Chapter 116: Dream Fulfilled

No one knew what Luca was planning to do, or how in the world he was going to make chickens fly.

But one thing they did know was that right in front of them, the table was still covered with piles of steaming, golden fried chicken.

The rich, savory aroma lingered in the air, teasing everyone’s senses and their stomachs growled.

They had only gotten one or two pieces each before, and now, with so many plates still untouched, it felt almost cruel.

But no one dared move.

Because Lulu was still there.

Every elf stood quietly, stiff and nervous, pretending to look elsewhere while sneaking desperate glances at the table.

Even the most gluttonous ones didn’t dare take a step closer.

The thought of eating chicken right in front of Lulu, the Chicken Queen was simply unthinkable.

They all looked pained, like soldiers standing guard beside treasure they couldn’t touch.

And of course Lulu noticed it immediately.

She saw the strain on everyone’s faces, the way their eyes darted toward the food and back down again, their throats swallowing dryly as if trying to imagine the taste.

Even Luna, her own twin sister, kept sneaking longing looks toward the crispy drumsticks.

And that—of all things—made Lulu smile.

Her eyes welled up with tears, not from sadness this time, but from how much they all cared.

They were holding back…just for her.

For her feelings.

Even though every part of them wanted to dive face-first into that mountain of fried chicken, they were resisting for her sake.

Lulu chuckled softly and wiped the corner of her eyes.

“You guys…” She whispered. “You’re so dumb sometimes.”

She straightened up and forced a playful smirk on her face.

“Okay, okay! Enough of that look!” She said loudly, making everyone flinch. “There’s no need to hold back just because of me. Go on. Eat.”

Everyone froze.

“Eh?” One elf blinked. “You mean…really?”

Lulu nodded. “Yes, really! Go on. Eat! Don’t just sit there drooling and pretending you’re not!”

They still didn’t move.

“But…” One elf muttered. “Won’t it…hurt you?”

Lulu sighed dramatically, putting her hands on her hips.

“Oh, for crying out loud, no! I’m fine!” She said, her tone sharp but affectionate. “Not to mention, that if you leave it any longer, the birds flying above us are going to swoop down and steal it all!”

“And those birds that can actually fly are my enemies!” She clenched her fist and raised it to the sky dramatically. “I won’t let them mock my chickens from the heavens!”

“So eat it already before those flying feathered bastards get it first!”

The elves blinked at each other for a second, then burst into laughter, and one shouted, “Well, if the Chicken Queen says so—!” before racing to the table.

“Wait for me!” Another cried, and within seconds, they all charged forward, plates in hand, laughing and talking as they dug in.

Soon, the clearing was full of the sound of happy chewing and delighted exclamations. ”

It’s still hot!”

“Oh gods, it’s even better the second time!”

“This one’s crunchy, I love it!”

A few male elves tried sneaking close to grab some, but the moment they reached out, a group of females turned sharply and glared at them with murder in their eyes.

“Back off.” One hissed.

“This isn’t yours!” Another growled.

Unlike, Luca who was gracious enough to give them a tray, the females elves wanted all the chicken to themselves and scoffed at the thought of sharing.

This especially made Julius scowl since he really wanted another taste.

Meanwhile, the female elves continued to feast happily. Even Luna finally took a small bite and her eyes gleaned as she savored it.

Lulu watched her sister’s reaction and smiled, though she herself didn’t take another bite.

Even if she had accepted that the chickens were food now, her heart still wasn’t ready to go further.

So instead, she just sat quietly, watching everyone enjoy themselves.

The laughter, the crunching sounds, the satisfied sighs—it filled the clearing again like a festival.

But the peace didn’t last long.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.

“THE CHICKENS! THE CHICKENS!!”

Everyone froze mid-bite, as young elf came sprinting toward them, her face pale and full of shock.

“What is it?” Luna quickly stood up. “What happened?”

The girl pointed behind her, gasping for breath.

“The chickens…the chickens in Lulu’s backyard!”

Lulu’s heart jumped.

“What about them?!” She demanded, rushing forward. “Did something happen to my chickens?! Don’t tell me something bad happened to them!”

