Chapter 76: A date in the NightBane capital

I slowly woke up feeling something warm against my chest.

At first my brain still felt too exhausted to process it properly.

Then I looked downward.

And immediately regretted gaining consciousness.

Lillith was laying partially on top of me beneath the blankets while softly kissing my chest through my shirt.

The moment she noticed I was awake, her purple eyes immediately brightened.

"Good morning Leo."

I stared at her silently for several seconds.

"...Were you seriously doing this all night."

"Yes."

Silence.

Then proudly—

"And I’m going to do it all day too."

"...Lillith."

She smiled happily before hugging herself tighter against me.

"I missed you."

Unfortunately for her.

Reality still existed.

And reality involved construction projects, steam engines, explosives, and workers who absolutely could not be trusted unsupervised around industrial equipment.

I sighed deeply before pushing myself slightly upright.

"I need to go back to the construction site."

Instant disappointment spread across her face.

"Why."

"Because I need to make sure nobody blows it up."

Lillith pouted immediately.

"Finn is there."

"If Finn is there alone it will definitely blow up."

"That sounds dramatic."

"That sounds accurate."

Lillith buried her face into my chest again stubbornly.

"I hope it does explode."

I blinked once.

"...What."

"Then you’d spend more time with your amazing wife."

"You are literally wishing for disasters."

"Yes."

I rubbed one hand across my face tiredly.

"I really need to go."

"The whole place is stupid."

"It’s a gunpowder facility."

"That sounds even more stupid."

Then suddenly—

Lillith paused slightly.

I immediately noticed the look appearing across her face.

Which usually meant danger.

A few seconds later she slowly smiled.

"You can go."

That answer alone made me suspicious instantly.

"...Why are you smiling like that."

"No reason."

That somehow made it worse.

Still—

I accepted the temporary miracle.

A while later I finished getting dressed before stepping outside alongside Lillith into the freezing winter morning.

Snow drifted softly through the palace courtyard while servants and guards quickly moved out of our path.

Then unfortunately—

I had to say something deeply humiliating.

I looked toward Lillith awkwardly.

"...Can you carry me."

She looked at me for several seconds.

Then dramatically stretched her arms upward.

"I’m too tired to fly."

I stared at her blankly.

"This is not the time for jokes."

Her smile widened slightly.

"It wasn’t a joke."

"...Lillith."

She simply yawned afterward.

"I’m exhausted."

I immediately grabbed both her shoulders.

"You need to bring me there or I won’t arrive until near the end of the day."

"That sounds nice."

"That is not nice."

Lillith shrugged lazily.

"I don’t understand why you’re worried."

"Because people are building an explosive factory."

"Mhm."

I spent the next several minutes desperately trying to convince her while she continued looking increasingly entertained by my suffering.

Then eventually—

She smiled again.

"I’ll do it for incentives."

I sighed deeply.

"How much money do you want."

Lillith immediately laughed before suddenly pulling me directly against her chest in a hug.

My face instantly got buried into soft warmth.

I felt my entire face heating up immediately.

"Lillith—"

She ignored me completely.

"I don’t care about your money."

"I already have enough to buy your territory a million times over."

That honestly sounded believable.

Eventually she pulled back slightly before smiling mischievously.

"You have a special way of paying me instead."

I already hated where this conversation was going.

"...What way."

Lillith looked incredibly pleased with herself.

"One round trip for every baby we have."

My brain stopped for a second.

Then immediately—

"No."

Lillith blinked once.

"...No?"

"Absolutely not."

"But—"

"No."

I pointed directly at her.

"We are not having children until we are both at least eighteen and actually married."

Lillith visibly deflated slightly afterward.

Then sighed dramatically.

"Fine..."

For several moments she remained quiet while thinking.

Then eventually she brightened again.

"I’ll compromise."

That somehow worried me more.

"How."

"One date for each round trip."

I stared at her suspiciously.

"That’s still manipulative."

"Ok I guess you can take the carriage then if your so displeased with the price."

"...Fine."

Victory immediately appeared across her face.

Then she happily stretched both arms outward toward me.

"Come here husband."

I sighed deeply before reluctantly stepping into her arms again.

Moments later purple mana gathered around her feet.

Then—

BOOOOOM.

The courtyard cracked beneath us as Lillith launched both of us violently into the sky.

Cold winter wind roared past immediately while the Nightbane capital rapidly shrank beneath us.

At this point I was starting to hate flying.

Meanwhile Lillith looked completely relaxed while holding me securely against her.

The snowy world stretched endlessly beneath the clouds while forests and frozen rivers rushed past far below.

For roughly thirty straight minutes—

Lillith talked about baby names.

"What about Leo junior?"

"No."

"Leon the second?"

"No."

"Tiny Leo?"

"Absolutely not."

"What if we have a daughter?"

"I’m done discussing this."

"She’d probably have your eyes."

"...Lillith."

"And my black hair."

"Lillith."

"And she’d call me mother."

I physically covered part of my face with one hand.

"What suddenly made you this desperate to have babies."

Lillith immediately answered without hesitation.

"I want my little Leons."

Silence.

Then softly—

"I want a whole family with you."

