Chapter 62

Chapter 62. The Yellow-Haired Beast (2)

Keter brought two carts.

The cover of the smaller cart was lifted.

“Arbold!”

Arbold, the vice-captain of the Silver Leopard Knight Order, was kneeling with his head bowed deeply.

Keter took a needle from his pocket and stabbed the back of Arbold’s head. Arbold jolted awake as if struck by lightning.

“Ugh!”

Keter pushed the awakened Arbold toward Jordic.

Jordic examined Arbold. There were no signs of torture. However, it was clear at a glance that, like himself, not only his Aura but also his physical strength had been restricted.

“Now, shall we start the torture?”

Keter approached Jordic, pulling the remaining cart.

Arbold, now fully conscious, assessed the situation and chuckled.

“It’s useless. Do you know who this is? He is the legitimate direct descendant of the renowned spearmanship family, Baydant, and one of the seven dragons of the Lilian Kingdom selected by the mysterious organization ‘Syndicate,’ which objectively evaluates the most promising talents in the world! This is Dragon Spear Jordic!”

“Ahem.”

Jordic grabbed Arbold’s shoulder, signaling him to stop. But Arbold, already worked up, didn’t cease.

“Is that all? He is the first to charge into battle and the last to leave. He single-handedly defeated the named monster Girikooks. Do you think someone like Jordic would yield to mere torture? Go ahead, pluck out his eyes and burn his insides with fire!”

Sweat dripped from Jordic’s hands.

Everything Arbold said was true.

But wasn’t that separate from torture?

The pain of having one’s flesh torn and bones broken while excited was distinctly different from experiencing it while fully conscious.

Above all, Jordic was anxious.

‘I forgot how to perform pain suppression.’

Pain suppression was a technique he had learned in preparation for being captured. It had been ten years since he learned it, and he had never used it.

It was a technique he had just learned, but thinking he would never need it, it had faded from his memory.

Meanwhile, Arbold was provoking Keter relentlessly.

It might have been better if a torture expert had come.

But Keter was more terrifying than any torture expert. He didn’t seem like the type to perform simple tortures like pulling out nails or burning with fire.

A vague fear that Keter would perform unimaginably horrifying tortures sprouted in Jordic’s heart.

“Kukuku, it’s an honor to torture such a great man.”

Keter shook his hands and loosened his body.

Instead of pain suppression, another memory surfaced in Jordic’s mind.

“W-wait! Torture between fellow kingdom citizens is prohibited by law. If this gets out, even Sephira won’t be safe.”

“Thanks for worrying about me. Now, worry about yourself.”

“Haha! Don’t waste time. Ordinary torture won’t even make Jordic flinch.”

“Good, I don’t have much time either. Let’s start the ‘torture’…”

Keter grabbed the cover of the cart.

Jordic swallowed hard without realizing it.

What kind of torture tools were inside? Jordic hoped nothing related to fire would come out.

Whoosh!

The cover was lifted.

What was revealed was something horrifying.

“W-what is that!?”

Keter grinned wickedly.

“Kukuku, yes. It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

Sizzle!

A large piece of meat was placed on a preheated iron plate, making a deadly sound.

Not stopping there, buttered whole potatoes and asparagus were added.

Keter lifted the steak being grilled on the iron plate, showing its beautiful texture.

“This is the highest quality black-horned ox meat from the Adeus Kingdom. One piece costs a whopping 5 gold.”

Sizzle!

As Keter flipped it, the juices exploded.

The damp, stuffy atmosphere of the prison instantly transformed into that of a high-end restaurant. The savory aroma filled the cell in no time.

Jordic instinctively held his breath.

If he could avoid it, he would.

But there was nowhere to escape.

Gulp.

That wasn’t Jordic swallowing saliva. It was Arbold next to him, sniffing and swallowing.

“It looks delicious…”

The Silver Leopard Knights aren’t beggars. They have the capital to buy such steaks to their heart’s content.

But the two hadn’t eaten delicious food in half a year. They had been eating a diet optimized for muscle growth.

They had been eating dry chicken breasts and bitter vegetables to build muscle. Moreover, they had been living on hardtack and water for a month due to a recent secret mission.

In such a situation, they were now seeing and smelling a top-quality steak.

Of course, this alone couldn’t break their ironclad mental fortitude.

Keter had heightened their tension by making them imagine tortures involving pain.

In such a situation, the appearance of delicious food. The tension they had built up dissipated helplessly, leaving only their defenseless instincts.

