Recently, I’ve noticed more people trying to talk to Shuri. Following Gungrave’s orders, I have my subordinates keep an eye on him. Some are being pretty obvious about getting closer to him. When I confront them, I find out some have even been secretly offered money by the king of Nouviche to poach Shuri. I punished those guys without question, but Shuri hasn’t noticed any of this at all. To be honest, I hope he stays oblivious to it. If he found out about all these dirty schemes, it would really hurt him.
These days, my title has changed from infantry unit captain to infantry unit chief captain, and word is spreading around about how amazing I am. I’ve been feeling a bit down lately. Why, you ask? It’s simple. There’s been some conflict between Lill and Arius lately. Of course, if it was just a normal argument, I’d stay out of it. No good comes from butting in. My policy is to not get involved unless the people directly involved ask for help. But come on. Fighting over dessert? That’s kid stuff, right?
“Arius. Lill made this tool. It’s only right that she gets to taste it first.” “Lill. Don’t you get to eat your favorite hamburger steak almost every day? So isn’t it fair to let me taste my favorite thing first this time?” “Arius, you’re always pigging out on yudofu. If you eat dessert too, you’ll get fat.” “Lill, if you keep eating nothing but hamburger steak, your stomach’s going to stick out.”
Scary. Do I really have to deal with this ridiculous argument turning into a bloodbath? It all started with Shuri. You see, when we made connections with Nouviche merchants and got access to their food supply lines, we started getting loads of eggs, flour, and sugar. That’s when Shuri decided to try making tamagoyaki. He made two kinds – one with sugar and one with dashi stock. I tried both, but the dashi one was definitely better. The sugar one was a bit too sweet. Gungrave and Tegue preferred the dashi version too. But Lill and Arius were all about the sugar version. Now our whole unit is split into Team Sugar and Team Dashi, arguing day and night about which tastes better. It’s so stupid that I’m not even getting involved. Dashi tamagoyaki is clearly the best, but I’m keeping my mouth shut. No way I’m getting dragged into that mess. That’s when Shuri casually mentioned:
“Maybe I should try making some dessert.”
Dessert. The dessert I know are sickeningly sweet. Way sweeter than that tamagoyaki. So sweet they give you heartburn. The value of dessert is determined by how much sugar is used. The more sugar, the fancier and better it’s considered. But they’re so sweet that most people can’t stomach them. That’s the common perception. Only nobles and lords are expected to indulge in that stuff. Girls like Lill and Arius love dessert, of course. They go crazy over a single piece of candy. Honestly, I don’t get what’s so good about it. Anyway, when Shuri got all the equipment together to make dessert, those two started fighting over who gets to eat them first. Gungrave quickly bailed and ordered me to sort out the situation. I wanted to kill him. By the way, Tegue tried to stop them and got knocked down with a clean kidney punch. He’s probably not dead, but he is twitching a bit.
“Ladies, calm down. Why don’t we have Shuri make two batches so you can eat them together?” “But dessert are made one at a time, aren’t they?” “Yes, this is war. A holy war for the first bite of the first sweet.” “This is a battle we cannot yield.”
Ugh, this is so stupid. They’re using big words, but they just want to eat first, don’t they? Realizing this wasn’t going to stop, I was at a loss. That’s when Shuri stepped between them, ladle in hand.
“You two. That’s enough of that.” “Shuri, this is war. Don’t interfere.” “Yes, this is our holy war (fight). Please don’t get in the way.” “Well then, I guess you don’t need dessert. I’ll stop making them.” “Arius, let’s eat together.” “You’re right. World peace is the most important thing.”
I witnessed the ugly change of heart that happens when someone’s stomach is at stake.
In the end, the two acted like there had never been a fight at all. Feeling a bit weirded out by the whole thing, I decided to join in since we were all here anyway. By the way, Gungrave is trying to get some brought to him later, and Tegue is watching us from afar between training sessions. Come on, you guys. Just come over here already. Shuri takes out sugar, flour, cheese, eggs, and butter. Plus some biscuits he made earlier when practicing dessert-making. But there’s one mysterious thing. A white, fluffy… something.
