She was traumatized for some reason, especially when she saw Vincent's crimson eyes when he threw his spear at her, and although it was to save her life, it still affected her in a weird way she didn't know why. Furthermore, she was even more terrified to see that she nearly died. That's not all, as the cold winter rain that drenched her clothes was making her feel cold, but Vincent's bodily warmth came at the perfect time.
Vincent wiped the tears on her cheeks and comforted her with pleasant words and lovely pats.
"Wow! You look cute even when you're crying."
Leila giggled and rolled her eyes at him, pushing her head full of snowy hair deeper into his chest.
After a few moments, once she calmed down due to the warmness of his embrace and his pleasant words, she said, "You scared me more than the monster that ambushed me."
"My bad," Vincent said as he patted her head. "I was furious and brimming with killing intent at that moment. I didn't think twice before acting to save your life. I didn't mean to scare you by suddenly throwing a weapon your way."
"It's okay. I understand," Leila said. "Thanks for saving my life."
Peter looked away from them, letting the lovebirds do as they like. Varth examined the parasitic alien and tried to find out its origin.
"It looks awfully familiar."
In the very next second, his eyes widened as he seems to recall something.
"It looks like the parasitic seed of the Tree of Evil!!!" Varth eyes dilated as he recalled the past in which he and a group of twelve strong fought an army of deadly creatures infested with the seed of evil and came out victorious at the cost of only him surviving.
"How the hell is it here?"
He couldn't believe what he was seeing, but the evidence was right in front of his eyes, and he couldn't deny it.
After a few minutes, Leila raised her head from his chest, looked into his eyes, and said, "Thank you, big brother. I'm feeling fine now."
After they stood up but Vincent held on to her without any intention of lifting his hands off her waist.
A weird emotion has overcome his rationality.
He felt as if he would lose her if he let go right now.
So, he wanted to keep her by his side, not an inch away.
As for why he was feeling so obsessed with her, even he didn't know.
Anyhow, he was sure that he wouldn't have bothered to comfort another woman in a similar situation.
This side of his existed only for Leila for some reason, but he didn't know why and how it happened, but he knew that it was an obsession, one so dormant that it overtakes his rationality.
"Are we going to stay like this forever?"
Leila broke the silence.
Vincent pushed her back to a tree and said, "Don't you like it?"
Leila's cheeks and ears turned ruddy, and her toes curled as his hot breath caressed her smooth, snow-white skin.
"I do, but we need to do a lot of things right now," Leila said.
"Oh, and what are they?" Vincent said, not backing off even a single inch.
"First off, we need to dismantle the corpse of the monsters to obtain the cores of the monsters and other necessary stuff such as their eyes, claws, and fangs. Secondly, we need to search the cave for extraordinary evolution material. Lastly, we still need to hunt bandits in the wild." Leila hurriedly answered, her petite hands on his chest exerting force to push him away from herself.
"I understand." Vincent took a step away from her, but not before kissing her palm.
"You are cold," he said as his tongue moved, tracing up the softness of her palm to her slender index finger. "Your clothes are also drenched in cold water. You'll get sick if you stay like this. It would be best if you change clothes. Did you bring extras?"
"Nope," Leila shook her head as she took her hand away from him while blushing and her heart fluttering.
She felt like an ice cube that would melt under the warmth provided by her beloved sun.
She didn't want to melt as this creepy place full of trees and darkness wasn't a place for that!
However, she couldn't deny that the man before her has pacified her heart from all the horror that dawned on her and was romanticizing with her in such a way that she liked as well.
If this continued, she was sure that there will come a time not too far away from now where she wouldn't be able to deny any of his words.
"I guess you will need to wear my clothes."
Vincent took out a hoodie and shorts from his spatial ring and handed them over to her.
"Is that alright?" Leila's eyes blinked as she looked at the clothes in her hand.
"Yes, it is. You're my girlfriend, so it's alright to wear my clothes in such a sticky situation, Vincent said. "By the way, should I help you take off your clothes and wear mine?"
As soon as he said those words, Leila erected an ice dome around her and said,
"A big fat no! And no peeking!"
Vincent chuckled as he thought that, a day not far from now, he would have a good look at her body anyway.
Leila wore his clothes, and then the first thing that came into her mind was the fact that the clothes carried his scent and warmth.
After a few moments, once she smelled his clothes to her heart desires, she stepped out of the ice dome and said, "How do I look? Is it weird?"
She was wearing Vincent's clothes that were too big for her. She was not only a head shorter than him, but her body width was too small compared to his.
She looked like a kid wearing her father's clothes.
Vincent patted her hair and said without blinking, "You look exceptionally cute."
Those remarks caused a smile to blossom on her face.
At that very moment, an urgent voice sounded in their ears, "Guys, gather around. You need to hear me out."