Before the night completely covered this forest with its mysterious and sinister darkness, Serena returned to the barracks with a few dead fat pigs - which were also the ingredients for Ash to cook.
Taking off the Prince's noble black clothes, he put on a white chef's outfit and slowly walked towards the cooking area.
On the way, Ash couldn't help but attract the gazes of the death row inmates, some of whom felt interested and amused that the Prince was dressed like this, but there were also a few who felt confused, not understanding what was going on.
Ash quickly checked the pile of pork that Serena had separated from the other pigs earlier and smiled with satisfaction when he realized that the ingredients were fine.
He immediately rolled up his sleeves, preparing to cook under the witness of all the death row inmates.
But before Ash could touch the cooking utensils, Serena stopped him, her face showing a strange panic, completely different from before.
"What's wrong?"
"Y-You're really going to cook?"
"Yes?"
"B-But your cooking skills are really bad, right? I can guarantee that everyone here will die after tasting your food!"
Ash was completely at a loss for words to respond. He really didn't expect the Third Prince to be so bad at cooking that he would make even a cold-hearted person like Serena worry.
"Sigh… it's okay Serena, just trust me!" Ash gave her a reassuring smile.
Although she still had some doubts, worries, and anxiety, Serena was forced to accept it and let Ash return to cooking.
But still, she stood there, ready to save him if Ash accidentally caused the kitchen to explode. It seemed like Serena still didn't really trust his cooking skills at all.
Oh well, he didn't care even if she just stood there or not.
Honestly, Ash could confidently say that all the dishes he made were delicious, and that was the truth.
Back when he was in college, he had to live alone, so during that free time, Ash started learning to cook after realizing that he couldn't eat instant noodles every day.
And after only about a year, his cooking skills could be compared to a chef at a small restaurant.
The dishes he made weren't outstanding, but they weren't bad either.
***
After spending more than an hour cooking, being watched by all the death row inmates in excitement as well as Serena in anxiety, Ash finally succeeded in cooking the 3 dishes he was most confident in.
The first was deep-fried pork.
The second was curry.
And the third was rice.
As soon as these dishes were completed, the death row inmates couldn't stop praising Ash:
"Wow! Prince, you do know how to cook!"
"You're amazing! I didn't think you could make such fragrant dishes!"
"That's right! I thought you were just a useless person, but I didn't expect you to be this good at cooking! I want to marry you!"
Well, there were some rather suspicious and strange words in those compliments, but he didn't pay much attention to them and continued to enjoy the compliments being given to him.
Even Serena, who had been standing behind Ash, was looking at him with an emotional gaze, like a mother looking at her grown son.
"Alright, everyone go get your own food, I'm going back to the tent." With that, Ash started walking back to the tent, leaving the death row inmates to start fighting over the food.
***
Entering inside, he immediately sat down on the chair, leaned back and closed his eyes, completely lacking the energy to do anything.
It seemed that after spending more than an hour cooking for so many people, Ash's body had been pushed to its limit. The current feeling was exactly like the times when he livestreamed all night.
Although it was tiring, it was also quite enjoyable.
However, not giving him a chance to rest, someone suddenly entered the tent, forcing Ash to wake up again.
Luckily, it was Serena, and she was holding two plates of curry rice and fried pork, probably one for Ash and the other for herself.
"Here's your food. Next time, please remember to take your own food too. Why do I always have to look after you like you're a child?" Serena replied boredly.
"Sorry." Ash smiled wryly, trying not to show his extreme fatigue.
A ruler should never show that he was tired or weak, otherwise the people following him would feel the same way.
Just like that, Serena and Ash had dinner together in peace and quiet. No one said a word to each other, the only sound coming out was the sound of both of them chewing.
Although Ash was not a fan of silence, in this situation, he didn't know what to say.
He was still a little sad, sad because he was lost in a strange land, sad because he could be killed at any moment, and sad that he wouldn't be able to see the people he loved for a long time.
Ash knew a way to return to the old world, maybe. Since he had never tried it before, he didn't know if it would work. But it was worth a chance, right?
But in order to achieve that, he would have to risk his life many times in the future. And who knew, what if he died?
So, for now, just let Nice feel a little lonely and sad.
"What hurts you today makes you stronger tomorrow." Ash said unconsciously, causing Serena to stop looking at her plate of food and stare at him.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Realizing what he had just done, he scratched his head in embarrassment, hoping that she wouldn't take it too seriously.
"Haha, it's nothing. I was just mumbling to myself."
"Is that so…" Serena replied, but judging by the expression on her face, it was clear that she was still a bit suspicious of Ash.
Just when he was really at a loss for how to handle this situation, suddenly, a death row inmate wearing a knight's armor rushed into the tent with a panicked face, forcing Ash and Serena to pause their meal.
"What's going on?"
The death row inmate kept breathing heavily and tiredly, seemingly having just run from somewhere quite far away from here at top speed.
Nonetheless, despite his fatigue, the death row inmate still managed to blurt out the information that forced him to use all his strength to run and disrupt the Third Prince's meal.
"Sir… we… have found… the hideout of the remnants of the Ur Kingdom…" As if to prove his words, he quickly took out a piece of paper that seemed to be a map.
And after making sure that Ash had received it, the death row inmate could finally rest assured and fall straight to the ground, unable to fight the fatigue any longer.