Chapter 745: Fellow Knights
Hugo and the other captive knights didn’t have to wait long before a polite knock sounded at the door, followed by a dapper and refreshed looking Sir Ollie carrying a basket loaded with ingredients.
"Gentlemen, I hope you’re hungry," Ollie said with a bright, guileless smile. "I know that some of you had a rough time of it last night so I brought plenty," he added, lifting up the overflowing basket as if to emphasize his words.
"Like I’d eat anything you put in front of us after you poisoned our men," Sir Rain spat. "Goes to show that you can dress a kitchen-boy up like a knight but that won’t give him the common sense that the Lord of Light gave to squires and pages."
"Sir Rain," Carwyn said, frowning at the belligerent knight. "Remember that we’re guests here."
"It’s fine," Ollie said, raising a hand and shaking his head. "Sir Rain and Sir Hugo have every reason to mistrust me," he continued, setting the basket on the table and beginning to unpack it, laying fresh carrots and onions, thick smoked bacon, close to a dozen hen’s eggs and many more ingredients on the table.
"It’s true that I poisoned the food we fed to their men the other night," Ollie explained. "The potion was simple, it caused no harm other than putting the men to sleep until we could bring them here, but it was still an underhanded and dishonest way to treat your men."
Ollie had agreed with the plan because it meant they wouldn’t have to risk a fight. Between himself, Lady Ashlynn and Sir Marcell, they could have overpowered Owain’s men easily. The risk that someone would get hurt in the process, especially people who were effectively bystanders like the Guild Masters or even Ollie’s men from the village.
No, it had been safer for everyone to do things they way they had and the outcome likely wouldn’t have been any different, but he could understand Sir Rain’s resentment.
"This is exactly why I offered to come cook for you, here, in your own chambers, instead of asking Georg to prepare you one of his special meals," Ollie explained. "Maybe in time, you’ll be willing to taste real Eldritch cooking prepared by a genuine master, but until then, I hope we can at least break bread together as knights. The rest can come later."