“Shuri, I get the flour and stuff, but what’s this white fluffy thing?” “This? It’s whipped cream. It was a pain to make.”
While talking, he crushes the biscuits, mixes them with butter, and for some reason presses it all together. Then he asks Arius to chill it. Next, he starts mixing cheese, whipped cream, sugar, and eggs non-stop. What in the world is he doing?
He’s completely out of breath. After what feels like forever, it seems to be done. He adds some flour and gives it one last mix. Then he pours it into the biscuit mixture he pressed earlier and bakes it in the new thing called an oven. After a while, it’s finished.
“We need to let it cool down, so we’ll have it another day.”
The look of utter despair on the girls’ faces was pretty memorable.
Later on, we get invited to a ceremony in Orritor. The reason? We’re guests for an exhibition match between the Orritor Imperial Guard and the Knights. Normally, we’d have no reason to be invited. Sure, we played a big part in the victory defending the Salt Road before, and you could say we’re the reason they won. But behind the scenes, word is that the Orritor Imperial Guard and the Knights don’t get along. Apparently, they set up this official match to settle things. It seems the captains of the Imperial Guard and the Knights are brothers. Both are said to be extremely skilled. I hear they’re top-notch in both magic and swordsmanship. When Shuri heard about this, he said the two organizations should just work together.
“If everyone thought like you, Shuri, things would be easier.” “That’s true. By the way, why are we being invited to this ceremony?” “Remember that battle over the Salt Road profits last year? We’re being invited as guests for this martial arts competition, partly as thanks for that.” “Feels kind of like we’re being used, doesn’t it?” “Exactly. They’re inviting our group as guests of honor to show off to others how close they are to us. Be careful. You might be targeted too, Shuri.”
The nobles want to be friendly with our group for their own reasons. The Knights and Imperial Guard are dead set on taking me down. This time, I’m scheduled for an exhibition match in this competition. Against either the captain of the Knights or the Imperial Guard. Watching the matches, it’s clear their subordinates are extremely well-trained. I wonder if I can beat these captains who lead such skilled troops. As the match approaches, I’m in the waiting room. I can see the guest seats in the distance. For some reason, Shuri is here too.
“It’s almost time, isn’t it?” “Yeah, I don’t mind fighting either of them, but it depends on how they play it.” “Actually, Gungrave asked me to do something too.” “Oh? What’s that?” “He wants me to make dessert for the dignitaries at the exhibition match.”
Oh, is he talking about what he made the other day? Shuri takes out several of them and cuts off a piece to give to me. It looks like similar things are being handed out in the guest seats in the distance. The piece he cut is triangular and has a strange shape. It’s like a combination of yellow and brown triangles.
“Here, Kuuga. Please try this first.” “Is this cheese? When I think of cheese, I can only imagine it as a snack with alcohol.”
Cheese as a snack with drinks. That’s unbeatable. Come to think of it, Lill once said she had an apocalyptic revelation when she combined cheese and hamburger steak. I didn’t really get what she meant though. I try to cut it with a spoon, and it feels strange.
“This… the bottom is firm, and the top is slightly soft.” “Cut from the top with the spoon, and include the base too. Eat it all together.”
I see, so you’re supposed to eat the base and the cheese together. I force-cut a piece and bring it to my mouth. I’m surprised.
It’s sweet, but not overpowering.
But there’s sweetness from the cheese and cream. And from the biscuits and butter too. That’s all there is to the sweetness of this dessert. First, the top part has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s so fluffy that it crumbles on your tongue, almost too delicate. But when you bite into it, there’s a distinct texture. This texture comes from the base at the bottom. The top has a subtle sweetness and a melting richness coexisting. The bottom has a crisp texture and a fleeting, light sweetness that disappears in an instant. This is way beyond any dessert you’d find in the common markets. It’s truly the best.
“This is… incredibly delicious. I always thought dessert were supposed to be just sweet.” “There’s hardly any sugar in this. I wanted to bring out the natural deliciousness and sweetness of the cheese and flour.” “I see. I actually like this kind of sweet.”
