649 I will see everyone soon

Sakura expressed she was fine letting Vincent have some alone time. She knew quite well how being alone to brainstorm without interruption could be inspirational and motivating once in a while.

Sakura believed Vincent could recover quicker than staying at home. A healthy mind is as important as a healthy body. This opportunity could allow Vincent to return to the usual confident version of himself, or so Sakura hoped.

“I do not mind that decision. I already know quite well how good you are at surviving in a forest.” Ester said with a confident expression.

“Me too. My mate is the best.” Lupa said while grinning.

“Always inspect plants, okay? I don’t want you to get poisoned.” Iris requested, similar to a teacher letting their student go outside alone.

“Plow and Zero will be with you to keep you company and assist if anything happens.” Lilith looked at Plow and continued, “Vincent will be safe, right?”

Plow nodded vigorously. She tapped on her chest with her little paw. “Plow can keep Vincent Vincent safe. Plow promises.” *Pho*

Vincent was reassured to hear what was on their minds. He also wanted to chuckle at how serious the cute little fox was acting.

The trip couldn’t begin without Sofy, and the carriage prepared to leave. Vincent spent around half an hour conversing with his wives in the bedroom before spending around another half an hour conversing in the living room.

.....

As time passed, the residents of the mansion woke up one after the other. Their eyes were mostly tired and red. They also couldn’t sleep well after the unforgettable yesterday was still in their minds.

historical

On the other hand, the kids woke up energetic after a very long sleep. They saw Vincent unhurt and acted as if yesterday had never happened.

During the last half hour, Vincent informed every person joining the living room about his plan to visit the forest. Vincent explained how he wanted to clear his mind and regain his composure.

The positive reception to the announcement surprised Vincent. All of them were supportive of his decision to take a breather in nature. No one complained nor said it was better to remain in the mansion.

Sofy entered the living room.

“The carriage and Zero are waiting outside.” Sofy turned around. “Don’t forget the food.” She reminded Vincent before going outside.

Vincent went to the kitchen. The amazing smell of the food Yula prepared almost made him drool.

Plow was happily following Vincent when her nose smelled the food, causing her belly to growl and her lips to drool.

Vincent looked at all the food Yula had prepared. He was both amazed and unhappy at the same time. There was a lot of food, all cooked by one person. That meant Yula had been cooking for hours.

‘Did Yula have time to sleep?’ *Sigh* ‘Yula went overboard with her cooking. I feel terrible for giving Yula a lot of work.’ Vincent pondered.

[Are you going to look at the food, or are you going to store all of it?] Kazumi questioned after watching Vincent staring at the food.

Vincent gently shook his head. He focused his intent on expanding his intent reach and perceiving the food in order to be stored in the Soul Dimensional Storage.

‘Huh?’ Vincent frowned. His intent control wasn’t as good as before. ‘Do I need to relearn controlling my intent too?’

*Sigh* After a quick sigh, Vincent manually touched each plate, or food container to store the food.

The unhappy Vincent headed for the entrance door next. It was time for him to leave since it takes a long time to arrive at the west gate.

Vincent exited the mansion with a little fox following him happily. She was skipping instead of walking normally. Everyone could tell how excited Plow was.

The carriage with three horses pulling it was in front of Vincent. Sofy was waiting for him, standing beside Vincent’s usual seat.

On the seat beside the driver appeared a tendril moving. Vincent tried to recognize what the plant was at first glance, but after taking a better look, Vincent noticed it was no other than Zero waving its small arm at him.

Zero was around one foot tall while sitting. It was about double the size while standing. It made Vincent realize why Iris wanted to take care of Zero and why she did not mention Zero to Vincent.

[I know that look, Vincent.]

[Zero tried to help fight against Vlad in its own way. The amalgamation trait worked wonders, fortunately, and Zero could assist more than I had imagined.]

-... it... it is good to know.-

“Are you leaving this early?” Leonis asked while rushing out of the entrance door.

It was easy to guess Lilith didn’t tell her father about Vincent deciding to go for a short vacation at this important time. Leonis arrived in a rush, and the way he spoke was similar to a person who couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

Teresa and the old maid followed after Leonis. They looked at Vincent with the expression, ‘He found out. Sorry.’

