100
Finals
‘A bastard who wouldn’t feel relieved even if he were burned to death.’
Swallows bit their nails in impatience.
‘No. The duration was one day, so if I delay the planning time just a little bit, it’ll be about… Damn it, delaying the plan!’
Swallows spat out his bitten fingernails, muttering to himself the phrase that wizards hate the most.
Blood spurted out, but I didn’t have the presence of mind to pay attention to it.
How much effort have you put into planning for tomorrow?
‘···But because of that kid!’
Dylan, Dylan, Dylan.
The Swallows continued to mutter the name.
I swore that I would kill that bastard someday.
‘We have to do something about it.’
The nobles gathered for Youngae’s birthday.
A liquid that binds aura and mana.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
‘Just slow down and proceed as planned.’
The risk level went up, but there was nothing we could do.
I have no choice but to accept it.
Thud.
Swallows nodded, spitting out bloody claws.
‘···Just slow down and proceed as planned. Once we get here, no one will be able to stop us.’
Surrounding the Swallows was a huge cavern, covered in incomprehensible metaphysical texts.
‘For magic.’
Swallows smiled brightly, rolling the sweet words around in his mouth.
***
‘···Fuck.’
Swallows felt heavy for the first time in a long time.
Along with this, a growing sense of helplessness and anxiety arise.
But I couldn’t just lie down, so I got up from my seat.
“Today is the finals of the garlic contest, so everyone come watch. Hey, Kua Ba Rou!”
‘Meeting that guy in the morning…’
It wasn’t a good start.
It was Swallows who had slept at Hannah’s bar the day before to check on Kanna’s condition.
“I am not a squirrel, I am a swallow.”
“Yeah, Kua Ba Rou, you too, come watch the finals of the garlic contest.”
“···Aren’t you going to eat stew?”
“Who would eat dog food like that?”
Swallows frowned at the bastard’s blunt reaction.
He was just a security guard, but he was a dangerous person because his identity was unknown.
Considering the feats he had accomplished last time, including deflecting magic and wearing a strange helmet, he was not one to be ignored.
However, I thought that no matter what the bastard’s identity was, it wouldn’t matter as long as I could block Mana and Aura…
‘···A guy who would even eat raw meat says stew is dog food?’
It was an unexpected ambush.
It felt like the variables were overlapping, but Swallows shook his head forcefully.
‘The goal was to neutralize the forces of Yeong-ae and Pulpouts anyway. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t eat it.’
However, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Then I came face to face with Kanna, who was more cheerful than usual.
The frost on Kanna’s hands was not ordinary ice magic.
‘······Enhanced cooling?’
Originally, magic was a law where the basics were the most important.
Although Kanna’s talent was outstanding, she had never learned it separately, so her magic was all over the place. Swallows focused on the basics.
But that cooling clearly goes beyond basic levels.
The moment they saw him, Swallows’ rising anxiety disappeared in an instant.
‘For magic.’
I gulped as I thought only about that.
“Kanna, I heard they’re giving out stew in the square. Do you want to go with me?”
“No. It’s dirty. Dog food.”
Swallows’ brow furrowed again at Kanna’s answer.
‘It’s okay. If Mana comes back later, even if Kanna has Mana…’
Swallows forced a smile and left the bar.
It was a great day to advance magic.
***
‘That kid is a bit weird, isn’t he?’
I wiped my chin as I watched Kkwobarou run away in a hurry.
It was subtle, but what mattered right now wasn’t Kua Ba Rou.
“I don’t understand why my pork blood garlic gravy was left out. Didn’t you often eat it in the desert?”
Choco complained, frowning.
“I drank because there was nothing to drink back then.”
Choco, like a desert creature, brought an unexpected treat.
“The smell of blood mixed with spiciness is amazing.”
I waved my hand and chased away the grumbling chocolate.
The power of 30 silver coins was quite great.
All kinds of garlic recipes have emerged.
Sure, most of them were crap, but there were some good ones that were scheduled to make it to the finals today.
