Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 82

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Various guilds held stakes in the street vendor businesses in Citizen.

The Thieves’ Guild was a primary source of funding for many. They didn’t hesitate to use somewhat illegal methods when problems arose.

“Everyone, do you remember what happened during the heatwave?”

“How could we forget? Just thinking about the sales we lost because of that Honey Butter craze still gives me cold sweats at night.”

“I’m sure everyone feels the same. But an opportunity for a counterattack has arrived. This year’s Winter Festival is said to be the biggest ever.”

“The market is drawing its sword [preparing for a fight].”

“I have a brilliant idea to make up for the losses from the last festival.”
The man leading the discussion wore a confident expression.

“Ooh, if it’s Gilbert’s idea, we can trust it. Don’t keep us in suspense, tell us.”

“Have you ever heard of ice cream?”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve never heard of it either.”

“Tsk, tsk, you’re so out of touch with what’s going on these days. It’s all the rage among the young ladies of the nobility.”

“Hmph, is that so? What kind of food is it?”

“It’s a dessert, to be exact. As the name suggests, it’s made by freezing whipped cream. They say it’s absolutely amazing. Does that give you any ideas?”

“If we sell it next to the ice sculptures set up for the festival…”

“Wouldn’t that be an incredible way to make money?”

Hearing Gilbert’s words, the street vendors imagined their pockets filled with silver coins.

A smile unconsciously spread across their faces.

“Hehehe, hehehe…”

But there was a problem. Gilbert had already been trying various methods to make ice cream for several days.

But it wasn’t easy.

“They say ice cream is a dessert that melts smoothly in your mouth. So, I tried to freeze whipped cream with a lot of ice, but it wasn’t easy.”

One of the street vendors sitting at the round table raised his hand.

“Wouldn’t the cream freeze if you cooled it with ice?”

“I’ve tried that too. But no matter how much ice I put in, it doesn’t freeze easily. How did they freeze it?”

“Maybe they used magic tools to freeze it?”

Gilbert sighed and shook his head.

“Hoo… Of course, I’ve tried that too. But it freezes instantly, and you can’t get that smooth texture.”

You can’t freeze it with ice, and it freezes too solid with magic tools.

What kind of magic did they use to make ice cream?

Then one of the street vendors gathered there smiled slyly.

“In times like these, that method is the best, isn’t it?”

“Hehehe, you’re really wicked.”

“Speaking of which, isn’t that why you brought it up, Gilbert?”

Gilbert laughed loudly.

“Oh, you’re right. Let’s make a fortune with ice cream this winter.”

In response, the other street vendors sitting at the round table nodded.

“A fortune, you say! Hahaha!”

If they wanted a recipe, they would steal it using violence and intimidation.

If they didn’t like a store, they would ruin it, even if they had to hire mercenaries.

That was how the street vendors in Citizen did business.

The commercial city of Citizen had nearly tripled in size in ten years. Naturally, it had countless back alleys that were not properly managed.

There, numerous criminal organizations centered around the Thieves’ Guild thrived.

Most of the street vendors came from there.

@

“What, a dessert worth one gold coin?”

Wilson, the mayor of Citizen, looked at his aide with a dumbfounded expression.

You could eat a full course meal at a top-class restaurant for a few silver coins.

But one gold for a dessert to cleanse the palate? Were they out of their minds?

The aide, who was worried about being fired due to repeated failures, replied.

“There’s a store called Verus that opened three weeks ago. They say it’s their premium menu item.”

“And it’s selling well.”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you only reporting it now?”

“Ugh… I’m sorry. But I was trying to figure out if it was just a passing fad or a really good product, and the time and budget…”

“No, you did well.”

Wilson knew how difficult it was to open the wallets of the nobles.

He had experience trading with nobles for a long time as a precious metal merchant.

When wars escalated, people tended to hoard expensive precious metals.

He used that to accumulate a vast fortune and eventually became the mayor of the commercial city.

The aide breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t going to be scolded for the late report.

“They sell other desserts at low prices and sell a few premium menu items separately for the nobles. Ice cream is very popular among them.”

“I wonder how the rumors about a newly opened dessert shop spread so quickly.”

“Well, Archbishop Caroline happened to visit on the first day they opened. She fell head over heels for the ice cream she tasted then.”

“The Archbishop?”

She was famous for her love of sweets. But she was so busy that she had to divide her day into minute-long segments.

“She seems to like the other desserts as well, and she visits Verus about once every three days. Every time, she’s upset that her favorite desserts are sold out.”

“Find out what she likes and make sure to bring it with you whenever you visit the cathedral.”

“Yes, sir.”

Wilson put his hands behind his back and walked around the mayor’s office, muttering.

“What are the odds that Archbishop Caroline would happen to visit a store as soon as it opened, happen to order ice cream, and fall head over heels for it?”

