Chapter 113: You Massacred My Babies!

For a long, tense moment, Julius said nothing.

The smell of warm spice hung in the air and his stomach growled audibly, loud enough for several elves to snicker.

And finally, with an exasperated sigh, he muttered,

“…Fine. I’ll have one small piece.”

A wave of murmurs went through the other men.

Julius quickly raised a finger and added,

“But it’s not because I’m tempted! Not at all! I’m only doing this for you, Hero. Out of…diplomacy.”

He nodded firmly, though his eyes were glued to the tray.

“After all, I serve the entire village’s peace and wellfare! It would be rude to refuse such a generous…uh…peace offering!”

He turned to the other men with a serious look.

“Isn’t that right, boys?”

Immediately, they all nodded in frantic agreement.

“Y-Yeah, peace and harmony!”

“It’s not temptation!”

“We’re just…uh…uniting cultures!”

“Purely symbolic tasting!”

Even as they said it, their eyes glimmered with hunger.

Luca’s grin widened.

“Good to hear.” He said pleasantly. “I’m so glad you’re all reasonable enough to accept my offer.”

The female elves, however, were not amused.

“What?!” One shrieked. “You’re giving them our chicken?!”

“No please don’t! They don’t deserve it!” Another shouted.

But Luca just smiled his mysterious, infuriating smile and handed the tray over.

And the instant it left his hands—the men dropped all pretense of composure as their arms moved faster than lightning.

“HEY!”

“Save some for me!”

“I saw that piece first!”

“Give that back, you greedy—!”

Within seconds, the tray was empty. Julius had four pieces stuffed in his hands before anyone could blink. The others each managed to grab at least two.

And then—Crunch.

They all took a big bite at the same time and the moment they did, their eyes widened, their bodies went completely still and finally…

…the world around them disappeared.

The taste, the warmth, the texture, the explosion of flavor—it was unlike anything they had ever tasted.

It melted on their tongues, every bite more addicting than the last. The crisp skin, the soft meat, the seasoning that danced perfectly on the edge of salty and savory—it was perfection.

Julius’s entire face twitched as he tried desperately to maintain composure.

“I-It’s…not…that amazing…” He muttered, stuffing another piece into his mouth. “Elf food is better anyway…”

Luna, Nyx, and the other women watched him in disbelief before bursting into laughter.

“Look at him!”

“He’s stuffing his mouth like a wild boar!”

“Didn’t he say he’d never eat meat?!”

“Oh, now it’s for peace, huh?”

Meanwhile, Leona stood off to the side quietly like she didn’t want to be involved.

But the truth was that had wanted to try it.

Wanted to taste what her daughter and sister had helped create.

Wanted to taste Luna’s first real cooking.

But the tray had vanished in seconds—picked clean by the ravenous mob.

So, she stared at the empty tray with a sad look in her eyes as she really did want to have a taste.

She considered sneaking a few stray crumbs of fried batter clinging to the parchment.

But just then—

Luca appeared beside her and in his hands: a small plate piled high with the crispiest, juiciest pieces—specially saved, still steaming.

“For you.” He said gently, offering it to her. “I saved this batch. Your daughter helped make it, after all. It’s only right that you try it.”

Leono blinked in surprise, her chest tightening with quiet gratitude. She accepted the plate carefully, nodding. “Thank you, hero.”

“No, thank her.” He said while pointing behind him. “She worked hard for this.”

Leono turned to Luna, who was pretending to look busy wiping oil from the fryer but was clearly peeking out of the corner of her eye.

Their gazes met for a fleeting second and Luna quickly looked away, her cheeks pink.

Leono chuckled softly and looked back down at her plate. She picked up a single golden piece, still warm, and brought it close.

The smell alone nearly made her swoon.

“It smells amazing…” She murmured.

She was about to take a bite—

—but once again, just like her daughter before her, she was interrupted by a loud, pitiful cry.

“HOW COULD YOUUUUU?!”

The voice cracked with heartbreak, echoing across the clearing.

Everyone turned and they were shocked, as there she was—Lulu—stumbling through the bushes, tears streaming down her face.

Her lips quivered as she clutched her chest, eyes full of anguish.

“How could you all do this?!” She sobbed. “The chickens…the poor, fluffy, adorable chickens! They trusted us!”

She pointed a trembling finger at the tables full of bones and crumbs.

“They believed in us! They clucked beside us every morning! And now they’re…they’re…gone!

“They’re gone and they’ll never come back!”

And hearing her heartbreaking words, every female elf felt as if a arrow had been shot straight through their hearts.

And unlike when Julius and the other men had shouted earlier—when the women had fought back, cursed, and stood proudly—this time, not a single one of them dared to speak.

Every female elf froze.

Heads bowed.

The once-defiant warriors of fried chicken now stood like scolded children caught red-handed.

The laughter, the joy, the pride—all drained away in an instant.

Because this was different.

When Julius had come, they had felt anger, rebellion, defiance.

But when it came to Lulu…all they felt was shame.

After all, Lulu wasn’t just anyone.

She was the ’Chicken Queen’ of their village.

Everyone knew how much she adored those little creatures.

She’d raise them, feed them, sing to them.

You could often spot her marching through the village, a line of chickens waddling obediently behind her like her personal army.

Some joked she ruled her ’chicken kingdom.’

Others swore the birds genuinely listened when she spoke.

