BXBX NOVEL Chapter 209
Vincent raised his hand and tussled her hair. “Ester isn’t hurt anymore, so try cheering her up tomorrow, okay? Ester will probably feel guilty for making us worry.” He proposed.
Lupa nodded and agreed, “I will praise my sister then. But remember that I’m...”
“You’re the best, haha. I understand.” Vincent continued Lupa’s very memorable line.
Lupa later went to sleep while Vincent decided to examine the destroyed tree.
Vincent examined the point of impact and discerned the force made by condensing the mana and wind to such a magnitude was highly destructive. ‘Without protection from magic produced from Ester’s mana, she... she might be mincemeat right now.’ He thought with concern.
This dreadful thought made Vincent recall something about the second sigil mage who became a king. ‘No wonder he became a king because of his strength, and two nations did unspeakable things to create someone immune to magic made from their mana.’ He gathered.
[I hope Ester will feel better tomorrow. I feel so... so bad for suggesting such a dangerous idea. It would have been better to try her new powers after a few precautionary measures.]
-Don’t let it damper your spirits, Kazumi. Did you perhaps forget Ester’s personality?-
.....
-You should know more than me how Ester could have tested Amplification Sigil somewhere alone. Well, it already happened once, and the ground blew up from the slightest distraction.-
-Thankfully, I was nearby and healed her. Amplification magic should be used against something soft. It’s better to be covered in dust or... ahem, gore than splinters or shards.-
Kazumi felt slightly better after hearing Vincent trying his best to comfort her and himself at the same time. Vincent felt at fault as well.
“I can’t see the current value of mana, but I think Ester should have all of her mana regenerated. Kazumi, let’s call it a day and worry about tomorrow.” Vincent reassured Kazumi before resting for a few hours and later going to sleep.
*Day 60 – Morning*
The sleeping Vincent felt his head lying on a soft pillow and a cool shade covering him from the clear morning sun. Vincent opened his eyes and saw Ester looking at him from above with a radiant smile.
“Good morning, Vincent. I feel better now, and, hehe. Lupa offered to give me the win for now, hehe.” Ester chuckled multiple times.
Ester appeared to be cheerful in the morning. As if she woke up as a new person. However, on the other side was Lupa with a small pair of puffed cheeks.
Granting Ester to right to give Vincent a lap pillow without any complaints or challenges was a considerable price Lupa had to pay to cheer Ester up.
Lupa tried her best not to interrupt their moment, but Lupa’s face could show grumpy emotions from a mile away. It made Ester secretly chuckle every time she took a glance at the pouting wolf girl.
“Morning my red sun. How do you feel?” Vincent asked while enjoying the soft lap pillow.
“I feel fine, and I know what happened from Kazumi this morning. But I don’t blame her nor you. A Sigil Mage has a self-harming fate even if immune from mana created by them.” Ester said with negativity in her tone, yet she seemed at peace with this fact. As if she knows you got to use what is given instead of feeling depressed all the time.
Vincent noticed the hint of sadness in her voice, even with her radiant smile lighting his heart. “How about using the mudcrab shield in your storage bag to use for protection? You can become a spell caster with a shield. It also works well since you have to fight at close range.” He recommended.
“Thank you.” Ester lowered her head and gave Vincent a peck on his forehead as a thanks for being supportive, even when her future seemed discouraging.
“Ahem!” Lupa became impatient and interrupted their moment. “I climbed a large tree this morning since I had nothing to do. I saw a small mountain, and I think the cave my mate said to find is there.” She notified them of her discovery. But not before showing her displeasure of letting Ester win the lap pillow match.
The findings piqued Vincent’s interest. He got up, then suggested to forget about training in the morning and leave it for another day.
It took three days of walking and short stops to reach the cave. Since it is going to take the same days to return, Vincent decided to hurry their pace. ‘Plow might hate me if we stay longer.’ He thought.
‘I crave to eat something different. Since we are not too far from the cave, why don’t I cook something for us?’ Vincent decided.