“Aaron! Dog food! I worked so hard to make it!”
At that moment, Hannah came out, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Strangely enough, unlike Adela, it had a pleasant scent.
When I was making stew on the inner side, I drafted a few people from the outer side, and strangely enough, I was picked for that.
As someone who knows Hannah’s cooking skills, I had doubts, but I didn’t dare say it out loud.
“Try this. I brought it secretly with me yesterday.”
Hannah winked and held out the bowl as if she was lacking nutrients.
There was a whole bowl of stew that looked like dog food.
Naeseong must have spent some money on Youngae’s birthday party because there was a lot of food, but it didn’t look like something I would want to eat.
“Ah, I’m a judge. It’s difficult.”
I shook my head firmly, showing my palms.
“···Huh? Oh, today was the final of the garlic contest, right? I would participate too, as long as it wasn’t stew!”
Hannah rolled up her arms and grinned.
Although thin, Hannah’s arms had fine muscle and seemed to have considerable strength.
“Your arms are pretty good… Hannah, do you want to learn swordsmanship later?”
“Yes? No. You can just shoot with a crossbow, so why bother learning the sword?”
I hesitated for a moment at Hannah’s question.
I couldn’t think of anything to refute.
“Not a sword, but this···.”
“Okay.”
Hannah laughed out loud at the sight of her squinting her eyes and waving her hands.
“Then, good luck in the finals! If you have time, come to the square. I’ll set Aaron aside.”
Hannah spoke with confidence, but I wasn’t very impressed because the content was about setting aside dog food.
“Let’s go.”
At that moment, Kanna, with an expression on her face as if she was going to battle, stood next to me and spoke.
The pot and various tools carried on the small back caught my eye.
“The judging will be fair.”
I said, brushing Kanna’s hair back.
Kanna nodded with a serious face.
***
The ‘Awesome Aaron Rabbit’ bar was open.
In addition, preparations for the finals of the garlic contest were complete.
It seemed like the three Hogu members and volunteers had been working diligently since morning.
I didn’t bother to report to the captain that I couldn’t go to work today.
That would be the case···.
“Honorable Captain Aaron! Good morning! Is your cough feeling better? You need to rest!”
Since the captain was also a participant who had advanced to the finals, there was no need to report it.
“I am a judge today.”
“Ugh… I know! I know that, but I was so happy that I didn’t realize it… Ahem.”
The captain coughed and stepped back at my firm words.
There was a wide screening room set up in the middle of the first floor of the bar.
‘Well made.’
The judging panel was organized according to my requirements.
Four tables in the middle with various cooking utensils and ingredients on them.
And three slightly high chairs and tables so he can be seen at a glance.
In the final, three impartial judges would watch their cooking process and evaluate them.
And the two other vice judges, excluding me, were already seated.
“Ahem··· Why me···.”
The abbot with a shy face muttered, coughing in vain.
On the other side sat the washing machine with a pious expression. Both looked like they were worthy of being judges.
I adjusted my armor and sat in the middle seat.
There were quite a few people gathered on the second floor to watch.
The smell of garlic filled the bar, and their faces wrinkled slightly, but less so than yesterday.
It was a sign that the uncivilized medieval people were slowly becoming enlightened by the smell of garlic.
“I would like to enter as a participant.”
Berman said, standing on the stairs. Beside him, Kel twitched the corners of his mouth and cleared his throat.
Waaaaaaaaaah-!
A small cheer.
The participants entered one by one.
“The representative widow of Cassidy! Marsha and her son Brick!”
Kel introduced Marsha vigorously, even whistling.
The names of the bricks after that were barely audible.
Masha, with a gentle smile, entered first, followed by Brick, who shouted at them, ‘Stop cheering!’
“Masha! Masha! Masha!”
Brick’s face crumpled every time they called out Marsha’s name.
“Next is the legendary captain who put ten silver coins in the nostrils of the outer guard!!”
“Gwaaaaah!!”
The captain, with a bunch of small Coopers stuffed into his nostrils, made a noisy appearance, spraying Coopers with every step he took.
