Princess Felicity was eating heartily and shouted loudly to the noble youths, “Come over and eat, everyone! It’s only lively when there are more people.”

The noble youths cast an apologetic glance at Douglas Baker, as if to say: Brother, sorry about this. It’s the princess’s order—we really don’t want to go eat, honestly.

After sending that look, except for a few nobles who were close friends with Douglas Baker, nearly a hundred other noble youths, under the assault of Unknown’s roasted pork, temporarily defected to Unknown’s side.

“Douglas Baker, come eat with us. It’s really delicious.” Felicity, her hands covered in grease, shouted without any princess-like decorum.

Douglas Baker stood up with a cold expression, gave Felicity a noble’s salute, and said gloomily, “Respected Princess, I am a bit tired. Please allow me to return to my tent early to rest. We still have to travel tomorrow.”

“All right then.” Felicity blinked her bright eyes and smiled happily. “It’s such a pity we can’t eat this delicious roast together.”

Douglas Baker felt as if his chest had been struck hard. He quickly turned and walked toward the tent, afraid that if he looked back at Unknown again, he wouldn’t be able to resist drawing his sword. He certainly didn’t want to kill Unknown when Unknown was at the height of his popularity—that would only make people think he was targeting someone else.

“If everyone likes it, I’ll make something even tastier for you all tomorrow. In the mountains, when we have nothing to do, we often experiment with different ways of making food.”

Unknown’s words instantly made the already lively crowd erupt again. Spurred on by alcohol, people began to sing loudly and wildly.

Douglas Baker, about to enter his tent, could no longer stand the group of people behind him who were now acting like sworn brothers with Unknown. The hand lifting the tent flap slowly dropped, and he turned to walk back toward the boisterous crowd.

Douglas Baker entered the crowd and looked at Unknown, who was seriously preparing the barbecue, and a wave of jealousy surged in his heart once more.

“Who would have thought that a mere mountain bumpkin would know how to win people over,” Douglas Baker muttered quietly as he walked to the center of the crowd, spread his arms, and shouted, “Everyone! We are the pillars of our nation. How dull would such a lively occasion be without some martial arts to liven things up?”

The lively scene immediately quieted down quite a bit. Those familiar with Douglas Baker naturally knew what he wanted to do. But no one dared to step forward to criticize him or try to dissuade him from spoiling the fun.

A few cups of wine in, Felicity was feeling excited from the alcohol and quickly clapped her hands, shouting, “Martial arts, martial arts! We came out this time to make our mark—martial arts are the foundation of our survival. How could we go without it? I support Baron Douglas Baker’s suggestion.”

Seeing the drunken antics of Princess Felicity, everyone else could only reluctantly agree. The lively atmosphere continued, though how much of it was genuine, only each person knew in their heart.

“Since everyone feels this way, I, though unworthy, am willing to be the first participant in this martial arts demonstration. I wonder who among you would like to be my opponent?” Douglas Baker looked at the crowd with high spirits. Who could miss the threat in his gaze? Naturally, no one dared to accept the challenge.

Unknown continued to focus on his barbecue, never once looking up at the man he disliked.

Douglas Baker put on a troubled expression and sighed, “Since no one is volunteering, I’ll have to choose an opponent myself. I think… that friend over there grilling the meat. Today you’ve given everyone such delicious food—now give us a wonderful martial arts display as well. That would make for a perfect night.”

“Aren’t you tired? I’m not going to fight you,” Unknown said without looking up. “You should get some rest. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“Well…” Douglas Baker cursed Unknown in his heart for always hitting the mark with so few words, but on his face he put on a troubled look and turned to the drunken princess. “As the princess’s knight, I absolutely cannot let her be disappointed. I believe the princess is very much looking forward to our match.”

The already drunk princess clapped her hands and shouted excitedly, “That’s right, that’s right! Mr. Unknown, I now order you to have a martial arts match with Baron Douglas Baker.”

Unknown sneered disdainfully. Beside him, Gregory quietly reminded, “You must obey the princess’s order. Otherwise, if she gets angry, the villagers will…”

“I understand, I’ll accept the challenge.” Unknown looked at the princess with clear dislike, then walked to the center and said, “I’ve heard that sometimes people place bets on martial arts matches. I wonder if we can do that here?”

“We can! Of course we can!” the drunken princess shouted excitedly. “This time I’ll be the banker—Baron gets two-to-one odds, Mr. Unknown gets ten-to-one. Everyone, place your bets!”

Those following Felicity also thought the odds were fair. After all, Douglas Baker was a level-nine knight, with solid skills, while Unknown was just a commoner who could shoot a bow—he couldn’t even use a bow in this kind of match. In their eyes, Unknown was about to become Douglas Baker’s punching bag.

The knights with Gregory couldn’t decide which side to bet on, nor did they have any money to wager. Their gold coins had long since been spent on the equipment Unknown brought back last time.