Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 9

Chiiiik!

“I’m just passing through!”

“Is it almost time? Only 30 minutes left for serving!”

“Sir Keinchel! Please get a large pot from the dishwashing station!”

“Coming right away!”

The kitchen’s heat was intense.

There weren’t enough people, and there was a lot of food to prepare.

Still, all the food had to be finished by the set time.

Keinchel fiddled with the Joma Stone he wore on his chest. He had used all his magic to charge it. It should last for the next three or four days.

Before him, cooking utensils were piled high.

He had to clean all of this now.

Even so, Keinchel’s eyes followed the two chefs as they cooked, as if engraving every movement in his head.

‘You have to hold the pot like that. Ah, the chef’s uniform has long sleeves to protect your hands from the heat. Salt and pepper…’

In that way, knowledge about the kitchen was accumulating in Keinchel’s mind, piece by piece.

It was the result of his rapidly improving cooking level and the insight he had gained from secretly observing the other knights’ training.

If things had gone according to the original plan, this would have been enough.

‘I was going to slowly build trust and move forward… But now there’s a reason why I need to cook right away.’

The one who managed the chefs was the chief, Gordon Lambolton.

No one in the kitchen could cook without his permission.

How could he win him over?

‘Wait. Ainkel said he would tell me about Gordon. I was so caught up in the duel that I completely forgot. Maybe there’s a hint in there. Let’s hear what he has to say first.’

When all the dishes were completed and placed on the serving line, the kitchen staff finally found a moment to breathe.

“Good work, everyone!”

“There’s still serving left, but let’s take a break for a bit. Sir Keinchel, don’t just stand there, sit down and rest. Hmm? What’s that?”

Keinchel held out steaming mugs to the two chefs.

It was fragrant herbal tea.

“I heard it’s good for relieving fatigue, so I brewed some.”

“Oh, jasmine tea? It smells really good.”

“You’re probably not used to the kitchen work yet… I really appreciate it.”

Keinchel gave a good-natured smile.

‘Actually, I made it to increase poison resistance. It’s getting surprisingly good reviews? Let’s see. I think I’ve brewed about 20 cups over the past few days, so my resistance should be increasing soon, right?’

It was a common story that a Sword Master with tremendous power would meet a miserable end due to poison.

He was preparing little by little for that possibility.

“You brewed it well. You even added lime. The refreshing scent and taste are really good. Sir Keinchel, do you have a talent for tea ceremony?”

“Haha, just a little as a hobby.”

It wasn’t a hobby, but a matter of survival.

Keinchel’s family was completely ruined, and all he had was his body.

In the end, he had to roam the forest, digging up medicinal herbs and selling them to cover his living expenses.

[You have completed a dish using scented herbs!]

[Poison resistance slightly increases (+0.1%)]

‘Yes! That’s 0.2% with this!’

But what was up with the chefs’ sense of smell?

Keinchel had only added a tiny bit of lime to the jasmine, but they noticed it.

Keinchel admired Chef Ainkel’s abilities once again and subtly spoke to him.

“By the way, Chef Ainkel.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you say you would tell me about Chief Gordon last time? I was just curious.”

“Ahaha! Did I? I was so busy that I forgot. We have about 5 minutes left, so I’ll tell you briefly. I usually don’t talk about this kind of thing, but strangely, Sir Keinchel doesn’t feel like a stranger. It’s only been a week since you came to the kitchen, but it’s really amazing, isn’t it?”

Ainkel seemed to like Keinchel, who was diligent and didn’t avoid hard work, unlike other nobles.

Besides, he even brewed fragrant herbal tea after work.

He even wanted him to stay in the kitchen in the future.

That’s why he was so open, even though it was a difficult story to tell.

“Chief Gordon is a great person who even worked as an imperial chef. He made dishes for Emperor Aslan.”

“…!”

“You’re surprised, right? You’re wondering why such a great person is frying potatoes in a place like this.”

Keinchel nodded silently. He was so surprised that he almost jumped up from his seat.

To think that Gordon was an imperial chef!

Joffrey’s background of running a famous cake shop in the capital was already surprising.

But Gordon was on another level.

‘In short, he’s the Sword Master of the culinary world!’

Ainkel gave a bitter smile and continued.

“It’s because he made food that was too delicious.”

“…Isn’t it usually the opposite?”

“Hoo, where should I start? You know that our Emperor Aslan saved the continent, right?”

“I am a noble, at least. Aslan Pendragon, the 16th Emperor of the Britannia Holy Empire. He was the one who led the humans to victory in the Seven Deadly Sins War.”

Seven Deadly Sins.

The war with the demons, known as the Seven Deadly Sins, plunged the continent into war for nearly 10 years.

It was Emperor Aslan and his seven Sword Masters who led it to victory.

After the war, they were treated as heroes, called the Holy King and the Seven Virtues.

“The war that lasted 10 years was long. Moreover, the great famine caused by Lucifer, the King of Pride, led to extreme food shortages. And the existence of Beelzebub, the King of Gluttony, who tormented His Majesty until the end, instilled in Emperor Aslan the idea that delicious food is a sin.”

“That means…”

“Yes. The other chefs made the most tasteless food possible and brought it to the Emperor. Oatmeal porridge with no seasoning at all. Half-cooked fish pie. Half-burnt bread. Rather, that made His Majesty even more popular. The people thought that His Majesty was eating such food because he felt sorry for them, who were starving.”

“…I thought so too. But to think that it was just hostility towards the King of Gluttony…”

Ainkel put his finger to his lips.

“Don’t go around talking about it. You could be punished for treason.”

“Of course. But why was Chief Gordon kicked out of the imperial palace?”