It’s not a lie, and I’m not just being polite. I really do like this dessert. There aren’t many dessert that can achieve this level of sweetness and deliciousness without relying heavily on sugar. It’s the perfect dessert even for someone like me who doesn’t usually like sweet things. By the way, the two ladies are eating with ecstatic expressions. They’re definitely going to request this again.
“By the way, are you handing these out to everyone?” “Yes, to the Imperial Guard, the Knights, the high-ranking officials, and even the king.”
Wow, they’re getting treated to some good stuff. I feel energized now. Might as well give it my all.
I shoulder my sword and step onto the stage, only to find both the Knight captain and the Imperial Guard captain standing before me. Confused, I shoot a glance at Gungrave, who gives me an apologetic “sorry” sign.
“Excuse me, Sir Kuuga. I am Blitz Reinbar, Commander of the Knights.” “I am Hiryuu Reinbar, Captain of the Imperial Guard.” “I’m Kuuga. Not much of a name to mention, though.” “No, we saw your fighting during the previous battle.” “Truly a warrior worthy of being called a demon god.”
Blitz, with his red buzz cut and a body like a sturdy boulder, and Hiryuu, with his red hair tied back and a slender figure like a willow. They’re complete opposites, but I can feel their strength radiating from them.
“We thought we couldn’t match a demon god like you alone, so my brother and I decided to participate together.” “Please forgive us, Sir Kuuga. We have our pride. Even if we’re called cowards for ganging up on you, there are things we cannot lose.”
Well, noble business is usually like this, I guess.
“And we have one request.” “You’re asking for favors in this situation?” “We know it’s presumptuous. That mysterious sweet we received in the waiting room. We heard it was made by your cook.”
They must mean Shuri.
“If we win, we’d like to take that cook back with us.”
…Huh?
“That dessert was amazing. Enough to mend our discord.” “Therefore, we’d like to welcome that cook and have him make dishes in our country.”
…I silently look at Gungrave. That signal means “go all out.”
“Fine. However…”
I raise my sword to the upper stance,
“Only if you can win.”
I declare. Shuri is part of our family. I won’t hand him over to anyone. I won’t let them poach him. His cooking is the reason I’m here. I won’t do anything like selling out my family. I won’t show mercy to anyone who tries to take him.
“…Brother.” “Indeed, what terrifying spirit. Or rather, demonic pressure.”
Both Blitz and Hiryuu take their sword stances. Then, as if on cue, they all kick off the ground at once! Blitz comes in first, thrusting his sword at my throat.
“How annoying!!!”
I use every bit of skill and body control I have, Put all my weight into my sword, And swing with all my might!!
CRACK!!
The sword swung at god-like speed cleaves the opponent’s sword clean in two.
“I-Impossible.”
While Blitz is stunned, Hiryuu comes in with a horizontal slash. From my downswing, I rotate my ankle, then my knee. From knee to waist. From waist to shoulder. From shoulder to arm, transferring the energy perfectly. Another god-speed upward slash cuts Hiryuu’s sword in half from the middle.
“N-No way.”
Before either can counterattack, I draw the short sword at my waist and point it at both their throats.
“Still want to continue?”
The two seem to have given up. The referee signals the end of the match.
“I win. Give up on taking our cook.”
I make sure to drive that point home before leaving the stage.
Later, I hear from Gungrave that Those two were already using magic. Apparently, they were enhancing their swords and physical abilities with magic, but I, who can’t use magic, delivered slashes that broke through their magic. Some of the high-ranking officials were planning to poach Shuri, but after seeing my match, they quickly backed off. I’m surprised myself. That slash, fueled by the desire to protect Shuri, drew out all the power and skill in my entire body. It was truly my full-power, all-out slash.
Through training, I will eventually master this technique.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link
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Chapter 17
Recently, I’ve noticed more people trying to talk to Shuri.
