Chapter 125: Your Majesty, Would You Like Some Barbecue?

Night fell, blanketing the world in a deep silence.

A massive silver moon hung suspended in the velvet expanse of the sky, its bright, cool light spilling across the endless snowfield. It gilded the frozen world with a layer of dreamlike, ethereal radiance.

Within this silvered landscape, the elven camp was a bastion of warm, bright light.

Squads of guards, clad in polished silver armor that reflected the cold moonlight, patrolled the camp’s perimeter with silent, practiced footsteps. The entire encampment was a picture of quiet order, suffused with the unique elegance and solemnity characteristic of the elves.

However, this deep tranquility was soon forcibly torn asunder by an incredibly domineering aroma.

It was a complex scent, a heady mixture of rendering fat, exotic spices, and the primal fragrance of charcoal. It carried a wild, untamed allure, a phantom that drilled its way into everyone’s nostrils, clawed at their taste buds, and seduced the slumbering gluttons in their bellies.

The source of this olfactory assault was a small clearing just outside Celeste’s tent.

Somehow, Celeste had procured a simple grill and was now standing before it, looking every bit the seasoned professional. With a brush in each hand, she skillfully slathered a mysterious, glistening sauce onto rows of meat skewers that sizzled and dripped with fat over the glowing embers.

The ingredients were humble: snow rabbits and a docile, roe deer-like creature that Xia Lian had hunted from the nearby forest just a short while ago. After Celeste’s simple preparation and marination, the meat, now licked by the charcoal fire, was emitting a rich aroma that could vaporize a person’s self-control on contact.

Selene was already crouching by the grill, clutching a freshly cooked rabbit leg. She hissed as the heat stung her fingers, but that didn’t stop her from impatiently stuffing it into her mouth. Her lips were soon slick with grease, her face a mask of pure, unadulterated happiness.

“Mmm… delishush! Sho delishush!” she mumbled indistinctly, her mouth full. “Sister Celeste, your skills have leveled up again!”

Su Wan and Xia Lian were also sitting on small stools nearby, each holding a skewer and taking small, delicate bites.

Su Wan’s movements remained as elegant as ever, but the noticeably accelerated pace of her chewing betrayed her true feelings. She had never imagined that such rough-looking, unrefined food could taste so… commanding. From a young age, she had only ever been exposed to exquisite and complex dishes, each one a work of art—beautiful, certainly, but they always felt like something was missing.

It was only in this moment, as the domineering scent of charcoal, grease, and spice flooded her senses, that she had a sudden epiphany. So, this was what those works of art lacked: this vibrant, lively flavor, this ‘scent of life’.

Xia Lian, meanwhile, was eating until her little face was flushed, though it was impossible to tell if it was from the heat of the fire or her own excitement. As she ate, she gazed at Celeste with an expression that bordered on worship. In her heart, the image of Sister Celeste had been completely deified. Her combat power was off the charts, her skills were bizarre yet terrifyingly effective, and now it turned out her cooking skills were maxed out, too!

What kind of all-powerful goddess was this woman?!

“Eat slowly, no one’s going to steal it from you,” Celeste said, watching her sister wolf down the food. She shook her head with a helpless smile and casually handed Selene another skewer. “There’s still soup stewing in the pot. Save some room.”

Just then, the flap of their tent was lifted.

Eldara’s ice-cold face appeared at the entrance. Her sharp gaze was immediately locked onto the sizzling, glistening meat skewers on the grill. On that stoic, rarely changing visage, a trace of an extremely subtle loosening seemed to appear around her jaw.

Immediately after, the regal figure of the Elf Queen, Elaniel, appeared behind her.

As the rich aroma washed over her, even the Elf Queen, a woman accustomed to the rarest and most exquisite delicacies in the world, couldn’t help but pause. A flash of intense curiosity flickered in her wine-red eyes.

“Greetings, Your Majesty, Commander,” Su Wan and Xia Lian said, hastily putting down their skewers and scrambling to their feet to salute.

Selene, her mouth still stuffed with meat, could only manage a muffled “woo-woo” sound as a greeting.

“There is no need for such formalities,” Elaniel waved a hand, gesturing for them to be at ease. Her inquisitive gaze swept over the crude grill and the various bottles and jars filled with powders and sauces arrayed beside Celeste.

“It seems I have arrived at the perfect time,” she said with a smile, her voice sounding exceptionally pleasant in the cold night air.

Celeste glanced back at them, her expression utterly unsurprised. “I knew it.”

She let out a small, knowing sigh. “With a smell this strong, forget people, even the snow rats within a ten-mile radius would be crying from the temptation. It would be stranger if Your Majesty could resist.”

She held up a freshly grilled skewer, generously sprinkled with cumin and a secret blend of spices, and shook it invitingly at the Queen.

“Your Majesty, would you like some barbecue? Fresh off the grill, authentic flavor.”

The moment those words left her mouth, a stunned silence fell over the area. Not only were Su Wan and Xia Lian dumbfounded, but even the elven guards patrolling nearby were so shocked they nearly dropped their spears.

Inviting Her Majesty the Queen to eat… this… this kind of street-stall food? Was this human girl’s courage just a little too big?

However, Elaniel’s reaction once again defied everyone’s expectations.

Instead of showing any hint of displeasure, she actually glided forward. She stopped right in front of the skewer—charred on the outside, tender on the inside, and glistening with savory juices—and examined it carefully for a moment.

“This is called… barbecue?”

