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Translator/Editor: KSD

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◈ Cooking Swordmaster Chapter 7: Don't Look Down on Someone Just Because They Cook (4)

As if to prove it, Köinzell's current level and status were displayed on the Shoumakyou.

Many things had been added to the list that had only a few items until recently.

[Köinzell Van Gstaad - Lv3]

- Stamina (5), Agility (3), Strength (3), Dexterity (3), Intelligence (7), Mana (2), Divine Power (2)

- Fire Resistance (0.1%), Poison Resistance (0.1%)

* Cooking Level: ★★★

* Gourmet Level: ★

* Basic Swordsmanship: ★★★★

* Disarm: ★

Thanks to absorbing the experience from eating Ainkel's cooking, Köinzell's level had reached 3.

'As expected, all my stats have risen again this time.'

What would happen if he continued to grow like this?

Even excluding the abilities unrelated to swordsmanship, the difference was immense.

At level 30, he would have stats that others would only achieve at level 100.

'Moreover, my Mana and Divine Power also increase as a bonus.'

If a priest or sorcerer heard this, they might have stoned him. Those two talents were stats that couldn't be attained without being born with them. Just thinking this way was almost blasphemous.

'Let's organize what needs to be done over the next month.'

He felt like he should learn a few cooking techniques from Gordon...

But there was something more urgent than that.

First, he had to eat a lot of food to secure a certain level of stats.

No matter how excellent his swordsmanship was, without the stamina and dexterity to support it, he couldn't wield his sword properly.

Agility was needed to cut down enemies quickly.

Stamina was needed to increase endurance.

Moreover, strength was needed to wear heavy armor.

Some candidates even hired personal trainers to exercise and balance their stats.

'If I just eat delicious food, all my abilities will rise evenly, so I don't need to manage them separately.'

Unknowingly, Köinzell found himself doing a little shoulder dance.

Next was swordsmanship.

'To advance to the intermediate level, there are a few conditions. Let's focus on mastering basic swordsmanship completely first.'

It meant that simply trimming ingredients would be sufficient, as he had done so far.

'There's no shortage of ingredients to prepare. Since I've earned Ainkel's trust to some extent, it will be easier to get tasks from now on. Let's aim to reach at least 9 stars, no, 10 stars within a month.'

Thus, the tasks for the next month were decided.

Köinzell wielded his kitchen knife towards the mountain of carrots and potatoes.

@

The next day, the mana that had been charged in the Shoumakyou was completely gone.

It lasted more than half a day longer than he had expected. Maybe because he hadn't used it much.

At the last moment, the Shoumakyou notified him that his basic swordsmanship had reached 5 stars.

Three days ago, it was only 1 star.

It was truly an insane level up.

It seemed to console him for not being able to check his status for the next month.

Even though he had slept curled up in a corner of the kitchen, he wasn't tired at all.

Köinzell looked at the kitchen knife that had handled ingredients for 400 people. Various residues were stuck on the blade.

"You've worked hard for a day."

If the used knife was left as it was, it would rust and the blade would become dull.

Köinzell fetched the steel for sharpening knives from the workbench.

The kitchen knife's sharpness was maintained with this tool.

After crossing the knife and the steel like a cross and rubbing them to make a ssshhh ssshhh sound a few times, the kitchen knife began to exude a chilling sharpness.

"You're doing well. Working with a dull knife is dangerous, so you always have to keep it sharp."

"Chef Joffrey?"

"It's something everyone working in the kitchen knows. But too many people neglect it out of laziness."

"It's become a habit for me."

No matter how much he wielded his sword, nothing changed.

However, for three years, he had never neglected his sword, not even for a single day.

The same applied to the kitchen knife.

Joffrey bowed his head and apologized to Köinzell.

"You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle their tools. I think I misunderstood you. I was blinded by my prejudice against nobles and didn't see you for who you are. I'm sorry."

It was a side he hadn't shown even when Gordon scolded him.

Feeling awkward, Köinzell grabbed Joffrey's shoulder and helped him up.

"It's okay."

"No! Feel free to hit me until your anger subsides! Oh, but spare my hands; I need them for work."