Perhaps because of that achievement, there was a cheer that was not inferior to that of Marsha.
“Hello. I am the captain of the Brick Outer Wall Guard. You can call me Brick Outer Wall Guard for short.”
“Oh my, does our child owe you a lot?”
“Haha, what’s your status….”
The captain who appeared naturally turned towards Marsha, shook her hand, and started talking.
However, as the handshake dragged on for a bit, Brick’s face crumpled.
“Next up is the spice merchant Marita!!”
Berman introduced, but this time the cheers were small.
‘Is this the guy who soaked garlic in vinegar?’
At first, I was going to throw it out because it said that garlic was soaked in vinegar, but it tasted sour like pickled garlic, so I gave it a pass.
The idea of using vinegar to cut through the spiciness of garlic was ingenious.
‘It would be difficult to win just by capturing the spicy flavor.’
“Finally…! The leader of Namaiyad! The arbitrator of Cassidy! The daughter of Aaron!! Kaaaaannaa!!”
With Kel’s booming voice.
Tiring-.
A random guitar sound.
The room suddenly became dark.
A light rising from one side.
“Kuhh!!!”
Kanna, who was carrying a bucket over her head, raised both hands and shouted.
“Kuh! Kuh! Kuh!”
Cheers echoed everywhere.
‘···This is really fucking annoying.’
My head started to spin as I watched Kanna appearing with such a loud voice, almost like a wrestler.
Even fan service, such as spraying ice and fire from both hands, was the domain of professionals, not amateurs.
A tremendous cheering unlike any before followed.
Kanna appeared amidst the thunderous cheers, climbed up onto the table and stood proudly.
I thought it was to stand taller than the other contestants, but still, getting on the table in a cooking competition…
“Kuhh!!”
‘···Yeah, I heard she likes it.’
So the four teams took their seats at their respective tables.
“Time is until this candle goes out. If you don’t finish it within that time, you’re out. The judging criteria also includes the cooking process. The scores of the three judges will be included fairly…”
After Berman’s explanation, the main event began.
Participants moving busily.
Everyone started cooking in their own way.
“···Why did I call you?”
The abbot asked with a worried expression.
“I just felt like it had to be that way.”
The abbot, with every strand of his hair brushed back, looked like a very picky judge to anyone who saw him.
Originally, there had to be at least one person like that on the judging panel. For example, it would have been fun if there was a sharp tongue or a performance where they chewed and then spat out food.
“And you, when are you going to worship?”
“Soon. Soon.”
“It doesn’t make sense for you, as an honorary monk, to trade worship. No matter how honorary you are, you are still a true monk…”
However, I regretted my decision after the abbot’s nagging continued.
“That’s the infamous fish bread.”
The washing machine looked around at the cooks with sharp eyes and said.
Since the washerman was a very skilled cook, expectations were high for his evaluation.
The captain, who had been talking to Masha until then, belatedly grabbed the bread dough.
A master who kneads bread dough with rough skills.
Next, the captain repeatedly struck the garlic with a hammer placed next to him and turned it into powder.
Tears flowed from those large eyes, but the captain’s rough hands did not stop.
I put the almost crushed garlic on the bread and roughly threw the ingredients next to it on top.
In that scene, I glimpsed my cousin who used to come home from work and search through the fridge to make bibimbap.
‘···Why are you using so many ingredients?’
My fists trembled for a moment at the sight of him pouring even that precious sugar on them, but I held it back.
What hindered progress was narrow-mindedness.
Since we’re already holding the competition, we’ll provide generous support…
“You put sugar in it, why did you put honey in it too!”
“You clearly said earlier that you could use it without holding back···.”
The startled captain flinched and answered.
I tried hard to suppress my anger at that sight and waved my hand.
The captain roughly threw the bread dough, with all the ingredients mixed into it, into the fireplace behind him.
The result was not at all promising due to its sloppiness and roughness.
And Brick shouted at the captain who was slowly sticking to Marsha.
