Cook of the Mercenary Corp c21

The Alturia that I govern, was originally an area of snowy fields which was hard to live in.

My great founder forged a path, somehow gaining the rights and excavation for magic crystals and mineral resources, and made it possible for people to live here. Because as long as there are magic crystals, making some home heaters and mining tools with magic engineering, you can build houses and families.

Like that, so that people can simply survive, when people were able to avoid the worst scenario of being frozen to death, the next problem was the supply of food.

This land is an area which is buried in snow all year round. Cultivating with literature is of greatest difficulty. Even hunting animals, the beasts are few and violent, in any case, guaranteeing food was a problem.

What he focused on was, a magic engineering technique which his ancestor had come to acc.u.mulate his entire life’s research on.

With the nurturing of magic engineers and the power of selling magic crystals, and becoming on equal footing in negotiations with the other countries, it became possible to import food.

It finally came, the days of no starvation and cold.

At that time, what had threatened me was just one knife.

That day, I prepared for an audience with Ganglabe’s Mercenary Corps.

Ganglabe Mercenary Corps. An annoying gang who is as known as much as they are asked about.

The war last year. They joined the battle as enemies.

At that time, in the battle where we were in the superior war situation, it was overturned by just one girl.

Ahrius. She’s a magician publicly called the “Witch of Overheat”.

They, by using just one person’s magic, melted the entire snow mountain as if it was an act of G.o.d.

With overwhelming magic firepower, it was a strategy where we who were familiar with the snow fields were forced to fight on the plains.

And then, they who were not used to the snow fields but good with plains, livened up as soon as that happened.

We could only retreat.

It was painful, although they had not demanded for reparations, it’s the truth that rather than injuries our treasury received a hit.

This time, they are probably coming here wanting to buy magic crystals.

I’m going to show them what I can do.

“There are no magic crystals to be sold to savages like you. Leave”

The very first thing I say, I declared to Ganglabe.

To those fellows who were respectfully lowering their heads during the audience.

“Please do something about that. It’s necessary for our work. As for compensation”

“Right. I’ll sell it if those two girls there are given as my son’s slave b.i.t.c.hes.”

Naturally, that’s not my intention in the least.

I don’t plan on selling, nor do I feel like hiring anyone.

I only want to play with them to my desire and make them leave.

“Papa, I don’t want to embrace those country bimbos”

“It’s alright son. They’ll be properly sterilized with medicine, ok”

My son with a plump figure, Freud.

My cute son which was born after I grew old, who I gave all my knowledge to.

Except, he has a problem which is that he loves to eat sweets.

To me he is a dear child.

“King, Flu’re-sama. What you said is a little damaging to your good image. If the surrounding royalty or feudal lords were to know, how would they look at you”

Ganglabe is criticising me but, that is obvious.

Even I might find fault at my words just then.

But still. I have a confidence which cannot be taken.

“If it’s like that, it’s fine to just stop the sale of magic crystals to that territory.

In this territory, there are just that many resources after all”

Magic crystals appearing endlessly.

This territory’s value because of just that one point is unsurpa.s.sable.

The amount we mine and the quality, this territory the lead among others.

Therefore, the territories which wish to buy magic crystals cannot ignore my words.

They can’t even offend me.

“Papa. The one next to the little girl with the thin figure is good.”

“Hm, then you don’t care about that girl there?”

I reply in agreement to my son.

Indeed, that thin girl over there isn’t my goal.

It’s the other girl.

If I can take away Ahrius, it can be a small revenge.

“It’s decided. If you send that girl over there here then for ten times the market price, I’ll sell you half the amount, it’s not bad right?”

I couldn’t hold back my smile from appearing.

Money, women, even praise.

Stealing her away from this hateful man.

I can only describe it as exhilarating.

“Well that’s that. I’ll give those girls to my son, even though they stink of the countryside they’ll do”

“… That’s”

“Ganglabe…”

Looking at Ganglabe’s frustrating expression, it was slightly refres.h.i.+ng for my pride.

I couldn’t keep myself from smiling.

Now, how should I tease them from here on.

When I was thinking that, that guy came out.

“Well well, excuse me for a sec”

Acting like a clown, one man stood up.

He didn’t have the figure of a soldier, a fragile man. With his rare black hair and eyes, he gave the impression of delicateness.

I don’t know who this person is but, there is a limit to rudeness!

“What is it you”

Nonetheless, if this place is disturbed any further it will affect the dignity of the king.

