Chapter 19: XIX

"You both have done well... as for the problem, it isn't that urgent, right? I don't think it's advised to receive bad news early in the morning," Kingsley said, hoping to at least maintain a somewhat cheerful atmosphere since he knew what even a little bit of bad news could do to his mental state in this situation.

"Yes," Viktor replied, even though he didn't understand why his master had said so.

Clap clap

Hestia clapped her hands as soon as they got into the over-the-top hall, as the maids from earlier started matching into the dining hall with dishes of all kinds. Seeing their coordination and superb skill, Kingsley couldn't help but wonder where they learned all this.

Of course, he didn't doubt that they were fast learners, considering that their Spirit was at its lowest, over 1000 and the [Spirit] stat seems to be a combination of the regular stats like wisdom, intelligence, mana, etc. Everything made sense, but it was still odd to think that these people had acquired several years' worth of experience in just one night.

"Wow, you guys have been busy," Kingsley said, impressed as he looked at the table full of unfamiliar dishes.

"These are all traditional demon goblin dishes; neither Victor nor I have any experience catering to humans, but humans and demon goblin taste buds are alike," Hestia immediately said, noticing Kingsley's look.

"I see, don't worry, I am not exactly picky with my food; just as long as it is cooked, we can perfect the taste later on," Kingsley said, since he knew just how hard it was to cook.

He had been learning for years, and all he knew how to do was cook noodles and boil rice. He didn't expect them to know what he liked when he didn't tell them anything, but at least they tried.

"Thanks for your gracious words, my Lord," Hestia said happily.

"Now everyone sit and eat; I hate eating alone." Kingsley ordered since he was used to eating with others; after all, he was born into a big family. There was always someone around to eat with him.

"Yes, My Lord?" Viktor and Hestia gave two completely different responses.

Hestia probably didn't care since she was just born and probably didn't understand what the situation signified, but Viktor had the memories of the past emperors who knew that the lord eating together with his servants was abnormal.

"Don't think too much about it, Viktor, just gather everyone here. I may be the lord, but I was born into a big family, and I like to have people around me."

"Yes, my Lord," Viktor said, and he did as asked.

A few minutes later, the once empty table was filled with people, but there was a clear divide between them. The maids and the guards all hurdled themselves to one side of the table while Kingsley, Viktor, and Hestia were seated on the other.

Kingsley didn't think much of the situation since even he would find it weird if he were a medieval servant and the lord suddenly said he should eat with him. He felt that their behavior was normal, so he just focused on eating for now.

The food was surprisingly good and earned Kingsley's approval, which made everyone at the table breathe a sigh of relief as though they were suddenly relieved of some burden. With that, they too started eating, with the servants eating as fast as they could so they would leave the awkward situation.

Several minutes later, the maids cleared the table, leaving Kingsley, Hestia, and Viktor as the only ones seated on it. The awkward situation was gone and replaced by a cheerful mood.

"Ah, a happy stomach is a happy mind," Kingsley said with a smile, then suddenly remembered something as he immediately turned serious.

"Hestia, how much food do we have in storage?"

"Enough to last us a year; we caught a lot of meat in yesterday's tide," Hestia replied.