“Those poor babies have already suffered enough!”

The girl shook her head quickly.

“No! Not bad! Not bad at all!” She said between gasps. “It’s just they’re…”

“…they’re flying!”

Silence.

Then chaos.

“What?!”

“No way!”

“You’re joking, right?!”

Luna blinked rapidly. “Flying? As in—actually flying?!”

The elf nodded vigorously. “Yes! In the air! They’re all flapping around in Lulu’s backyard! You have to see it to believe it!”

Everyone’s jaws dropped.

“No way…” Nyx muttered. “He actually did it?”

“I—I don’t believe it.” One elf stammered. “That’s impossible! Chickens can’t fly!”

“But he’s the Hero.” Another elf whispered. “Maybe…he really can do it.”

Lulu herself was frozen, her mouth slightly open.

“He…He what?” She stammered.

Her eyes widened in pure disbelief. “My chickens are flying?!”

She grabbed the messenger by the shoulders, her voice rising.

“Are you sure?! How? How is that possible?! Did he give them bigger wings? Or shrink their bodies? I’ve tried everything before! I glued extra feathers to them! I even trained them to flap harder! They never flew!”

The elf shook her head, eyes wide.

“I don’t know! You have to see it for yourself! It’s…it’s something you can’t even describe!”

The crowd burst into pandemonium.

“Let’s go see!” Someone shouted.

“Yeah, come on!”

“We have to see this with our own eyes!”

Lulu was the first to bolt, shouting. “Out of the way! Those are my chickens!” as she ran toward the backyard.

Everyone followed after her, their excitement echoing through the air.

Of course, a few quick-thinking elves grabbed the leftover fried chicken from the table before sprinting after them, yelling.

“We can’t leave it! The males will steal it!”

And just like that, with the smell of fried chicken trailing behind them, the entire group raced toward Lulu’s backyard

If it was true, if Luca had actually done it…

…then the impossible had just become real.

Of course, the one who was most excited out of everyone was Lulu. Her heart was pounding wildly, her feet barely touching the ground as she ran.

After all, this was her lifelong dream—the one thing she had never been able to achieve, no matter how hard she tried.

She had experimented for years, ever since she was a child. She had tried everything—wind spells, enchantments, mana-infused gusts.

She had even stood for hours in her backyard, chanting incantations to grant her chickens ’the gift of flight.’

But all she ever managed to do was send them flying up for a few seconds before they came crashing back down, squawking in panic.

No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she believed—she had never made a single chicken truly fly.

So when she heard that Luca had done it, her heart nearly exploded.

With fire in her eyes and excitement flooding her veins, she sprinted with all her strength, shoving through the bushes that blocked the path to her backyard.

The branches scratched at her arms, but she didn’t care—she wanted to see it with her own eyes.

And when she finally burst into the clearing…she froze.

Her mouth fell open. Her eyes went wide. Her entire body went stiff.

It was a sight that defied everything she had ever believed.

One by one, the other elves came crashing through the bushes behind her—Luna, Nyx, Leona, and dozens more—all panting and out of breath.

But when they looked around, confusion spread across their faces.

“What in the world…” One of them whispered. “Where did all the chickens go?”

Because Lulu’s backyard looked…different.

Half of the chickens were missing.

Normally, her backyard was bustling with them—hundreds of feathery bodies waddling about.

But now, barely half remained.

“Why are there so few chickens here?” One of them said, blinking.

Another elf frowned. “Yeah…wasn’t this place filled with chickens before?”

“Don’t tell me.” Someone gasped, covering their mouth. “That the ones we ate were actually Lulu’s chickens!”

A collective gasp spread through the crowd.

“Oh gods, that’s horrible!” An elf cried. “I thought those were random chickens! Lulu’s going to kill us if it’s really them!”

But Lulu didn’t say a word. She was completely still, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

Everyone thought she was paralyzed from grief—until Nyx, who was beside her, looked up and whispered dazedly,

“You idiots…stop staring at the ground.”

“Huh?”

Nyx raised a trembling hand and pointed upward.

“Look up.”

Everyone did.