“The Chief didn’t follow the Emperor’s order to deliberately make tasteless food until the end. Of course, the other chefs didn’t just stand by and watch the dishes made by Chief Gordon go to the Emperor’s table. In the end, the dishes made by the Chief were thrown straight into the trash.”

“…”

“Then, an incident happened. The chefs all got food poisoning. Maybe the ingredients they ate for lunch were bad. Only Chief Gordon, who said he would rather eat goat dung than put such food in his mouth, was safe. And in the end, Chief Gordon got to make food for the Emperor after many years. Everyone thought that Chief Gordon would give in this time. But he didn’t.”

“He made delicious food, I presume.”

“Yes. He made a perfect ‘Estofado de Ternera’ [Beef Stew] and put it on the Emperor’s table.”

And that was the result.

“Hoo…”

Keinchel sighed deeply.

Just listening to the story made him feel the frustration that Gordon must have felt.

‘He made food that no one would eat for years. That’s… completely…’

Gordon was Keinchel.

And Keinchel was Gordon.

Two people in completely different situations.

But Keinchel knew the despair that had eroded Gordon’s heart.

Because that’s what he had been like until just a week ago.

‘…I finally found it. This is how I can move Gordon’s heart so that I can cook.’

Keinchel got up from his seat and walked to the lounge where Gordon was.

Then, Ainkel, who was surprised, got up from his seat.

“S, Sir Keinchel! Where are you going! What you just heard is a secret from the Chief!”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I just suddenly wanted to cook. I’m going to ask Chief Gordon for permission.”

“Th, that’s… Wh, what!”

Bang!

Gordon Lambolton was lying on the sofa in the room.

He frowned and said.

“What is it, kid?”

The strong smell of rum filled the air, indicating how much he had drunk even at this early hour.

Keinchel said without hesitation.

“Chef, I want to cook too.”

Joffrey and Ainkel, who were following in surprise, opened their mouths and couldn’t say anything for a while.

@

“What nonsense. Keinchel, you’re just a cook assistant. All you have to do is prepare ingredients, wash used cooking utensils, and serve food. But cooking? Ha! Are you kidding me right now?”

It was a natural reaction. Keinchel was the newest of the new, having only worked in the kitchen for a week.

But he was going to cook? It was 10 years too early.

“Of course, I’m not saying I’ll do it without any conditions. I’ll make the dish I’m most confident in by tomorrow evening. After you eat it, please judge whether I’m qualified to cook.”

Then, the two chefs, who had finally come to their senses, each said a word.

“Hahaha! Sir Keinchel is so funny! S, sorry, Chief… I think he was a little tired. Come on, come on, let’s go cut potatoes for tomorrow.”

“Kh, khm! Geez. He’s a brave friend. Gordon Chief, why don’t you give him a try?”

Interestingly, Joffrey and Ainkel’s reactions were the opposite.

Gordon waved his hand as if telling the two chefs not to interfere and said.

“Hmm. I heard the kid is preparing all the ingredients these days, right?”

“Yes, Chief.”

“His knife skills were passable. But he’s going to cook?”

“I’ll give up right away if it’s even a little bit bad. The ingredients left over from today are enough.”

But Gordon was firm.

“No. What would the two chefs over there be if you cooked?”

The kitchen was a space made up of strict hierarchy.

Chefs have their jobs.

Cook assistants have their jobs.

“Then can I get permission from the two chefs?”

Gordon looked at Keinchel with sunken eyes and said.

“Hmm. If you can get permission from the two chefs, I’ll allow it once.”

Then Joffrey nodded.

“I don’t care. If it’s made really bad, I’ll just laugh at him and end it, right?”

Ainkel, who was rather friendly to Keinchel, objected.

“I agree with the Chief’s opinion. The kitchen should have divided tasks for each other.”

Then Keinchel smiled and approached Ainkel.

“But Chef Ainkel, didn’t you say you would repay me for helping you last time? You said your daughter was very happy, right?”

“U, uh…”

In the end, Keinchel, who had received permission from the two chefs, earned the right to make only one dish.

If Gordon’s permission was given after eating it, Keinchel would be able to cook in the kitchen in the future.

Ainkel shrugged.

“Of course, the possibility of that is zero.”

Gordon is a chef who is pickier than anyone else when it comes to taste, even defying the Emperor’s orders.

Satisfying his taste was only once in ten tries for Joffrey and Ainkel.

But Keinchel had a secret weapon that he could only use once.

@

The challenge thrown at Gordon was accepted.

Keinchel makes the dish. Gordon eats it.

If Gordon says it’s delicious, Keinchel wins.

The odds were low. The opponent he had to fight and win was making the judgment of the match.

If he didn’t like it even a little bit, Keinchel would lose unconditionally.

Three weeks before the start of the duel with Julius, which all the trainee knights were paying attention to.

Keinchel was preparing for a duel in the kitchen to satisfy the mouth of former imperial chef Gordon.

First, he carefully prepared the necessary ingredients one by one. And he put them on the cutting board.

On the table were brisket and olive oil. Finely chopped onions, salt, pepper, and flour.

Carrots and a bottle of red wine. And vinegar made from wine.

In addition, bay leaves, cloves, and small peppers that only grow in the kingdom began to be placed one by one.

A cooking competition between a rookie who had been in the kitchen for a week and Chief Gordon.

Ainkel, who was watching it with interest, screamed when he saw the ingredients.

“S, Sir Keinchel… S, surely… You’re thinking of making that dish!?”

Instead of answering, Keinchel smiled.

It had only been a week since he picked up a knife.

This was the only dish he could make to beat Gordon, who was a rookie among rookies.

How to Cook an Awesome Steak #3