Following Gungrave’s orders, I have my subordinates keep an eye on him. Some are being pretty obvious about getting closer to him. When I confront them, I find out some have even been secretly offered money by the king of Nouviche to poach Shuri.
I punished those guys without question, but Shuri hasn’t noticed any of this at all. To be honest, I hope he stays oblivious to it.
If he found out about all these dirty schemes, it would really hurt him.
These days, my title has changed from infantry unit captain to infantry unit chief captain, and word is spreading around about how amazing I am.
I’ve been feeling a bit down lately.
Why, you ask? It’s simple.
There’s been some conflict between Lill and Arius lately.
Of course, if it was just a normal argument, I’d stay out of it. No good comes from butting in. My policy is to not get involved unless the people directly involved ask for help.
But come on. Fighting over dessert? That’s kid stuff, right?
“Arius. Lill made this tool. It’s only right that she gets to taste it first.”
“Lill. Don’t you get to eat your favorite hamburger steak almost every day? So isn’t it fair to let me taste my favorite thing first this time?”
“Arius, you’re always pigging out on yudofu. If you eat dessert too, you’ll get fat.”
“Lill, if you keep eating nothing but hamburger steak, your stomach’s going to stick out.”
Scary. Do I really have to deal with this ridiculous argument turning into a bloodbath?
It all started with Shuri.
You see, when we made connections with Nouviche merchants and got access to their food supply lines, we started getting loads of eggs, flour, and sugar.
That’s when Shuri decided to try making tamagoyaki.
He made two kinds – one with sugar and one with dashi stock. I tried both, but the dashi one was definitely better. The sugar one was a bit too sweet.
Gungrave and Tegue preferred the dashi version too. But Lill and Arius were all about the sugar version.
Now our whole unit is split into Team Sugar and Team Dashi, arguing day and night about which tastes better. It’s so stupid that I’m not even getting involved. Dashi tamagoyaki is clearly the best, but I’m keeping my mouth shut. No way I’m getting dragged into that mess.
That’s when Shuri casually mentioned:
“Maybe I should try making some dessert.”
Dessert. The dessert I know are sickeningly sweet. Way sweeter than that tamagoyaki. So sweet they give you heartburn.
The value of dessert is determined by how much sugar is used. The more sugar, the fancier and better it’s considered.
But they’re so sweet that most people can’t stomach them. That’s the common perception. Only nobles and lords are expected to indulge in that stuff.
Girls like Lill and Arius love dessert, of course. They go crazy over a single piece of candy. Honestly, I don’t get what’s so good about it.
Anyway, when Shuri got all the equipment together to make dessert, those two started fighting over who gets to eat them first. Gungrave quickly bailed and ordered me to sort out the situation. I wanted to kill him.
By the way, Tegue tried to stop them and got knocked down with a clean kidney punch. He’s probably not dead, but he is twitching a bit.
“Ladies, calm down. Why don’t we have Shuri make two batches so you can eat them together?”
“But dessert are made one at a time, aren’t they?”
“Yes, this is war. A holy war for the first bite of the first sweet.”
“This is a battle we cannot yield.”
Ugh, this is so stupid.
They’re using big words, but they just want to eat first, don’t they?
Realizing this wasn’t going to stop, I was at a loss. That’s when Shuri stepped between them, ladle in hand.
“You two. That’s enough of that.”
“Shuri, this is war. Don’t interfere.”
“Yes, this is our holy war (fight). Please don’t get in the way.”
“Well then, I guess you don’t need dessert. I’ll stop making them.”
“Arius, let’s eat together.”
“You’re right. World peace is the most important thing.”
I witnessed the ugly change of heart that happens when someone’s stomach is at stake.
In the end, the two acted like there had never been a fight at all. Feeling a bit weirded out by the whole thing, I decided to join in since we were all here anyway.
By the way, Gungrave is trying to get some brought to him later, and Tegue is watching us from afar between training sessions. Come on, you guys. Just come over here already.
Shuri takes out sugar, flour, cheese, eggs, and butter. Plus some biscuits he made earlier when practicing dessert-making.
But there’s one mysterious thing.
A white, fluffy… something.