I try my best to stay quiet, however I question with a tone full of anger.

“I am the cook of Ganglabe’s Mercenary Corp, my name is Shuri.

Excuse me but one thing.

The fascinating candy that the prince is eating, where exactly did you get it”

What is he talking about all of a sudden.

It doesn’t make sense to me. There’s something to be offended about but, I still calmly reply.

“…At Newbyst. What about it”

“No no, just making sure”

Just making sure, he says?

What did he want to confirm. Did he want to do something hearing Newbyst?

What this man named Shuri continued to say, I could not believe my ears.

“For one thing, won’t you let me cook you something to eat”

Cooking.

He’s saying he wants to cook here.

This man, had indeed said he was a cook.

However, I wonder what he is thinking saying he wants to cook here.

Besides, rather than saying that Alturia has a low food supply, this is the royal castle.

It’s obvious there are imperial chefs.

“Why must I let a b.u.mpkin cook like you to make something for us to eat.”

Is he saying that he can make something tastier than those imperial chefs?

Impossible. In addition poisoning the food is out of the question.

Or is he simply trying to stall for time?

Maybe during the time he is talking with me, Ganglabe can forge a strategy for the sake of breaking down this situation?

However, even Ganglabe seems to be surprised and hasn’t moved.

So by that logic, he moved by his own judgement?

I don’t understand. I can’t read this man’s thoughts.

I can’t perceive the true thoughts of this man who was acting aloof.

“No no, it’s the prince’s candy.

Let me change that into a captivating dish which surpa.s.ses that.”

A captivating dish.

A word which kept coming into my head.

In this land, there is meaning in that it is difficult to change anything from first rate cooking.

In this land which is restricted by food, ways of cooking in ingenious ways is probably inferior to other country’s cooking.

That is what this man said, yo use my son’s candy to make a dish.

“A captivating dish, you say”

Using the so called cooking diplomacy hand huh.

As well as attaching the wording, captivating dish.

I don’t understand the man’s mentality.

However I am interested in that so called dish.

“Yes, potato, carrots, spring onions and meat. That’s all I need.

Let me show you a dish which taste so much better than the candy with just that”

Those ingredients are our territories ingredients which we only have through importing.

They are all popular and the ma.s.ses are able to buy them as well.

Using such plebeian food, a dish which is combined with candy?

….Let me taste it.

Like the scorn with the monkeys of the snow country, my attention slightly ensnared by cooking.

Alright then. I’ll take you away from Ganglabe as well.

“…Interesting. Having a meal with chocolate and that? Fine show me.

If it tastes bad, I’ll cut off both those arms”

“As you wish. In that case I’ll start preparing”

However, this man who just bet his arms didn’t even show the slightest fear.

What does this mean. Did he just have that much self confidence.

Seeing that, I see him take out a strange paper and started cooking.

Cutting up the ingredients into reasonable and the same sizes, he starts frying a strange powder which he takes out from his breast pocket.

Is it poison? Was what I thought but I was wrong. The smell is different.

In the first place poisons lose their effect once they are heated. And even say, the potency of the poison is still there after heating it then, that poison at best can only make you dizzy. Basically, meaningless.

And that fragrance. What a good fragrance. Without thinking I began to salivate.

To that powder, did he carry it? he added some b.u.t.ter and some flour, adding thickness to it.

After that he fries the ingredients in a different pot, then adding it to the previous pot.

That’s when he throws in the chocolate, stirs it around with a ladle, then closed the lid.

….I took a glimpse at it but, the colour….

“…What is that disgusting looking dish.”

How brown.

Just adding that amount of powder made it this brown.

It makes me uneasy.

However, the man called Shuri, looked calm without being timid at all.

“Now now, just try one”

“…Well, alright I guess”

It seems his arms are going to fall regardless if I eat this or not.

Oh Ganglabe. You calling this man to this place probably means that he is quite an important figure.

That man’s arms, I’m going to take them right here.

However, the moment Shuri took off the lid, that thought was blown away somewhere.

“This is…”

Me and my son, and on the contrary even Ganglabe and others didn’t move.

Wonderful. The fragrance is wonderful.

Combining how many types of seasonings, the captivating fragrance wrapped around the s.p.a.ce of the audience.

Soon even the gaps in the room will have the smell spread to them. The fragrance attacked with such intensity.

However it wasn’t unpleasant at all.