She named every single one.

She talked to them as if they were her friends.

She even once tried to teach them the elven language, proudly announcing she’d one day ’serve as their translator to the world.’

And now…her precious flock had become food.

Selma slowly tried to hide her chicken leg behind her back.

Alia turned her head away, pretending to cough into her hand.

Even Nyx, usually unbothered, sighed and tucked her half-eaten wing behind a bowl.

Not a single elf dared to look Lulu in the eyes.

And Luna…Luna’s heart ached seeing her little sister standing there, eyes wide with tears and disbelief.

She quickly stepped forward and held out her hand pleadingly.

“Lulu, please…listen to me.” She said softly, her voice shaking. “You have to understand…this is necessary for the village. If we don’t do this, if we don’t change everyone will fall sick.”

“The whole village could—”

But before she could finish, Lulu let out a broken laugh—half in disbelief, half in pain.

“Understand?” She repeated. “Understand what, Luna?”

She looked up, her face twisted with both sorrow and betrayal.

“Just a little while ago, I smelled something wonderful. I thought—maybe Luca was cooking something new again. Maybe something special!”

“I even came running here, excited! I thought it was a celebration!”

Her voice trembled as she went on, tears streaking down her cheeks.

“But when I arrived, I saw this—”

She gestured toward the tables, her tone cracking.

“—and it wasn’t a celebration. It was a massacre.”

She shook her head slowly, eyes brimming with hurt.

“You’re eating my chickens, Luna…my friends. The ones who trusted us. The ones who followed me home every day. How could you?!”

Nyx, who had been silent so far, stepped forward with a sigh, holding up a hand.

“Lulu…I understand. Believe me, I do. But please, you have to see there was no choice. The sickness—”

But before she could finish, Lulu cut her off sharply.

“Then what, Auntie Nyx?!” She snapped, voice trembling. “We suffer? Yes, I know that. But what about them? What about those poor chickens?”

“They just wanted to live!”

“They wanted to stretch their wings and fly up in the sky like the other birds.”

Her voice rose, raw with emotion.

“But no—you killed them! They never even had a chance to fly!”

The crowd winced. No one could even meet her gaze.

And that’s when Julius, who had been watching from behind with crossed arms, snorted loudly and burst out laughing.

“Ha! You see?” He sneered, gesturing mockingly toward Lulu. “Finally, someone sensible! Go on, my daughter, tell them! Tell these meat-eaters what they’ve done! How shameful they’ve become!”

But before anyone could even react—

“SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD!” Lulu roared.

Her sudden outburst made everyone jump.

Julius froze mid-laugh as Lulu turned on him with blazing eyes, pointing a trembling finger at his face.

“I’m not talking to you!” She hissed. “You smug little worm. Next time you open that filthy mouth of yours, I swear I’ll bring one of my chickens over and have it scratch your face until no one recognizes you again!”

The clearing went dead silent. Julius’s face went pale as paper and even Luca blinked, momentarily stunned.

Meanwhile, Luna stared at her sister, horrified and heartbroken at the same time.

She knew that tone, knew how Lulu got when she reached her limit. And this was it. Her sister wasn’t just sad anymore. She was furious.

And no amount of words would reach her like this.

Nyx sighed, rubbing her forehead. “This isn’t going anywhere.”

And that was when Luca, who had been quietly watching the exchange finally stepped forward.

“I think…” He said slowly. “…it’s about time we tried your plan Nyx.”

Luna blinked, turning to him in disbelief.

“Wait—that plan? You’re not serious, right? That’s…That’s cruel!”

He met her gaze with a quiet sigh.

“Maybe. But we’ve run out of options. If we want to help her, this might be the only way.”

Nyx cracked her knuckles. “Say no more.”

Before anyone could stop her, she appeared behind Lulu and grabbed both her wrists, pinning them behind her back in a firm but careful hold.

“Hey—hey! What are you doing?!” Lulu yelped, trying to pull free. “Let me go! Auntie Nyx, I swear I’ll peck you myself if you don’t let go!”

“Sorry, sweetheart.” Nyx smirked. “It’s for your own good.”

Luca gave Luna a nod. “Hold her head still.”

“What?!” Luna panicked. “No, no, I can’t—”

“Please.” He said softly. “Trust me.”

And hearing this, Luna knew she could do nothing so she stepped forward, her hands trembling as she gently cupped her sister’s cheeks, holding her head still even as Lulu struggled.

“Luna! What are you doing?!” Lulu shouted, panic flaring in her eyes. “Why are you helping them? Let me go! Please! This isn’t funny!”

Tears welled in Luna’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Lulu…I really am…”

“Luna!”

But before Lulu could say another word, Luca stepped forward, holding a fresh, tender piece of fried chicken in his hand—golden, soft, glistening with oil.

He sighed, looking almost regretful.

“Sorry, Lulu.” He said quietly. “But this is absolutely necessary.”

Lulu was confused at first, but then her eyes went wide in horror as she realized what he was about to do.

“No—no! Don’t! Please don’t you dare! I don’t want it! I—”

She thrashed wildly, trying to break free, kicking her legs and shouting.

“No! Stop! Let me go! I won’t forgive you for this! I swear I’ll haunt you forever! LU—”

And then it happened.

Luca gently pushed the soft, juicy chicken tender into her mouth.

And the moment it touched her tongue—Lulu froze.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep