Sean had been through countless life and death situations on the battlefield. He had crawled out from beneath piles of corpses before, and compared to Josh, who had never even left Rodu, he had sacrificed much more for a chance to inherit the throne.

  For a man who wasn’t a fan of spicy food, such a fearsomely spicy dish almost made him faint on the spot. His fingernails were digging so hard into the palms of his hands that they were drawing blood, yet that was nothing compared to the agony coursing through his mouth. His eyes had also become completely bloodshot, yet he had to force himself not to make a single sound.

  Is this level of spiciness really within the tolerance range for a human? Why is it that Father looks like he’s enjoying the dish so much? Could it be that Josh asked that chef to make my dish extra spicy?

  Countless questions flashed through Sean’s mind in an instant, and he felt like a wounded beast.

  Just as he thought that this torture would never end, the numb sensation in his mouth gradually faded, and the delicious flavor of the fish began to soothe his ravaged taste buds. The crispy fish skin and tender flesh of the fish practically melted in his mouth. Furthermore, there wasn’t even as much as a single fishbone to be found, and it was incredible that the torturous spicy flavor from just a moment ago could be masking something so delectable.

  The imagery of long-awaited rain falling on a parched desert surfaced in his mind, and this was an indescribable feeling.

  Thus, he swallowed his first mouthful of fish.

  The morsel of fish felt as if it had been pulled straight out of molten lava, and as it slowly slid down his esophagus, he felt as if a flame had been set alight in his heart. The twisting sensation in his stomach was causing him quite a bit of discomfort, and the scorching sensation in his mouth had returned, making him feel as if his tongue were being used as a pincushion.

  The logical part of his mind told him to never touch this fish ever again, but he simply couldn’t stop his chopsticks as they picked up another morsel of fish and fed it to his mouth.

  The delicious flavor of the fish managed to repress the scorching spicy sensation again, but that sensation only returned with even greater ferocity, forcing him to immediately eat another chunk of fish.

  Sean suddenly understood why Josh was eating like a madman. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stop eating—he simply couldn’t!

  Thus, both princes began to shovel fish into their mouths in a maddened frenzy as if this was the most delicious thing they had ever eaten.

  “The two princes look like they’re thoroughly enjoying that dish.”


  “Indeed. I didn’t think that the two princes would be so enraptured by a single dish on such a grand occasion.”


  All of the officials looked on with surprise etched on their faces.

  The two princes had always been quite careful and reserved in their mannerism, but who would’ve thought that they would suddenly cast aside those facades? They did appear to be eating in a rather disheveled manner, but that only worked to further demonstrate to everyone just how delicious the spicy grilled fish must’ve been.

  “Phew!”


  The forest troll representative breathed out a ball of flames, which just so happened to land on his leg, and it immediately burst into flames. Thankfully, Richard quickly swooped in and saved the forest troll by casting a water ball spell to douse the flames.

  “This fish is really delicious, but I have to take extra care not to set myself on fire when eating it!” The forest troll put down the bowl in its hand with a hint of lingering fear on its face. The grilled fish in front of it had already been completely consumed, and its body had taken on a rather amusing red hue.

  “It really is extremely delicious! I can’t get enough of this spicy scorching feeling!”


  The abyss demon sitting next to the forest troll had also turned slightly red as he shoveled chunks of fish relentlessly into his mouth.

  Aside from the fact that it’s a little spicy, it appears that everyone is a fan of this dish. Irina nodded to herself upon seeing this. She picked up a chunk of fish with her chopsticks, dipped it in the red juices down below, and then carefully placed it into her own mouth.

  The spicy juices struck her tongue with a numb sensation; it was a very strange feeling as if part of the sensory nerves of her tongue had been obstructed somehow.

  Immediately thereafter, the delicious flavor of the fish itself began to wreak havoc on the tip of her tongue.

  The fish skin was crispy yet not burnt, while the meat beneath the skin was very tender and supple. The flavors of the fish and the spicy juices immediately left her wanting more.

  As she swallowed the mouthful of fish, she felt as if a warm ball of fire had slid down her throat into her body, warming her stomach and evoking within her a sense of bliss and enjoyment.

  Irina wasn’t a fan of fish, as she could never separate the small fishbones from the meat, and it was very unpleasant to have fishbones stuck in her throat.

  However, to her surprise, that chunk of fish just then was comprised entirely of meat with no fishbones at all.

  Is this a fish without any small fishbones? Irina’s eyes lit up as she ate another mouthful of fish. The chunk of fish practically melted in her mouth, and there weren’t any small fishbones in that mouthful, either, only the spicy and delicious skin and flesh of the fish.

  It’s a little spicy, but surely everyone’s over-exaggerating things. Or could it be that I have really good aptitude when it comes to eating spicy foods? Irina glanced at Sean and Josh with a slightly perplexed look before eating another mouthful of fish. Her eyes narrowed slightly as a blissful smile appeared on her face. She felt as if she would never tire of eating this dish.

  No one can resist Father’s food, because it’s just that delicious! Amy wore a joyful smile on her face as she swayed slightly from the side to side and tucked in to her own fish.

  Father really is super awesome; anyone who eats his food would fall in love with him.

  Abraham was salivating wildly as he looked on from his seat. As he did so, he thought to himself, After this birthday banquet, I have to find that chef and get him to cook a braised chicken and rice and spicy grilled fish for me!

  “It looks like all three dishes were very much to His Majesty’s liking. The chef is almost guaranteed to win the best dish of the day award.”


  “Indeed. It looks like His Highness has found a strong ally for himself. By the way, do you know who that little girl is? She’s so adorable when she’s eating.”


  “I heard that Master Krassu recently accepted a half-elf girl as his disciple; she’s most likely the one.”


  “I heard that Master Krassu paid the Magus Tower a visit with his disciple, and she ended up setting a new tower ascending record and beat President Richard’s disciple to the point of tears.”


  “Is she that fearsome?!”


  All of the officials were discussing quietly among themselves as they appraised Amy with expressions of shock and awe.

  After the king put down his chopsticks, only a small portion of his spicy grilled fish remained. He had refrained from eating it in the end as he really was starting to get unbearably full.

  He wiped his hands and his mouth with the silk handkerchief that the attendant had offered to him, and his brows furrowed as he caught sight of Josh and Sean, who were both still eating like barbaric neanderthals.

  Josh and Sean seemed to have sensed the king’s disapproving gaze, and their expressions changed slightly as they put down their chopsticks at almost the exact same moment. Only the heads remained of the spicy grilled fish in front of them.

  As soon as they stopped, cold sweat began to bead up on their foreheads. Their mouths and throats immediately felt as if they had been set alight, and the unbearable scorching sensation struck them with the urge to even drink the spicy juices on the platters before them.

  “I’m very pleased with the banquet today.” The king pointed at the grilled fish in front of him, and announced, “The best dish of the day is this spicy grilled fish. I must commend you for finding such a brilliant chef, Josh. Summon him to the palace, I want to reward him in person.”