Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 90

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Chapter 27: The Rampaging Magic Crest

Attending a ball was more exhausting than he had imagined.

The attendees had to wear heavy formal attire and dance for hours, which was incredibly draining.

Moreover, some young ladies starved themselves all day to fit into revealing dresses.

In such a situation, the savory smell of well-cooked meat made his mouth water involuntarily.

Grumble-

“Eek! I-I’m so sorry! I’ll just go get a glass of champagne.”

Eventually, one noble lady, unable to bear it any longer, walked towards the table with a flushed face.

Already, quick-footed individuals had gathered and were eating.

“The meat is perfectly cooked. And I like how it’s served in bite-sized portions with herbs on a small spoon. Very elegant.”

“The grilled asparagus looks delicious too. They should have brought out food like this sooner.”

“I agree.”

It felt more like a tasting event than a ball.

The line hardly dwindled, and the noble lady fidgeted impatiently. Then, a savior appeared.

“Would you like to try this? It’s really delicious.”

“Oh! Lady Frelia, isn’t it? I’m Rosetta. Please, call me Rose.”

After a brief introduction, Rosetta looked at the dish on the plate.

She had been wanting to eat it for so long.

First, she took a fork and picked up a piece of glossy asparagus. As she brought it to her mouth, she felt the fragrance of spring along with the soft, crunchy texture.

“Delicious…”

She only wished she could have more than one bite.

Rosetta’s eyes sparkled.

However, there was still one more dish left.

While the grilled asparagus was good, the main dish was the beef roll filled with enoki mushrooms.

The smell of the well-cooked mushrooms and beef made her mouth water just by looking at it.

“······.”

This time, she couldn’t even utter the word ‘delicious.’

How could it taste so good without any special sauce?

The perfectly cooked beef was moist and tender, melting in her mouth.

Usually, when thinly sliced meat is grilled, all the juices escape, making it dry.

But the mushrooms inside absorbed all the juices, maintaining their unique flavor.

It was a dish that brought out the natural flavors of the ingredients.

“Look over there. Lady Frelia and Rosetta are eating together.”

“Really? Should we go too?”

Other young ladies, who had been watching, joined in.

They were able to have pleasant conversations in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Frelia quietly smiled, thinking of Cainchel, who was probably still cooking in the kitchen.

‘Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to make a lot of friends.’

She was able to attend the ball because of the food Cainchel had made.

But she never expected to receive help in this way, even at the ball.

Frelia looked at the people enjoying the food.

A five-star dish was enough to captivate even the haughty nobles in an instant.

“To think we’d be eating such delicious food at a ball…”

“Since it’s an important event, they probably invited a famous chef.”

“We must ask who made this. They have the skills to work as a head chef in any decent restaurant.”

The nobles who ate the food began to talk about who could have made it.

If there weren’t so many eyes on them, they would have rushed to the kitchen right away.

Frelia whispered to Abel in a small voice.

“The food made today was definitely delicious. But I feel like it didn’t quite overcome the limitations of the ingredients. In Cainchel’s terms, would you say it’s about a five-star dish?”

Abel nodded.

Having eaten Cainchel’s food, the two had developed an eye for gourmet cuisine.

“I agree. The steak grilled with gem salt was truly amazing. It felt like it overcame even the inherent limitations of the ingredients’ flavors.”

“What would have happened if that dish had appeared today?”

Abel shrugged. He didn’t need to say it out loud; he already knew the answer.

@

The public’s expectations for ice cream were growing higher every day.

Even Goethe had written glowing reviews about its cool and sweet taste.

However, it was a dessert that even nobles couldn’t easily afford due to its high price and limited availability.

“You know about ice cream, right?”

“That ridiculously expensive dessert? Don’t keep talking about it. It makes me want it.”

“They say they’re selling it at the winter festival this year.”

“Even so, it’ll be too expensive to eat.”

“No, they say the ice cream they’re selling at the festival is different. They’re selling three flavors of ice cream for fifty coppers.”

“······F-Fifty coppers? At that price, I could probably afford it if I stretched a little.”

It was close to the cost of a night at an inn, but it was incredibly cheap compared to gem ice cream.

The rumors about ice cream were spreading rapidly, not only among the citizens but also throughout the empire.

The ball was already over, and the winter festival was less than two weeks away.

Cainchel frowned as he read the report sent by Zeke.

It contained detailed information about the shops that had been ruined by the Peddler’s Alliance.

Abel, who was sitting across from him, asked.

“Did you find any clues?”

Abel was Frelia’s escort knight. He always had to stay by her side to ensure her safety.

