Gallop Academy had a dining hall reserved for students of Junior Mage rank and above. It had larger tables and better food, and was a popular gathering place for Xiaohua, Britt Lanyuan, Elinda Bristle-Wolf, and the others. Lately, as more and more children were sent to the academy, the dining hall had grown livelier too.
In the evening, nearly all the Junior Mages and Knights gathered there. They ate seafood and chatted about life at the academy.
"Everyone, let's thank Mage Xiaohua and Count Tierney!" shouted a student named Emper Gallop.
"Thank you, Count!" the entire dining hall called out in unison.
Just then, the doors opened, and Dandelion appeared with Wellis and Merritt. The young people in the dining hall erupted into cheers once more.
"Dandelion? You're back from Dragon Tooth City?" Elinda asked happily when she saw them. They had fought side by side with Neil and Fang in Hindukush, and had become comrades who had faced life and death together.
"Yes," Dandelion replied, looking bemusedly at the cheerful crowd in the dining hall. "What's going on?"
"Tierney's back! He brought several crates of seafood for everyone!"
Elinda led the three of them inside, where they saw seafood covering every long dining table. Magic radiated from the food, tempting everyone's appetite.
Compared with such a lavish feast, the Magic Potions they had seized in Dragon Tooth City were nothing.
"Where did all this seafood come from?"
Even without knowing that it was Magic Beast Meat, anyone could tell the fresh catch was expensive. In the past, even Dandelion wouldn't have dared to put on such a display.
"Tierney brought it all. He said we should eat our fill, and there'll be more tomorrow!" Elinda said, handing Dandelion a large crab. "Hurry and eat while it's hot. It won't