The Roast Meat Feast

By the time Louis rode back to his fief with his quarry, dusk was falling.

The battle he had just fought still left him exhilarated, and today's good news kept coming.

Upon returning to his residence, he received the second round of support from his father, Duke Calvin.

"My lord, your father has replied." Bradley respectfully handed Louis the letter.

Louis opened the envelope and began reading quickly.

Duke Calvin had provided him with six Elite Knights, twenty Official Knights, and sixty Apprentice Knights.

This nearly doubled his military strength.

Besides the knights, the letter also mentioned three Alchemy Apprentices. Though few in number, they would be enough to help him establish a reliable demon marrow extraction process.

What delighted him most, however, was that his father had approved his proposal to mine and process demon marrow.

He had even agreed to leave all the work on the project to the Red Tide Fief, with the family handling only sales.

This ensured Louis retained control over the project.

In effect, Louis would sell the finished demon marrow products to the Calvin Family, which would then distribute them.

The letter's final sentence, however, carried a reminder: "You will always be a member of the Calvin Family."

Though nothing was stated outright, the underlying threat made Louis's heart tighten slightly.

He understood that this was a warning against scheming too much for his own benefit.

Louis put down the letter and stretched, in excellent spirits. "Two reasons to celebrate today."

Inside the banquet tent, the atmosphere was lively.

Louis sat at the head of the table, a plate of golden-brown roasted Ice Armor Bear meat before him.

Louis had not invited the ordinary residents to this roast meat feast.

After all, Ice Armor Bear meat was far too precious. This feast was primarily for the knights.

Besides Louis and his existing knights, those attending included the new knights sent by the family and eight reserve knights.

It was both a celebration of the successful hunt and a welcome feast for the newly arrived knights.

Plate after plate of roast meat was brought to the tables, filling the air with mouthwatering aromas.

Every piece of Ice Armor Bear meat had been roasted to perfection, lightly charred on the outside and tender within.

"One portion each," the old butler Bradley directed from the side.

The servants swiftly distributed the roast meat to every knight.

The feast immediately grew livelier, especially among the new knights, who had not yet had time to adjust to this land's cold and desolation.

They had never expected to enjoy such a precious delicacy as soon as they arrived at the Red Tide Fief.

"This is Ice Armor Bear meat. It nourishes and strengthens the body and enhances battle aura," Bradley explained specifically to the new knights.

"This... this is Ice Armor Bear meat?" A young knight's eyes nearly popped out.

The value of Ice Armor Bear meat went without saying. In the south, only a tiny handful of nobles ever had the chance to taste magical beast meat of this caliber.

"They're actually giving us Ice Armor Bear meat. This is extravagant." The new knight's eyes were full of wonder.

"I only get to eat ordinary magical beast meat once or twice a year at most. I never imagined I'd taste such exceptional magical beast meat as soon as I arrived."

Another young knight could not help muttering, "In the south, even the great nobles only get to eat high-grade magical beast meat like this at important banquets. Ordinary knights wouldn't even dare touch meat this fine."

"Is this how people are treated in the Northern Frontier?" a new knight asked quietly.

An established knight nearby heard him and casually bragged, "Actually, we don't often get magical beast meat this exceptional either, but we do get ordinary magical beast meat once a month. Don't make such a fuss."

The new knights were even more astonished. Ordinary magical beast meat once a month!

What a generous lord!

It looks like I came to the right place, the new knight thought.

Having only just arrived in the Northern Frontier, they had still harbored some resentment, believing they had been sent here to suffer. They had never expected to come here to enjoy themselves instead.

Their complaints vanished, replaced by loyalty to their generous lord, Louis.

Louis stood in the center of the feast and raised his cup. "Thank you all for your hard work. Today's feast is not just to celebrate our victory, but also to celebrate the many new members joining us.

"Every person's efforts are indispensable. From the hunting grounds to the battlefield, we will face many hardships together, and we will share the fruits of victory.

"Remember, no matter what happens, as long as I have a bite to eat, so will all of you."

The knights raised their cups and responded enthusiastically, shouting, "Long live our lord! Long live our lord!"

Their eyes were filled with admiration and gratitude for Louis.

Vale was also at the feast, sitting among a group of knights with excitement on his face.

Being a member of the Red Tide Fief's knight order made him immensely proud.

The feast was in full swing. They had just finished praising their lord together, and now came the part everyone had been waiting for: eating the meat.

He carefully picked up his knife and fork and brought a piece of roasted Ice Armor Bear meat to his mouth.

The roast meat was crisp outside, tender inside, and bursting with juices.

The instant he tasted it, a blazing warmth spread from his stomach, rapidly surging through every limb and every part of his body.

Vale's eyes widened. He felt the vitality within him rapidly stir, and an unprecedented strength surged forth.

He quickly set down his knife and fork, sat cross-legged, and began practicing his breathing method, guiding the warmth through his body.

Warm energy flowed through his meridians. He could clearly feel his body steadily growing stronger, his blood and vitality becoming ever more abundant, as though even his bones had been tempered anew.

A moment later, his vitality finally broke past the threshold.

He had broken through! An intermediate Apprentice Knight!!

Barnes, the instructor sitting beside Vale, widened his eyes in shock.

Looking at Vale, he could not help murmuring, "Didn't Vale only become an Apprentice Knight yesterday? His talent... is actually this incredible?"

Vale's breakthrough drew the attention of those around him, but his was not the only one.

Throughout the feast, knight after knight began to feel their vitality surge. Powerful energy coursed within them, forcing them to sit cross-legged and practice their breathing methods.

The clamor gradually faded, replaced by each knight's deep breathing. The entire banquet hall suddenly became unusually quiet.

A subtle atmosphere filled the air as everyone focused on guiding the power within them, their bodies steadily growing stronger.

A few minutes later, sudden cheers shattered the silence.

Several knights had broken through!

The knights congratulated one another, without forgetting to praise their lord's generosity.

"Serving Lord Calvin, we never have to worry about food or clothing, and we even get precious magical beast meat to eat. Our loyalty is his!"

"We could never repay our lord's kindness!"

"It's truly our honor to serve him."

Louis could not help marveling to himself. The results of today's feast had far exceeded his expectations.