Chapter 170: Eating

"It seems the royal family’s power is no longer what it once was."

"Regrettably... that is indeed the case, although the Mana Grass you provided, Mr. Ethan, has bolstered the royal family’s strength, it is still not enough to oppose Marquis Karloitz and the House of Nobles he controls."

"It seems I’ll have to provide more Mana Grass in the future..."

"We are already endlessly grateful that you are willing to provide Mana Grass."

"It’s easy for me, as long as the price is right, I can supply as much as you need." Ethan spoke casually, then glanced at the knights.

Marquis Karloitz’s army had already surrounded the royal capital, there was little point in these knights staying here, it would be better for them to return to the capital to protect the royal family.

Ethan said to Edric, "Why not have them return to the royal capital?"

"But Marquis Karloitz might send people to pursue us."

"We’ve already encountered several attacks, it’s fine."

"I-Is that so?"

"You don’t need to worry about our strength."

"Yeah, Mr. Ethan, Mirelle, and Pearl are all very strong."

"Since Her Highness says so..." Although he said that, Edric’s eyes were still filled with worry.

Since that was the case, Ethan decided to show him his strength.

Ethan gripped his Holy Sword, Edric immediately understood his intention and set Irena down. "Please instruct me."

"Likewise." Ethan drew his Holy Sword, and Edric launched an attack, his swordsmanship was as swift as lightning, his strength on par with Leon’s.

The two exchanged blows, the battle fierce and intense, an excited glint shone in Edric’s eyes, it seemed Mr. Ethan was indeed a dependable powerhouse.

Finding an opening, Edric forced Ethan back with a strike, then sheathed his sword and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Ethan is indeed extraordinarily powerful, please forgive my rudeness."

"You flatter me, Mirelle is even stronger than I am."

Hearing this, Edric was startled, Mr. Ethan was already this powerful, and yet that woman who had been yawning the entire time was actually stronger than him? Although he found it hard to believe, he still nodded. "Since that is the case, I will have the knights return to the royal capital."

"Are you going back with them too?"

"Of course I will stay behind to protect Her Highness, if possible, I would like to travel with you, would that be an inconvenience?" Edric requested sincerely.

Naturally, Ethan wouldn’t refuse. "Of course you can."

Having received Ethan’s permission, Edric immediately ordered the knights to ride back to the royal capital, leaving only himself and the carriage Irena was riding in.

"I will be in your care from now on, if you need anything, just say the word."

"Haha, there’s no need to be so polite, we’re companions now."

"Thank you, then I will take charge of this flatbed cart..." As Edric spoke, he looked at the flatbed cart and smiled awkwardly, it wasn’t horses pulling the cart, but a Blood Jade Beast, and the Blood Jade Beast could only be controlled by Ethan.

"You should stay in the carriage and protect Her Highness."

"Alright, then I will be responsible for dinner tonight."

"Are you up for it, meow?"

Edric confidently declared, "No one has ever said my cooking is bad."

"Then I’m really looking forward to it, meow, though why does that sound so familiar?"

Ethan’s culinary skills had already left them full of praise, to think another master chef had suddenly appeared, even the usually picky Mirelle revealed an expression of anticipation.

Edric patted his chest and guaranteed: "I promise you’ll be satisfied."

"...You promise we’ll be satisfied?" Mirelle looked at the dark, unidentifiable object in her bowl, the corner of her mouth twitching, if this thing tasted good, she would go eat dirt.

Even Irena, who had always been full of praise for Edric, fell silent at this moment, having grown up in the royal palace, she was used to eating delicacies, recently, her appetite had been further spoiled by Ethan’s cooking, to her, this bowl of unidentifiable matter was simply dark cuisine.

"Does anyone actually think this thing is tasty, meow?"

"My subordinates all say it’s delicious."

"...You should care more about your subordinates, meow~" No wonder whenever Irena invited Edric’s subordinates to eat with them, they would find all sorts of reasons to decline, it turned out they were just trying to spare themselves.

Seeing Edric’s disappointed look, Ethan picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. "The taste is alright."

"...Y-you don’t have to force yourself..."

"Is that so? Then forget it," Mirelle said, dumping the contents of her bowl onto the ground.

She sprinkled some venom on the ground, completely eradicating the bowl of dark cuisine.

"What do you plan to do?" Mirelle looked at Ethan, seemingly asking if he had a backup plan.

Ethan looked at the remaining ingredients and nodded. "Everyone must be hungry, I’ll make something simple."

Using the bread he had baked earlier and other ingredients, he quickly threw together several portions of sandwiches, these sandwiches were not only delicious but also beautifully presented. Everyone happily began to eat.

"This... is truly too delicious."

"They’re just some simple sandwiches."

"N-no, I have eaten many sandwiches, but I’ve never had a sandwich this delicious, how did you make this sauce?"

"It’s made using Moonlight Tomatoes..." Ethan briefly explained.

Edric took careful notes as he listened. "I’ll have to try making it when I get back."

"If you are willing, I can teach you."

"Really? Thank you so much, for the time being, please allow me to be in charge of washing the dishes." Edric’s attitude was incredibly sincere, making it hard for Ethan to refuse.

"Then I’ll leave it to you."

Edric smiled happily, and his sandwich tasted even better to him.

"By the way, what business do you have in Marquis Ambric’s territory?"

"We are going to find a Witch, meow, and we also have some ties with Marquis Ambric’s family, meow~" Pearl recounted the events that had transpired previously to Edric.

After listening, Edric looked at Ethan with even more admiration, he had also heard about Marquis Ambric’s daughter, Alina, contracting a strange illness, it was said that no doctor could cure her, yet Ethan had provided immense help.

"Marquis Ambric has always maintained neutrality, so both Marquis Karloitz and the royal family want to win him over."

"I’ve heard about this, my goal for this trip is to persuade him to side with the royal family."

"That’s wonderful."

"As long as it gives Marquis Karloitz a headache, I’ll be fully satisfied."

"I truly don’t know how to thank you..."

"You don’t need to take it to heart; it’s a good thing for me as well."

After eating and drinking their fill, Ethan and the others prepared to rest.

"Then I’ll go wash the dishes." Edric gathered the bowls and utensils and headed toward the stream.

Pearl lounged comfortably in Irena’s arms, watching Edric’s retreating back and wagging her tail in satisfaction. "He’s a really hardworking person, meow~"

"Yes, even though Edric is the Commander of the Knight Order, he always leads by example and has a kind heart, however, I’m a bit worried about him."