Chapter 86

The banquet hall was bustling with many Elven warriors.

In front of the Elven palace, a colorful array of mushrooms and vegetables was displayed, but the dishes prepared by Queen Felleth stood out for their uniqueness.

I had never seen dishes that exuded such a negative aura. It seemed that the queen's poor cooking skills were well-known among the Elven warriors, as no one dared to taste her food.

Felleth was smiling and serving her dishes, seemingly unaware that everyone was avoiding them.

Feeling sorry for her, I took the lead and accepted her dish, but as expected, it was terrible.

However, I couldn't express my true thoughts in front of the queen, whose eyes were shining with anticipation. It would be rude to leave the food on the plate, so I forced myself to finish it.

After managing to eat Felleth's dish, I approached Gunther, saying I needed to speak with him.

His plate also contained the queen's cooking. I asked for his opinion.

"How is it?"

Gunther's answer was brief.

"There's no such thing as good or bad food. As long as the wine is good, that's all that matters."

With that, he took a sip from a bottle of distilled liquor he had brought. Truly, he was a king of the Dwarves, with a great capacity for alcohol.

After washing down Felleth's dish with alcohol, Gunther asked me a question.

"Instead, I ask you, what do you think?"

I wanted to say, "It's very bad," but I knew that wasn't what Gunther was asking.

His serious expression reminded me of the one he had before a battle. He was likely referring to the future outlook, not the taste of Felleth's cooking. As evidence, Gunther asked:

"In the battle just now, we did inflict damage on the enemy, but their soldiers are still formidable. Next time, they will likely use guerrilla tactics to counter us. How do you plan to counter them?"

Saying, "You're right, Gunther," would be disrespectful.

He outranked me in status, age, and battlefield experience. Nevertheless, I decided to share my strategy.

"Indeed, as you say, in the next battle, the enemy will concentrate their forces and prepare for guerrilla tactics. If that happens, we will be forced to engage in a frontal assault with our weak Elven soldiers."

"The Elves are agile, but they don't have the strength to match fully armed humans. Moreover, we are outnumbered. What do you plan to do about that?"

"Delay the decisive battle and wait for reinforcements."

"Reinforcements... I've heard that Lord Sigan's forces are on their way, but will they arrive in time? And can we hold out until then?"

"..."

I couldn't give a clear answer.

I trusted the skills of the dragon-man Sigan, with whom I had fought for many years, and I trusted the Elven warriors. However, the time constraint was a significant issue.

Even if Gunther and I stood at the front lines and compensated for the weaknesses of the Elven warriors, it would be difficult to defeat an army of nearly 2,000 soldiers.

Numbers are power. Moreover, we couldn't rule out the possibility that there were still strong fighters like Varick among the enemy ranks. Underestimating the enemy's strength would be foolish, but I also had no intention of overestimating them and becoming hesitant.

"Regardless, we can only endure with the forces we have until Sigan and his reinforcements arrive."

I muttered this, and it seemed that Lilith, who was approaching with a glass of wine in hand and a tipsy expression, heard me.

"Don't worry. Lord Ike would never be outdone by mere humans. And as long as I'm here, no one will lay a finger on Lord Ike..."

Her words were already slurred, and her steps were unsteady. Satie hurried to support her as she nearly fell, but Lilith ended up lying on the ground. This girl didn't seem to handle alcohol well.

Satie, while tending to Lilith, looked up at me.

"Master, I pray for your success in battle."

Satie said this and offered a prayer. She was as ever. Despite their constant bickering, the way she gently cared for Lilith made them look like a pair of close sisters.

Watching this scene with a smile, I muttered, "Well."

There was no point in dwelling on my worries. All I could do was delay the enemy with the forces I had.

To do that, I needed to regain my strength. With that thought, I returned to the table where the dishes were displayed. Of course, I didn't go to the queen, who was still smiling. I took a dish prepared by another Elven girl.

It was a vegetarian dish centered around mushrooms, but it was surprisingly delicious. Perhaps it was because it was sautéed with butter, or maybe the mushrooms themselves had a rich flavor. It was quite juicy and had a meat-like taste.

After savoring this rare delicacy, I thought about the face of the enemy commander I would face in a few days. What was the leader of the Double Eagle Knights eating right now?

He was probably eating better food than we were, but I couldn't imagine him enjoying his meal as we did.

He was likely eating nervously, fearing a night attack. Thinking about this, I felt a bit sorry for him.