Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 211

Chapter 211: Crab [II]
“Are you seriously thinking about what to use this crab to make?” Minerva asked, her small dragon tail flicking with impatience as she held the massive creature above the blood sea. “We could just roast it and taste the meat, though we have to cook it with a lot of seasoning if we want the taste to come out.”

“True,” Lucius replied while crossing his arms thoughtfully. “I don’t have enough sauce, but I guess I could go down and borrow.”

“Should we kill it first…?” Minerva tilted her head, as if unsure whether humans preferred their food dead beforehand or enjoyed it wriggling like dragons did.

Lucius nodded once.

The dragon girl didn’t waste any time.

She stabbed her hand into the crab monster’s head with a clean movement, pulling out its brain and monster core in a single motion. “It’s dead now.”

She tossed the core lazily toward the wood barrier, where some lucky Awakener would hopefully catch it.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her why she was helping so eagerly. A growing dragon body needed a tremendous amount of food, and right now every inch of her instincts screamed at her to devour something large, crunchy, and delicious.

Minerva looked down at the crab’s brain with disdain before flinging it into the red water.

Small fish resembling piranhas swarmed it instantly, tearing it apart with aggressive snaps that made the surface churn. “There. Trash for the trash-eaters.”

“You can drop that now,” Lucius said, gesturing for her to let go.

She released the crab, only for it to land neatly on a floating pan of space he conjured beneath it. “Go find some others. Eating a lot wouldn’t kill you. I need to get spices.”

Minerva’s eyes lit up like a child receiving permission to ravage a candy store.

She nodded rapidly, like an excited dog, then dove straight back into the blood sea with a splash that sent waves rippling outward.

Lucius floated back down toward the camp. He spotted everyone eating breakfast, but Rita still wasn’t around.

He wondered why she hadn’t appeared yet; she rarely missed a meal since Vanessa started cooking.

“Hey, where’s Vanessa?” he asked Trisha, who was munching comfortably while sitting on a makeshift crate.

“She’s in her tent, Boss,” Trisha said with her mouth half full. Lucius nodded gratefully.

He slipped inside Vanessa’s tent.

There she was with her crimson hair cascading around her shoulders, one hand combing through it while the other shoveled food into her mouth at a suspiciously fast pace.

Her brows were drawn tight with stress, and he knew instantly that she was stress-eating. No way would she normally eat that much that fast.

She glanced up slowly.

“Hey…” Her voice wavered. “Are you mad at me?”

“Nope.” Lucius walked in front of her and sat beside her on the bed, watching her cheeks puff slightly from chewing.

“Then why didn’t you comfort me…? Do you not like me that much?” Her eyes glowed, and her voice dipped almost to a whimper.

“I do, cutie,” he replied softly.

His cheeks warmed as he looked away, embarrassed by how easily she flustered him. “I get it… I’m a womanizer and human trash… no, I’m definitely not human trash, but I still understand why you’re angry. And I’m sorry.”

Hearing him apologize made something inside her chest flutter wildly. She fought to keep her expression neutral, hiding the joy that bloomed inside her heart.

“Besides… eating that much at a time, are you trying to become fat?” Lucius added lightly.

She swallowed her mouthful in a rush. “We’ve been climbing three floors of an A-rank dungeon, and I’m sure with all the battles I’ve burned a lot of fat.”

She flicked her hair over her shoulder and combed through it again. “Don’t you want my ass to be fat for when we do it next time…?”

Lucius’s face turned crimson.

He cleared his throat and reached out almost instinctively. “Let me do your hair.”

“My hair? You can use space if you want…” she said, though her heart pounded with excitement.

Lucius wanting to touch her hair… personally felt so intimate she could barely stay still. ‘Though it would be more romantic to use his hands…’

Lucius moved behind her and sat with his legs around her hips, so she ended up seated between them with her back against his chest.

The warmth between them was enough to send her brain buzzing.

He ran his fingers gently through her hair.

It was softer than it looked, sliding smoothly between his fingers.

‘It’s been a while since I did this,’ he thought.

Styling hair was something he knew how to do… not from the internet, but from growing up with a mother and sister who always argued about their looks.

Their hair had been tougher than Vanessa’s though, so he took his time now, careful and deliberate, braiding slowly in a pattern he had once learned out of boredom and necessity.

Vanessa closed her eyes and relaxed, allowing him to work.

Her breathing softened and she smiled.

This simple gesture meant more to her than any expensive date or flowery compliment.

‘I love him.’

…

Outside, Minerva floated back up from the blood water, four new crab monsters dangling from her arms.

She landed on the pan of space and looked around irritably.

“Where’s he now?” she muttered.

The floating space pan now held four brainless crab monsters arranged neatly like ingredients waiting for a chef.

She twiddled her fingers impatiently. He had said he’d get spices. He was taking too long.

Lucius finally appeared behind her so suddenly she jerked in mid-air. She steadied herself, then frowned when she noticed the mark on his cheek.

“Did you get bitten by a monster? That’s an awfully visible mark,” Minerva said, leaning in for a closer look.

Lucius sighed.

‘I’m not allowed to remove it.’ Vanessa had made him promise not to erase the bite mark… apparently it “looked good on him,” whatever that meant.

So he would let it heal on its own.

“Alright, let’s get started,” Lucius said, clapping his hands lightly.

“Should I use my dragon’s fire to roast them?” Minerva asked hopefully, puffing out her chest.

“Hm? You can’t just roast them like that,” he replied, shaking his head as he inspected the crab meat. “We need to do a lot of things first, like finding clean water to wash them in. I don’t want to taste blood on my food.”

“I can help with that,” a familiar voice chimed in.

Rita stood atop the wood barricade, looking down at them like a dramatic heroine arriving on cue. “I can use water, remember?!”

“Nice,” Lucius said as he lifted a hand and used space to gently bring her closer, floating her effortlessly toward him. “Let’s cook.”