"Oh dear..."

Köinzell knew Joffrey hadn't liked him since they first met.

However, the tasks Joffrey had assigned, seemingly to annoy him, had actually been immensely helpful.

So, he had silently done his work without complaint.

This seemed to have pricked Joffrey's conscience.

Besides, he had taken care of the preparation of ingredients for 400 people, a job that should have been done by the chefs.

Joffrey might dislike nobles, but he wasn't thick-skinned enough to be ungrateful.

Eventually, Joffrey came to apologize.

This left Köinzell in an awkward position.

'I was just trying to level up.'

But he had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding. Now that it had come to this, he might as well make the most of it.

Köinzell smiled and replied.

"I'm really fine. If you feel that bad, why don't you make a simple dessert for me?"

"Will that be enough?"

"Yes. But please make it delicious."

"Oh! Got it!"

Joffrey, with a confident look, pounded his chest and disappeared into the kitchen.

Köinzell thought that Joffrey, though he disliked nobles, wasn't fundamentally a bad person.

"Are you curious about why Chef Joffrey dislikes nobles?"

"...Huh, Chef Ainkel."

Köinzell almost screamed but managed to hold it back.

Do all the chefs here have a knack for sneaking up and striking up conversations?

Ainkel started talking about Joffrey without being asked.

"Joffrey is a very skilled chef specializing in desserts. He even ran a large cake shop in the capital. It was so popular that nobles and even the princess loved it. People had to line up every day to buy his cakes. But..."

Ainkel paused before continuing.

"His business was too successful, and a noble started eyeing his shop. Eventually, the noble bribed the chefs working with Joffrey and took over the entire shop. With nowhere else to work, Joffrey ended up here frying potatoes. But Joffrey's cakes are really delicious. You should try them."

Köinzell sighed inwardly. To have the shop he built with his life's work taken away by a noble...

No wonder his hands would tremble at the mere sight of a noble.

Yet, he was now cooking for the trainee knights who would serve nobles, so his grumpiness was understandable.

"But you say he's good at making desserts?"

"Yes."

Köinzell's lips curled into a smile. Desserts were one of the most difficult areas to learn from books.

And to think a master was this close.

After waiting for a while,

Joffrey came back, carrying a steaming plate.

"Here it is, Joffrey's special pound cake. I used dried fruits since fresh ones are scarce. Eat it by dipping it in the whipped cream."

"Thank you. I'll enjoy it."

"I didn't make it for you, Ainkel. Put down the fork."

"Haha... I'll just have one bite..."

Pound cake is made by mixing flour, eggs, butter, and sugar in equal proportions and baking the batter in a mold.

Köinzell cut the cake into three pieces.

A delicious, sweet aroma wafted from the freshly baked cake. It was so intoxicating that it made him dizzy.

'How can a cake smell this good?'

"Would you like to join me?"

"Ah, is that okay?"

"Hmm..."

Eventually, the three of them began to eat the pound cake that Joffrey had baked.

‘Let’s see how skilled Chef Joffrey really is.’

As soon as he put a small piece of cake into his mouth, an exclamation of delight escaped.

‘It’s similar to bread but much softer... And what’s this subtle sweetness? Ah, it’s alcohol.

He mixed in some of the rum that Chef Gordon drinks every day into the batter.’

This time, he tried it with whipped cream. It had a slightly tangy taste, likely made from yogurt.

The tangy flavor complemented the soft sweetness of the pound cake, making him feel incredibly happy.

“It’s delicious.”

“As expected, Joffrey’s cakes are the best!”

At the continuing praise, Joffrey’s face turned slightly red.

“...Well, if it’s that good, I might make it occasionally.”

In this way, Köinzell perfectly blended into the kitchen team.

Of course, he was still thinking about how to extract Joffrey’s dessert-making skills.

@

There's a saying that a soldier who fails in a mission can be forgiven, but a soldier who fails in rationing food should be severely punished.

That’s how important eating food is.

Köinzell stirred the ladle with as much care as if he were mixing an alchemical elixir.

Then he served exactly one portion of stew onto a plate and handed it out.

