The Inner Odyssey-Chapter 143: Feast

Once all the mid-morning bouts had finished, which signified the end of the preliminaries, a two hour break was put in place to give the contestants and the audience a well earned break.

In the private viewing chamber, this came in the form of a decadent meal.

Grand Elder Orion did not spare any expense. Perhaps that was the cause of the strange glimmer Alden had spied in the Elder’s eyes when he first met the man. If the venerable Master had a passion for food and cooking, then it would make sense why he’d accept only the best for his guests.

Of course, that could also be because the Grand Elder did not want to be seen as an ungracious host.

Maybe it was both.

In any case, as soon as the last participants had left the grounds of the arena, a flood of servants entered the viewing chamber. The important delegates suddenly stood up and swept to the back of the room, giving the workers enough space to work.

Curious, Alden followed, Kael behind him, as the attendants rapidly rearranged the space.

Then, came the food.

Platters upon platters of dishes arrived in an endless procession of servants.

Very soon, a long oak table stretched from one end of the chamber to the other, decorated with a plethora of sustenance that made Alden’s stomach grumble. There was a wide variety of meat on display - deer, elk, rabbit, venison, chicken, goat, and more.

Doubtless, the Zephyr Clan had sourced them from their special field, ensuring the livestock had been well-fed especially for this occasion. The inside of Alden’s mouth began to water. He was sure the meat would be extremely succulent, melting in his mouth without the slightest resistance.

Quiet anticipation began to build in his belly.

After all, it wasn’t every day he could enjoy such a luxurious and well-made meal.

Alden planned to make the most of it.

For those who did not particularly like meat, other dishes had been prepared. The Keeper’s Apprentice spied an assortment of soups, vegetable stews, roasted vegetables, lightning-infused sea trout, oysters, and plentiful supply of different salads and cheeses.

A couple of platters even contained freshly baked bread. The fragrant smell and slight charring of the baked dough indicated the cook had used a brick oven, instead of the traditional wood-fire one most people in the Sanctuary had access to.

Alden also saw there were duplicates of pretty much every dish, each prepared a different way - spicier for the delegates of Flame, milder and sweeter for the hosts, more herby for the delegates of Stone, and finally, juicier for the delegates of Ice.

It was truly a stunning amount of food.

Alden had never seen so many dishes in his life. He couldn’t help but think of the destitute mundane, who would do anything to get their hands on such a high-quality meal.

His mood soured slightly.

’Maybe once I solidify my position as the Keeper’s Apprentice, I can come up with a few initiatives to decrease the rate of poverty in the Sanctuary.’

If nothing else, it would help sway public opinion and improve his image.

That was the cynical view of it. There was another reason why Alden wanted to help, other than compassion and basic human empathy - both of which he had plenty of for the destitute mundane.

That said, the white-haired young man felt he was growing colder the more he increased in rank, and the more traumatic experiences he went through. It was a troubling thought.

In any case, the main driving force behind Alden’s willingness to tackle poverty and hunger, stemmed from the time he struggled to survive after his biological parent’s death. If not for Alistair and Elara’s timely intervention, there was a high chance he would have starved to death.

He knew all too well the feeling of gnawing hunger and how debilitating it was.

That was why this decadent feast made him slightly uncomfortable.

In his eyes, it was just needless extravagance.

Unaware and perhaps uncaring for the thoughts swirling within Alden’s mind, the servants finally finished setting up. They stepped back, ready to start serving as soon as the delegates sat down.

Alden made his way towards one of the seats at the edge of the table, but Grand Elder Orion suddenly barred his path.

"Young Prince, you are the guest of honour! You must sit at the head of the table! I insist."

Staring blankly at the man, Alden struggled to hide the twitch of his brows.

He did not want to attract undue attention to himself, especially after resolving himself to do his utmost not to offend anyone else for the remainder of the Tournament.

...Unfortunately for Alden, his position as the Keeper’s Apprentice naturally meant he would stand out.

He sighed.

The young man wasn’t really sure if the Grand Elder meant well, or he was scheming like the rest of the Masters present.

’Doesn’t matter now.’

Internally, Alden shook his head.

Externally, he gave a polite nod and changed course, slipping into the seat that gave him the best view over every delegation.

Maybe... just maybe this wasn’t as bad as he first thought.

Alden hid his interest behind a neutral mask.

A servant hovered nearby, and he motioned for them to serve him some meat, a little scooping of roasted vegetables and a bowl of spicy soup. He took an experimental sip of the latter, appreciating the way it caused his lips to tingle.

Around him, the upper echelons of the Sanctuary slowly settled, conversing quietly with each other as attendants scurried about, tending to their every need. Once everyone had been served, the Grand Elder of the Zephyr Clan clinked his spoon on his golden goblet.

Immediately, everyone’s gazes converged on him, and the venerable Master smiled.

"I propose a toast to our special guest, the young Prince! May he lead us to greater heights in the future, and bring endless prosperity to the Sanctuary!"

The Grand Elder raised his goblet, and the other Masters did too.

However, beneath their amiableness, Alden could recognise the hidden sneers a mile away.

Pretending to be oblivious, the white-haired young man thanked Master Orion.

A few moments later, Alden’s first feast as the Keeper’s Apprentice was underway.