Appetite!

The primal human desire to eat delicious food was far more powerful than they imagined.

“Grr! Keter. Are you mocking me? Do you think I would yield to mere food!?”

Jordic exploded in anger.

Keter, without taking his eyes off the steak, said,

“Wipe your drool first.”

Slice, slice.

Keter cut the steak into bite-sized pieces. Even the sound of slicing was delicious.

The red flesh visible between the slices. It was still rare, only the surface nicely browned.

“Huh? What’s this? Sniff sniff.”

Keter picked up the bowl at his feet. It was the flour porridge given to Jordic.

“Oh my. You eat this? Tsk tsk…”

Jordic, receiving a pitiful look, wanted to rush at Keter immediately.

But Keter had a knife in his hand. Meanwhile, Jordic’s strength was completely restricted.

Jordic, unwilling to admit he was being tempted by food, asked,

“What exactly did you do to us? I understand the Aura, but how did you suppress our physical strength? Did Sephira use forbidden black magic!?”

“Would Sephira, who doesn’t even use magic, use black magic? I did it. It’s called acupuncture. Ever heard of it?”

Tap tap!

Keter took out a seasoning container and sprinkled salt and pepper from head height onto the steak.

“Now, Jordic, if you want to eat this, give me some interesting information. Then this is yours, okay?”

“Shut up! Do you think I would betray my family and clan for a piece of meat!?”

“Huh? Who said anything about betrayal? Just some interesting info is enough.”

“Never, I will never yield.”

“Then don’t.”

While they were talking, the steak’s cross-section had turned a light pink. It had reached the medium-rare stage, said to be the most delicious.

Keter put a large piece of steak into his mouth and chewed. The juices and aroma alone were so flavorful that no sauce was needed.

“Mmm, mmm! Mmmm!”

At the reaction that naturally stimulated appetite, Arbold’s fists trembled.

“You cruel bastard! Using food for torture!”

“I’ll give you a bite. Come here.”

Glance.

Arbold looked at Jordic.

Jordic shook his head.

“It’s a trap. There’s definitely poison.”

That was Jordic’s slip of the tongue.

“As the captain said, I’ll check if there’s poison by eating it myself.”

Arbold hurriedly ran to Keter.

“Open your mouth. Here comes the meat.”

A warm piece of steak entered Arbold’s mouth.

“Guh!?”

Arbold collapsed as soon as he chewed the meat.

Jordic jumped up in shock.

“Arbold! You, it was poison after all!”

Jordic tried to lift Arbold, who was trembling with his head bowed.

But Arbold didn’t lift his head.

Chew chew.

He was slowly chewing, savoring the taste of the meat.

“It, it’s delicious…”

In the distant future.

Arbold, unable to forget the taste of the meat Keter grilled in prison, traveled the country searching for top restaurants but never found one that could replicate that taste.

On his deathbed, surrounded by family and grandchildren, he said,

‘When I die, maybe I can taste that meat Keter grilled for me again.’

* * *

Jordic could swear he had never seen such a pathetic expression on Arbold’s face before.

‘How delicious must it be for him to act like that?’

Arbold, who would jump into a pit of fire at his command, couldn’t regain his composure no matter how much he shook.

“Jordic. Do you like well-done? I don’t. If it were me, I’d say anything and eat.”

“Don’t mock the dignity of nobility and the pride of knights!”

“Who’s going to appreciate that? The bugs sharing your cell? Hilarious.”

“Grr!”

Jordic was anxious.

The steak’s crimson color was gradually turning brown.

Even Jordic, a novice in cooking, knew that once that color disappeared, not only the taste but also the texture would deteriorate.

‘Gasp, why am I concerned about that? No!’

Thud thud!

Jordic tried to forget his appetite through pain.

Keter clicked his tongue and said,

“Tsk tsk, why are you hurting yourself? Fine. Don’t say anything. I’ll leave.”

Keter grabbed the cart’s handle.

Suddenly, Jordic noticed the bowl at Keter’s feet. It was the flour porridge given to him as a meal.

“B-Bolos’s nipples are lower than others’.”

“Huh?”

Keter, about to leave, turned around.

“Who’s Bolos?”

“Grr, the eldest son of the Baydant family, the current young lord. The future head of the family.”

Isn’t that high-level information?

Jordic looked at Keter with dignified eyes, hiding his desperation.

“Pfft hahaha! That’s really funny. How low are they? Here? Around here?”

Keter pointed slightly below the average position.

“…A bit lower.”