But Marsha, who was cleaning the fish, scolded Brick and the captain quickly stood next to him.
‘It’s complicated. It’s complicated.’
A sour smell wafted through the air.
When I turned my head, the guy who was said to be a spice merchant was taking garlic out of the vinegar.
While everyone was busy moving around, Kanna was the only one looking down at them with her arms crossed.
Of course, since Kanna was short, she had to climb up on the table and stand on tiptoe to look down.
Kanna raised her hand.
“Aaron’s daughter! Aaron’s daughter!”
A strange slogan rang out.
Then, frost buds formed around Kanna’s hands.
Although its momentum was extraordinary, it was small and only stayed around Kanna’s hand.
Soon, as the frost took full form, Kanna crouched down and threw her fist at the garlic.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every time Kanna’s fist, covered in frost, struck down, the garlic shattered into pieces as if it had been quickly frozen.
“I thought it was a joke that you were my daughter because you look nothing like me, but now that I look at you, you are indeed my daughter.”
I scratched my cheek at the abbot’s voice.
‘···If you extend your fist like that, you won’t be able to use all your strength.’
After chopping up all the garlic, Kanna moved at a duck pace and started crushing the ingredients placed around her with her quick-frozen fist.
“You need to straighten your back a bit and extend your fist.”
I unconsciously took a break from the frustration.
Kanna nodded vigorously, changed her posture, and swung her fist again.
I practiced a few more times and by the end, Kanna’s posture was pretty good.
‘But is that really cooking?’
I had my doubts, but I applauded when Kanna smiled brightly as she chopped up all the ingredients and raised both hands with a ‘Kuh!’
It was factored cooking, not molecular cooking, but since Kanna herself was satisfied, there was nothing more to say.
The finals of the garlic contest ended with him.
“Just try them and rank each dish.”
“So why am I ranking foods···.”
Ignoring the abbot’s minor objections, I ate the pickled garlic first.
‘The taste is okay, but it’s a bit boring. And there’s no performance.’
It served its original purpose perfectly, but now that the scale of the competition has grown, I can’t give it a good score because it has lost its original purpose.
“Before drinking, you should rinse your mouth with beer to get rid of any remaining flavors.”
I explained, holding the glass of beer in front of me.
“I’m abstinent.”
The abbot flatly refused.
Next up is Kanna’s takedown dish, which was considered a likely winner.
Things that had been taken over by something were frozen and tangled together.
“It tastes amazing.”
The abbot returned with a solemn face, and ate the beads with a small exclamation of admiration.
“I can only say, ‘As expected, it’s Kannada.’”
The washing machine, unlike before, nodded its head in approval.
As he exchanged glances with Kanna, it seemed as if there was an invisible connection.
‘···It’s just a bead ice cream?’
It even tasted like bead ice cream because it had a lot of sugar sprinkled on top.
It was a bit garlicky, but it did have a nice garlicky taste, like garlic-flavored ice cream.
‘I guess it wouldn’t be a bad first step to enlightening the taste of garlic.’
It was a dish I would recommend to beginners who like garlic, but the popularity of the recipe was a negative factor.
Next up was the garlic fish bread.
The washing machine and the abbot let out a sigh at the sight of the fish-faced, grim sight.
The abbot hesitated for a moment before gulping down the beer in front of him. It seemed like he had no intention of rinsing his mouth.
“It’s quite delicious. You don’t have to worry.”
I put it in my mouth without hesitation because I knew that even though it looked horrible, it tasted great.
Pak- The freshness of the fish bursting and the spiciness of garlic.
I tried it again and it was a fantastic combination.
The other two, who had been watching me eat, seemed to have made up their minds and each took a bite of the garlic fish bread.
“The combination of the two is not bad. I think this is the next step after Kanna’s cooking.”
The washing machine nodded and praised.
“It’s spicy and disgusting. It’s just covering it up with that stimulating taste. This is like not repenting a sin and trying to hide it with an even bigger sin, so it can be seen as wrong.”
