scale, relying solely on his sense of touch?’

Unlike savory dishes where adjustments can be made during cooking, desserts demand precise measurements.

Even a slight imbalance in sugar or butter can ruin the taste.

Yet, the dessert Joffrey crafted was undeniably exceptional.

“How on earth do you manage to make it so perfectly?”

“It’s all about skill. Would you like a demonstration?”

“Then, let me fetch a scale.”

Joffrey began scooping flour from a sack onto a piece of parchment paper.

“It’s a technique called ‘estimating by hand.’ Try measuring it. Let’s start with 5 grams each.”

‘Even so, he’s gauging the weight purely by feel. How accurate can that be?’

Keinzel placed an identical piece of paper on one side of the scale and added the weight. When he placed the flour on the other side, the scale balanced perfectly.

“······.”

“This is 10 grams.”

Again, it was precise. The hands of a patissier [pastry chef] who had spent decades making desserts were as reliable as scales.

Keinzel asked, his voice tinged with awe.

“How can I learn such a skill?”

“I didn’t really ‘learn’ it in the traditional sense. I just kept making desserts obsessively, and at some point, I developed the ability.”

‘So, you’re saying I can acquire it through relentless practice?’

The skill itself was appealing, but what Keinzel truly desired was the *Skill* [a special ability gained through mastery].

A skill ingrained in the body could evolve into a Skill. Then, it could be applied not only to cooking but also to swordsmanship.

He had already obtained four Skills in this manner.

Thanks to his cooking Skill reaching 5 stars, the process of acquiring Joffrey’s skills was progressing smoothly.

@

Now, all that remained was the dessert featuring Jewel Salt.

What was needed to elevate the dessert to an even sweeter level?

Keinzel already knew the answer.

He had created such a dish months ago.

A remarkable creation that had captivated countless people: the Honey Butter Sandwich.

The combination of salty butter and sweet honey created a heavenly flavor.

The same principle applied to other ingredients.

A pinch of salt sprinkled on fruits lacking sweetness surprisingly enhanced their flavor.

Analyzing this with his Gourmet Skill revealed the reason.

‘Salt eliminates the bitterness in the food, allowing the sweetness to be perceived more intensely.’

The nobles of the Galia Kingdom often added salt-cured olives to their wine glasses before drinking expensive wine.

Miraculously, the bitterness in the wine vanished, leaving only a sweet aroma.

That was the power of ordinary salt.

‘If Jewel Salt were used there…’

Keinzel mixed Jewel Salt into the leftover whipped cream from the cake preparation. The cream began to take on a delicate reddish hue.

He dipped a finger in and tasted it, experiencing a sweetness that seemed to melt through his entire being.

A pure sweetness, unadulterated by any other flavors.

‘…Truly, perfectly wonderful sweetness!’

Even Keinzel, the creator, was completely captivated by the taste. Perhaps due to his Gourmet level reaching 4 stars, more information appeared in the Joma Mirror [a magical item that provides information].

[Jewel Cream]

* Jewel Salt is added to whipped cream made from milk to maximize sweetness.

* Completion: ★★★★

* High completion makes it suitable for use as an ice cream ingredient.

Keinzel swallowed hard and stared at the Joma Mirror.

‘Ice cream? Does that mean frozen cream?’

There was already a similar type of dessert: sherbet, made by sprinkling syrup made from fruit or flavorings like rose water on fresh snow.

Or Snow Milk, created by sprinkling milk and honey on snow.

These were commonly found in the north, where snow was prevalent for most of the year.

An image of a new dish formed in Keinzel’s mind. Surely, a dessert unlike any other could be created.

‘…Jewel Ice Cream.’

Perhaps this would lead him down a path of brilliance.

The Skill Brilliant Road, which had only filled 2 slots despite obtaining the Aura Sword.

He felt a surge of determination.

How much more potent could this ability be that it was so difficult to unlock?

Keinzel handed the Jewel Cream to Joffrey, who was resting after finishing his work.

