Episode 105

Catherine, her mages, and Karem learned their destination a day later.

Blackwood Village.

A place where generations of people have lived by logging the Blackwood Forest near the village, so much so that it could be called a sawmill itself.

The reason was surprisingly simple.

It is said that the location was mentioned in the first message delivered by Iona’s courier to Winterham.

The reason the location was omitted in the orders Karem saw, handed over by Catherine, was also simple.

The situation was so urgent that in writing quickly, some details were left out in several orders.

This meant that even Alfred, the one giving the orders, was flustered.

Of course, it was only natural for Alfred to be flustered.

Given Iona’s position, how could he casually assign an escort?

The knights and soldiers organized as the escort could easily slaughter most monsters with their combined combat strength.

Yet, Iona was fleeing?

It was only natural for Alfred to be flustered in such an unexpected situation.

The rescue team, as it passed through estates and territories, grew larger and larger.

This, too, had a simple reason.

“Tútatis, my goodness! How dare they threaten the elder of the Trinity Church! The Stonefist family will lend support to defeat such a trivial monster pack!”

“His Grace the Duke must be troubled. To rescue the survivors, Sir Malbird will lead his soldiers to support the effort.”

“The elder supported our tribe with food when we were in our darkest time. Now, it’s time to repay that debt! Men of the Fleet Tribe, raise your axes!”

“Ahem, I just got here after seeing the request. What about the payment and bonuses?”

Some for their faith.

Some to repay a favor.

Some for loyalty.

Some simply to gain favor with the Duke’s family and get a bit of the crumbs.

As several merchants, attracted by the scent of money, began to follow, the rescue team became so powerful that it could easily overwhelm any medium-sized territory.

Normally, the larger the crowd, the more chaotic it becomes.

It was odd that no problems arose with such a large group suddenly joining.

However, once they arrived at Blackwood Village, it was quickly resolved.

“Wow, is this really a human?”

A temporary wide open space in the village.

Looking at the arena, Karem muttered in disbelief.

It wasn’t just Karem.

Knights, soldiers, mercenaries, adventurers, and even nobles surrounding the open space.

Except for a very few, including Catherine, everyone was staring at the center of the open space with the same reaction.

“This… this isn’t real!!!”

“Is this really all it takes to force an opinion on me?!!!”

Lightning Pound!

Boom! – Something shocking was happening.

The protagonist of the arena was a burly middle-aged man, his chin covered in a thick beard.

He wore brightly decorated clothes with heavy armor over them, and his hands held no weapons whatsoever.

Only his arms, legs, and body.

And added strength.

“Hah! Knights these days are weaklings!”

With nothing but sheer strength, he lifted a charging knight off his horse with a whip and threw him to the ground.

Next to him, other knights and horses that had charged earlier were struggling in shock.

A veritable ogre shaped like a human.

No, Karem denied his own thoughts.

“U-Uh, Lady Athanitas? How many knights are there in total, including those?”

“Adventurers, mercenaries, soldiers, tribesmen, nobles, and knights… together, twenty? No, if we include the three he just threw, that’s twenty-three.”

“That person, no, is that really a person?”

Karem was about to speak carelessly but quickly corrected himself.

No matter how much he resembled an ogre shaped like a human, the opponent was none other than Sir Giant Churchill, the leader of the rescue team and a Swordmaster.

It sounded like a nickname, but Karem had heard that his real name was Giant, as in “Giant” Churchill.

“He said if you had complaints, just knock them down with force.”

“Well, it’s a bit strange, but it was a legitimate duel, so anyone complaining about it will be silenced.”

“But there were nobles and knights involved, is that okay?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“No, I mean their dignity as nobles, or their honor.”

Nobles and knights live by appearances.

They live and die by their honor.

For them to be so one-sidedly defeated like this…

Karem began to worry that this might stir some resistance that hadn’t been there before.

Catherine silently gestured towards the center of the open space with a nod.

It was a futile worry.

Beyond his thick lion’s mane, Sir Churchill, smiling widely, helped the knights and their horses back up, chatting with them casually.

It was like one of those scenes where children fight and then become friends afterward.

The scene resembled something out of a boys’ comic, and the crowd around them erupted in loud cheers.

“Ugh, so noisy.”

“Iceland respects and reveres the strong. Even those who raised complaints earlier didn’t truly mean it.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“They just wanted to fight the famous Swordmaster under the Duke of Iceland.”

“So, they intentionally provoked him?”

“Mm.”

Catherine nodded as if she had just confirmed the correct answer.

“Truly, the giant of the Felwinter family is as amazing as I’ve heard!”

“My own horse is no slouch, but even it stumbles and wobbles!”

“Truly, this is the real Master. I think I see the path ahead!”

Indeed, those who had formed a rough atmosphere with Sir Churchill now resembled passionate fans meeting their idol, whose world-class status was undeniable.

And despite the dispersing atmosphere, they couldn’t help but continue to clap and cheer in admiration.

“Speaking of Swordmasters… that damn mercenary comes to mind.”

“Out of nowhere, a mercenary?”

“You know, the one who was with us when we first met.”

“Oh, right. Gordon?”

But why is Gordon suddenly brought up in a conversation about Swordmasters?

Catherine clicked her tongue lightly.

“An ordinary wandering knight, what do they know? Why would a Swordmaster lower himself to roll around as a mercenary?”