The abbot wiped his mouth with the cloth he had prepared and gave a cool assessment.
‘Opinions are divided.’
It suited my taste, but it seemed to have a slightly different flavor for the medieval palates.
Of course, I gave it a high score because it was delicious.
The judges’ scores were 80% for me and 20% for the other two, so the garlic fish bread won.
The last dish was a bread that the captain made by roughly throwing together ingredients, but the cooking process was so dry that I didn’t have much hope for it.
The captain belatedly took the bread out of the stove.
Its shape was unusual.
‘···pizza?’
A variety of ingredients on top of a large piece of bread, and the fragrant smell of garlic roasting at the same time.
Honey and sugar sprinkled on top.
Since I had just carelessly poured all the ingredients in, I didn’t expect much, but the scent was extraordinary.
“Hot! Hot! Ah, hot!!”
The captain made a big fuss and put it down in front of me.
‘···Garlic Gorgonzola Pizza?’
Sure, it wasn’t exactly pizza-shaped, but it was kind of like a medieval patch.
“Putting ingredients on top of bread… You don’t even know the basics of cooking. You have to put ingredients inside to cook it well and bring out the flavor.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen bread in this form. However, it contains excessive ingredients beyond the appropriate level. This is a waste that we must be wary of.”
Even though the uncivilized medieval guys next to me were chattering away, I reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed the bread.
However, since it was not cut, I had no choice but to take it in all at once.
Anyway, the two on either side didn’t seem to want to eat it, so they put it in their mouths right away.
“Captain wins.”
The match was decided at the first bite.
There was no need to worry about the cost of ingredients or the taste buds of medieval people, as the difference in taste was so overwhelming.
“Huh? Me?”
The captain, who had been scratching his bald head for a moment, waved his hand and cheered loudly.
“I dedicate this honor to Masha!”
“oh.”
“What are you offering? Commander, step down! I won’t let you off even though you’re the commander!”
‘I was only thinking about kimchi stew. I completely forgot about pizza. Oh, there was something like this.’
As I ate the remaining pizza, tears welled up in my eyes.
“···If you’re going to be the one evaluating it anyway, then why did you even let us sit there?”
“Originally, three people had to sit down to conceive.”
The abbot, who had been staring at me for a while, sighed softly and put some pickled garlic in his mouth.
By the time I finished the pizza.
“···Can I get this separately?”
The abbot asked with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
***
[Miss Vivian and I, Levilian of the House of Fener, have decided to have our wedding at the Bolt Castle. This is due to our youthful spirit···.]
‘···Where did it go wrong?’
Swallows muttered, looking down at the paper in his hand in vain.
The plan was simple.
Youngae and Pulpouts neutralize the knights.
After that, the Swallows kidnap Youngae and decide to meet her in a prepared cave.
Kanna is taken care of separately during the process.
It was a possible plan because it was a remote castle with no defenses against magicians.
Moreover, since there were many nobles who visited Yeong-ae’s birthday, the probability of him being identified as the culprit was very low.
It wasn’t a bad plan.
It was also a possible plan because the wizards of the Gray Tower and the White Tower joined hands.
‘···But why.’
Swallows rethought things from the beginning.
The plan went smoothly.
The strange stew was eaten by not only Baron Fullfoot, but also all the knights.
After Count Behar ate it, saying that it smelled like garlic, all the other characters ate it too.
When making stew, I was skeptical about garlic since I had never seen it before, but it turned out to be a godsend for the Swallows.
‘From then on···.’
The original knight didn’t really bring out his aura. So even if his aura was cut off for a day or so, there was a high chance that he wouldn’t be noticed.
I expected Swallows to be like that too.
But then Adela suddenly pointed out Namgi.
Adela immediately drew her sword, saying she had been insulted, and the opposing knight drew his sword with a look of bewilderment on his face.
A battle that took place in an instant, with no time to stop it.
Adela easily defeated her opponent by crossing their swords several times, but their expressions were strange.
It was discovered earlier than expected that the aura could not be used so suddenly.