———-

By the time we finally arrived back at Blackwater Hollow, the sun was already beginning to sink toward the horizon.

The moment Lillith landed outside the construction site, Finn immediately spotted us.

Then looked toward the sky.

Then toward us.

Then back toward the sky again.

"...You’re late."

I climbed out of Lillith’s arms before adjusting my coat.

"Only slightly."

"You vanished for half the day."

"Lillith delayed things."

"I was trying to improve his quality of life."

"You tried bribing me into having children."

"That’s called negotiation."

Finn stared at both of us for several seconds.

"...I don’t even want to know."

The rest of the day quickly disappeared beneath endless work.

Workers hauled stone.

Steel supports got installed.

Storage buildings slowly rose from the snowy ground.

The foundations for the processing facility expanded steadily as dozens of laborers moved between construction zones carrying tools and materials.

Unfortunately—

Trying to supervise anything became significantly harder while Lillith followed me everywhere.

Everywhere.

If I inspected a wall, she followed.

If I checked measurements, she followed.

If I reviewed blueprints, she followed.

At one point she simply stood directly behind me while using my shoulder as a headrest for nearly twenty minutes.

Nobody questioned it.

Mostly because nobody was brave enough.

Eventually darkness settled across Blackwater once again.

Lanterns illuminated sections of the worksite while workers gradually finished for the day.

I was reviewing one final section of piping when Finn suddenly walked over.

For once—

He actually looked thoughtful.

Which immediately worried me.

"What?"

Finn crossed his arms.

"I’ve been thinking."

"That’s never a good sign."

"Shut up."

Then his expression became more serious.

"Why exactly are we scaling up gunpowder production this much?"

I blinked slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Finn gestured broadly toward the construction site.

"The mine."

"The refinery."

"The rail connection."

"The processing facility."

He pointed toward the massive construction project surrounding us.

"This isn’t small-scale production anymore."

Then he paused.

"...Are you planning to sell it?"

That question actually made me stop.

Because honestly—

I hadn’t really thought about it.

When I first discovered the mine, my brain immediately focused on one thing.

Opportunity.

Decades worth of nitrate-rich soil.

An industrial resource practically handed to me, and while we where in desperate need of nitrate as the nitrate beds where far too slow.

We now absurd amounts.

I knew I couldn’t ignore it.

I knew I couldn’t leave it buried underground.

But after securing it—

I never actually stopped to consider what came next.

I stood there quietly for several moments.

Then finally answered.

"...Maybe."

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe?"

"I could sell some."

Then I looked toward the distant railway station.

"Rifles too."

Understanding slowly spread across Finn’s face.

"The border?"

I nodded once.

The war had been going on for over a year now.

And ever since it started—

I barely saw Alex.

Or my father.

Whenever they returned home, it was only briefly.

And every single time—

They looked exhausted.

Stressed.

Older.

The war was slowly grinding everyone down.

"If rifles can help them..."

I looked down toward my hands.

"Then I should probably produce more."

Finn remained quiet for several moments.

Then eventually nodded.

"...Yeah."

Neither of us said much afterward.

There wasn’t really anything else to say.

Eventually workers began returning toward the camp for the night.

And shortly afterward—

Lillith appeared beside me again.

Like always.

"Ready?"

I already knew what that meant.

Unfortunately.

A few minutes later I once again found myself being carried through the sky above Nightbane territory.

The freezing wind rushed past while forests and rivers stretched endlessly below.

Meanwhile—

Lillith resumed the conversation.

"Five children."

"No."

"Four."

"No."

"Three."

"No."

She looked genuinely confused.

"I don’t understand why you’re so against this!"

"We’re not having children."

"Why."

"Because we’re not married."

"We can fix that."

"No."

"And when we’re old enough."

"No."

"We are."

"No."

Lillith pouted dramatically.

Then hugged me tighter.

"I just want little Leons."

I sighed heavily.

"You say that like it’s a normal sentence."

"It is."

"It really isn’t."

For the next thirty minutes she continued trying.

Every single attempt failed.

Thankfully.

Eventually the lights of the Nightbane capital appeared beneath us.

I immediately expected her to head toward the palace.

Instead—

Lillith suddenly descended.

Directly into the city itself.

A few moments later she gently landed inside a quiet alleyway hidden between several stone buildings.

I stumbled slightly after being set down, my prosthetic leg catching awkwardly against the cobblestones.

Then I looked toward her.

"...Why are we here?"

Lillith crossed her arms immediately.

And pouted.

A dangerous sign.

"You weren’t trying to squirm your way out of paying me, were you?"

I froze.

Then slowly remembered.

The deal.

One date.

Per round trip.

My soul immediately attempted to leave my body.

Lillith pointed at me accusingly.

"I transported you."

"Yes."

"Twice."

"Yes."

"You agreed."

"...Yes."

The smile that appeared on her face instantly made me nervous.

"Oh good."

Then she grabbed my hand.

And started dragging me deeper into the city.

I immediately dug my heels into the ground.

"Lillith."

"Nope."

"Lillith."

"Nope."

"Where are we going?"

She looked over her shoulder with an innocent smile that somehow felt threatening.

