Cook of the Mercenary Corp

Riru is a genius. Riru’s name wasn’t famous yet.
5 years ago Riru was invited by my childhood friend Ganglabe, and entered the mercenary corp. Riru was an orphan and so went with all the other orphans who were living in the slums.
Riru had talent in Magic Engineering. Riru even boast about it myself. During the times in the slums Riru would make various items helping Riru’s friends, even now in the corps Riru is someone who works behind the scenes.
But to me, Riru had no talent in the thing Riru wanted, magic.
Magic and Magic Engineering is different.
Both Magic and Magic Engineering use the mana that floats in the air. The difference between Magic is being able to use it even against humans, or being able to use it only with materials.
Magic Engineering changes the shapes of materials by interfering with the shape, being able to use engraved letters known as ‘Magi Spells’ to add magic power to materials.
Basically it’s able to manipulate the material’s shape and load power into the material.
However you can’t touch it directly, not having any combat potential at all unlike Magicians. Unable to work anything other than a craftsman.
Riru’s childhood friends are nice, and there is no one who would make fun of her magic engineer comrades.
However during combined strategies, the other troops will talk ill of them.
Riru, together with her subordinates could do nothing but grind their teeth and endure.
It was at that time. A weird person became our comrade.
It was a guy called Shuri. He had a strange atmosphere and looked weird.
At first I was cautious. But his meals tastes nice and he was a nice person.
Not a bad person, I thought.

When we won the battle, Riru and Ganglabe, the other commander’s were listening to Shuri.
Shuri came to say that apart from money, as a reward he also wanted ingredients and seasoning.
Up till now he only received money but, Shuri was desperate.
Ganglabe who saw that understood, entered negotiations with the grumbling ruler, succeeded and got the ingredients as he wished.
When everyone asked why,

“Up till now we, have only been hara.s.sing for money. However, seeing Shuri made me realise.
Just having money in our pockets won’t fill us up. You can’t look down on someone in charge of food. In that case, just having money doesn’t mean that we can have food and seasoning, just that can lower our necessary expenses. We’ll manage where we stay until we get hired for another battle somehow.
Ma, it’s him. I wonder if food supply control will be overseen.”

It seems like they have faith in Shuri.

Listening to our old food circ.u.mstances, they were all talking about Salt soup and Burnt fish.
Shuri was surprised and told them frantically.
First, having nothing but Salt soup harms your health, seemingly. Destroys your body, and seems like it’ll break down your condition.
And then the burnt fish, that’s the worst he said. No matter what they do, if they ate nothing but burnt fish, they’ll die from a serious disease which can’t be healed.
Everyone was speechless. If Riru and the others weren’t lucky we would be dead.
After that, everything concerning food was handled by Shuri. We could eat soups varying in flavour and ingredients. It was tasty, and good for your body. In the beginning Riru thought it tasted a little watery but after getting used to it Riru could really taste the ingredients. Sweet, bitter, spicy, sour. Riru could taste them all. It was all very comforting.
Thinking back, Riru thinks the salt soup tasted way too thick. Riru and other’s taste buds were broken.
What Shuri said was true.
Ganglabe also agreed.

“Meals become the power for people. Money won’t make you move, I finally realised this…”

Riru also believes this.
Having money, you can make a lot of things but,
It won’t fill you up.

That kind of Shuri, Riru came to rely on him.
That day, Riru’s fate was decided.

“So Riru-san, let’s cooperate please”
“Nn”

That day, Shuri came to Riru’s tent.
Looking so restless, it was a rare sight.
Anyway I heard from Ganglabe that Shuri wanted a certain object to be made.
A pot? Or maybe a knife?

“And Request? Quick”

I don’t really get it but, whatever he wants has something to do with the kitchen.
A knife which cuts well or, a ladle that won’t rust.
It would be easy if I wanted to make it.

“First, it’s like this”

However, Shuri’s request was more extraordinary than what Riru had imagined.
Borrowing some paper and charcoal, he drew a rectangular box that I’ve never seen before.
What does this object have anything to do with cooking?

“Make it so the flames are adjustable here like this, so that the fire can hit the pot on top of the metal thing”
“?”

I didn’t really get it, but then I realised.
I see, it was a coal problem.
Indeed, if there was a tool to easily start a fire, cooking would be easier.

“And then, I want the firepower adjustment to be possible from here”
“I see”

Firepower adjustment? What does the firepower have anything to do with cooking?
Isn’t it fine to just use a strong flame to make the soup and eat it while its hot?

“What is this?”

