After drinking the magic potions, the two knights were brimming with energy. Seeing their vigor, Lilith decided to sit down and chat with them for a while.

"...And that's how we were rescued. If it weren't for Luo Wei, we would have ended up in the monster's belly by now."

She recounted to the two knights how Luo Wei and Troy had saved them, and how they had come to this place.

While they naturally believed Lilith's words, they still harbored doubts about Luo Wei and Troy.

"Your Highness, I find Luo Wei's story quite suspicious," Vincent said. "She claims she discovered the monster through divination, but even skilled astrologers struggle to predict such things accurately. How could a junior magic apprentice possibly foresee it?"

Lilith shook her head. "You must understand that geniuses exist in this world. Some people's talents simply defy common logic."

"Besides, don't forget that we brought the monster upon ourselves. When we entered the Demon Sea area, we failed to observe the local taboos and were tainted with dark energy, which attracted the monster."

Vincent pondered this and realized she was right. They had unknowingly been contaminated with dark energy in the Demon Sea area, causing it to accumulate more magical power along their journey, which finally erupted when they reached the pine forest, summoning the monster. It indeed had nothing to do with others.

Robert raised another question. "But Your Highness, if Luo Wei is truly a member of the royal family, how did she end up stranded by the sea, chased by pirates, and forced to seek our help? Where were her guards at that time?"

Lilith considered this. "There are severe internal conflicts within the royal family. She might have been persecuted by a certain faction and had to disguise herself as a commoner to seek our help. As for her guards, they might have been detained elsewhere at the time and only found her later."

Robert had a sudden realization. "That's indeed possible. Come to think of it, those pirates were also very strange. We had never heard of pirates in that coastal area before. How did they suddenly appear?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, and ordinary pirates usually only plunder treasures, but those pirates were extremely vicious, killing everyone they saw and even burning down the fishing village."

Robert added, "Fortunately, they were all shot dead by arrows on Your Highness's order. At least that avenged the innocent fishermen."

Recalling the tragic scene they had witnessed in the village later, both men's expressions turned somber with compassion.

"Let's not dwell on this anymore," Lilith sighed. "Since Luo Wei doesn't want to reveal her identity, we shouldn't pry. After all, who doesn't have their own secrets?"

This time, she had pretended to patrol the border, but in fact, she wanted to search for witches hidden among the common people and obtain information about the legendary necromancer.

Unfortunately, not only did she fail to find anything, but she also lost a team of men.

"Your Highness, you—"

Robert was about to speak when a powerful aroma suddenly filled his nostrils, making his mind go blank.

"What's that smell?" Vincent also took a deep breath. "It's incredible!"

"It's the scent of spices." Lilith immediately looked out the window.

Multiple spice aromas intertwined harmoniously, creating a mellow and rich fragrance that was captivating. The scent was mixed with a fragrant oily aroma, with a sweet and rich aftertaste.

"Gurgle—"

A series of hungry growls echoed in the room.

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The two knights' faces instantly turned red as they pressed their hands against their stomachs.

"You stay here, I'll go check it out." Lilith turned around awkwardly, not wanting the two to know that her stomach had also made a sound.

After the princess left, the two knights whispered in the room.

"How can there be such an enticing smell?"

"Is someone performing a sacrifice somewhere?"

"Sacrifice? Does a sacrifice smell this strange? Why do I feel ravenous just by smelling it?"

"I feel like there's a familiar scent in there," Vincent racked his brains, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "I know, it's the smell of meat!"

"Meat?" Robert swallowed audibly.

"Such fragrant meat, what kind of meat is it?"

"It couldn't be—"

They both thought of the same thing and looked at each other in horror: "It couldn't be human flesh, could it?"

"Ugh—"

The sound of violent retching came from the bedroom.

Lilith walked quickly out of the door and found that the fragrance outside was several times stronger than inside the room. The entire courtyard was filled with this aroma, making her mouth water constantly.

Could this be some kind of poisonous fragrance?

Alarmed, Lilith quickly covered her nose with a handkerchief.

She looked around and found that everyone in the courtyard had vanished, leaving it quiet and eerie.

The smell grew stronger as she approached the kitchen. Lilith held her breath and walked towards it.

"Princess!"

"Why are you out here?"

Lilith turned around to see the two fully armed knights. They had cloth wrapped around their mouths and noses, and their swords reflected a sharp light.

"We're here to protect you." Robert's expression was grave. "We suspect this is human flesh!"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, Princess, it's dangerous here. There might be a devil cooking live humans!"

How could meat smell so divine? It must be a scent created by the devil to tempt them!

With both knights so certain, Lilith's expression also turned serious.

"The smell is coming from the kitchen. Vincent, Robert, you must be careful."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The two knights approached the kitchen door as if facing a formidable enemy. Hearing what they perceived as the devil's low laughter from inside, they became even more convinced of their suspicions.

With a "bang", they kicked down the door panel, raising their long swords high.

"Vile devil, prepare to die—"

The wooden door fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust, allowing the two knights to see clearly the scene in the kitchen.

They saw six living people gathered around a pot, holding knives and forks, all turning their heads to look at them simultaneously, their eyes gleaming with desire.

Robert and Vincent were terrified by this eerie scene: "Ahhhh!"

"They're possessed by the devil, they want to eat us!"

Luo Wei was startled by these two kicking down the door. She had barely managed to stay calm, but when she heard them suspect that she was possessed by a demon, she couldn't maintain her composure any longer.

"Silence!"

She scolded severely. "Who gave you permission to kick down the door and enter? Is this the manners of a knight?"

Outside, Lilith heard Luo Wei's voice and immediately realized something was amiss. She walked to the door and pushed aside the two knights.

"Luo Wei, are you in there?"

As she spoke, she scanned everything in the kitchen. When she saw the pot emitting fragrance and the ingredients on the chopping board, her face showed an expression of both amusement and exasperation.

"I'm sorry, we misunderstood." Lilith said apologetically. "We've never smelled such a fragrant aroma before, so we thought... Anyway, we're very sorry, Luo Wei."

"Uh," Luo Wei hadn't expected this to be the reason. "It's alright, Teacher Lilith. It's my fault for not informing you beforehand. I'm sorry for frightening you."

"Not at all, it's us who rushed in without understanding the situation," Lilith felt very embarrassed. "But what are you making? It smells incredibly good."

Luo Wei put down her knife and fork and explained, "I'm doing my homework for the Potion Studies class. This is the fragrance formula I created, with some beef and chicken stewed inside. Would you like to try it?"

Hearing it was beef and chicken, Lilith was tempted. "May I? After all, this is your homework."

TBC