And then the entire group froze.

Above them—filling the open sky of Lulu’s backyard—were chickens.

Dozens and dozens of chickens. Floating. Bouncing. Gliding from branch to branch.

Actual chickens. In the air.

Their feathers gleamed in the sunlight as they drifted around lazily, clucking happily like they’d been doing this all their lives.

“Wha—what the—?!” One elf squeaked.

“Are they…flying?!” Another cried.

“No way.” Said a third, rubbing her eyes furiously. “I must be dreaming. Someone pinch me!”

“I’ve heard of the phrase ’when pigs fly,’” Muttered another elf. “But I never expected to see chickens do it first!”

But soon, one elf squinted and said, “Wait a second…they’re not really flying. They’re…floating?”

The elves looked closer—and then they saw it.

Each chicken had a thin string tied gently around its belly, and at the end of each string floated a bright, shiny sphere—a balloon.

Red, blue, green, yellow—dozens of colorful balloons bobbed in the air, lifting the chickens skyward like happy little airships.

“What…What are those things?” One elf asked in awe.

“They’re glowing so bright, but they’re actually lifting the chickens!”

“Is it magic?” Another wondered aloud.

But one elf shook her head slowly.

“No…no, it’s not mana. This must be…that thing the Hero mentioned before. What was it again?”

“Science!” Another shouted. “That’s it! Science!”

The whole crowd erupted in amazement.

“Science is amazing!”

“Science made chickens fly!”

“I don’t even understand what science is, but I love it!”

And just then, a loud, cheerful laugh echoed through the yard.

“Hahahaha! So, you’ve finally arrived, huh?”

Everyone turned—and there he was.

Luca stood proudly behind one of the hen houses, hands stretched out dramatically, a smug grin on his face.

“Well?” He said. “What do you think? Not bad, huh?”

Before anyone could answer, he chuckled and said.

“Actually, never mind—don’t answer! Just experience it for yourselves!”

“Go on, come closer! See how beautiful it is up close!”

Then, with a teasing grin, he added,

“But watch out! Some of them are already pooping mid-air and I take no responsibility if one of them hits you!”

The elves burst into laughter despite themselves, and one by one, they began to move closer—giggling, pointing, and marveling as the chickens bobbed above them.

A few of them drifted down close to the ground, and when little elf girls pushed them gently, the balloons carried them right back up again.

Some even petted the chickens that came close before letting them float away again, while others threw seeds into the air and the chickens actually started pecking at it.

The sight was too pure, too joyous to describe.

And right at the center of it all stood Lulu—her eyes glimmering as she slowly raised her arms.

She spotted one of her favorites, a plump hen she’d named Henrietta.

“Henrietta! You’re flying! You’re really flying!” She cried, her voice trembling with joy. “I can’t believe it! You actually did it!”

Henrietta gave a cheerful cluck-cluck, flapping her wings uselessly in midair.

Lulu laughed tearfully and turned to another.

“Wait—look! There’s Beaky! And over there—Featherella! Oh my gods, even she’s flying too!”

She then turned, pointing excitedly at another.

“And you, Pecky! Even you can fly now! You’ve got such tiny wings, I never thought it was possible!”

The elves around her giggled as Lulu started pointing out each one by name, spinning in circles as she laughed.

And then she froze, staring at the largest chicken of them all—a round, enormous one floating higher than the rest.

Her jaw dropped. “Oh. My. God.”

“Who’s that?” Nyx asked.

Lulu’s eyes widened.

“That’s Sir Pecks-a-lot!”

She shouted in disbelief.

“You fat bastard, you’re actually flying too! I can’t believe it! You’re heavier than a sack of stones! How is this even possible?!”

The elves burst into smiles as Lulu threw her hands up in delight.

“You—you absolute legend! You’re flying! You’re actually flying!”

And with that, she started laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face as she spun beneath her floating flock.

Her dream—the one she’d been chasing for years—was finally real.

The chickens were flying.

Maybe not with their own wings, maybe not like the birds in the sky—but they were floating, soaring, and free.

And for Lulu, that was more the enough to make her happy for a lifetime.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep