"Exactly, exactly! In Capital City, who doesn't know that Douglas Baker likes Third Princess? How can you let such scum ruin your reputation?"

"When we get to the battlefield, just shoot him from behind. No one would ever pay attention to a soldier like him!"

"You really are my good friends!" Douglas Baker said, patting a few noble youths closest to him. "Alright! Once we're on the battlefield, whoever gets the chance will take care of that scum!"

The group of noble youths conspired together, walking at the very front of the formation, occasionally adjusting the direction of the march. Even by nightfall, they still hadn't reached the city of Ponzi marked on the map.

As night fell, the group had no choice but to camp in the wild. Piles of campfires were lit, and tents flapped noisily in the evening breeze.

Douglas Baker and his companions took out their dried meat and fine wine, loudly exclaiming how delicious everything was by the fire, occasionally glancing at Gregory, who sat by the fire eating nothing.

Several knights grateful to Gregory for saving them offered him some dried meat, but Gregory and his men politely declined with a smile.

"Not everyone gets to enjoy dried meat and fine wine out in the wild," Douglas Baker shouted, shaking the dried meat in his hand. "Everyone! Once we drive off the bandits, I'll treat you all to the best game in Capital City!"

Princess Felicity was also drawn by the beautiful night scenery and gracefully walked over to sit by Douglas Baker's campfire. A few noble youths quickly switched places while Princess Felicity wasn't looking, moving Douglas Baker to sit right next to her.

A plate of the finest dried meat was soon placed in front of Felicity. Just as Felicity reached out for the meat, she saw Unknown returning from the darkness not far away, carrying a burlap sack over his shoulder.

As soon as Unknown appeared, the knights with Gregory immediately got busy: they set up an iron pot, poured in freshly boiled water, and cleared a sizable spot for Unknown.

Seeing this, Douglas Baker mocked, "Dignified knights actually serving a commoner—how ridiculous! They've completely disgraced the name of knighthood!"

Many noble youths joined in the jeering. The faces of Gregory and his men flushed red, but they pretended not to hear, skillfully plucking the feathers from several birds. The other knights sorted through the wild vegetables Unknown had brought back—skills they'd learned from him in the forest over the past few days.

Unknown took the plucked birds, quickly cleaned out the innards, then skewered them on a few spears from his back and set them over the fire prepared by the knights to roast.

After finishing with the roasting, Unknown swiftly tossed the wild vegetables into the iron pot, then carefully took out some seasonings from his person and sprinkled them into the pot.

Douglas Baker and his group continued eating their dried meat, constantly mocking Unknown as being only fit to be a cook. Princess Felicity watched Unknown at work, frowning slightly, a hint of disdain in her eyes.

After a while, the knights with Gregory could no longer hear the jeers from Douglas Baker and his group. Instead, all they heard was the sound of people drooling.

The roasted birds were crispy on the outside and tender inside, and the wild vegetable stew in the big iron pot gave off an aroma that made everyone's mouth water.

"Delicious! This is just too delicious!" a knight shouted exaggeratedly after taking a bite of the roast meat. "Unknown! I think you really shouldn't be a soldier in the army! Why not join our cavalry regiment as a cook instead?"

"Exactly, exactly!" another knight said, savoring a sip of soup. "How about we recommend you to the cavalry captain as the head cook? It's safe, the benefits are great—think about it!"

The knights all chimed in, praising Unknown, occasionally sneaking glances at the eggplant-colored faces of Douglas Baker and his group, feeling secretly delighted. The humiliation they'd just suffered was now being paid back with interest.

"Princess, Your Highness! We sincerely invite you to try Unknown's cooking as well," even the usually stiff Gregory took the opportunity to be a bit bold.

Douglas Baker's face darkened as he opened his mouth to say, "The princess would never—"

"I'm coming!" Felicity jumped up, cutting off Douglas Baker, and ran over to the knights by Gregory. The mouthwatering aroma of the roast meat had long tempted her, and now that someone had given her an excuse, how could she not take it?

"Mmm~~! Delicious, this roast meat tastes even better than the imperial chef's." After praising the meat, Felicity took a sip of soup, her face lighting up with surprise again. "So good! This soup is even better than the imperial chef's."

At this, Douglas Baker's face grew even darker, and the momentum of the nearly one hundred noble youths instantly plummeted. The flickering campfire only made their gloomy faces look even more sullen.

"Everyone, come eat together. This roast wild boar will be ready soon."

The noble youths looked in surprise at Unknown, who had just been mocked by them, now inviting them to eat. At that moment, many of them suddenly felt a twinge of emotion.

The noble youths exchanged awkward glances; no one wanted to be the first to step forward for the wild boar, nor did they want to offend Douglas Baker by undermining him.

Chapter 9: The Great Roc Spreads Its Wings and Soars Among the Clouds (Part 2)