Chapter 321

321 The buried ant egg

“The walking must have made you hungry by now. Here. At least take a slice to restore some energy.” Vincent offered a slice of sandwich.

“But... I will get fat...” Lilith rejected while shaking her head.

“Lilith. It would be best to eat this because you have excessively moved your body, and I don’t wish you to faint. Ten years of not moving a lot is placing a heavy burden on your body. I bet your body will be sore tomorrow. ” Vincent rejected her rejection. Then he lifted the sandwich and added, “So enjoy today as much as you can.”

“I... ” Lilith removed her veil and took a sliced triangle sandwich. “I can’t let you carry me. I am very heavy.”

“Really? And I thought you weren’t heavy enough. Over three hundred pounds is nothing in my world.” Vincent replied.

“Is it true? ” Lilith asked.

“Yes, and I have proof thanks to Kazumi using her skills to project memories images of my past. ” Vincent answered and took a bite.

Lilith raised her sandwich and stared as if her hands held a slice of dangerous bread accompanied by dangerous ingredients.

*Gulp* Lilith mustered her courage and devoured the sandwich. She was famished, yet the weight needed sacrifice to be managed. It was safe to eat, yet her cursed body makes anything she consumes as harmful as overeating.

.....

“This is so good.” Lilith raised a beaming smile. “I missed eating simple and not nutrient-dense food. A snack is similar to poison to me. The state of my body would be far worse if I ate snacks.”

Lilith turned her gaze on the other half and lifted it. She looked at the half triangular cut sandwich.

“Maid Xu is... hardheaded... she never ate with me because of the noble etiquette. However, eating with someone near me has become a happiness I never expected to experience.” Lilith said before devouring the sandwich.

“I agree. I felt different when I ate alone and when I ate with my neighbors. They were the family of the man who helped me through my difficult times. The family of the sixth hero.” Vincent patted Lilith’s legs and continued, “But now, the time of eating alone changed from asking for eating companions to asking for some quiet, hehe.”

“I did not dislike the ruckus of yesterday’s feast. ” Lilith stated.

Vincent and Lilith spent some time chatting about the previous day and all the new things she liked. As time passed and Lilith had enough rest. They resumed their date to leave the city.

Vincent led the eye-catching Lilith through the lower-class district. Lilith was both afraid and nervous, but people knew quite well not to mess with people dressed like adventurers or nobles. In the end, Lilith only suffered from curious stares while others tried to guess how rich Lilith was because of her appearance.

After some time and many standing breaks later, the south gate stood before them.

“Looks like we are here. ” Vincent said. He turned his gaze on Lilith and asked, “Are you ready to go out?”

Vincent felt the hand holding his shake for a moment, but it soon changed to a tight hold. He confirmed she was ready to leave the city with him for a few hours.

“I will walk beside you. ” Lilith said after she mustered her courage to leave the city for the fifth time in her life. However, this would be her first time leaving without a carriage or protected by private guards.

As Vincent and Lilith approached the gate, a soldier asked them to stop. “We need to confirm who the people entering, and exiting is. I request this woman to reveal her face.” The soldier requested politely when he noticed Lilith wore pricy-looking clothes.

“Vincent, are you going out?” A familiar voice came from behind.

“Vice-captain, do you know these people?” The soldier politely asked.

“Yes, soldier. At ease. You may leave.” Ben waved his hand to shoo the soldier.

“But...”

Vincent took out his identification and gave it to the soldier. “A soldier doing his job correctly is an incredible sight. Here. This is who I am. ” He said with a smile.

Lilith understood what she had to do as this was her first time acting independently. Normally Maid Xu or her parents would interact with people in her stead.

“H-h... here.” Lilith pulled out a golden card and presented it to the soldier.

“A-a noble!” The soldier exclaimed in surprise. “My apologies Lady Lilith Lionheart for the inconvenience.” He respectfully said after looking at the details for any signs of forgery.

“I will take my leave and register the exit record. Sir Vincent and lady Lilith Lionheart. You may leave at any time today.” The soldier bowed and left.

“Haha. It is nice to see newbies from time to time. Good thing I visited to talk to a friend because I ended up meeting with the man who advances more than I can age.” Ben joked. His cheeks were red. Probably from drinking alcohol in the morning as his breath stank.

