Book 5: Chapter 190: Preparations
Ness stated firmly, âImpossible. People unconsciously prioritize and eat what tastes good first and finish whatâs easiest first. Thatâs why theyâll tear apart the person who touched Princess Estelle before confronting the princess directly. No one will think of her until then.â
With a sneer, Ness continued, âThatâs why the blonde girl asked for five days. I fear in five days, we wonât face Lady Erica, but Princess Estelle in her full power.â
Ballmer, shocked by Nessâ insight, trembled in surprise. âThat means⦠this is Princess Estelleâs ploy to divert everyoneâs attention and hide the fact that sheâs injured?â
âExactly.â Ness stood, gazing upward at the sky from where they had fled, his expression a mix of admiration, amazement, and a touch of fascination and fear.
âI expected no less of Princess Estelle. Sheâs strong and shrewd. I wonder if weâre lucky or unlucky to be born in the same era as her. But then againâ¦â Ness clenched his fists, determination shining in his eyes as he continued, âAnts have their own way of surviving. Even if weâre weaker, we wonât give up.â
âThatâs right.â Ballmer, who had recovered significantly from his injuries, struggled to his feet. The deep fear in his eyes dissipated as he bumped his fist with Nessâ.
âIâll notify the Anti-Princess Alliance and Mr. Card immediately. If the enemy is indeed the princess, Mr. Card will surely act,â Ballmer said firmly. âOh, Iâll send someone to track Lady Erica and ensure she doesnât escape,â he added.
Ness shook his head. âForget about tracking her. We canât spare the manpower. Besides, if sheâs really Princess Estelle, tracking her is pointless.â
âWhat if they try to escape?â
âThey wonât,â Ness said with a sneer, gazing into the distance. âThatâs the confidence of the strong. And with so many Holy Dragonâs Hearts, sheâll be wanted tomorrow with nowhere to hide. And she wonât anticipate that becoming tomorrowâs most bounty target will trigger our attack against her!â
âââââ
âHey, wake up.â Lilith shook Ericaâs shoulder gently, trying to rouse her from her deep slumber.
She hadnât expected Erica would actually fall asleep while trying to maintain a stoic demeanor. She was even snoring loudly like a pig.
Fortunately, Erica wasnât snoring when those three guys were around. Otherwise, she would have blown her cover, and someone might have mistakenly thought Lilith was hiding a squealing piglet.
âCome on, wake up, piglet! Rise and shine!â Growing impatient, Lilith shook Ericaâs shoulder more vigorously.
âUgh⦠stop shaking me⦠Just five more minutesâ¦â Erica muttered groggily, sitting up briefly before slumping back into sleep.
******* it, sheâs a heavier sleeper than me?
Irritated, Lilith grabbed the mask Erica was still wearing and pulled it as far away from her face as she could. A cruel smile spread across her face. âDonât blame me. Consider this the wake-up call from the God of Good Mornings.â
PIU!
Lilith released the mask, causing it to snap back onto Ericaâs face like a slingshot.
âYEEEOWCH! THAT HURTS!â Erica yelped in surprise as the mask struck her face, causing her to roll on the ground in pain. âOwwieeeee! My naturally beautiful, flawless, lovely face!â
ââ¦Hehehe. Time to get moving. We need to hurry to our destination. I donât want to be late and miss the good parts.â Lilith stood up, smiling as she dusted her hands.
âYou devil! How could you do this to a beautiful girlâs face? I curse you on behalf of all the beautiful girls in the world!â Erica rubbed her nose and cheeks tearfully, waving her fist at Lilith resentfully.
If she were strong enough, she would have definitely punched Lilithâs smug face.
âCome on now. With that face of yours, you can only represent the worldâs clueless girls at best, not all the beautiful girls,â Lilith mocked with a shrug.
âUgh, how can such a mean girl like you exist?â
âHavenât you heard that good girls love bad girls?â
âShouldnât it be good girls love bad boys?â
âYou get the idea.â
After cleaning up from their meal, Lilith pulled out a map and carefully studied it against their surroundings to determine their direction.
âLetâs go.â
âWhere to?â
âWhere else? Didnât we agree on the venue?â
âHuh? Wasnât that set for five days later?â Erica asked, puzzled.
âYes, but who knows how long they can hold out on the other side?â
With a confident nod, Lilith pointed in the direction they needed to go.
âWait,â Erica suddenly called out.
âWhatâs wrong now?â Lilith turned back, looking at her companion impatiently. If Erica werenât so obedient to her instructions, Lilith would have left her behind long ago.
Her acting just now was horrible though. Even the weeds growing nearby could do a better job than her!
âUhm⦠uhmmâ¦â Erica squeezed her thighs, fidgeting for a moment, unable to speak.
âWhatâs wrong? Are you in heat? Do you need me to help you with that?â Lilith snapped off a branch from a nearby tree that was as thick as her arm and mumbled, âThis should be a good sizeâ¦â
âWhat⦠what are you saying? Youâre the one whoâs in heat. I just⦠I just need to go to the bathroom,â Erica said shyly.
âNow?â Lilithâs gaze took on a suggestive look for a moment.
âI donât know if itâs because I ate too much greasy food all at once, but my tummy is a little upset now.â Erica rubbed her flat belly, embarrassed.
Ugh, those delicious skewered meat has really embarrassed me! Given another chance, Iâd definitely⦠eat more! Since Iâm going to have diarrhea anyway, I might as well eat more to make myself feel better!
âJust go already. Youâre a grown person; surely youâre not afraid of getting lost or anything, right?â Lilithâs expression then turned horrified. âDonât tell me you donât have any tissues?â
âB̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲, youâre the one who would go to the toilet without bringing tissues⦠Oh⦠why do you have to make a beautiful maiden say something so inappropriate?â
âOff you go then.â Lilith pointed to some bushes impatiently. âJust remember to go a bit further. I have a sensitive nose.â
âFine.â Erica darted into the bushes obediently.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om