60: Welcome Dinner

"Whoa!"

With the sound of horses being reined in, the Knight Squad led by Ellis Clifford came to a slow halt in front of the castle gates.

Seeing everyone waiting outside the gate, especially Daisna who had come to greet them despite the cold wind, everyone felt moved and immediately dismounted to bow respectfully before her.

"Greetings, Miss Daisna."

As he spoke, Ellis walked quickly to Daisna's side, seeing that she was unharmed and seemed to be in good condition.

He couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief, saying, "Miss Daisna, it is truly wonderful that you are unharmed. The Earl is very concerned about you."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Ellis. Daisna has caused trouble for Father and all of you," Daisna said, looking remorseful.

"Miss Daisna, what are you saying?" Ellis looked flustered upon hearing this and comforted her, "No one could have foreseen the attack by the Black Flame Demon Bear."

"Although I am deeply saddened by the deaths of Morrison and the others, the responsibility for this does not lie with you. You must not fall into self-reproach."

He had always doted on this clever and sensitive girl whom he had watched grow up, fearing she might suffer any harm or grievance.

If Daisna were to truly become trapped in self-blame because of the attack, he would be absolutely devastated.

Understanding Ellis's thoughts, Daisna smiled softly and said, "Rest assured, Uncle Ellis. After Lister's guidance, I am doing very well now."

Hearing her words, Ellis turned to look at Lister, who had been standing quietly to the side with a smile on his face.

Although he was very surprised about what method Lister had used to guide the sensitive Daisna, he did not rashly ask.

Aware that he had been neglectful, he immediately performed a knight's salute to Lister and thanked him apologetically, "I am very sorry, Lord Howard. Just now, because I was too worried about Miss Daisna, I was neglectful. Please forgive me."

"Miss Daisna being safe and sound is entirely due to your timely rescue. I offer you my most sincere thanks here, and I, Ellis, will keep this kindness in my heart."

Lister naturally did not mind. As they spoke, he was also observing Ellis and the Knight Squad before him.

Although Ellis had reached middle age, he was actually only in his thirties. His appearance was heroic and extraordinary, and his build was broad and robust.

He gave the impression of a terrifying magical beast lying in wait.

Although he was very restrained, he still could not hide the faint aura exuded by a powerful individual.

Having gained the favor of a Golden Knight, he was overjoyed and returned the salute with a smile, "Lord Clifford, there is no need to apologize. I can understand your concern. As for rescuing Miss Daisna, it was merely a coincidence; it is not worth calling a favor."

Seeing Lister so modest, Ellis's favorable impression of him grew even stronger. He then spoke solemnly, "Before setting out this time, I received instructions from the Earl to present the corpse of the Black Flame Demon Bear as a gift of gratitude to Lord Howard for rescuing Miss Daisna. Please, you must accept it."

As he spoke, the massive corpse of the Black Flame Demon Bear landed on the ground to their left with a 'thud'.

Seeing this, Lister and his team couldn't help but gasp.

This was such a generous gesture!

To give away the corpse of a magical beast with high-level bloodline potential just like that—one could imagine how wealthy Earl Elsid was.

Lister, recovering his senses first, stopped being polite and clasped his hands in thanks, "Then, many thanks to the Earl for his kindness."

After thanking him, he gestured and instructed, "Alright, the weather is cold, let's go inside to talk."

"Red, arrange for the other knights to rest first. Do not neglect them."

"For the Black Flame Demon Bear's corpse, arrange for a few knights to assist Thomas in storing it properly, and have someone guard it at all times."

"Understood, Lord Lister." Red, who was at his side, replied respectfully.

As he finished speaking, Lister and the others headed toward the interior of the castle.

Night fell at the training grounds.

Inside a massive tent, around a flickering campfire, Lister and the others sat in a circle on the ground, while the maids led by Thomas moved back and forth, busy with their tasks.

At Lister's invitation, Ellis and his Knight Squad attended the welcome banquet held for them.

Perhaps because the knights' blood was so hot and boiling, the chill in the air had dissipated significantly.

As dish after dish of delicious food was served, the knights of the Radiant Knight Order, who had been traveling and had not yet had dinner, couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

Until the final main course was presented, the atmosphere, which had been slightly quiet and restrained, was instantly ignited.

"Black Flame Demon Bear!"

"What? The main course is actually a Black Flame Demon Bear? Am I seeing this right?!"

"Lord Howard is actually willing to bring out a Black Flame Demon Bear to treat us? This is too generous!"

"I haven't eaten Black Flame Demon Bear meat before. The Baron is too good to us."

"That's for sure. As long as we follow the Baron loyally, we might not even need to eat beef in the future."

Voices filled with surprise, disbelief, and excitement rose continuously among the crowd.

Among them, the knights of the Radiant Knight Order were the most vocal. Although they were very strong, including many Silver Knights who had eaten plenty of Magical Beast Meat.

But none of them had ever eaten a magical beast like the Black Flame Demon Bear, which possessed high-level bloodline potential and was equivalent to a Golden Knight at its peak.

After all, for a magical beast of this strength, not to mention its rarity, the difficulty of killing it meant it could not be obtained just anywhere.

Usually, after being killed and obtained, it would be kept by the nobility for their own family's use, or bestowed upon knights who had made significant contributions, or used to extract essence blood, or for other purposes.

Using it as food was extremely rare.

Therefore, when Ellis previously said he would give the Black Flame Demon Bear to Lister as a gift of gratitude, they couldn't help but feel shocked and envious.

But who could have thought that at the banquet, the Black Flame Demon Bear would become the food used to treat them? This polar contrast was truly bizarre.

For a moment, this generous act by Lister made them all feel admiration and gratitude.

Ellis, sitting to Lister's left, although he had previously enjoyed Magical Beast Meat equivalent to that of a Black Flame Demon Bear, could not help but marvel at his magnanimity.

It was truly baffling that a mere Baron with no background could possess such a generous spirit.

And Daisna, sitting to the right, looked at Lister with eyes shining with a brilliant light.

To the crowd's exclamations, Lister did not show much reaction, still maintaining a gentle smile.

He actually hadn't thought that much about it; he just felt that since it was a free gift, using it to feed everyone was making the best use of it.

Of course, he did not take out all the Black Flame Demon Bear meat at once, but kept half for himself.

After all, the distribution of such precious resources would certainly prioritize himself and his subordinates like Red.

As the sizzling, crispy-skinned, and tender Black Flame Demon Bear roast meat was distributed to everyone's hands.

The atmosphere of the banquet suddenly became lively.