“Shuri, I get the flour and stuff, but what’s this white fluffy thing?”
“This? It’s whipped cream. It was a pain to make.”
While talking, he crushes the biscuits, mixes them with butter, and for some reason presses it all together.
Then he asks Arius to chill it.
Next, he starts mixing cheese, whipped cream, sugar, and eggs non-stop.
What in the world is he doing?
“Shuri, what’s that?”
“Huff… puff… This… is… how… you… make… it…”
He’s completely out of breath.
After what feels like forever, it seems to be done. He adds some flour and gives it one last mix.
Then he pours it into the biscuit mixture he pressed earlier and bakes it in the new thing called an oven.
After a while, it’s finished.
“We need to let it cool down, so we’ll have it another day.”
The look of utter despair on the girls’ faces was pretty memorable.
Later on, we get invited to a ceremony in Orritor.
The reason? We’re guests for an exhibition match between the Orritor Imperial Guard and the Knights.
Normally, we’d have no reason to be invited. Sure, we played a big part in the victory defending the Salt Road before, and you could say we’re the reason they won.
But behind the scenes, word is that the Orritor Imperial Guard and the Knights don’t get along. Apparently, they set up this official match to settle things.
It seems the captains of the Imperial Guard and the Knights are brothers. Both are said to be extremely skilled. I hear they’re top-notch in both magic and swordsmanship.
When Shuri heard about this, he said the two organizations should just work together.
“If everyone thought like you, Shuri, things would be easier.”
“That’s true. By the way, why are we being invited to this ceremony?”
“Remember that battle over the Salt Road profits last year? We’re being invited as guests for this martial arts competition, partly as thanks for that.”
“Feels kind of like we’re being used, doesn’t it?”
“Exactly. They’re inviting our group as guests of honor to show off to others how close they are to us.
Be careful. You might be targeted too, Shuri.”
The nobles want to be friendly with our group for their own reasons.
The Knights and Imperial Guard are dead set on taking me down.
This time, I’m scheduled for an exhibition match in this competition.
Against either the captain of the Knights or the Imperial Guard.
Watching the matches, it’s clear their subordinates are extremely well-trained.
I wonder if I can beat these captains who lead such skilled troops.
As the match approaches, I’m in the waiting room.
I can see the guest seats in the distance.
For some reason, Shuri is here too.
“It’s almost time, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind fighting either of them, but it depends on how they play it.”
“Actually, Gungrave asked me to do something too.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“He wants me to make dessert for the dignitaries at the exhibition match.”
Oh, is he talking about what he made the other day?
Shuri takes out several of them and cuts off a piece to give to me.
It looks like similar things are being handed out in the guest seats in the distance.
The piece he cut is triangular and has a strange shape.
It’s like a combination of yellow and brown triangles.
“Here, Kuuga. Please try this first.”
“Is this cheese? When I think of cheese, I can only imagine it as a snack with alcohol.”
Cheese as a snack with drinks. That’s unbeatable.
Come to think of it, Lill once said she had an apocalyptic revelation when she combined cheese and hamburger steak. I didn’t really get what she meant though.
I try to cut it with a spoon, and it feels strange.
“This… the bottom is firm, and the top is slightly soft.”
“Cut from the top with the spoon, and include the base too. Eat it all together.”
I see, so you’re supposed to eat the base and the cheese together.
I force-cut a piece and bring it to my mouth. I’m surprised.
It’s sweet, but not overpowering.
But there’s sweetness from the cheese and cream. And from the biscuits and butter too.
That’s all there is to the sweetness of this dessert.
First, the top part has a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
It’s so fluffy that it crumbles on your tongue, almost too delicate.
But when you bite into it, there’s a distinct texture.
This texture comes from the base at the bottom.
The top has a subtle sweetness and a melting richness coexisting.
The bottom has a crisp texture and a fleeting, light sweetness that disappears in an instant.
This is way beyond any dessert you’d find in the common markets.
It’s truly the best.
“This is… incredibly delicious. I always thought dessert were supposed to be just sweet.”
