Chapter 114: Massive Gamble

The instant the glaze from the chicken touched Lulu’s tongue, it was like an explosion of impossible flavors tore through her senses.

The glaze was thick, rich, dripping with both heat and sweetness.

And the surface…it crisped perfectly, the oil sizzling as it met her lips.

It was as though something foreign, something alien, had entered her system—not a disease, not a poison, but an overwhelming, uncontrollable bomb of taste that her body had absolutely no defense against.

Her knees trembled. Her breathing faltered. Her thoughts scattered into fragments of confusion and disbelief.

Her mind mainly screamed at her to stop.

Her conscience shouted no.

But her body…betrayed her.

Her tongue, trembling, licked the piece of chicken unconsciously, tasting even more of that forbidden delight.

More flavor burst across her tongue—deep, rich, layered—each bite sending new waves through her nerves.

She gasped weakly, her voice trembling.

“Wh-What…What is this…?” Her breath hitched as her throat tightened, overwhelmed by the sensation.

She had thought the smell alone was sinful, intoxicating beyond reason.

But now, having actually tasted it, it was something else entirely.

It was spicy, but not in pain.

Sweet, but not too sweet like candy.

Deep, as though every grain of flavor was alive and singing in her mouth.

And because of this, her body was in bliss—but her heart was breaking.

Because as she looked down, she saw the golden-brown chicken piece in Luca’s hand.

But in her mind, she saw her little feathered companions, the ones that used to follow her, clucking happily, flapping their stubby wings.

“No…” She whimpered, her voice muffled. “No…they were my friends…my companions…”

She tried to speak, but the words stumbled over her trembling lips.

“Let…me…go…don’t…”

But Luca said nothing.

Instead his expression hardened, as he pushed the piece forward again, letting more of the glaze slide across her tongue.

“Stop—please—no, no!”

Lulu cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I don’t want to—!”

Yet, even as she begged, her jaw trembled.

Her body betrayed her.

The scent, the taste, the warmth—it overwhelmed every defense she had left.

Her teeth brushed against the meat once, then again—

—and then she bit and hit her like lightning.

The crispy surface shattered beneath her teeth, giving way to soft, juicy meat that flooded her mouth with a molten wave of flavor—savory fat, aromatic oil, rich glaze, salt, spice, sweetness—all melting together in perfect, sinful harmony.

Her eyes widened. Her breath stopped. Her soul felt like it left her body.

The taste…it was divine.

Her mouth began to move on its own, slowly chewing, the juices spilling over her tongue.

She wanted to resist. She wanted to spit it out.

But she couldn’t.

Every bite only deepened the ecstasy—every chew made her heart pound faster, her face turning red as the flavor overwhelmed her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“No…no, I can’t…I can’t do this…” She whispered weakly.

But her mouth wouldn’t stop.

Her jaw kept moving.

Her tongue kept savoring every bite.

Each chew released another wave of flavor—deeper, warmer, stronger—and soon the piece was gone.

When it was over, her head dropped forward, her body limp in Nyx and Luna’s hold.

For a terrifying moment, everyone thought she had fainted.

“Lulu!” Luna gasped, panic flaring in her voice.

Nyx frowned. “Did…Did she pass out from the sheer repulsion of eating her friends?”

Leona also took a step forward, her face pale.

She had been silent until now, but seeing her daughter like that made her heart twist painfully.

She remembered her daughter’s laughter, the way she would chase chickens around the garden, the way she’d feed them gently every morning.

Leona had built those little coops for her, brought feed from the market, even taught her how to care for the chicks herself.

And now…her daughter was being forced to eat them.

Her throat closed and her eyes burned with unshed tears.

Meanwhile,.Nyx loosened her hold, exchanging a worried look with Luca.

“I think she’s…out cold.” She whispered.

But then, to everyone’s shock—

Lulu stirred.

Her head slowly lifted. Her hair hung over her face, tears still dripping down, but her eyes were open.

The look on her face wasn’t anger anymore.

It wasn’t heartbreak either.

It was…confusion.

A deep, painful confusion, torn between love and betrayal.

Her voice then came out trembling, small and broken.

“Why…”

Everyone leaned closer.

“Why does it taste so good…?”

The clearing froze.

