There was no need to ask the warehouse manager; Charlie gave her a direct answer, “There is approximately one warehouse worth left. About 20 tons in total, with ten tons of seventh-grade sea beast meat, five tons of sixth-grade, and five tons of fifth-grade.”

Since seventh-grade sea beast meat was quite precious, he had taken a small portion and given it to three sixth-level mages and the high-ranking officers in the castle. The rest was left untouched.

The level of the sea beast meat was too high, making it almost impossible to obtain under normal circumstances. Furthermore, it was a gift from Isis to Aresia. As per Isis’s instructions, she had given a considerable amount to the castle’s staff, essentially providing them with a feast. However, aside from high-level professionals, most people hadn’t had the opportunity to taste such rich and high-grade sea beast meat.

As for the remaining sea beast meat, Aresia had complete discretion over its disposal. Charlie no longer interfered and had it served to Aresia according to her wishes. If Young Master Amos returned, he would have the chance to taste it, but others weren’t granted the same privilege. The remaining meat was quite valuable.

Twenty tons, I wonder if it will be enough for the Duke’s troops to eat. After all, there are quite a few magical beasts.

Aresia pondered for a moment and asked Charlie, “Who will be responsible for the meals of five thousand people? Will the kitchen handle it?”

“Don’t worry, there are actually several kitchens in the castle, and they are prepared with enough food,” Charlie reassured.

“Take one ton of sixth-grade sea beast meat and two tons of fifth-grade sea beast meat to the chefs, to serve the Duke’s troops. The escort should be back by now, don’t forget to prepare a portion for them. And for the 800 beast companions, prepare an additional two tons of fifth-grade sea beast meat, allocating five pounds of meat for each beast companion,” Aresia instructed.

Aresia knew that warriors and professionals had hearty appetites. For example, Amos mentioned that if he ate regular food, he would consume three times the amount of an ordinary person in a single meal. And her father, the Duke, would eat ten times the amount. This was because professionals tended to prefer magic plants and magical beast meat, as the higher nutritional content filled their stomachs more easily.

Magical beasts had even larger appetites. Since they generally ate lower-grade magical beast meat, their absorption of nutrients was insufficient, so they would eat more.

As for the fifth-grade sea beast meat, there were some beast companions that were at the fourth and fifth levels, so five pounds of meat would be enough to satisfy their hunger.

Regarding the Duke’s food, Aresia said, “Use seventh-grade sea beast meat for my father’s meals. Prepare a specific amount, as he might invite some uncles and other important figures from the Guild to dine together.”

Aresia remembered that her father had a good relationship with important members of the guild, especially those who were part of his legion. She would address them as uncles when she saw them. She wondered who would accompany her father this time.

Charlie nodded and began calculating how much seventh-grade sea beast meat to allocate.

For the remaining matters, Aresia left it to Martha to handle. As for herself, Aresia returned to the teleportation array.

She also took the opportunity to inform the mages who were helping them that their master had returned. They were invited to a dinner together as high-level magic consultants.

In theory, Isis and Aresia would have a private dinner together.

However, this posed a bit of a problem since Aresia’s clone didn’t need to eat. In fact, the clone wasn’t capable of eating. It was possible to enhance the container that held the magic of the clone to the level of an alchemical puppet, but Aresia didn’t have such a container. In this situation, Aresia considered allowing the clone to attend the dinner in Isabelle’s identity. As long as the impression remained, the clone could abstain from eating, and it wouldn’t be strange if someone noticed.

However, the news of Duke Rogest’s return had already spread among the mages who were busy working on the teleportation array. They were surprised initially but quickly realized that there was nothing they could do. Moreover, they didn’t seem to care much. In fact, some of them were busy writing and drawing while crouching. It seemed that they were actually craftsmen, not magicians. Who would expect them to eat when the troops arrived in the castle? They were acting inappropriately.

Aresia shook her head and gestured to Luna, who was dressed in a plain skirt and an apron, “Just let them be. When my father arrives, they will be serving him.”

Except for the soldiers on guard, everyone else stood in an orderly manner on both sides of the square, leaving a red carpet in the middle.

This meant that the few mages working on the teleportation array not far away were particularly noticeable. People were secretly observing them, and it was even more obvious that some people were standing closer to one side of the teleportation array than the other.

When Amos saw Aresia approach, he adjusted his clothes and said, “Shall we change into something more comfortable first? Father is still a bit away.”

Aresia nodded and returned to change into a set of noble ceremonial dress.

When she returned after changing her clothes, her father, Duke Rogest, had arrived. Amos pulled her over and pointed toward the teleportation array, looking conflicted.

“Do you think they should continue working while waiting? Although it’s not quite right, my father’s troops will arrive soon,” Amos questioned.

In addition to the mages who were silently observing, the entire castle staff had gathered in the square. It was densely packed on both sides, leaving little room.

At this time, Luna handed Aresia a fan that matched her outfit and said, “Let them be. When father arrives, they will be serving him.”

The fact that Duke Rogest was returning had been spread among those who were working on the teleportation array. Once they received the news, they were momentarily surprised but quickly realized that there was nothing they could do. They seemed more interested in continuing their work. Even without sleep, the five of them tirelessly worked on the teleportation array until its completion.

At this moment, Aresia couldn’t wait any longer. After all, it was her father who was coming. She greeted him outside the gate, not at the teleportation array. She didn’t want to be seen as working while waiting. She found a little time to switch identities with her clone, and once the time was right, she returned to the entrance of the castle, waiting for his arrival.

Amos had been waiting there for a while as well. The preparations to welcome the Duke’s troops weren’t just made by him; in fact, the entire castle had gathered in the square. It was crowded with people, and the red carpet was laid out.

The Duke ignored the people and withdrew his gaze, immediately looking in another direction, locking his eyes onto Aresia.

He had many questions for Aresia, but now was not the appropriate time.

The Duke couldn’t wait to explain and didn’t have time for pleasantries with others. He instructed Charlie to arrange for the team to rest and made it clear that Aresia should follow him.

Amos initially wanted to follow, but he quickly noticed his father’s displeased expression and silently stopped, revealing a worried look to his sister.

Although he didn’t know what Aresia had done to anger their father, it was better not to provoke him at this moment.

Aresia: … We really are siblings.

No need to be afraid anymore.

Aresia suppressed her anxiety and obediently followed.

Even though the Duke’s bedroom was unoccupied for a long time, it was still cleaned meticulously. After entering the bedroom, the Duke dismissed the servants and left Aresia alone.

He turned towards Aresia, took a moment to tear off a piece of magic scroll, and checked for any issues on her body. Only then did he relax and sigh, “Alright, tell me, just how did you get a teacher?”

When he received the letter from Amos, asking about Aresia’s new teacher, a level-eight mage, Duke Rogest was utterly perplexed.

He knew very well that Aresia didn’t have a magic teacher. She had inherited memories instead. But now, out of the blue, a teacher appeared. It was a completely unheard-of mage, someone no one had ever heard of before. The Duke’s first reaction was concern for his daughter and what she might have done without his knowledge.

A teacher who could single-handedly capture an entire group of gryphons and carry seven-level sea beast meat. How could he not suspect that this might be a fake?

He knew there must be a secret behind all this. The Duke couldn’t stay still, so he went directly to the palace and met with the Emperor, asking for permission to lead a part of the legion’s forces to surround and exterminate the Gryphon group led by the peak level-seven!

Although he already received a message from Amos that a backup is no longer needed, he still left with the warriors, out of his concern to Aresia.