Joffrey exclaimed after tasting it.

“W-what kind of salt did you use? Such pure saltiness, devoid of any other flavors… I’ve never encountered such salt! And it has a shimmering color, as if infused with jewels! If you use this to make desserts, they’ll sell for exorbitant prices!”

The dessert shop opening soon wasn’t just for commoners.

It also catered to the premium market, enhancing the prestige of the nobles.

They would put extra effort into the craftsmanship, making the desserts so beautiful they were almost too precious to eat.

And sell them for ten times the price.

Jewel Ice Cream would be the flagship dessert of this premium line.

“I’m thinking of freezing it. The sensation of it melting on the tip of your tongue like snow will be truly extraordinary.”

“You mean freeze the cream?”

“In the north, there’s a dessert called Snow Milk, made by adding spices and milk to snow. I’m going to adapt that and chill the softened cream.”

“Hmm. To do that, you’ll need to incorporate as much air as possible into the whipped cream during preparation. And…”

The research to create an even sweeter dessert continued late into the night.

Amidst numerous failures, the most brilliant and sweet cream was finally perfected.

Joffrey dipped his finger in, tasted it, and murmured softly.

“…This is going to be a hit. But how will you freeze it?”

“I have an idea for that. Citizen [the city they are in] has ice storage, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll request a load.”

The merchants of Citizen sold ice even in the middle of summer.

They stored ice frozen in winter deep underground and sold it.

It wasn’t very expensive in Citizen, but the price soared as soon as you moved a little further away.

Because transporting ice without it melting was difficult.

That’s how a mountain of ice arrived.

“In the north, we spend most of the year surrounded by ice. When winter is in full swing, the snow freezes, and we can’t even walk properly. That’s when we use salt.”

When salt was sprinkled on ice, it melted instantly and turned into water.

At the same time, it emitted tremendous coldness that even Keinzel, accustomed to the cold, found tiring.

“You can’t freeze cream with just ice, right? But you can with salt.”

Keinzel sprinkled salt into a bowl full of ice. The ice melted and turned into water, releasing a terribly cold chill.

“How is it? Isn’t this enough to make ice cream?”

“…Oh, my god…”

An idea that could only be conceived by someone born and raised in the north, where they were accustomed to ice.

Keinzel kept replenishing the ice and sprinkling salt. He stirred the cream while it chilled.

The chilled whipped cream froze and became ice cream.

Keinzel felt his body tremble with excitement.

The birth of a new dessert that had never existed before.

Finally, the moment had arrived.

“Then, I’ll plate it.”

He scooped the Jewel Ice Cream into a round shape and placed it on a transparent cup like ice.

When syrup was drizzled over it, it flowed down in an elegant shape, like a river cascading down a white snow mountain.

After placing a few cookies made by simmering rare fruits that were hard to find even in Citizen, he activated the Fire Fist [a skill that allows him to manipulate fire].

Cotton candy began to form from Keinzel’s hand.

When placed on top, it resembled clouds rising above the white mountain range.

“Oh, oh… My god… Such a beautiful dessert…”

“When selling it, let’s add a few gold leaves to the cotton candy. The nobles will adore it.”

Joffrey picked up a spoon with an excited expression.

He carefully cut into the top of the white mountain range hidden in the clouds.

The coldness of the ice cream was transmitted through the silver spoon.

When he put it in his mouth, his mouth froze instantly. However, the ice cream melted in the warmth of his tongue, leaving only a profound sweetness that vanished quickly.

It was as soft as eating the finest silk.

After savoring the sweet and delicate taste to his heart’s content, it was time to enjoy the colorful candied fruits.

They, too, had their sweetness maximized using Jewel Salt.

Joffrey looked at the vanished ice cream and sighed with a hint of regret.

“…Hoo.”

It was a dessert so beautiful that it felt like a waste to eat. The satisfaction after eating it was immense.

While Joffrey savored the lingering aftertaste, Keinzel checked the message that appeared in the Joma Mirror.

