Seeing Thengel's daughter receive a gift, young Denethor also looked over eagerly, but when he met Levi's examining gaze, he quickly turned his head away, acting as if he didn't care at all.
Chuckling softly, Levi temporarily passed over this interesting youth and walked directly to Thengel and Ecthelion.
Then, he pulled out two golden apples.
"What are these?" Ecthelion stared at the two perfectly round, glowing apples in Levi's hands that could only be described as world-class treasures, not daring to blink.
These objects were simply too beautiful, too perfect to be real.
"Golden apples, as you can see, crafted from large amounts of gold."
"They're edible and possess healing and protective powers. Even if you're pierced through the heart, as long as you haven't died yet, they can bring you back to life."
"This is..."
Too precious! With hearts trembling despite their efforts to remain composed, both the steward's heir and the Rohirrim prince widened their eyes in disbelief.
Could it be? They didn't dare believe it, even though this was most likely about to happen.
"I'm giving these two apples to you both, hoping they can help protect you in times of need."
"This treasure worthy of being passed down through generations shall be listed as a family heirloom, inherited for generations, never to be used except in life-or-death situations." Ecthelion solemnly accepted the golden apple with reverent hands.
"I feel the same way." Thengel likewise accepted his golden apple and bowed slightly in gratitude.
However, after receiving the gift, Ecthelion felt somewhat troubled. Originally his father had given a precious short sword of great symbolic meaning mixed with mithril, plus the Steward family's promise as repayment to Levi.
But now Levi had given back an even more precious item in return. Another debt of gratitude, and one that was completely impossible to refuse.
Ecthelion carefully stored away the golden apple while firmly fixing this matter in his mind for future consideration.
After distributing these items, Levi temporarily left the banquet hall. Ecthelion and Thengel's families discussed among themselves, everyone assuming he'd gone to cook, since that had been arranged earlier.
But obviously they were mistaken.
Upon leaving the reception hall, Levi found a secluded spot, placed down his ender chest, and pulled out an enchanting table, bookshelves, lapis lazuli, and an anvil, then crafted an iron sword on the spot.
Then, he enchanted it.
Whooom. Mystical energies swirled as scrolls turned and lapis lazuli transformed into flowing light merging into the iron sword, revealing its enhanced properties:
Unbreaking III, Smite IV.
"Tsk." How unlucky, getting Smite instead of something more versatile.
In the current situation where most enemies were orcs and humans, Smite's usefulness was truly limited. Its cost-effectiveness was far inferior to Sharpness enchantments.
But then... Levi thought about it, randomly enchanted several more books, obtained another Smite IV book, combined it with the iron sword to upgrade Smite to level five, then pulled out a Mending book from his ender chest and added it to the weapon.
Now this was a sturdy iron sword specialized against undead creatures.
Of course, Levi himself didn't need this weapon. The ancient elven blessing on 'Sting' carried what he called a "Bane of Evil" effect that worked against all evil forces, naturally including undead.
So he definitely wasn't planning to use this sword himself.
As for who to give it to... Levi packed up all the items he'd laid out and headed toward the reception hall.
In the hall's corner, Denethor leaned against the wall, feeling quite gloomy. Watching his happily chatting parents and Thengel's family, he felt that human joys and sorrows weren't universal experiences.
As for why, there was one child present who didn't receive a gift. Guess who?
Does he actually dislike me? Denethor frowned deeply, beginning to recall all his experiences with Levi from their first meeting until now.
It seems... nothing particularly unpleasant happened, right? If anything might make him dislike me, it was challenging him at the first meeting, but I was the one who got beaten up!
Isn't daring to challenge the strong proof of courage? That's what Father taught me. Truly brave people don't attack the weak to demonstrate their existence.
Was this wrong?
His expression grew increasingly dark as a different negative emotion arose in his heart, even trending toward an unpleasant direction.
Just as this feeling was about to solidify, Denethor suddenly raised his head, his mind clearing abruptly. He suddenly remembered certain storybooks he'd seen in the study, including a fable with this exact plot:
A generous gentleman gave gifts to most of his friends but didn't give one to a particular person. Because of this, that person harbored resentment, even though the gentleman had never wronged him and had no obligation to give him anything.
Morally upstanding people shouldn't act this way.
'Should I become that petty person who holds grudges over such a trivial matter?'
No, I refuse!
The gloom immediately dispersed as confidence appeared on his face.
Pat. Just then, a large hand gently struck this stubborn youth's shoulder.
This pat made Denethor shiver all over. He turned to see Levi had somehow appeared beside him without making a sound.
"You seem to be in good spirits. I thought you might feel dejected."
Levi seemed somewhat surprised by the boy's resilient mood.
"Why should I feel dejected?" Denethor still maintained his stubborn, childlike demeanor.
"Good." Without pursuing this topic further, Levi handed over the freshly enchanted iron sword:
"You don't lack anything precious, child. So I'm giving you an iron sword made by my own hands. It's neither as sharp as elven swords nor as ingenious and useful as dwarven weapons. It's just a standard iron sword. Perhaps unremarkable, but sturdy enough."
"I give it to you, wishing your will can also be like iron, never yielding to pressure or corruption."
Denethor silently looked at the iron sword in Levi's hands, then lowered his head after a moment, accepting it with quite solemn and serious expression.
"I'll always keep it with me."
Denethor held the sword carefully. Whether it was his imagination or not, there seemed to be some faint, hard-to-detect subtle radiance emanating from it, but when he looked more carefully, that glow vanished like morning mist.
Whoosh. Moments later, smoke rose from the kitchen as Levi crafted various cookware on the spot, implementing various cooking methods with practiced efficiency.
Thanks to the complete ingredients brought by Roadside Keep's caravan, dish after dish of local specialties and other regional cuisines emerged from Levi's hands, carried out plate by plate to the eager diners.
That technique left the assisting palace cooks wide-eyed with amazement.
By now, after so many occasions, even without the crafting system's assistance, Levi could skillfully fry, stir-fry, boil, stew, and deep-fry with professional competence.
Just those few established steps; after doing them so many times, he'd memorized them all completely.
At this informal gathering that felt more like a family reunion, both families experienced Levi's cooking skills, rarely mentioned in the rumors and legends about him.
"Many cooking techniques are quite fresh and innovative, practically representing a new culinary school..."
This was the impressed assessment from the head chef who had assisted him.
Good food deserves good wine. That day both Ecthelion and Thengel couldn't help drinking more than usual, and conversation flowed freely in the warm atmosphere.
It was precisely at this relaxed time that Levi mentioned what caravan leader Charlie had told him earlier.
"I never like hiding things from friends, so I must tell you something important, Thengel."
"Please speak." Thengel listened with complete attention, sensing the serious shift in tone.
"Your father, King Fengel of Rohan, recently attempted to forcibly detain Roadside Keep's caravan using military force, planning to confiscate all goods they carried."
"Regarding such bandit behavior, I want to say this clearly: I will go find him and make him realize his mistake."
"This is what I'm saying and what I'm going to do. I'm only announcing this in advance so you understand the cause of everything that happens next."
In other words, this was merely a notification that wouldn't change due to anyone's feelings or political considerations. The course was set and unstoppable.
Bang! Thengel suddenly slammed the table with his fist, emotions clearly very agitated. This startled everyone present at the previously peaceful gathering.
"Can I come with you?"
He said something somewhat unexpected, yet not entirely unexpected given his well-known feelings about his father's rule.