Chapter 149 - King of Cooking Hans 2 (2/2)
“Because I know the importance of having a good cook.”
Woohyuk was suddenly reminded of the horrible food Leifina had made in the past.
As Woohyuk tried to erase the painful memories of the past, Allen ended his silence and spoke up.
“What about using this opportunity to feed the Kazaks food made with mandragoras?”
”That's a good idea. We also have the best cook with us.”
Allen and Reina had learned from Woohyuk that Hans had the title 'King of Cooking'.
Hans awkwardly scratched his head as the two looked at him with anticipation.
“We have enough ingredients, so you can take some food with you after I finish cooking. But how do you plan on feeding the Kazaks?”
“We'll have to kidnap them. There were some of them patrolling the outskirts of the castle earlier.”
“There won't be a problem if you kidnap them without making a scene. But if you fail, it'll get troublesome for us.”
As Allen and Reina were planning an operation, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Woohyuk realized from the sounds and vibrations that they were Kazaks
Woohyuk stepped forward and took out the cradle of grief.
[Cradle of Grief]
Category: Accessory
Grade: B
Durability: 18,000
Effect: When activated, hostile individuals within a maximum radius of 20m enter a confused state. Afterwards, the opponent's mental strength decreases by 40% for 10 minutes.
The artifact he had gained inside the Arachne Temple of the Corcas Mountains in the past.
Ever since he had obtained it, its grade had increased by one level, the maximum radius had increased from 15m to 20m, and the mental strength reduction had also increased from 35% to 40%.
In addition, because it was now a B-grade artifact, the probability of the debuff working on Woohyuk’s current target was very high unless it was an elite-class Kazak.
When the door swung open, Woohyuk immediately activated the cradle of grief.
Swoosh!
A black fog burst out and spread around as it made an eerie sound.
The Kazak was struck out of nowhere.
As the enemy staggered and knelt down, Woohyuk turned to Reina.
“Bring a ladle and feed it to this guy.”
”U-understood.”
Reina moved quickly as she was also curious about the results.
Afterwards, the Kazak drank the brown soup and convulsed as he fell down to the floor.
White foam began to form in his mouth.
“Kueek! Kueeeek!”
“There was an effect.”
“Mandragora toxins must be deadly to them.”
It was a great discovery that could potentially change the tides of the war between the elves and kazaks.
Reina looked at Allen with excitement.
“If Lady Orphelia learns of this, she’ll be overjoyed. I want to run back home right now and let her know...”
”Don’t rush. It’s impossible to cross the Enoa Kingdom and reach the Croa Principality right now.”
They could go back to their homeland by passing through the Holy Aperian Empire, but the empire had also recently experienced some unpleasant events, and outsiders were being strictly monitored.
At Woohyuk's explanation, Reina’s long ears drooped.
“Then, do we have to take a ship? What if we encounter the pirates again?”
“You encountered Blackbeard’s crew at the west sea of the Norton Kingdom, so it should be fine if you take a ship at the northern port of the Lydia Kingdom.”
And if he sent Triton with them, their safety would be guaranteed to some extent.
While Hans began cleaning up after finishing cooking, Woohyuk wrote a letter to Orphelia.
'It will be easier to get close to her if we fight against Alice as a common enemy like last time.'
Since Allen and Reina were now on his side, it wouldn’t matter if he let them return to Ophelia right now.
It would be advantageous to keep the man and woman by his side as his vassals, but they had their own jobs to perform.
Allen had to walk down the path of an Archmage as a disciple of Arcane, the reclusive Great Sage of the Croa Principality.
Reina had to act as the intermediary between himself and the elves by contacting each other through Steve's Surprising Apple.
He would have to give (bribe) her the Basilisk’s Scale Armor Set to get rid of her dissatisfaction though.
'It's not as useful to me as before anymore.'
Initially, he could use it as his main armor, but now that its grade was lower than other items, he didn’t need it as much as before.
Moreover, since it was scale armor, it was inappropriate to use as material for plate armor.
The poison effects had worked on his opponents until now, but it would not be very efficient against enemies like Alice and the 72 Demon Kings.
Last time, he had rejected Reina's request, but it was merely a strategy to increase his bargaining power.
‘Raising her affection for me now will be of help when making her my vassal in the future.'
When monarchs formed alliances, they would often send vassals to each other and used them as diplomatic ambassadors.
They were also used as hostages in case one monarch would betray the other.
As Woohyuk thought deeply to himself, Hans called everyone.
“Alright, the food is complete. I will give you the opportunity to eat first since everyone has helped me out so much.”
“Oho, this looks delicious!”
Reina sat down with her ears straightened upwards as she let her curiosity take over.
Ever since the lemon jelly Incident, she had become more willing to taste human food.
She immediately picked up her spoon and began to eat.
“Hmm…”
“How is it? It’s been a long time since I used this recipe, so I’m worried that my skills may have gotten rusty.”
Hans looked at Reina with nervous eyes.
He was conscious of the fact that she was an elf unfamiliar with human culture.
But contrary to his worries, Reina responded happily.
“Oooohhh! This is really good! Is human food always so delicious, Allen?”
“It depends on the chef. Eating the dish of a terrible cook is literally torture.”
“Ah, it sure is.”
Woohyuk was reminded of a woman who was terrible at cooking.
He began to drink the soup, and thought to himself.