Warm Current

In the end, Lilith still ate the food Esdeath had cooked. It was absolutely not because Esdeath's cooking smelled too good.

Though... maybe, just a little.

But more importantly, if it smelled "good," that meant it was edible!

Lilith did not know whether Esdeath's cooking was simply that good, or whether it was because of the ingredients.

Lilith thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

"When... do you plan to leave the Icefield?"

Lilith felt a little awkward when she asked that question.

She had come to someone else's home, yet she had not helped at all and had just been sitting here the whole time.

Now that she knew she could leave the Icefield, she was asking so eagerly when Esdeath planned to depart.

It made Lilith feel as though she was taking advantage of Esdeath.

"Originally, I could have left in a few more days. The prey I brought back today, combined with the dried meat I had stored away, would have been enough food for the journey. But now, there isn't quite enough."

Lilith immediately felt even more awkward.

All right, she had become dead weight.

"If possible, could you teach me how to hunt?"

"..."

Esdeath looked at Lilith with a strange expression. To be honest, Lilith's first impression was that of someone extremely fragile, someone who made people want to protect her.

No matter how one looked at it, it was hard to associate Lilith with hunting.

However, Esdeath was not someone who judged people by their appearance.

"All right. I'll teach you tomorrow. Rest for today."

Esdeath still agreed.

She also wanted to see what kind of power Lilith possessed.

Lilith knew nothing of Esdeath's little thoughts. Upon hearing Esdeath's answer, she was delighted and a little excited as well.

Esdeath—the ceiling of martial power in this world.

There probably were not many people who had received her guidance.

Even though the current Esdeath was not yet at her peak several years later, she was still incredibly powerful.

Or rather, excluding those Teigu users whose strength was uncertain due to their Teigu, it would not be an exaggeration to call the current Esdeath the strongest.

Lilith secretly glanced at Esdeath. She found it hard to imagine how Esdeath had trained to become so formidable.

If Lilith remembered correctly, Esdeath had already been able to hunt Dangerous Species alone when she was still very young, still only a child.

Sure enough, some people were destined to become strong from the moment they were born.

Especially in an unreasonable otherworld!

Lilith did not know when the sun set in this world. On the Icefield, sunset came very suddenly.

One moment, the snowy plains were still bright; the next, night had fallen.

In an otherworld without any entertainment, Lilith could neither play games nor read novels.

Yet she could not fall asleep.

Who went to bed as soon as the sun set these days?

Still, Lilith did not dare wander around, nor did she have the nerve to ask Esdeath to accompany her.

In the end, Lilith could only lie on the bed, staring blankly at the tent ceiling as her thoughts drifted away.

Incidentally, Esdeath was right beside her, and Esdeath was even holding her as she slept.

It seemed Esdeath had treated Lilith like some sort of body pillow, showing no restraint at all.

Lilith helplessly turned to look at Esdeath's sleeping face beside her. "Seriously, you should at least be a little wary of strangers."

Lilith had originally been prepared to sleep on the floor. After all, who would let a stranger they had just met sleep directly in their bed?

Just as she was about to trouble Esdeath for a few animal hides to spread across the ground so she could make do, Esdeath had pulled her straight onto the bed.

Esdeath had even wanted to take off her clothes?

A maiden taking off her clothes?

How could that be allowed?

Lilith refused on the spot and went to sleep on the bed fully clothed.

Well, she had not refused when Esdeath pulled her onto the bed.

Honestly, other than in summer, when it was too hot and she spread out a bamboo mat to sleep on the floor, she always slept in a bed.

After air conditioning had been installed at home, he had almost never slept on the floor again.

Who could refuse sleeping in a bed when given the chance?

Still, having a beautiful girl sleeping beside her was an experience Lilith had almost never had.

But now that it had actually happened, Lilith found that her heart remained completely unmoved.

What reaction could she possibly have?

Other than feeling a little uncomfortable about being treated as Esdeath's body pillow, there was nothing else.

Oh, right. It would have been better if Esdeath wore a little more clothing while sleeping.

But considering Esdeath had always lived alone, it was normal for her to have developed certain habits.

Come to think of it, wasn't one supposed to feel sleepier after eating?

"..."

Lilith stared lifelessly at the tent ceiling. She... could not sleep!

Could it be because she had not eaten enough?

While eating, Lilith had discovered that her stomach seemed capable of holding a great deal of food.

No, rather, her stomach's digestive ability was incredibly strong. Once food entered it, her stomach became like a furnace, digesting it at an astonishing speed before converting it into energy.

Lilith could feel that some of that energy was used to strengthen her body. The warm current that flowed from her stomach throughout her body while she ate was proof of that.

The other portion was stored away.

Lilith nodded in approval at that.

After all, one never knew what might happen. Using up all her energy would always leave her feeling uneasy.

If she ever found herself in a desperate situation where she could not eat for a long time, that energy might save her life.

Of course, Lilith could not be certain that she would starve to death.

Lilith could also sense that she could control the stored energy, drawing upon it at any time to strengthen herself.

However, she did not know whether these Dangerous Species were too low-level, or whether her physique was simply too strong.

The meat of these Dangerous Species did not strengthen her much. Otherwise, Lilith would have already used all the stored energy to enhance herself.

After all, strength was what truly mattered!

There was no shortage of food right now, anyway. Well, as long as Esdeath did not drive her away. What was the point of saving this energy? Waiting for the New Year?

The reason Lilith had kept this energy was that she wanted to use it for some experiments.

Come to think of it, Lilith had been letting her thoughts run wild for so long, yet she still had not fallen asleep.

She suddenly remembered that vampires seemed to be nocturnal creatures.

Night would only make vampires more energetic, while daytime was when they would feel listless.

Yet during the day, she had not been affected in the slightest. She was neither afraid of sunlight nor lacking in energy, so Lilith had unconsciously overlooked that point.