Chapter 247: Arrow Of Challenge
Luca stepped out.
And the moment he saw Luna, he rushed toward her like a man who hadn’t seen her in years and bent down, scooping her up in a crushing embrace.
He spun her around, then pulled back just enough to look at her face.
He started kissing her all over—her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, the top of her head—pressing rapid, enthusiastic smooches like a golden retriever greeting its owner after a long day.
"Without you, none of this would have happened!"
"You’re my lucky charm!" Another kiss on her nose. "My little medical miracle worker!"
But she was giggling uncontrollably from the sheer abundance of affection being showered upon her.
Lulu watched this display with growing indignation. Her lower lip jutted out in a pout.
She said it loud enough to embarrass anyone within earshot, but Luca just laughed.
He kissed her all over just like he had done with Luna, while saying.
Lulu giggled, squirming in his arms.
Nyx watched the three of them with a fond smile, her arms crossed and when Luca finally released his grip on her nieces, she cleared her throat.
"Went well?" His grin widened impossibly further. "It went more than well! It went PERFECTLY!"
The moment those words left his mouth, all three women lit up with hope.
"Does that mean...we’re finally going to figure everything out?! We’re finally going to get Mother back?!"
Nyx’s fists clenched, her eyes gleaming with eager intensity.
Luca chuckled and gently patted both Luna and Lulu on their heads.
All three of them immediately deflated, their shoulders slumping in disappointment.
Their heads snapped up, hope reignited.
"A few more tests, some research, observation, a little digging around..."
"It won’t be long before Leona breaks free. Before the curse that’s been hanging over this village is completely gone."
"So what do we do now, Luca?" Lulu bounced on her heels. "What’s our next step?!"
"First, we’re going to need a building—a big one. A research facility with proper equipment."
"Also a few other devices..."
"And I’ll need to read a lot of books to understand the full scope of the situation. Might have to make a trip to the human continent as well."
"And most importantly..."
"I’m going to need poop...A LOT OF POOP!"
"In fact..." He rubbed his chin like he was calculating something. "The entire village is going to need to do a lot of pooping, so I might as well add a bathroom to the building."
"Poop?" Luna repeated, as if she had never heard the word before. "The entire village? Is going to...poop?"
Lulu tilted her head, genuinely confused.
"Is that a thing? Did I accidentally eat something magical that—"
"A mountain of samples. A poop mountain."
"I never thought my life would come to a point where I’d be discussing mass pooping operations, but here we are."
"Okay! Okay! So what do we do now? I want to help! I want to do something productive!"
Luca chuckled and pointed toward the village.
"Be inconspicuous. Don’t make it obvious that I’m purposely collecting people."
"YES, SIR!" They shouted in unison.
Luca turned to Nyx, who was watching the sisters disappear into the trees with a fond expression.
Nyx raised an eyebrow. "Just the two of us? With no tools? No materials? No—"
A massive pile of wooden planks tumbled out, followed by stacks of nails, hammers, saws, levels, and enough construction supplies to build a small fortress.
They got to work.
He handed Nyx a hammer and a bag of nails, and she fell into rhythm beside him, hammering away with more enthusiasm than precision.
Hearing this, Nyx’s hammering intensified.
She had never worked so hard in her entire life.
Like she was building not just a building, but a future.
—
Leona tossed and turned restlessly in her bed before her eyes finally fluttered open.
Not just a short one—she had fallen asleep four hours ago from sheer exhaustion and slept straight through without stirring once.
After all, for years, sleep itself had been a luxury she could scarcely afford.
The constant dangers lurking around them...
The heavy burden of maintaining that cold, distant mask with her family...
But nowadays, she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.
But it all made sense in her heart. All the burdens and pressures she had carried for so long had completely disappeared ever since Luca had arrived.
After reconnecting with her daughters, they had been able to speak much more openly since then.
But Luna and Lulu’s playful antics always broke through her shell. Soon she would find herself laughing along with them, joining in their teasing, and feeling like a real mother again.
In the past, when Nyx teased her, Leona would look away and deliver a brusque, cold retort.
Nyx had looked so shocked the first time it happened that Leona had nearly laughed again just at her expression.
She greeted them now. Smiled at them. They were shocked at first—some even looked behind themselves to see if she was smiling at someone else.
The way it should have been all along.
The fear was still there—the old terror of what might happen if she showed her true emotions.
It hadn’t vanished completely, but it no longer controlled her.
Leona stretched luxuriously, considering whether she might take another nap just to prove how light she felt.
FWOOSH!
Something flashed past her vision from the open window, and then—THUNK—an arrow embedded itself in the floor right next to her bed.
But when she looked closer, she saw a rolled-up piece of paper tied to the shaft and she realised what it was
But she was no longer the Matriarch in any official sense, so she didn’t understand why someone would send one to her.
But the moment she recognized Luca’s familiar handwriting, all her tension melted away.
[Come to the village square. Quickly!]
"He must be asking me out on a date."
"And he wants to be mysterious about it...how cute."
She quickly changed into a new dress, one she had been saving for a special occasion, applied a touch of makeup, and made herself look extra pretty just to impress him.
Heart fluttering, Leona hurried out of her house and made her way toward the village square, skipping lightly along the wooden bridges.