“Why…does chicken taste so good…?”

She whispered again, her voice cracking halfway through.

Luna’s eyes trembled, her lips parting in disbelief as she didn’t expect her sister to actually agree that it’s tasted good.

Lulu, on the other hand looked down at the half-eaten tender in her hand, her tears dripping onto it.

“It’s not supposed to taste like this.” She said weakly. “They’re not supposed to be this delicious. They’re supposed to be rubbery, or hard, or salty—something terrible.”

“After all…”

She bit her lip, shaking her head.

“They’re not animals to eat. They’re animals to love. They’re supposed to cuddle with us…not…not end up like this…”

Her voice broke again as she sniffled, trembling.

“So why, Luca? Why does it taste this good?”

Luca’s gaze softened and for a moment, even he didn’t know what to say.

He saw her trembling—torn between her love for her chickens and the undeniable truth that she had just tasted something glorious.

He then let out a breath before her nodded silently to Nyx and Luna.

“Let her go.”

They hesitated, then released her wrists and head.

Lulu immediately sagged forward, her knees giving out.

Before she could hit the ground, Luca caught her in his arms.

Her body was shaking—her face buried in his chest, muffling her sobs.

“It’s alright, Lulu.” He said quietly. “It’s alright.”

He sighed, his voice gentle but honest as he said,

“To tell you the truth, I can’t pretend to understand how you feel. I’ve never had trouble eating anything. After all, I’m a glutton…”

“…if someone told me dirt was tasty, I’d probably try it once.”

A faint, shaky laugh escaped a few elves nearby, as his voice grew quieter, warmer.

“And you…you’re feeling something I can’t imagine.”

“It’s probably something that you yourself don’t know how to deal with and are probably in war with yourself on the inside.”

“But let me tell you, that’s completely okay.”

He said with a look of conviction on his face.

“You don’t always have to understand everything and you don’t have to sort everything out.”

“Sometimes…”

He gave her a gentle smile.

“…it’s alright to just cry it out, if you get what I mean.”

And with that, the dam broke.

Lulu dived into his embrace as she sobbed into his chest—loud, messy, and heartbreaking.

And as the forest breeze carried away the smell of chicken, all the elves watched in quiet awe—because even though Lulu hadn’t completely accepted it yet, the hardest part was already over.

She had tasted it.

And there was no going back.

—

Luca held Lulu for a decent amount of time—long enough that the initial storm of sobs quieted into soft, hiccuping breaths against his chest.

At the same time, he made sure the entire clearing stayed quiet.

His eyes swept over the crowd with a glare cold enough that even the male elves who had opened their mouths to interrupt, immediately snapped them shut again.

No one dared speak. No one dared move.

The silence was absolute, broken only by Lulu’s gradually slowing heartbeat and the faint, distant chirp of birds who hadn’t yet realized the forest had become a chicken graveyard.

But while he seemed calm on the outside and looked like he had everything under control—

—inside Luca was terrified.

What he had just done, physically forcing a sobbing girl to eat something she considered family was horrifying.

But he also knew that no amount of coaxing, persuading, or reasoning would’ve ever worked.

He could talk for days, and she’d still refuse.

After all, she saw chickens as friends. As little feathered souls.

So, asking her to eat one was like asking her to commit murder.

But he also knew Lulu.

He knew Lulu was curious by nature, a girl who craved discovery, new experiences, new sensations.

When he’d first arrived in their world, she’d been one of the few who constantly asked about his homeland, pestering him endlessly for stories of human life.

Especially the food.

When he’d given her a lollipop, her eyes had lit up with childish wonder. She’d spent the whole day licking it like it was a magic staff of sweetness, and afterward, she wouldn’t stop asking for more.

She’d begged for candy, chocolate, anything from his world.

That was why he’d gambled.

Because he knew that once she tasted chicken—once she felt its flavor—her curiosity might just win over her fear.

But there was also the bad half of the gamble.

How would she react afterward?

Would she hate him?

Would she cry harder?

Would she look at him like he was a monster?

But as he held her—felt her heartbeat slow, felt her trembling ease, felt her small hands unclench from his shirt—he let out a quiet, relieved breath deep inside.

She didn’t hate him.

Not yet.

