The Herb King

Lexter Ford led the retreat of the Ford Empire. Many of their soldiers died in this war and they couldn't even get their hands on the Leone Empire's family heirloom, the Two Lion Sword. It was an unrewarding battle and their relationship with the Dustin Empire might not be as amicable as before. They even had to pay the families of their dead soldiers to appease their discontent. To sum it up, it was a huge blunder for the Ford Empire.

"Commander, the Ford Empire has retreated. Our men are now checking the vantage points to see if there are still some scouts. What are your orders?" The messenger was visibly excited as he reported this. Their army actually managed to make the Ford Empire's two hundred thousand strong soldiers retreat! If this news travels into the ears of the other empires, they would certainly look at them in a different light.

Ramiel nodded his head upon hearing this. "Send a small scout team to follow the Ford Empire's army. Tell them to report back to me if they notice that something is amiss. Inform our men that we will have half day break before we return to Lion City." He said to the messenger.

"Understood. I'll take my leave now, Commander." The messenger bowed to him before he left.

Ramiel then turned his gaze to the people inside the tent. They were the main combatants who fought against the elites of the Ford Empire. Some of them were covered in bandages, while a few of them even lost their limbs. There were also four Level 4 Espers who died in the battle. Their remains were now placed inside crystal coffins, prepared to be delivered to the capital. As for the ordinary soldiers, they were also placed in coffins.

"Four of our elite fighters died in this war. We may be the victor, but we lost the lives of thousands of our soldiers. We must not forget their sacrifice and we must make sure that their families are properly compensated. I want all of you to make sure that the families they left behind wouldn't be bullied in the future." Ramiel muttered in a solemn tone. He was afraid that the bereaved families would be ostracized after losing the main pillars of their household so he had to ensure their future to appease the souls of their fallen comrades.

"Yes, Commander!" Everyone answered in unison.

Seeing their serious faces, Ramiel clapped his hands and said. "Everyone is dismissed."

Soon Ramiel's tent became silent after everyone left.

***

In the imperial castle of the Leone Empire, Emperor Ragnar sat on his throne with a dignified look on his face, while his most trusted subordinate, Dimitri was standing behind him expressionlessly.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Prince Renz bowed his head to his father. He might be the strongest expert in the Leone Empire at this moment, but he still fully respected his origins. His father, Emperor Ragnar, also served as his mentor, shaping him into what he was now. The others might think that the emperor has given up on him, but it was far from the truth. Emperor Ragnar trained him since he was young and he even secretly kept in contact with Prince Renz when he was in Vale City.

Emperor Ragnar nodded his head. "You came here urgently after you negotiated with the Dustin Empire. What happened?" The emperor asked. He kept his hands on the armrest of his throne, tapping his fingers rhythmically.

Prince Renz lifted his head as he answered. "The Dustin Empire has given us satisfactory terms. Their Grand General, Arch-Duke George Dustin said that the items will be sent to us within a week. I will send a trustworthy team to monitor the transfer of the items." After saying this, he paused for a moment and cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty, although we won the war this time, we are still in a precarious situation. Now that the Two Lion Sword's power is exposed to the world, the big empires might be interested in taking it from us. By then, we would be put in a tough spot. The only respite regarding this matter is that there is a great distance between us so it would take them some time before they get here. However, we should make some preparations before that happens. I suggest that we invite all the greatest minds in our empires to hold a strategic meeting." Prince Renz said in a serious tone.

After hearing his words, the emperor furrowed his eyebrows as he pondered deeply. This was also one of his greatest concerns and it looks like the Leone Empire would be at the center of a huge disaster any time soon.

"Your Majesty, I suggest that we invite Sir Aethelwolf to join this strategic meeting. He was the main reason why we won this war. I believe that he could come up with a solution for us." Prince Renz added after seeing that the emperor was silent.

Emperor Ragnar glanced at Prince Renz and nodded his head. "Alright. I'll leave this matter in your hands. Since you've already shown your true power, there is no need to hide anymore. You should stay here in Lion City and get to know the local lords. Who knows? Maybe you might find a young lady here who could capture your heart. You're getting old already so you should consider looking for a wife."

Prince Renz' eyes widened when he heard this, but he shook his head as he replied. "I'll consider it after we get past this predicament." The empire was still in turmoil and danger was all around them. He had no time to have his own family.

Emperor Ragnar sighed inwardly as he looked at his son. "Fine. You may leave." He waved his hand as he dismissed the first prince.

Prince Renz bowed to the emperor and left the throne room with Duke Baron.

Looking at his departing figure, the emperor sighed as he leaned on his throne. "When can I hold a grandchild?"

***

Aethelwolf was now cooking a large meal for the soldiers. Since he didn't have a specialized wok that was used in cooking gigantic creatures, he could only grill the meat in an open fire. It was a tough process to season the meat he had prepared beforehand. It had a whopping size of twenty-four meters, a large equestrian creature that was covered in armor-like scales. Because of its large size, it was difficult to tame it and only a few beast tamers managed to tame this creature. It was called a Giant Steel Equus.

The one that Aethelwolf was seasoning at this moment was from a Level 4 Giant Steel Equus so it was quite huge. He even had to use a Unique-Rated knife to remove the scales of the creature.

"Papa, what are you cooking?" Olivia sat curiously as she propped her chin with both hands. She was fascinated by the scene of Aethelwolf descaling the Giant Steel Equus.

In truth, it wasn't just her. All the soldiers watching the scene were also mesmerized by Aethelwolf's graceful movements. At first, they came here to get a glimpse of the elven woman who was always with him, but they had soon forgotten about her the moment they witnessed Aethelwolf's skill in using the knife. It was as if they were looking at a grandmaster at work.

The way he wielded the knife wasn't forceful. He looked at ease as he descaled the Giant Steel Equus.

They even thought that they were looking at a professional who was performing a show.

Aenwyn who was initially the center of attraction became a backup character. She wasn't a great chef so she could only help Aethelwolf by controlling the flames that will be used to cook the meat. She was expressionless the whole time which made the soldiers give her the nickname Frost Queen.

"Let's begin." Aethelwolf cut the meat into several large pieces. He then put them into the giant grill that was haphazardly created by the soldiers. It was made from a tough metal so it should be able to handle intense temperatures. As long as one disregarded its ugliness, it was actually a decent grill.

Aenwyn adjusted the temperature of the flames using her world essence.

The crowd cheered when they witnessed the flames burning intensely. Some weaker soldiers even took a step back because of the heat.

Meanwhile, a little girl could be seen drooling at the side. Her eyes were filled with excitement and impatience as she stared at the large pieces of meat on the grill.

When Olivia noticed that there was a line of drool dripping from her mouth, she hurriedly wiped it with the back of her hand, but soon, another line of drool slowly drip from her mouth.

Seeing her cute appearance, Aethelwolf couldn't help but chuckle lightly. He then put his attention back on the grill. He hoped that this food will help the soldiers recover from their physical wounds and emotional trauma.