Doing that, Shuri pointed at the ignition materials and asked.
Riru made those with confidence and they’ll burn once you put in some mana.
This makes lighting things on fire easy. It’s even helpful during battles.
The downfall is that only magicians and magical engineers can use them.

“Ignition material. Paper that’ll burn when you insert mana”
“Please put this to use”
“?”

Put to use?
Asking that, Shuri said something surprising.
First, make it using paper. Then he wants it to float after writing some magi spells on top of the pot.
Float? Techniques for making objects float exist but the output released could at most only move a large rock. Few people use it as they don’t think it’s very helpful.
Then after it floats release flames underneath?
I was shocked. Making it float then heating it. Combining two magi spell effects, and to draw it?
I’ve never thought about it. After it floats, then attaching some effect to it. I see, just floating is useless. It has to be able to move. If it’s not like that, just floating isn’t helpful at all.
And then, using the small circle’s magi spell to adjust the firepower?
None of these require a magician or magic engineer to insert magic in directly. A function which reacts once you touch it, which according to the function takes in mana, and then if we add in adjusting functions, even people who can’t use mana can use this magic tool.
And then it seems like he wants it so that when it hasn’t been used for a while it’ll close. It should be around an hour.
Furthermore so that the paper won’t get wet, curling it and then folding it out immediately, ideas just keep shooting out.
Shuri is amazing.
Riru thinks that Riru was a genius but that was a big mistake.
Shuri is a genius. Riru can’t even reach his ankles.
Riru’ll try to finish his request quickly.
When the magic engineers write the magi spells, using an exclusive brush to insert mana, displaying its power by engraving the special characters.
But, having two effects and working together, adding an adjustment function is just the beginning.
Despite this Riru’s hands didn’t stop, believing in my knowledge and conceptions.
That’s right, the magi spells don’t have to be a single character.
The magi spell that normal magic tools use finish with a single character.
But this time it’s different. It has to contain complex circuits and functions.
Not just one character, lining up all the related magi spells to write, furthermore while keeping that stable, adding a function to transmit mana and a mechanism to control the amount…
In the end, Riru wrote the magi spell tightly on the round shape. Also altogether there were 4 dials to place the pot.

“This is amazing Riru-san!”
“Of course”

Shuri praised surprisingly.
Riru was also satisfied after creating this epic creation. Hmph.

“Then let’s make the new dish extremely savory”
“Oh!”

New dish? I look forward to it.
What Shuri took out was, beef, flour, fish sauce, spring onion and daikon (Tl – White radish).
‘Uee’, I thought.
Riru isn’t a big fan of meat. Fish is fine but, the meat stench is terrible.
What should I say, is it the smell of lead or…?

But then Shuri suddenly started hacking the beef into pieces with the knife.
To be honest it was grotesquely scary.
After a short while the beef was no longer in its original shape to the point of a mess. It was barely recognisable that it was meat.
After bringing it together in the one place, he tossed the spring onions into the fish sauce. Adding spring onion to fish sauce?
The daikon was also finely cut and then hacked to pieces. It was a mess.
I want to run away. I don’t want to eat that kind of bizarre cooking.
And then, after bringing together the daikon as well, he reached for the meat.
Mixing in a little flour, he arranged it into a circular shape in his hands.
It was interesting how the meat was somehow moving strangely inside his hands and slowly becoming round.
And then, he tossed the meat into the pot. Covering it with salt and spices then cooking it.
Somehow, it smells good. It doesn’t have the usual beastly or lead smell.
A great colour came to sight after a quick flip.
At that time I realised. The fire from the magic circle coal was weak.
I see, instead of using a strong fire to cook it in one go, carefully cook it around medium heat.
That’s how it gets cooked deliciously.
He placed the cooked circular-shaped meat onto a plate before adding diced daikon, fish sauce and spring onions.
Rather, the soup looks something like sauce.

“Thanks for waiting”
“Un!”

But, it smells really good.
The smell of the spices and meat mix, it was close to violence. Riru was tempted to eat it.
There wasn’t the usual unpleasant feelings. Cutting the edge using a fork, mixing together the daikon and sauce, I move it to my mouth.

This is, the truth.

The meat oils were sweet, the chewy texture was soft and melted inside my mouth.
As it melts, the sweet oils fills up again.
That sweetness adjusts with the salt, the spices bring out the positive deliciousness.
The meat’s original harshness, sweetness, bitterness, aroma and smell. They were all comforting.
The sauce was most amazing.
If it were just by itself, the oils would simply possess a heavy taste but, it was refreshing inside of Riru’s mouth.
In the sauce, instead of the usual fishy smell there was a refreshing sourness, the feel of the daikon’s crunch and the overflowing juice and fresh salty taste, the heavy taste of the oil was brilliantly eliminated.
This is, amazingly delicious.

