Chapter 422 - What Comes Next

Entering back into Lyra's tent, Marcus saw Roxene resting on the couch and dozing off.

Except as soon as she heard Marcus enter, she got up completely alert and said, 'Is it time for dinner.'

Smiling and nodding his head Marcus got right to work on preparing a buffet of puff cow meat cuts for himself and Roxene.

Neither of them had eaten a hot, home cooked meal for a few days, and Roxene especially was willing to kill for one right now.

On the other hand, Marcus wanted to indulge in one of his hobbies and forget the worrying experience he had recently gotten through and express a part of himself that he enjoyed.

He knew that the more he focused on the things he wanted to do the stronger his sense of self would be.

Pulling out all of his ingredients, Marcus used the limited cooking space that Lyra had to start a soup and sear a few steaks.

Soon the first round of steaks were done and Marcus put them on a plate before serving them to Roxene.

And like always the young wolf put away more than should have been physically possible, and this was still only a snack.

Eventually Lyra also came back and the second she entered she began sniffing the air as her sharpened senses smelled the delicious food that Marcus was cooking.

Her mouth even began watering as she smelled this food that was better than anything she had eaten in a very long time.

"Judging by the look on your face you must be hungry. I have made enough for everyone so give me just a few minutes and it will be ready."

Nodding her head and staring at the soup Marcus was making with expectant eyes, Lyra wiped her mouth before sitting down at the dining table and waiting for Marcus to finish.

"Bon appetite." Marcus said as he served the soup to both Roxene and Lyra.

The two of them quickly jumped into the food and as Lyra took the first bite she went wide eyed in shock.

She had not eaten food this good other than maybe at a couple of meals that were served in the royal castle.

Quickly she began scarfing it down and revitalizing herself.

She had used a lot of energy, and this delicious food was brining both her body and spirits back up.

"More Please." Lyra said holding out her bowl as soon as she had finished.

However, a moment after she said this, she realized she had forgotten her manners and had just acted like she was back home on Earth.

Still Marcus just smiled and filled her bowl up to the top before getting a little bit for himself.

After that the three of them ate to their hearts content until everything was gone.

"Ah that was the best food I have had in a long time. To think you were such a good cook Marcus."

"I am glad you enjoyed. It is one of the skills I have picked up since coming to this world. You would not believe how effective a good meal is at bringing people together."

"Though now that we have enjoyed ourselves a bit. Would you mind telling me what happened with the rest of your meeting with the other rebel leaders." Marcus said with a serious look in his eyes.

Sitting up straight and matching Marcus' expression Lyra said, "Yeah. I can tell you. Our first order of business it to make a new permanent base. Where we are now should be safe for a while but being out in the open is not a good idea. We never know when scout could fly overhead and discover us."

Lyra then let out a sigh and said, "After that we are going to need to rebuild and recruit more members, while trying to spread our influence. Right now, we do not have the strength to hold any real territory since the kingdom still has more power than us. If we tried taking over anything the kingdom would just dispatch my master along with an army to wipe us out. We got very lucky last time with that vampire showing up, but it will not happen again. We need to get stronger while slowly chipping away at the king's support. And to that end, the chief is eager for his meeting with the king of Borealia. Once we enter a formal agreement, we will get plenty more supplies, but more importantly a face for the rebellion. With Princess Daniela on our side, we will have someone that nobles and commoners alike can rally behind. Currently, we do not have a dedicated representative to our rebellion. And while people like Marek and I may hold some level of recognition, we do not have what it takes to sway the entire kingdom."

Understanding Lyra's logic, Marcus could imagine the level of support that bringing in a member of the royal family to their fold would give them.

"I see. So, what should I do in the meantime to help out?" Marcus said, wanting to pull his weight and make things easier on Lyra.

However, what she said next was not what Marcus had been expecting.

"Tomorrow there is going to be a memorial for those that did not make it yesterday, as well as a celebration for us taking down two great knights. Would you mind cooking all of the food to help raise everyone's moral?"

Taken aback by this for a moment, Marcus figured that his forging skills were what would be in highest demand, but it turned out his cooking was needed.

Of course, of everyone in the rebellion he had the highest cooking skill by far since he had recently gotten it to level five.

This was already at the level of a royal chef, so it made Marcus one of the best cooks in this kingdom and many others.

"Very well that should not be a problem, I think. I have never cooked for more than a few people before, but I should be able to manage somehow."

With that their immediate plans were settled and now that Lyra was full, she headed off to bed to get some much-needed sleep.

'I suppose I should go and practice my new spells while I have the chance.'

Exiting the tent Marcus used his ghost form to discreetly leave the encampment and flew a couple hundred miles away before he began practicing his new tier six darkness and light magic spells.

Each one of them by themselves had enough destructive power to lay waste to a large area, and after using them recklessly during his fight against Ludwik, Marcus knew he needed to get better at using them.

Practicing until his mana was depleted Marcus looked at out at the landscape that he had leveled into nothing and could only shake his head.

He now knew that using these spells would be very difficult due to their vast effective range. 

They were powerful but using them in a city would be pretty much impossible, and if he had allies around, he would have to worry about them.

Still, he had gotten a bit better control over them and was satisfied for now.

He then began his long flight back tot where the rebels had set up their temporary base, so that he could begin preparation for their banquet tomorrow.