Even though I haven’t eaten it, my senses of taste is kicking up a fuss.

Even though I had only smelled it, it was so intense my saliva was overflowing.

“Please”

“Al-alright”

I want to eat it. That captivating dish.

Transferring it to the plate, it was brown but also painted with the red of carrots and the yellow of potatoes.

Looking carefully, it’s not just brown.

It was a form due to various seasonings combined perfectly and mixed together, controlled at the appropriate temperature.

Forgetting to even poison test, I took a bite of that soup.

“This is!!!?”

What a flavor.

Sweet. It’s sweet.

However it wasn’t an ordinary sweetness. It was sweet and spicy.

These two senses are seemingly contradictory. This sweetness is like the sweetness of honey with the spiciness of spice harmonizing marvelously.

Savouring it well, it was mainly spicy.

However it’s not an unpleasant, tongue burning spiciness.

Just enough excitement. And a particular texture that mildly wraps around your entire mouth.

Eating it together with the ingredients, it changes into a top quality dish because of the soup that accompanies the ingredients.

The meat as well as the carrots and the potatoes.

All of them have changed into wonderful foods of which I’ve never eaten before.

I can’t stop my spoon.

Something so delicious. I have never tasted it before!

“That right. The hand I use my knife with isn’t something to be thrown away right”

Saying that Shuri displays the knife he talked of, and I turned pale.

That is the crest of the Newbyst Royal Family.

The person who holds an item with this crest can only be someone of amba.s.sador level or those who are friendly with royalty.

Basically, this shows that Shuri has been recognised by the Newbyst royal family for his skill, or that he is intimate with royalty.

Which made a certain reality clear to us, regarding our Alturia territory.

It means that we have insulted a mercenary corp who is on friendly terms with the Newbyst royal family.

About our Alturia territory, there are many countries that we can look down on due to the relations.h.i.+p with the magic crystals. In this day and age, it can also mean that without a large supply of magic crystals you cannot win a war.

It’s a necessity for magic engineering and even magic. And because there are even territories which have a practical use for them in the production of weapons and armours, it’s not possible to terminate its demand. So there are more than enough business partners.

However Newbyst is different.

That country, is in possession of the holy forest.

Sleeping in that forest is a large amount of resources, and even magic crystals have been discovered.

It’s a unique land where mana can gather easily. And same as our territory, can mine them without limit.

And regarding food production, even comparing other territories they are abundant.

Additionally, they are the main source of food imports for our country.

Having no advantage over magic crystals, we somehow established a quality trade partner.

Speaking of the power position, we are on the lower side.

Newbyst is the only country we can not pick a fight with.

“U, uguu…!!”

No way, was the confirming the chocolate at that time, for the sake of confirming that once again?

Our relations.h.i.+p with Newbyst, do they also know that we’re in the weaker position?

This dish, perhaps does it have some sort of relations.h.i.+p with the royal family of Newbyst?

I can’t stop my spoon. It’s too delicious to stop.

However, if I don’t stop, it’ll probably look like we’re weak to Newbyst.

If it comes to that, the worst case is that Newbyst might bring about some sort of action.

“Please, the prince as well”

“Alright!”

However, my son, as if he didn’t hold such thoughts, happily received the given plate.

Even though right now you should be stubbornly refusing!

“Delicious! Chocolates can become this delicious!”

“Well, thank you for that”

“Papa. Rather than those girls I want this cook!”

“T-that’s…”

This idiot son! He took the worst possible action!

Our country is dependent on the trade of food supply from Newbyst, if we actually try to touch a man who has been invited by Newbyst, I don’t know what might happen!

Before the other side can do something, I must strike first.

“This can be done by combining this powder and chocolate. I can give it you”

“Really?!!”

“In exchange though, I want magic crystals”

“Papa!”

“S-silence.

…What is your goal”

In the end, I don’t know his goal.

Taking advantage of the relations.h.i.+p between Alturia and Newbyst, I need to know what this man is doing.

I don’t think he is simply aiming for magic crystals.

It’s no good, this soup is so good I can’t think properly.

What a devilish soup.

Making me gutless to this extent…!

“I already said it, the magic crystals.

Please sell them at the market price”

Magic crystals at the market price.

This man. Saying such words like 『Getting magic crystals at the market at a fair price』

Which is just hiding the words 『I’ll be quiet about this disgrace so, you’ll lend it to us right』

s.h.i.+t. It’s no good.