“Yep, that’s what we call it where I’m from,” Celeste nodded. “A very popular folk delicacy.”

“It looks… quite good, indeed.”

Then, the Elf Queen actually reached out her hand. With those fair, slender fingers that looked like they were carved from flawless ivory, she elegantly pinched the end of the bamboo skewer and took the piping-hot grilled meat from Celeste.

Then, under the collective, disbelieving gaze of everyone present, she mimicked Selene’s earlier actions and took a small, gentle bite.

The slightly charred skin of the meat emitted a subtle, satisfying crunch.

The next second, the Elf Queen’s eyes lit up. Those wine-red irises, which always held a deep well of wisdom and composure, now shone with a light of pure, unadulterated surprise.

The rich spices, combined with the natural, savory deliciousness of the meat, exploded on her taste buds. That direct, crude, yet perfectly balanced flavor was a brand-new experience, something she had never encountered in her long, storied life.

She took another bite.

This time, her movement was noticeably larger. She was no longer so reserved, biting off a whole piece of meat and chewing it elegantly. The satisfied expression that graced her features was surprisingly similar to that of Selene, who was still crouching on the ground and wolfing down her food just moments ago.

“Delicious!” she declared without reservation. She then turned her head to look at Eldara, who was staring at the scene in a daze. “Eldara, you should try some as well. The flavor is very unique.”

Eldara said nothing.

Her gaze flickered from the greasy skewer in the Queen’s hand to the other one Celeste was now offering her. She fell into a brief, conflicted silence. As the commander of the Silent Watch, she had received the most rigorous training in aristocratic etiquette. This way of eating—grabbing food with one’s hands in public, with no regard for one’s image—was absolutely forbidden.

However… the Queen’s orders were absolute.

Besides, that aroma… it was indeed far too enticing.

In the end, under the Queen’s encouraging gaze and Celeste’s look of someone thoroughly enjoying a good show, Eldara expressionlessly took the grilled meat. With stiff, robotic movements, she brought it to her lips and took a bite.

Then, she too, froze.

On that face that seemed carved from ice, her scarlet eyes widened uncontrollably.

“How is it?” the Elf Queen asked her with a knowing smile.

Eldara was silent for a long moment. Then, in an extremely serious tone, as if she were reporting critical military intelligence, she spat out two words:

“Very good.”

After saying that, she silently took another large bite.

Watching this dramatic scene unfold, Celeste nearly laughed out loud.

‘The aloof commander persona, completely shattered in the face of good food,’she thought, thoroughly amused.’See? There’s nothing that can’t be solved with a barbecue. If there is, then make it two.’

With the Queen and the Knight-Commander taking the lead, the atmosphere instantly relaxed. Elaniel simply sat down next to Selene, completely devoid of any royal airs, and shared in their simple yet delicious dinner.

As she ate, she curiously asked Celeste all sorts of questions about “barbecue”—from the strange spices to the control of the heat, and the pairing of different meats with different sauces.

Celeste was happy to chat, taking the opportunity to explain the deep concepts of “meat skewers,” the delicacy known as “kidneys,” and the unassailable philosophy that “beer and barbecue are the soul of a summer night”—concepts utterly lost on the natives of this world.

The Queen nodded repeatedly, wearing an expression that clearly said, “I’ve learned something new today.”

Eldara sat silently on the other side, not saying a word. She just kept eating, skewer after skewer, faster than anyone else.

Su Wan watched the Queen, who was getting along so well with them, and felt deeply moved. She had never imagined that the holy and majestic elven monarch, the leader of an entire race, could be so approachable in private. This didn’t feel like a monarch and her subjects, but more like… a gathering of friends.

Perhaps, just as Celeste had said, no matter how noble a person is, they cannot resist the temptation of delicious food.

A simple meal of barbecue had successfully bridged the distance between everyone. The atmosphere was no longer so serious, replaced by a rare sense of comfort and ease.

After they had eaten their fill, Celeste ladled out several bowls of steaming meat soup from the pot and distributed them to everyone.

Elaniel held the warm soup bowl, took a sip, and the rich, savory flavor made her squint her eyes in comfort.

“Today has been unexpectedly delightful,” she said softly, looking at Celeste with gentle eyes. “Thank you for your hospitality, young Priestess. This is perhaps the most delicious meal I have eaten in the last two hundred years.”

“If you like it, I’ll make it for you again when I get the chance,” Celeste replied with a genuine smile.

“It’s a deal,” the Elf Queen smiled back, and that smile, set against the flickering firelight and the silver moonlight, was breathtakingly beautiful.

It was in this warm, convivial atmosphere that Eldara suddenly spoke up.

She looked at the four of them, a trace of confusion in her scarlet eyes.

“There is one thing I am curious about.”

“Why are the four of you so clean?” she asked. “We clearly just experienced a fierce battle and escaped from an avalanche. Logically, you should be even more disheveled than my knights.”

Reminded by her, everyone else realized it was true. The knights of the Silent Watch, including Eldara herself, still bore the marks of battle and the mud from melted snow on their armor.

But Celeste and her team were spotless. They were clean and fresh, without a single strand of hair out of place, as if they had just stepped out of a bath.

Selene, upon hearing this, immediately puffed out her chest with pride. “Of course! That’s because we have my sister’s exclusive secret technique!”

“Exclusive secret technique?” The Elf Queen’s interest was piqued.

“That’s right!” Celeste snapped her fingers, a mysterious, almost mischievous smile spreading across her face.

“It’s time to let you see what a true ‘Cleansing Spell’ is!”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]