Chapter 94: Return
Lucanmont.
The last rays of the setting sun cast a golden glow over this grand city.
Kay paced back and forth along the city walls, often gazing into the distance with a clear look of impatience in his eyes.
"Why haven't they returned yet..."
Lancelot sighed. "Kay, you really need to calm down. You've been here for days, sleeping no more than six hours, at this rate, your body won't hold up."
Kay forced a bitter smile. He was well aware of the harm his actions were causing, but whenever he remembered what Merlin had said that day, he couldn't close his eyes, feeling a constant sense of restlessness.
That white-haired troublemaker always had a penchant for speaking in half-truths. No matter how much Kay pressed him for answers, Merlin refused to reveal the whole story.
"Lancelot is right, Sir Kay." Bedivere chimed in as he ascended the stairs with a tray of steaming food. "According to the agreed-upon time, the war only began yesterday at the earliest. We won't receive any news until tomorrow at the soonest, so even if you stay here, it won't yield any results."
"I'm just worried that something unexpected might happen..." Kay mumbled.
Bedivere grinned and pointed at the distant crater.
"With His Majesty's presence, what do you have to worry about?"
Kay shook his head and gritted his teeth.
"You don't understand, Sir Bedivere. Merlin is the kind of person my teacher used to describe as 'loving to watch a good show'. He must have seen something to say something like that."
"Watching a good show, huh?" Bedivere pondered for a moment and then chuckled. "His Majesty truly understands Lord Merlin's character. But now that you mention it, I haven't seen Lord Merlin in the past few days. He was bothering me about when we could hold another banquet just a while ago."
"Hmph, that guy knew I'd definitely confront him, so he ran away early." Kay snorted. "If I see him next time, I'll beat him to a pulp before he can even speak!"
"But you'll need the strength to do that." Bedivere waved his hand dismissively. The servant behind him approached and set the food on the table, bowed slightly, and then departed. "First, eat your meal. Afterward, get some rest. I'll personally stay here and inform you as soon as there's any news."
"But..." Kay hesitated for a moment.
"Kay, you really need to rest." Lancelot said earnestly, patting Kay's shoulder. "You can trust Bedivere and me to keep things in order while you rest."
"Hahh... in that case, I'll leave it to you..." Kay finally relented and sat down, beginning to enjoy his meal.
As he bit into a piece of roasted Wyvern meat, Kay suddenly looked puzzled.
"Is this not fully cooked?"
Bedivere blinked and tasted a piece himself, his brow furrowing.
"It really isn't... I clearly told them to cook it thoroughly. My apologies, Sir Kay. I'll have the kitchen prepare another serving for you."
"Nah, no need, it's not that big of a deal anyway."
Kay shook his head and speared a piece of the slightly pinkish meat with his fork. He grinned, pointing to the tender pink texture.
"Actually, I'm more used to this medium-rare style of roast. Before my teacher arrived, we almost always ate meat like this. But my teacher didn't like it, he said that undercooked food can breed bacteria and might even have bugs inside, and it's harmful to our health if consumed regularly. So, we gradually switched to fully cooked ones."
"Bacteria? What's that?" Bedivere looked bewildered, and Lancelot appeared equally puzzled.
Kay scratched his head in frustration.
"I can't remember it very well either, but according to my teacher, bacteria are all around us in various places, but they're so tiny that we can't see them. Some bacteria are beneficial, and some are harmful. People get sick because of the harmful ones, but once you recover from an illness, your body builds antibodies, and those bacteria no longer affect you... well, that's more or less what he meant. Do you guys... understand?"
"Do you understand?" Lancelot blinked in confusion and asked Bedivere.
"Haha, I've just realized that, besides his strength in battle, His Majesty's wisdom runs quite deep." Bedivere chuckled and gazed at Kay with curiosity. "Has His Majesty ever said anything else like this?"
"Yup, and a lot of it. Normally, aside from teaching Lily and me arithmetic, he would share a lot of other knowledge. Although most of the time, we didn't quite understand, it always felt impressive."
While Kay munched on grilled meat, he recounted the knowledge Arkhan had imparted to them. Bedivere and Lancelot stood nearby, listening intently.
Suddenly, an excited shout erupted around them.
"They're back! They're back!"
The trio first seemed confused, but then they seemed to recall something and, almost instinctively, rushed to the edge of the city wall to gaze into the distance.
On the wide, straight road, a knight order of several hundred men slowly appeared at the road's end. The evening sun's fading light cast their shadows on the ground. At the forefront was a black-haired man clad in silver armor.
"They're back! Did you see, Lancelot?! My teacher and my sister, they've all returned!"
Kay shook Lancelot's shoulder like a man possessed by a crazy ghost, and Lancelot wore a slightly helpless expression on his face.
"Quick, inform my brother and instruct all the servants to prepare food and hot water." After a brief daze, a recovered Bedivere swiftly issued the orders to a servant nearby.
Benedict, upon receiving the news, immediately put down his current affairs without hesitation. He rode directly to the city gate.
"Is it really His Majesty and his knights who have returned?" Benedict asked his younger brother, his expression anxious.
"Yes, it's indeed them." Bedivere affirmed solemnly.
Benedict let out a sigh of relief and then asked, "What about casualties?"
Bedivere hesitated for a moment and replied, "I didn't get a close look just now, but it seems the number of knights hasn't changed much. However, the state of their equipment is severely damaged. I can hardly spot anything intact."
Benedict's breath caught for a moment, and a pained expression crossed his face.
Before their departure, he had provided the three hundred knights with the finest equipment from Lucanmont's treasury. It was hard to believe that it all lay in ruins after just one war.
But fortunately, Arkhan had promised to reward Lucanmont with those twenty Wyverns. All things considered, they hadn't suffered a loss; in fact, they'd made a small profit.
With that thought, Benedict's mood slightly improved.
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