At the very least, I have to make a last effort resistance,

“…I understand.

In exchange, ignore the invitation that my son just gave to you”

Even if it’s only the matter about the invitation I have to erase it.

If that doesn’t exist, I can make an excuse that we only have a disagreement with the magic crystal negotiations here.

I can probably work something out if I work on an apology to an authority of Newbyst.

Which is why, even if it’s just this fact which is erased I must focus on it.

If not, destruction awaits.

“Alright, I won’t mind”

However unexpectedly, Shuri easily complied.

Almost as if he didn’t understand the meaning of this request.

Here, I realised that I was the one who didn’t understand.

This person, to the end is someone who belongs to Ganglabe’s Mercenary Corp.

His goals and such, isn’t to cause damage to our country or anything.

Because all he wants is simply magic crystals.

Showing off his knife, as well as speaking rudely.

It was all just an act to dominate the negotiation to this point.

My position, and the country’s position, and then Shuri’s position.

Leading our three different relations.h.i.+ps by the nose, maybe hiding, maybe lying.

Putting up measures for the sake of deceiving me!

After Ganglabe and the others left, I was frustrated to the point of wanting to hold my head.

Once it had ended it was like I said, only I ended up being tricked to sell the magic crystals.

Even though we were on the offensive.

When did it get reversed?

It’s obvious. That clown-like man.

The existence called Shuri.

Mostly likely, Ganglabe’s Mercenary Corp growing this big was not simply due to the commanders being strong.

It’s probably because a strategist, and cook named Shuri was there.

Having such negotiation power and wit, knowledge and technique in cooking.

Breaking apart such a difficult situation is probably easily within his predictions.

Indeed, if it’s a cook like that then even Newbyst would want to keep him.

Maybe it’s because Newbyst is abundant in food, even their cooking techniques are good.

The Newbyst royal family having consumed such delicious delicacies, purposely handed to him a knife with an engraved crest, making him into one of them.

I see, he’s a man worthy of that appreciation.

However, what baffles me is that man named Shuri who refused their invitation despite having received such a warm welcome.

What exactly is he thinking, hiding himself within such a mercenary corp.

“…There’s might be a need for an investigation”

I don’t know when he might come and bare his fangs at Alturia again.

There needs to be an investigation regarding that man.

“Flu’re-sama! It’s terrible!”

“Why are you so noisy. I’m thinking right now.”

“Well that’s! A pigeon has come regarding the trade reconsiderations from Newbyst’s  side!”

“!? What do you mean!”

“I hear it’s only says 『Regarding the unreasonable contact and invitation towards Shuri Azuma, who is friendly with our country. We will take this to sanction trade』!”

The information is too early!

Why? How did they find out!?

“Unless, there’s a spy!”

“Y-yes. It seems that one of the guards has suddenly disappeared!”

We’re f.u.c.ked!

In addition to our mistake, we’ll have to explain.

And the explanation will probably require a large amount of magic crystals.

And additionally, it becomes set in stone that our fate from now on is in their hands.

After that, at this negotiation place the famous 『Gourmet Princess』 Tebis-dono directly came to us.

At that negotiation, that princess came and withdrew the 『Sanction for Unreasonable Invitation』and 『Insult towards a person friendly with Royalty』.

If we refuse here, the food trade will be no more.

In the end, there was no way for us not to pay a large amount of magic crystals as compensation.

This one act, in the future is described in many literatures and plays.

The play full of up and downs of Emperor Ganglabe and Empress Ahrius is their younger days.

Becoming an act of how Empress Ahrius was s.n.a.t.c.hed away, receiving injustice and how he courageously took back the woman he loves with intelligence and wisdom.

The story told has many forms and interpretations, and later on becomes popular with women.

However, in this story, the correct historical awareness regarding the intelligence of the “King of Meals” Shuri Azuma is not told at all.

That is because, Shuri Azuma enters on stage with a different viewpoint.

Emperor Ganglabe in heartache having Empress Ahrius s.n.a.t.c.hed away.

While Emperor Ganglabe is depressed, Shuri Azuma enters and punches him once in the face.

The scene changed to him scolding “Aren’t you going to risk your life for the woman you love”

By the way, where Emperor Ganglabe and Shuri Azuma watched this play was at a drinking party.

It is said that he agonizingly fainted from embarra.s.sment.

(Author’s note: Somehow I updated it.

Given that I’ll reflect on this and try harder, from here on thank you for the encouragements.)