[6-star dish ‘Jewel Ice Cream’ has been completed.]

* Customers captivated by the overwhelming beauty of Jewel Ice Cream will be willing to pay a high price.

············.

·········.

[You have created a dish that did not exist before.]

[The sense of coming up with new menus has been incorporated into the ‘Brilliant Road’ Skill.]

[Brilliant Road: 3/5]

‘It, it worked!’

He had developed the third menu following the Honey Butter Sandwich and Wild Duck.

Moreover, it was a whopping 6 stars.

The sweetness was maximized to the limit with Jewel Salt. It was frozen using Jewel Salt.

Literally, the epitome of sweetness!

Joffrey, realizing the value of Jewel Ice Cream, exclaimed.

“This is definitely going to be a hit! It was a sweetness that felt like my body was melting!”

It was on a different level than the Honey Butter Sandwich. This was a form of dessert that had never existed before.

In three days, the dessert shop run by Joffrey would open. And Jewel Ice Cream would be the dessert that represented that place.

“Employer! How much are you going to sell this for?”

Keinzel smiled. He sold the Honey Butter Sandwich for 8 coppers [a low-value currency]. He planned to sell other desserts cheaply enough for commoners to afford.

However, Jewel Ice Cream was different. He would sell a limited amount at a very high price.

Keinzel knew its power very well.

“One gold coin [a high-value currency].”

“1, 1 gold? You must have meant 1 silver [a mid-value currency]…”

“We can’t make many, so we have to sell it as expensively as possible.”

Joffrey looked as if he was about to faint. A Sword Knight’s monthly income was about 10 gold. Yet, the price of a dessert that was consumed in moments was 1 gold.

“If they request a business trip, I’m going to ask for 100 times that.”

“······!”

High-ranking nobles didn’t visit stores one by one. They sat in their mansions, snapped their fingers, and said this:

― What’s delicious these days? Bring it here.

What kind of expression would they make when they heard the price of 100 gold?

“First, let’s sell about 10 lightly on the first day.”

That’s how the dessert called Jewel Ice Cream appeared in the world.

@

Caroline, the Archbishop of the Deus Church, was on her way back to the cathedral after finishing a long service.

“I shouldn’t have agreed to stay in Citizen. If I were in the capital, I could have enjoyed a sweet snack after the service.”

She had performed numerous miracles and was called a saint by some.

But usually, she was just a girl who enjoyed sweet desserts.

Caroline leaned out of the carriage with a bored expression. She saw a group of children running around with snacks.

“Isn’t that Mont Blanc [a type of dessert]?”

She called the escort knight sitting next to the coachman.

She asked him to investigate if a dessert shop had opened nearby.

The knight returned in less than 10 minutes and informed her that a dessert shop named Verus had opened.

“It means ‘truth’ in ancient language. Let’s go!”

“I’m sorry, but there’s a tea party with the Cardinal in the afternoon…”

“It’s no fun because I always drink bitter tea there. It’s okay to be 30 minutes late, right? Huh?”

“…I understand.”

Caroline, arriving at Verus, widened her eyes.

It was a more luxurious store than she had imagined.

There were many desserts that were cheap enough for commoners to buy.

However, she was intrigued by the premium menu sold only inside the store.

“Jewel Ice Cream?”

Just by hearing the name, she couldn’t even imagine what it tasted like.

Was it a sherbet or something similar?

Curious, Caroline tried to order Jewel Ice Cream but stopped when she saw the price.

“1 gold for one dessert? That’s outrageous!”

That was enough money to make a fancy dress with a little extra.

Even Caroline, the Archbishop of the Deus Church, couldn’t spend it without feeling burdened.

But curiosity won.

The fact that they could implement such a crazy pricing policy meant they were confident in this premium menu.

Besides, it was a dessert she had never seen before.

Caroline was a girl who loved sweets more than anyone else.

“Can I have a Jewel Ice Cream?”

Then, an amazing thing began to happen in the wide-open kitchen.

To make it even sweeter #3