"Oh my. I’m starving after performing all day. Will this be enough to fill me up? Be nice and give me more."

"This is the standard portion."

"Ah, there's a big piece of meat floating there. Give me that."

"No."

"Tch. Serving food is quite the position, isn't it?"

The man dressed as a clown spat and walked back to his seat.

Köinzell sighed.

He had been forced to help with serving food due to the sudden influx of people in the dining hall.

And it was much more exhausting than he had expected.

Handling 200 members of the royal orchestra made him want to collapse.

They had so many specific requests.

Just eat what you’re given!

He felt like he had held back shouting that a hundred times.

“Oh no, here comes another group. I was just about to take a break.”

Then he saw a familiar face among the crowd.

It was a trainee knight from the Chevalier Class.

He whistled happily when he saw Köinzell serving food.

It was as if he had found an amusing toy.

"Well, well. Isn't this Köinzell? I wondered where you’d gone, and here you are hiding like a little rat?"

"…Julius."

The trainee knight was Julius Conrad, Vincent's right-hand man and the second rank in the Chevalier Class.

"Kekeke, holding that ladle suits you. Why don’t you make a career out of it? No, wait. You'd probably lose all your fingers if you held a kitchen knife."

Köinzell smiled slightly and said.

"Where’s Vincent?"

"Hm? He’s talking to some famous actor from the orchestra. What, you miss getting beaten up so much?"

"No. I just thought that without the lion, the fox is acting like the king."

Julius’s face twisted at Köinzell’s words.

What? Did this inferior brat just spout nonsense at me?

Julius’s patience wasn’t strong enough to suppress his anger.

"I guess I’ll have to remind you of your place. What are you waiting for? Give me my stew."

Saying that, Julius extended his plate. Köinzell's job was to serve exactly one portion of stew into it.

Köinzell narrowed his eyes and scooped the stew with the ladle. Just as he was about to transfer it to the plate.

A murderous glint appeared in Julius’s eyes. He tried to flip the plate and pour its contents onto Köinzell.

"Kekekekekekek! As expected, you're just... Argh!"

Julius screamed, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

Köinzell had swung the ladle to hit the tips of Julius's fingers holding the bowl.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Julius dropped the bowl.

The contents spilled all over his body.

"Aaaaah! H-hot!"

"Ju-Julius!"

"W-water! Someone get cold water!"

"My, my, my fingers!"

In the end, Julius got burns on his fingers and had to treat them with cold water.

Watching this, Köinzell smiled with satisfaction.

It was all thanks to the Disarm skill he had gained the day before.

'By using ladle, as my weapon, I struck Julius’s weapon, the bowl, and destroyed it. So, it can be applied this way too.'

Thanks to the Disarm skill, he could move at an extraordinary speed that surpassed his reflexes.

However, the skill was only at 1 star. If Julius had been holding a proper weapon, Köinzell wouldn’t have been able to disarm him.

But the opponent had been holding a bowl.

1 star in Disarm was enough.

"You should have been careful since the stew was hot. How can you hold a sword properly if you don't have enough strength in your fingers?"

After the cold water treatment, Julius started to rage.

"You, you inferior bastard! I was already planning to teach you a lesson, but just you wait. At the next Status Update, I'll challenge you to a duel!"

It was a declaration of war.

Duels between trainees were only allowed on the day of the Status Update.

When someone’s strength increased, they often felt the urge to showcase it.

As a result, fights between trainees who usually didn’t get along often ended in severe injuries.

The academy allowed duels only on that day to ensure that any fights happened in front of others.

Julius, who had declared a duel against Köinzell, smiled confidently.

There was no way that penniless idiot could fight him. Surely, he would end up begging for mercy, crying and pleading for forgiveness.

However, the outcome went in a direction Julius couldn’t have imagined.

Köinzell slowly approached Julius.

And with a slight smile, he said,

"Don’t look down on someone just because they cook."

"Wha-what!"

"It means I accept your duel."

"You, you bastard!"

Thus, a duel between the worst underachiever trainee in the history of Stanis Knight Training Academy and the second rank in the Chevalier Class was set.

It didn’t even take a day for this news to reach the ears of every trainee.

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