Vincent wanted to eat boiled apples and use this meal as a celebration of finding the cave. The cooked wild boar in his Soul Dimensional storage almost depleted, and a few side plates Yula prepared for them remained. Vincent hoped to raise the morale with a change of taste since it would take them three days to go back.
Ester and Lupa noticed Vincent suddenly peeling a few apples, cutting them into eight slices, and dropping them in a pot he borrowed from Yula in advance.
As Ester and Lupa curiously gazed at Vincent to understand why he seemed happy peeling the apples, Vincent added a hint of mint, a pinch of cloves, and a few drops of honey before stirring the apple slices.
A few minutes later, Vincent handed Ester and Lupa each a cup with boiled apples. The curious frown quickly turned into a smile when they took a whiff of the pleasant smell. As soon as their lips carefully touched the hot cup and taking a small sip, a grin appeared on her face.
“It’s hot. But it tastes delicious. This is the first time I am eating something so sweet after many years.” Ester complemented.
“My mate, you make apples very tasty. But it’s very hot.” Lupa complemented while blowing to cool the boiled apples faster. Regrettably, Vincent forgot they needed forks since he got used to eating with his hands.
“Let it cool then. There is no hurry. I can make more later if my girls request for extras.” Vincent suggested while also blowing to cool his cup of boiled apples. Ironically, contrary to his words, Vincent seemed far more eager than Lupa to eat such a nostalgic dessert.
Half an hour later, the pot with six apples sliced into eight was devoured with finger-licking complements. The pot became empty and clean, as if its contents evaporated in thin air.
After all the necessary preparations, such as clearing the campfire and storing their stuff, the group decided to continue with a satisfied belly.
A couple of hours later, at the stroke of noon, they met with a worrying sight. A tree with claw marks stood in front of them. Underneath the tree were a few branches and appeared to have been trampled by something very heavy with a large base to walk with.
It was an immediate red flag for the group. Vincent already experienced how curiosity killed the cat. How their lives were endangered when going against the Demonic Beast Nok Ape.
Vincent looked at Ester and Lupa with a conflicted frown. He didn’t want to waste the three days spent to reach this place simply to leave, yet he didn’t want to encounter a dangerous situation so soon.
“Let’s make a roll call. Should we continue with Lupa escorting us, or should we leave? Let’s decide.” Vincent raised the question that can decide their future.
“I can lead.” Lupa quickly replied without considering the possible outcome. Lupa felt happy to be the leader and receive praise for Vincent.
‘I can ask for a head pat in front of Plow if my mate asks for a reward, hehe.’ Lupa planned, uncaring and unafraid of the possible danger lurking nearby. Lupa was becoming thick-skinned to danger, it seemed.
“I don’t want to see anyone get hurt, but I suggest running away if it’s a Magical Beast or a Demonic Beast. We know we aren’t strong enough.” Ester agreed with Lupa to continue moving forward and run at the sign of mortal danger at the first possible opportunity.
[One moment while I go to scout the area. I will tell you my thoughts after I process the findings.]
Kazumi said before exiting Vincent’s Soul Domain and explore their surroundings with the limit range of a couple of meters.
“Kazumi went scouting the area before she tells me her thoughts. Let’s wait for her to return while we look at this scene. ” Vincent said. Then he approached the tree, picked up a broken branch, and glance at the claw marks from time to time.
*Sniff, sniff* “I can only smell one scent. I have smelled it before. I think on the red grass before we met the monkey.” Lupa reported after smelling a couple of branches to imitate how Vincent was carefully looking at the branch in his hands as if he was a tracker.
Upon a closer inspection, the branch wasn’t completely crushed. The animal must be heavy and large, yet not as heavy and massive as a Magical Beast.
Vincent started to think the claw marks might be from a bear. He arrived at this conclusion because the tree didn’t have exaggerated-sized claw marks.
Furthermore, the claw marks weren’t too deep carved in the tree trunk. However, the chance of the bear-like claw marks being from an animal they never met could also be a possibility.