However, it had been decided that he would fully cooperate with Cainchel on matters related to the Church of the Seven Sins.

“The Peddler’s Alliance is only targeting shops with skilled chefs. On the surface, it looks like they’re doing it to make money.”

“But if you factor in the Church of the Seven Sins, it leads to a different conclusion.”

Cainchel quietly nodded.

“The Church of the Seven Sins is preparing to spread a curse, aiming for something. Wouldn’t chefs who can weaken the curse be a nuisance?”

A groan escaped from Abel’s lips.

Emperor Aslan had defined gastronomy as a sin. Since then, countless restaurants in Britannia had closed down.

The chefs themselves had lost their places to work.

It was as if Britannia as a whole had become an ideal state for spreading a curse.

“Perhaps Emperor Aslan is a hero······.”

Abel stopped there.

But Cainchel seemed to know what Abel wanted to say.

‘······Emperor Aslan might not be a hero.’

If he said it out loud, he would be branded a traitor.

Cainchel looked at Abel, who was deep in thought, and said.

“Of course, not all chefs have put down their knives. No matter how much the atmosphere discourages gastronomy, it’s only natural for humans to want to eat delicious food, right? There are people like Chef Bruno who are silently protecting their shops.”

However, there were those who harassed them relentlessly.

The Peddler’s Alliance.

More than ten restaurants had closed down due to their tyranny.

“Thinking about it that way, it’s strange. If the Church of the Seven Sins’ goal is to eliminate skilled chefs, wouldn’t there be an easier way?”

Abel analyzes situations with a coldness that is sometimes chilling. That aspect felt very elven.

“That’s right. Killing them would be the most certain way. But if many chefs suddenly started getting murdered, people would start questioning it. Then, it would be revealed that well-made food is the key to breaking the curse.”

“They’re quite clever for fanatics.”

Cainchel sighed.

The Church of the Seven Sins had drawn in the Peddler’s Alliance, making it seem like a mere dispute for money.

Whoever the enemy is, they are very intelligent and cunning.

“If things get urgent, they might indiscriminately kill chefs. We have to stop that no matter what.”

“That means we have to move as discreetly as possible.”

“But now that the enemy’s goal is clear, we can get ahead and catch them.”

Cainchel had gained immense fame with just one ice cream.

Those who see skilled chefs as thorns in their side will surely react in some way.

“The important thing is to clearly identify who is the enemy and who is the ally. Until then, we can’t trust even the Virtues.”

As suspicion of Emperor Aslan grew.

He could no longer trust Hector, who had tried to cover up the ghoul incident, or even the other Virtues.

Abel quietly nodded.

“But first, we should deal with the Peddler’s Alliance. What happened to the trap set up in the ice storage?”

“Well, it’s about time for a bite.”

Cainchel had given the Peddler’s Alliance a fake recipe.

Surely there would be some movement near the ice storage to test it out.

Knock knock.

“Lord Cainchel. We have received a request from the city hall. Someone has applied to rent the ice storage.”

Cainchel quietly got up from his seat.

After a week, the opponent had finally taken the bait. Now it was time to reel them in.

@

“Why? Why! Why isn’t the ice cream being made!”

An enraged Gilbert shouted at the peddlers.

It was unlike him, who was always calm and prudent.

Gilbert grabbed the masked man who had obtained the recipe by the collar. The masked man, who was much larger than Gilbert, slowly rose into the air.

It was an incredible display of strength.

“Are you sure you stole it properly?”

“Y-Yes. I saw them making ice cream according to that recipe with my own two eyes······.”

“If it doesn’t work out one more time, I’ll gouge out those eyes. You have to get the recipe by any means before the festival! Damn it!”

If it failed, he would incur the wrath of Antares. Gilbert caressed the magic crest engraved on his body.

As long as this existed, he was Antares’s faithful servant.

Cainchel, who was hiding in the ceiling of the ice storage, narrowed his eyes.

‘As expected, he came himself with only trustworthy people.’

The ice storage is managed by several merchant guilds and the city hall. Proper procedures are required to use it.

The Peddler’s Alliance even hired mercenaries to harass skilled chefs.

That would be impossible without a considerable backer.

Cainchel had used false information to draw out the shadow behind the opponent.

‘To think there was a noble among the collaborators of the Church of the Seven Sins······.’

Cainchel bit his lip. Rather than worrying alone, wouldn’t it be faster to catch those guys and ask them directly?

He drew the sword he was wearing on his waist and stepped forward.

The Rampaging Magic Crest #2