“Bwahaha! Really? They’re almost on his stomach!”

“Y-yes. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Good. I’ll believe you. Aren’t we comrades who fought together? Eat before it gets cold.”

To call someone a comrade after stabbing them in the back and capturing them!

Jordic wanted to say that. But he was already cutting the steak with a fork in his left hand and a knife in his right.

“Gasp!?”

I should kill Keter with this fork and knife!

‘Just a taste first.’

How delicious must it be for Arbold to faint like that? He wouldn’t be able to sleep without confirming.

Soon, Jordic’s eyes widened as he put a piece of steak in his mouth.

…It exploded.

Sweetness, saltiness, and savoriness in his mouth.

Chain explosions were happening.

It was undoubtedly the most delicious meat, no, dish Jordic had ever tasted.

“C-can such a taste exist in this world!?”

Any intention to do something about Keter had already flown away. He began savoring the steak, quickly putting it in his mouth but chewing slowly.

“C-Captain. Please, just one bite.”

Arbold, who had woken from the lingering aftertaste, pleaded earnestly, but Jordic only offered him asparagus.

Keter left the two and exited the prison.

Outside the prison, a real torture expert was waiting.

“Young master Keter. How on earth did you do it? I’ve never seen a knight yield so easily. And with food…!”

Sephira’s torture expert had mainly tortured serious criminals in his youth. Among them were many knights and mages.

Those with exceptional mental strength endured tortures that would make others yield in a day for a month without issue. Many knights kept their secrets until death.

Moreover, the opponent was a legitimate son of the Baydant family, known for their strong pride. He even held the title of Dragon Spear.

“It’s because they’ve never tasted true cuisine. There’s a saying, ‘When one experiences a realm of taste beyond what ordinary humans experience, food is no longer just for survival.'”

“Oh, I’ve heard that saying. It’s from Demeter, the world’s best chef recognized by the emperor. Rumor has it that his food can make the blind see and the lame walk. Haha, but that can’t be true.”

When the torture expert mentioned Demeter, Keter’s eyes changed. It was Demeter who had taught Keter cooking.

Demeter, the man obsessed with cooking.

He had joined Ruquer in search of immortal ingredients.

Keter had learned cooking techniques from him in exchange for providing a safe place and information about Ruquer.

“Anyway, what did I tell you to do?”

“Ah… Yes. Except during meals, absolutely no one is to enter the prison, and meals are strictly flour porridge. And reduce the seasoning little by little each day.”

“Then?”

“Every Monday, torture with dishes made from the highest quality ingredients. It doesn’t have to be a grand dish, but absolutely no food unless they reveal a secret, even a trivial one. I’ve memorized it all.”

Keter nodded.

“Don’t do anything beyond what I’ve instructed. Absolutely not.”

Keter, whom even the head of Sephira couldn’t control. It was not a story to be taken lightly.

“Yes! I’ll keep that in mind!”

The torture expert shouted loudly and bowed respectfully to the departing Keter.

* * *

It had been a long time since I used Master Demeter’s cooking techniques. It’s quite bothersome, but the taste is outstanding.

Master said that reaching the ultimate realm could even perform miracles… but I’m not interested in that.

Rather, I wonder what Master is doing at this time? Did he find another disciple besides me?

If I could eat food made with Master’s recipes, 100 gold, even 1,000 gold, wouldn’t be too much.

But as far as I know, I’m Demeter’s only successor.

But making it myself is too bothersome.

The hassle outweighs the satisfaction.

Cooking is best when someone else does it.

Anyway, Jordic is taken care of. Now, I just need to take Luke and leave.

The three conditions to participate in the Southern Sword.

One of them was obtained by saving Elder Panir.

Now, all that’s left is to get a recommendation from the Southern Sword and obtain a Diamond Class identification from the Mercenary Guild—I plan to handle all that in Ruquer.

I wanted to stop by Ruquer to pick up some things and see Maknun anyway.

In this life, it’s only been four days since we parted, but including past lives, it’s been 30 years since we last met.

Ah, it’s cliché, but everyone is alive now.

Sword Demon Walt is probably alive, and even the daughter of the Grand Duke who liked me…

“Keter! Finally found you.”

On my way to pick up Luke, Anis suddenly blocked my path.

I could see a lot of poison on her. She’s improved a lot since last time. Anger and vengeance really do make people grow.

Anis said with a determined face,

“You can’t escape this time. It’s a duel. I’ll return the humiliation I suffered in full!”