She was troubled. Conflicted. Struggling.

But she wasn’t pushing him away.

That was enough.

Now it was his job to untangle the cords in her heart.

To gently, carefully lead her to the light.

So, when her breathing had steadied completely, he looked down at her with the softest smile he could manage.

“Hey.” He said softly, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. “You know, Lulu, even though this whole forest is full of people who call themselves animal lovers, peacekeepers, harmony-seekers, all that flowery nonsense…”

“…I don’t think you’re one of them.”

Lulu blinked, sniffling. “Huh?”

“I mean.” Luca continued with a small grin. “If it were any other animal—say, cows or pigs—you wouldn’t have cared as much, right? You’re not exactly the peaceful type.”

“You’re more mischievous. You’re playful. You’re not some pure-hearted saint who cries over every bug.”

“So, that begs the question…why chickens?” He asked curiously. “Why are you so against killing them specifically?”

“Not to mention that we’re not doing this for fun, or sport, or massacre.” He added before going to to say with purpose. “We’re doing it because it’s an absolute necessity. To save your family from future illness. Your sister. Your mother. The entire village.”

“So, why are you so against it?”

And in response, she Lulu stared him in disbelief like she couldn’t believe what he was asking and then asked, almost as if she was offended,

“Are you stupid, Luca? Are you actually dumb?”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Did you not just hear me earlier?” She said, jabbing her finger at his chest. “I literally said I love chickens.”

“Not like, ’Oh they’re cute,’ love. I mean love love. They’re my precious babies!”

The elves watching tried and failed to stifle their giggles.

Lulu went on, now completely animated.

“I adore them! I raised them, I fed them, I named every single one! Do you know how hard it is to make tiny little crowns for every chicken in a flock of fifty?!”

Luca blinked. “Wait, you made crowns for them?”

“Yes!” She said proudly, then grabbed his hand and started tugging. “You don’t believe me?

“I can even show you! I’ll take you to my backyard right now—you’ll see the castles I have for them! You’ll understand just how much I love them then!”

But before she could drag him away, Luca chuckled softly and caught her hand, holding her still.

“I know, I know.” He said with a gentle laugh. “I’ve seen your ’chicken kingdom’ already. You’ve built more fortresses for those birds than this village has for its guards.”

Her pout deepened, and she turned away, clearly still sulking.

“But still, Lulu…”

Luca leaned closer then, lowering his voice to a quieter, more serious tone.

“Even if I know how much you love them, I can’t help but feel there’s something else behind all this.”

She frowned, confused. “Something else?”

“Yeah. Something deeper than just affection.”

He nodded before going on to say with an awkward look on his face,

“You see, most elves in this village, they don’t think you’re the most brightest star in the sky. They even think that you have the same IQ as those chickens”

A few nearby elves gasped in offense, while Lulu whipped toward them, glaring daggers.

“W-Who said that?! I’ll throw a chicken egg at their—!”

But before she could finish, Luca quickly raised a hand.

“Wait—wait—hold on.” He said, smirking. “That’s not what I mean about you. I personally don’t believe that about you at all.”

She blinked. “…You don’t?”

“No.” He smiled. “You’re actually sharper than most people give you credit for. Maybe not book-smart.”

He teased lightly.

“But you’ve got good instincts. Emotional awareness. You understand people and have more empathy than many people I’ve met in my life…

“…after all, no else could care about a bunch of dumb birds like you do.”

Her expression softened slightly, curiosity replacing anger.

“And that’s why.” He continued. “I know that deep down, you already understand why this had to happen.”

“You’re smart enough to realize that sometimes, for the sake of your family and your people, you have to make sacrifices. Even painful ones.”

Lulu’s eyes shimmered slightly. She didn’t say anything—but the way her lips pressed together, the slight twitch in her brow, told him she was thinking.

“But….” Luca added gently, tilting his head. “…even though you understand it here…” He tapped his finger lightly against her forehead. “…you still can’t accept it here.”

He then tapped her chest, right over her heart.

Her gaze flickered downward, and for a brief moment, her expression turned conflicted again.

“And that…” Luca said softly. “…is what I want to understand. What’s holding you back, Lulu?”

“What’s really keeping you from accepting the inevitable fate of the chickens in your village?”

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