"Our date."

And just like that—

I knew I was in trouble.

The rest of the date somehow became significantly more dangerous than fighting giant rats.

Not because of monsters.

Because of shopping.

Specifically—

Shopping with lillith.

At first she dragged me into a clothing store.

Then another.

Then another.

Then somehow three more after that.

I lost count somewhere around the hundredth or so outfit.

"This one."

"No."

Lillith frowned.

"Why."

"Because I look ridiculous."

"You look handsome."

"I look like a prince from a romance novel."

"Exactly."

The shopkeeper nodded immediately.

"Lady Nightbane is correct."

"You’re only saying that because she could probably buy this entire building."

"That is also correct."

Lillith purchased it anyway.

Along with every other outfit.

Dark coats.

Formal suits.

Winter clothing.

Noble attire.

Military-inspired uniforms.

Several things I genuinely couldn’t identify.

By the end of it, an entire wagon had been hired just to transport the clothes back toward the palace.

I stared at the growing mountain of purchases, which where dragged back to the palace by servants.

"I’m never wearing any of these."

"You’ll wear all of them."

"No."

"Yes."

History suggested she would somehow win this argument eventually.

Afterward she dragged me through half the capital.

We visited food stalls.

Street vendors.

Small bakeries.

Market squares.

At one point she bought enough sweets to feed an entire family before immediately handing most of them to me.

Then complained that I wasn’t eating them fast enough.

The city itself looked beautiful beneath the winter snowfall.

Lanterns illuminated the streets.

Merchants called out from their stalls.

Children ran through the snow.

Things felt peaceful.

Normal.

I found myself actually enjoying the evening.

Then I saw something familiar.

I stopped walking immediately.

Lillith noticed.

"What is it?"

I stared toward a small stall positioned near the edge of the marketplace.

The details were almost identical.

Same wooden structure.

Same decorations.

Same strange symbols carved into the sides.

Everything looked the same.

Except an old man sat behind the counter instead.

Lillith followed my gaze.

"Do you want to go to one of these places again?"

"...Maybe."

She immediately grabbed my hand.

Then dragged me toward it.

The old man looked up the moment we approached.

His eyes immediately locked onto mine.

For several seconds he simply stared.

Then suddenly he sat upright.

"You have potential."

I blinked.

"...What."

The old man pointed dramatically at me.

"You possess the aura of an outstanding mage."

Lillith immediately looked offended.

I looked confused.

"I don’t have a mana capacity."

That seemed to surprise him.

The old man leaned forward slightly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Huh."

He scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"That’s strange."

My attention sharpened immediately.

"Why?"

The old man narrowed his eyes.

"Because I can tell there’s something inside you."

I instinctively leaned closer.

Something inside me?

What did that mean?

Before I could ask—

SLAM.

A large pamphlet suddenly appeared on the table.

The old man smiled brightly.

"Fortunately I offer several educational courses."

I looked down.

Beginner Mana Awakening Course.

Advanced Spiritual Development.

Hidden Potential Revelation Program(Guarenteed to reveal sss level talent).

Each one costing way more than the last.

Before I could even process it—

Lillith slammed both hands onto the table.

The entire stall shook.

"Fraud is illegal for your information."

The old man immediately looked offended.

"I am not a scammer."

"You’re absolutely a scammer."

"I’ll have you know my reputation is—"

Then he paused.

Lillith’s expression had become very dangerous.

The old man frowned slightly.

"And who exactly are you supposed to be?"

Lillith slowly pulled a brooch from her coat.

The Nightbane crest gleamed beneath the lantern light.

"My name is Lillith Nightbane."

Silence.

Complete silence.

The old man’s face immediately drained of color.

Then before either of us could react—

He slammed his forehead directly into the table.

"I’M SORRY."

I blinked.

"What."

The old man remained folded over the table.

"Please don’t arrest me!"

Lillith calmly put the brooch away.

Then linked her arm through mine.

"See?"

She looked very pleased with herself.

"I told you these places were scams."

I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck.

"...I guess so."

The old man remained face-down on the table while we walked away.

For a while neither of us spoke.

Instead I found myself thinking about the old woman from around a year ago.

The women who had said similar things.

Potential.

Possibility.

Things hidden beneath the surface.

Back then I had almost believed her.

I guess I was too naive, I was lucky to have Lillith here, but it pained me that the truth remained the same.

I couldn’t use mana.

I never had any.

No matter how many inventions I built or factories I created—

That fact never changed.

I was still weaker than those gifted with mana.

Still ungifted myself.

Eventually I sighed quietly and continued walking with my arms locked with Lillith through the snowy streets.

Unbeknownst to me—

Lillith briefly glanced backward.

The old man was still staring after us.

Without breaking her stride, she casually produced a large gold coin from her side.

Then flicked it behind her.

The coin spun through the air.

The old man’s eyes widened.

He nearly fell out of his chair catching it.

Lillith simply smiled innocently afterward and turned back toward me.

"We should probably go home now."

I looked over.

"Yeah."

The date had already lasted far longer than expected.

And somehow—

Tomorrow would probably be even more exhausting.