“Greetings, Uncle Ben.” Lilith casually said. “Tula told me a few stories about how she loved to play with her second favorite uncle when Ester asked her and the kids what they wanted to play.”

[Huh? Lilith is speaking naturally.]

“Lilith, you are talking normally.”

Both Vincent and Kazumi said at the same time.

“Is there a problem with lady Lilith?” Ben asked curiously.

“N-no.” Lilith nervously stuttered after she realized.

“Well, haha. I won’t keep the two lovebirds leaving their nest any longer. Bye, haha.” The drunk Ben said while waving his hand and walking away. He didn’t act weary of Vincent. Or maybe it was the alcohol.

Lilith looked at Vincent and smiled. ‘I did it! I normally talked for a little bit.’ She happily thought.

After leaving the city and walking some distance from the gate, Lilith asked to take a break.

However, they didn’t need to stop anymore. Vincent summoned the refurbished passenger cart.

“Hop on, princess, your knight in shining armor will take you for a ride.” Vincent extended his hand and presented the two-wheeled cart.

“Is it... safe?” Lilith asked.

“Yes. All you need to do is wait for me to lift the front and sit while I hold you leveled. Then use the rope to fasten yourself to the cart.” Vincent instructed.

Lilith walked in front of her seat and asked, “The cart will be heavy to lift because of me.”

“I don’t mind. ” Vincent replied. He placed his hands on her shoulder, turned her in the opposite direction, and lifted the cart.

“Take a seat and enjoy the ride.” Vincent took a step back to bump against Lilith to take a seat, and *Huff* “The ride can start.” he said.

Lilith felt terrible at first, but as time passed by, she removed her veil and revealed a beaming smile. Lilith looked both happy and excited. Not only was it a new experience, but she considered this as romantic and worthy of filling one of the many wishes she has on her bucket list to experience.

“Are you comfortable, milady?” Vincent asked.

“Yes, it feels like a dream to stay seated and watch the trees pass by us as if they are moving and not me. It feels different than being trapped in a carriage. ” Lilith expressed what she was on her mind.

“So it’s that tree?” Vincent asked. “We are near our destination because Kazumi informed me we are near the egg I buried.”

“Egg?” Lilith asked with a puzzled frown. ‘Do people from Vincent’s world bury eggs?’ She questioned in her mind.

“It is a Royal Guard Ant Egg. I couldn’t store it because it started developing an ant inside. I can’t store living things in my Soul Dimensional Storage.” Vincent answered. He arrived at the same place he buried the egg and slowly lowered the cart for Lilith’s legs to touch the ground.

“It is dangerous? I remember you covered in bandages, and I also heard how you, Ester, Lupa, and Tula survived an ants nest. Maid Xu told me how dangerous the ants that suddenly appeared were.” Lilith said. She appeared to be concerned about Vincent getting hurt.

“No, now it isn’t anymore.” Vincent removed his shirt and gave it to Lilith. “Minor acid doesn’t harm my body anymore. Now it only stings like hot water.”

Lilith nodded without saying a word. Her lips glistened as she was about to drool from the unexpected undressing of his shirt.

Vincent summoned a shield and started digging while Lilith found a place in the shade nearby and looked at Vincent’s sweat on his toned body glistening under the sunlight with a smile.

Kazumi noticed Lilith’s actions and silently giggled at the excited Lilith.

Vincent pulled the egg from the hole a while later. It was still intact, and the growth process didn’t seem to have changed much.

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“That egg! It looks exactly like the book named ‘The dangers of the north.’ But I remember how it should be a dangerous breed of ants. They grow depending on their environment, and that is the reason they are dangerous to leave to stay alive.” Lilith informed Vincent and Kazumi of how dangerous the ants can be while also revealing this variant of ants isn’t found in the Southern Continent.

“The environment part is true. The description says that the egg needs a catalyst to grow. The acid seemed to work while leaving it in the soil did nothing.” Vincent looked interested in the experiment as his blood had already changed Plow, Tusk, and Nix. “I was thinking of using my mutated blood as a catalyst. Maybe I can mutate it and turn it friendly. Either way, Sakura and I can easily crush the ant without getting injured.”