“Wait, Gordon is a Swordmaster? Wasn’t he a wandering knight level?”

It had been a few months, but Karem vaguely remembered.

Thinking about it like that, he became a bit confused.

Karem knew what a Swordmaster was.

He knew Swordmasters from his past life, both in real history and in novels. But what exactly was a Swordmaster here?

“Well, you’ve always been stuck in the same places, so I suppose it’s understandable you wouldn’t know.”

“Well, is there a subclass like ‘user’ or ‘expert’?”

“There are subcategories, but the terminology is all wrong.”

First, a knight enters and learns the basics. A page.

Once they master the basics and learn how to channel mana, they become a squire.

Through mastery of basics, mana manipulation, and field experience, they prove themselves as a bachelor.

A Swordmaster is one who, single-handedly, defeats several knights and changes the course of the battlefield.

As she counted off with her fingers, Catherine kindly explained it to Karem.

“But this isn’t an absolute standard, so just take it as reference.”

“It’s quite specific… is there a reason for that?”

“Well, the truth is, any class below Swordmaster is meaningless.”

“Huh?”

“A knight could fall if they’re hit in the head by a rock, or die from a misplaced arrow. It’s just a classification inherited from the ancient Palatino Empire.”

Anyway, the small show was winding down.

Not resisting the dispersing crowd, Karem followed Catherine to their lodging.

“We’ve spent so much time watching, it’s way past lunch.”

“Since the timing’s awkward, should we just make something quick and light?”

“If we wait too long, dinner will be awkward, so hurry up and make it.”

“Yes!”

They unpacked as soon as they arrived. They hadn’t prepared anything because they were busy watching the rescue team leader’s strength show.

But then, a certain menu idea popped into Karem’s head.

Karem, answering Catherine, immediately ran towards the supply officer.

As soon as the rescue team arrived and the performance under the name of the duel ended, the search party was organized, and Blackwood Village became bustling with activity as they dealt with the forest monsters.

However, it had nothing to do with the cooks.

One of the two ingredients Karem had received from the supply officer.

He began cutting in half a single loaf of bread, which was baked in the style of Bersengieto, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, meant for the noble guests.

As the bread knife moved, crumbs of crust and soft interior fell onto the cutting board, filling the air with the savory scent of freshly baked bread.

Just the bread alone with some jam would make for a wonderful meal or snack.

Fresh milk would have been even better, but Karem hadn’t brought jam just for that.

Karem quickly pulled the insides out of the thickly sliced bread so that it formed an arch.

“I could cut the insides and fry them into rusks, or grind them and add them to a soup.”

In an instant, the bread was hollowed out, turning into a long bowl.

Anyone unaware of the purpose might criticize the waste of good bread, but those who knew about sandwiches would surely understand.

This empty space was merely preparation for more filling.

The real stars were yet to come.

Karem grabbed the jar of jam he had received from the supply officer.

It was a jar of grape jam, generously sweetened, famous from the Bersengieto region, made from their renowned grapes and wine.

He turned it upside down and poured the whole jar onto the bread.

Following the laws of physics, the jam quickly spilled out of the jar and onto the bread.

The grape jam, unable to withstand its weight, splashed down and gleamed a rich purple, like fine amethyst.

Anyone who saw it might think it was just eating jam instead of making a jam sandwich, but this was the recipe Karem remembered from his past life.

The reason for hollowing out the bread in the first place was to make room for more filling.

It just so happened that the filling was jam.

But Karem’s outrageous actions didn’t end there.

This time, he picked up another jar.

It was almond butter that Karem had personally made and packed when they left Winterham.

Ideally, it would have been peanut butter, but he had to make do with what he had.

In that sense, nut butter was an excellent substitute for peanut butter.

The quality was excellent, as it came from the Duke’s estate, with almonds far superior to anything Karem had experienced in his past life, guaranteeing great taste.

Following the same process as before.

He spread the entire jar of almond butter into the remaining hollowed-out bread.

Now, just put them together and it’s done.

Actually, there was one more important step left.

In cooking, sweet, salty, and savory are the truest principles.

Karem pulled the plate of crispy bacon he had prepared earlier, and carefully packed it into the almond buttered bread, making sure there were no gaps.

If this had been an ordinary loaf, it would have burst out already, but since he had hollowed out the entire bread, it was packed so tightly that it was even piled on top.

But there was no issue.

Because it was covered with another slice of bread topped with grape jam.

This was what they called a Fool’s Gold Loaf.

Or, one of the causes of Elvis Presley’s early death.

Of course, once made, it turned out to be an incredibly heavy sandwich, one that looked like something only a fool would eat, and you’d think you could skip meals for a couple of days afterward.

Karem placed the Fool’s Gold Loaf on a plate with the bread knife and carried it out whole.

“Well, if you can’t finish it, you can eat it later, so it’s no problem.”

Karem could see that fool right in front of him.

It was a jaw-dropping moment as that giant Fool’s Gold Loaf disappeared before his eyes.

Crunch, crunch—crisp!

“Mmm, hmm! Who would have thought, the sweet and aromatic grape jam, the salty bacon, and the subtle almond flavor spreading through!”

Sir Giant Churchill, who had suddenly appeared as a guest.

The rescue team leader left only a portion as Catherine’s share and devoured the rest of the loaf in one bite.