“Duke Lucas was stronger than I thought. Because of that, I have come to a conclusion to sharpen my senses first before taking him on again. There is no other way than spending some time in the wild.”

Leonis didn’t like the response. He looked at his daughter with tired red eyes. *Tsk* “Return quickly, you hear. I don’t want to see my little angel become sleepless because of you.”

“Sure. ” Vincent said.

However, Vincent didn’t know how long he was going to stay in the forest. He wished to regain his previous sharp senses and regain the previous intent control.

Vincent wanted to regain what he had lost as soon as possible. This was the reason he wanted no distractions. This was the reason Ester, Lupa, Iris, Lilith, and Sakura agreed to go without them.

Vincent looked around one last time before departure.

The twins and the half-sisters were there. It appeared no one was guarding the gate currently.

Ganni and Russo were there. Ganni was beside his family, while Russo was beside his mother.

Vincent asked Russo how he was feeling this morning. Vincent felt relieved to hear Russo felt as if nothing had happened to his body yesterday.

Vincent used inspection to check both their stats and their loyalty level.

The Loyalty System came in handy. Vincent got to find out that both Russo and Ganni were at the Slightly Cautious rating now. Their faith in Vincent only dropped by one rating level.

Maria was also standing in the crowd staring at Vincent with a frown on her face. Maria looked healthy, yet Vincent still asked how she was feeling.

Maria sighed before she nodded once. She was tasked with protecting Vincent, yet she couldn’t contend against Vlad yesterday. However, since Darwin had tasked Maria to protect Vincent, she had to go with him.

The plans changed for Maria this morning when the Lionheart Girls requested to let Vincent go alone.

Maria realized how this was a good opportunity for self-reflection and training after the onesided defeat she had suffered yesterday.

Her student didn’t die this time, but it didn’t mean Maria was never going to be in a situation where her student could be in danger.

Maria didn’t want to fail the students she accepted. Her dream was to become a teacher for orphans. She didn’t want to fail as a teacher when her dream did not begin yet.

Additionally, Ester, Lupa, Iris, and Lilith were certain Vincent’s mind would never be clear with Maria and her cold gaze around him.

Only Mimi and Bessy weren’t there to see Vincent leave. Both hadn’t returned from yesterday. One went to make a deal with her father while the other was out working and most likely staying on her client’s property.

Vincent’s gaze moved to the last person standing in the back corner of the crowd.

Jun Ye Rim was looking at him. She didn’t look sad about his departure, yet she didn’t look happy at the same time. Jun Ye Rim was acting like her usual self. Not too close, yet not too distant.

[Are you seeing this, Vincent?] Asked Kazumi.

-Yes, Kazumi.-

-These are the people who know about my identity and have accepted me. Now I know why Kevin could remain positive and save the illegal slaves.-

[Ahem. Technically, one does not know your identity, hehe.]

Vincent moved his gaze to Leonis. -Yeah. He should never find out, or we will face another crisis.-

Vincent waved farewell and said, “Everyone. Thank you for seeing me leave for a day or two. I will be seeing everyone soon. Also, thank you for accepting what happened yesterday. It means everything to me.”

“Huh? Does Vincent like to get beaten to the point of fainting? Don’t... don’t tell me he is a masochist?” Questioned Leonis.

“Dear! Mind your language! There are children listening to you!” Exclaimed Teresa angrily.

“...” Could only remain silent now.

The story Leonis knew was different from the truth of yesterday’s event. He considered if Vincent could enjoy being beaten to the point of making his daughter cry from worry.

Vincent secretly smirked after hearing Leonis being reprimanded by his wife. He lifted Plow and went to take a seat beside Zero.

Vincent looked at Zero and became stunned when he heard Zero tell him, “Master. Happy. To. See.”

[Ehh? I didn’t think Zero could end up talking this well.]

[Is the amalgamation allowing Zero to create an imitation of vocal cords with the tendrils? I am curious.]

*Sigh* ‘Yep. Curious as always.’