“It can only be described as divine luck…”

“That’s why you fail at everything I ask you to do. This won’t do. Verus, you said? Let’s go try this ice cream thing tomorrow.”

Wilson recalled the jester Hool, whom he had failed to recruit because he had relied solely on his aide.

This time, he was going to see and judge with his own eyes.

The next morning, Wilson visited Verus with his aide and only one bodyguard.

And for a while, he was speechless and had a blank expression on his face.

Dozens of carriages filled the main street.

Sighs and complaints flowed from inside the carriages.

“Hoo…! I hope I can buy ice cream today. I’m worried.”

“I know. My young lady has been singing all day about wanting to eat ice cream. She says all the other young ladies in her social circle have already tried it.”

“Ugh, that carriage is the Gerold family… They must have bought ice cream yesterday, but they’re back again.”

“How delicious can it be…?”

In the end, Wilson had to turn his carriage around. Even by a rough estimate, there were already nearly fifty carriages waiting.

“Aide.”

“Yes, Mayor.”

“We’ll have to work overtime tonight.”

“…Understood.”

The aide’s face turned pale at the thought of standing in line all night. What saved him was a completely unexpected person.

“Are you perhaps Mayor Wilson?”

The owner of Verus was there.

@

Wilson was surprised by two things. He was surprised that the owner of Verus was younger than he expected. And he was surprised again by the fact that he was being sponsored by Count Well-Ride.

But when he heard that he was a Free Knight [a knight not bound to a specific lord], he nodded as if it were natural.

“It seems that it’s not uncommon for Free Knights to do business.”

Wilson recalled his days as a merchant and replied.

“After all, it costs money to fulfill one’s chivalry. Most of them are not skilled at handling Aura Swords [swords imbued with magical energy], so many of them find their aptitude in this field.”

Kanechel, the owner of Verus, gave a bitter smile.

It seemed that he was being thought of as a failed knight who couldn’t become a Sword Knight.

‘Well, it will take a while for the rumors from the north to reach here.’

What kind of expression would he make if he heard that the Free Knight in front of him was the Sword Knight who had defeated the Wolf King?

But what was important now was how to make the most of this opportunity to have the mayor visit.

Kanechel always made sure to have plenty of ice cream on hand for times like these.

“Why don’t you try some? It’s Jewel Ice Cream.”

“Oh, this is…”

“There’s one for your aide as well, so please enjoy it.”

“Huk, even for me? Thank you very much.”

It was a dessert worth one gold coin per plate. It wasn’t something you could easily eat.

With a pounding heart, Wilson looked at the cloud-like cotton candy on the plate.

When he gently brushed it away, a beautiful snow mountain appeared.

It was so perfect that it was almost too good to eat.

How delicious could it be that so many noble young ladies were so enthusiastic about it?

Wilson carefully scooped up some ice cream and put it in his mouth.

“…”

And when he came to his senses, the plate was already empty.

Looking to the side, the aide had a similar expression.

“…Se, seriously. Such a dessert…”

Wilson stood up from his seat and grabbed Kanechel’s hand. And he said with an impressed expression.

“It feels like a great fortune to have someone who makes such desserts in Citizen. It was really delicious. The more places like this, the more visitors will come to Citizen. Please tell me if you need anything.”

Kanechel realized that now was the time to tell his story.

“I’m glad you liked it. But I’m worried because this is my first time doing business like this.”

Wilson was still feeling the afterglow of eating the ice cream, and he said in a strangely excited voice.

“Yes? What are you worried about?”

He looked like he would give him his liver if he asked for it.

“When you’re doing business, sometimes you get some rough customers, don’t you? I’m worried that I might draw my sword without realizing it…”

Then Wilson laughed heartily and said.

“Hahaha! Sir Kanechel, aren’t you a Free Knight? If you act according to chivalry, there won’t be any problems.”

“Is that so?”

A strange smile appeared on Kanechel’s lips.

He had been bothered by the suspicious shadows lurking around Verus for the past few days.

They were rummaging through the trash and peeking inside the kitchen.

They must be after the ice cream recipe.

Citizen had the most developed street vendors of any place. Conversely, the number of proper restaurants was woefully small.

It was strange, even though gourmet food was treated as a sin.

When he investigated, he found out the reason.

The cartelized street vendors were causing unspeakable havoc.

‘If there’s a delicious dish, they steal the recipe, and if there’s a restaurant that’s doing well, they hire mercenaries to cause trouble… At this point, aren’t they just gangsters?’

The mercenaries who attacked Hool must have been their doing as well.

‘I had to run away then, but now the situation is different.’

Kanechel quietly looked at the Mithril sword he was wearing on his waist.

A masterpiece optimized for implementing Aura Sword.

‘I need to let them know that being here is a little different from the chefs they’ve trampled on so far.’

Mayor Wilson was more perceptive than he had thought.

What he said was nothing less than a permit to draw his sword as long as it didn’t violate chivalry.

Midwinter Ice Cream #1