“Mmm! Mm, mm!”

Sounds leaked due to the overly deliciousness.
Looking at it, Shuri smiled happily.
Somehow, Riru was eating something delicious and Shuri was also happy.
I felt happy.

Riru was inexperienced. There was no way for her to be famous.
After eating a dish called a Hamburg steak, Riru listened to Shuri.
Why he knew various things and such.

“That’s true. Probably due to the hard work of my ancestors.
Of course, I also put in an effort. With this and that hand, trying, failing, then succeeding.
Creativity, or something. I couldn’t really get the point so I suffered”

I laughed bitterly.
I see, what Riru is lacking is creativity.
Just “making” is no good, if theres no “creating”.

After that, Riru recalled Shuri’s words and request and made a new invention.

“And, you want to show me something?”

I secretly met up with Ganglabe.

First, a handheld catapult.

A catapult is, a huge installation which fires boulders far away, a siege weapon which destroys castle walls and guards at the same time.
And this was making light of it.

The procedures are simple.

Place the boulder on top of the paper.
Then, touch the initiation sequence.
Doing so, the boulder will fly in a parabola as drawn.
It wasn’t as big as the catapult, a paper the size of which a solder could carry on their backs and run about was brought out.
The catapult had its disadvantages, whether it’s the attacking or the moving form, or having to keep setting up the construction.
But to use this, you expand, set up, and touch. There was nothing that could compare to its convenience.

The other one was the ignition stone.

It looks just like a stone but once you chant the keyword, it will activate through touch, exploding after three seconds.
Objects within the radius of one meter are in the range of combustion.
The disadvantage is that, if you aren’t careful you might hurt yourself or comrades.
To add one thing to another, training is a must.

Lastly is the time-restricted ignition jewel.

It’s a jewel which after touching it, and saying the keyword and time, will release fire after the time limit.
The earliest you can activate it is two hours before.
The disadvantage is that it doesn’t have much power. It’s just a stone which can burn very well.

But while Ganglabe was surprised, he was also in joy.

“If we have this then we don’t need expensive catapults!
The ignition stone will also become a strong weapon for the troops, the time-restricted ignition jewel as well is perfect for secret military operations!
As expected of you Riru!”

But, I felt a little guilty.
This idea was completely Shuri’s.
But I won’t lose.
Creativity. Riru will continue to invent from here on out.

If you ask about Riru Branshu, there was almost no one that wouldn’t know how great she is, becoming one of the heroes.
Her inventions reversed many battlefield situations, at times having enough power to decide how the battle ends.
The most famous of which is probably the castle siege of Yanangan.
At the time, because of the three weapons she invented, the impregnable castle of Yanangan fell in just three days.
Catapults were ma.s.s-produced and boulders fell like rain.
The ignition rocks displayed their prowess in close-quarter combat.
The time-restricted ignition jewels were planted in the night a.s.saults.
For the enemy it was nothing other than a nightmare.
Even after this battle she kept inventing, historians and archaeologists suggest that due to her presence, wars ended ten years early.

However after the unity of the kingdoms, she declined the position as the state magic engineer.
The ministers who didn’t really know her were bewildered, but those who knew her for some time were understanding and showed her out.
After she declined as state magic engineer, she established a private school for magic engineers. This is currently holds the continent’s greatest facility and environment, becoming the Branshu Magic Engineer’s academy.
And now the status of magic engineers and the improvement of their skill is what they’re striving towards. Letting them understand the importance of the humiliated magic craftsman and masters who until then could do nothing but manufacture.
However apart from the specialties of creating weapons the academy dedicates the majority of the courses to making daily life more convenient, focusing on the production, research and study of tools closely related to daily life.
The theory that she came up with, the ‘Magi Spell’, which until then were formed from singular characters display the complex effects of a ‘Magi Program’ as they function together. The invocation activated through speech, ‘Keywords’. Activation through touch, ‘Magi Switch’. Becoming a method for peace.
The expression which was always conveying the school spirit,
“Creativity”, becoming something that was always being communicated.

I digress but, Riru Branshu was remains in the record as an unparalleled hamburg steak lover.
That was definitely the food which became her tipping point and,
I wonder if it’s the food which taught her creativity.
The happy appearance of her eating the steak made everyone feel warm and fluffy.

(TL: Hamburg Steak Recipe)