Someone put the devil in their mouth and the atmosphere became cold.
The first to move was Count Bechard.
Count Behart, whose expression had become somewhat subtle, locked himself in the inner castle, and the other elder sons also hid in a hurry, each with their knights.
No one went outside the castle because of rumors that demons were waiting outside.
It seemed like everyone was planning to send soldiers to their families first and then watch the situation from Castle Cassadic.
Even though security was tight, Swallows tried to look at it positively.
Anyway, the aura has been blocked, so all we need is for there to be no witnesses.
But when I arrived at Yeong-ae’s room, the room was already empty.
Only the letter from the wealthy Fener remained.
It was a series of incomprehensible developments.
That was what he was worried about now.
Thinking back, the biggest problem was…
‘The delay in planning was fatal.’
Dylan···.
The Swallows gritted their teeth.
“Ahhh… So… What do we do now?”
The gray-topped guy standing next to me asked with a smiling voice.
The teasing made Swallows’ nerves tense, but now was not the time to be angry.
“First, let’s secure Youngae. She probably hasn’t gotten far yet.”
“Ahh… I see… But how…?”
The gray bastard’s gloomy eyes were drawing a line.
Those eyes seemed to ask a question.
···Can’t you use Mana right now?
Swallows roughly calculated the remaining time by feeling.
Mana will come back in a little while. It’s fortunate that I ate before those guys here.
I had exactly half a day to spare.
That was enough.
‘No, it might even be better. If we take Young-ae away from Jang-ja and send him to Bolt Castle…’
Even if Young-ae were found dead, it was clear that he would be identified as the culprit.
Swallows tried to clear his throat leisurely and opened his mouth.
“It will be released soon. You go after Yeong-ae. I will take care of Kanna and go.”
“iced coffee···.”
The gray one sighed softly, nodded, and disappeared behind him.
‘···If only it weren’t for that son of a bitch.’
Swallows muttered, “Dylan,” and frowned.
‘First of all, let’s confuse the surname with this…’
Swallows quickly revised his plan and took out the magical tools he had been saving from his bosom.
***
“I feel so wronged. I feel so wronged. I feel so wronged because I was bitten by a brat.”
A secluded place in District 7 where no one visits.
Dylan grumbled and tapped his foot in front of the secret storage room.
‘I said from the beginning that stew wasn’t a good idea. That delicious stew is dog food… You ignorant little brat.’
Beside Dylan, two empty bowls were lying around.
“There is no answer. There is no answer.”
In the end, Dylan was unable to find the gold coins that the cubs had requested or to figure out how to eat garlic deliciously.
Since it was clear that if I ran into the cubs I would get crushed, I took refuge in a warehouse that I had secretly prepared.
“At times like this, I wish one big thing would explode. All the kids’ attention would be focused on that. Something really big.”
Dylan tossed and turned, feeling unwell.
At that time, something kept bothering me inside my pants.
‘Have I grown this much?’
I put my hand in annoyance and took out what was stuck…
Dylan’s eyes widened at the sight of the brilliant gold coin.
Dylan thought about it for a moment.
Could it be that he was able to carry gold coins?
When I gently pushed it, a bright yellow stream of water came out.
Dylan was having a hard time because he had to go to the bathroom.
If you’re not cheapening your gold, then this is… a bunch of bastards…
‘This is fucked.’
Dylan gulped as he looked at the water-stained gold coins.
at that time.
Kwaaaaang-!
A hot wind blowing from somewhere.
I turned my head and saw a burning inner self.
Dylan’s eyes, looking at him, wavered for a moment before quickly becoming a steady light.
I don’t know what the hell it was, but it was definitely a miracle from heaven to save me.
‘Heaven is on my side.’
Dylan quickly grabbed his dagger and jumped to his feet.
No, I thought that wasn’t enough, so I hurriedly covered my entire body with the mud next to me.
It looked like he had been working very hard.
“Hyeooo …
Only then did Dylan smile with satisfaction and run quickly.