“There’s hardly any sugar in this. I wanted to bring out the natural deliciousness and sweetness of the cheese and flour.”
“I see. I actually like this kind of sweet.”
It’s not a lie, and I’m not just being polite.
I really do like this dessert.
There aren’t many dessert that can achieve this level of sweetness and deliciousness without relying heavily on sugar.
It’s the perfect dessert even for someone like me who doesn’t usually like sweet things.
By the way, the two ladies are eating with ecstatic expressions.
They’re definitely going to request this again.
“By the way, are you handing these out to everyone?”
“Yes, to the Imperial Guard, the Knights, the high-ranking officials, and even the king.”
Wow, they’re getting treated to some good stuff.
I feel energized now. Might as well give it my all.
I shoulder my sword and step onto the stage, only to find both the Knight captain and the Imperial Guard captain standing before me.
Confused, I shoot a glance at Gungrave, who gives me an apologetic “sorry” sign.
“Excuse me, Sir Kuuga. I am Blitz Reinbar, Commander of the Knights.”
“I am Hiryuu Reinbar, Captain of the Imperial Guard.”
“I’m Kuuga. Not much of a name to mention, though.”
“No, we saw your fighting during the previous battle.”
“Truly a warrior worthy of being called a demon god.”
Blitz, with his red buzz cut and a body like a sturdy boulder, and Hiryuu, with his red hair tied back and a slender figure like a willow.
They’re complete opposites, but I can feel their strength radiating from them.
“We thought we couldn’t match a demon god like you alone, so my brother and I decided to participate together.”
“Please forgive us, Sir Kuuga. We have our pride. Even if we’re called cowards for ganging up on you, there are things we cannot lose.”
Well, noble business is usually like this, I guess.
“And we have one request.”
“You’re asking for favors in this situation?”
“We know it’s presumptuous. That mysterious sweet we received in the waiting room. We heard it was made by your cook.”
They must mean Shuri.
“If we win, we’d like to take that cook back with us.”
…Huh?
“That dessert was amazing. Enough to mend our discord.”
“Therefore, we’d like to welcome that cook and have him make dishes in our country.”
…I silently look at Gungrave.
That signal means “go all out.”
“Fine. However…”
I raise my sword to the upper stance,
“Only if you can win.”
I declare.
Shuri is part of our family.
I won’t hand him over to anyone. I won’t let them poach him.
His cooking is the reason I’m here.
I won’t do anything like selling out my family.
I won’t show mercy to anyone who tries to take him.
“…Brother.”
“Indeed, what terrifying spirit. Or rather, demonic pressure.”
Both Blitz and Hiryuu take their sword stances.
Then, as if on cue, they all kick off the ground at once!
Blitz comes in first, thrusting his sword at my throat.
“How annoying!!!”
I use every bit of skill and body control I have,
Put all my weight into my sword,
And swing with all my might!!
CRACK!!
The sword swung at god-like speed cleaves the opponent’s sword clean in two.
“I-Impossible.”
While Blitz is stunned, Hiryuu comes in with a horizontal slash.
From my downswing,
I rotate my ankle, then my knee.
From knee to waist.
From waist to shoulder.
From shoulder to arm, transferring the energy perfectly.
Another god-speed upward slash cuts Hiryuu’s sword in half from the middle.
“N-No way.”
Before either can counterattack, I draw the short sword at my waist and point it at both their throats.
“Still want to continue?”
The two seem to have given up.
The referee signals the end of the match.
“I win. Give up on taking our cook.”
I make sure to drive that point home before leaving the stage.
Later, I hear from Gungrave that
Those two were already using magic.
Apparently, they were enhancing their swords and physical abilities with magic, but I, who can’t use magic, delivered slashes that broke through their magic.
Some of the high-ranking officials were planning to poach Shuri, but after seeing my match, they quickly backed off.
I’m surprised myself.
That slash, fueled by the desire to protect Shuri, drew out all the power and skill in my entire body.
It was truly my full-power, all-out slash.
Through training, I will eventually master this technique.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link
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