Chapter 164: Recoil = Jiggling Pudding

BOOM!

The crack of the sniper rifle echoed through the forest like thunder splitting the sky.

It was a distinct sound—sharper than the pistols, deeper than the shotguns.

Every elf in the clearing turned to look only to see that Leona had finally begun shooting.

This was because Luca’s makeshift solution had worked perfectly.

A strip of cloth from his pack, a thick leaf folded just right, and a bit of vine to hold it in place—Leona now sported a rather charming eyepatch that covered her left eye entirely.

And the moment she’d put it on, a wave of amused murmurs swept through the crowd.

“Look at the Matriarch!”

“She looks so cute with that thing on!”

“I never thought I’d see Leona wearing something like that! She looks like a pirate!”

“A elvish pirate!”

Leona’s face had burned at the comments.

She’d reached up to tear the eyepatch off immediately, but Luca had caught her hand.

“Ah ah ah.” He’d chided gently. “You want to hit the target, don’t you? Keep it on.”

She’d grumbled but complied, settling back into position.

And now she was shooting.

Shot after shot rang out, each one finding its mark on the distant target.

Not the bullseye, but solid hits nonetheless.

For someone who had only just learned to handle a firearm, it was exceptional performance.

But Leona was not satisfied.

For years, she had been the exemplary archer of the village. The best. The one everyone looked up to.

Every arrow she loosed found the center.

Every shot drew gasps and applause from those watching.

She never showed it on her face—always maintaining that cool, composed exterior—but deep inside, she had been proud.

Especially when she saw that spark of admiration in Luna and Lulu’s eyes.

But now?

Now she couldn’t hit the bullseye at all.

And worst part was that her daughters were watching. She knew they were.

And she wanted so desperately to impress them to show them that their mother was still someone worthy of admiration.

But every shot fell short of perfection.

“It’s not fair.” She muttered under her breath, cycling the bolt. “It’s not fair at all.”

But what she didn’t know, what she couldn’t see from her position—

—was that Luca wasn’t watching her shooting at all.

He was watching something else entirely.

It had started with the first shot.

Luca had been sitting beside her, as he had been throughout the lesson, ready to offer pointers and corrections.

But the moment Leona settled into position and fired, his eyes had been drawn downward.

To her butt.

It was…remarkable.

’Like mother, like daughter.’ He thought.

Lulu had that nice toned, perky posterior that she was so proud of—the one she’d demanded Luna emphasize in her portrait.

But Leona? Leona had something else entirely.

Where Lulu was perky and youthful, Leona was full and mature. Wider. More womanly.

The kind of curve that spoke of age and experience and the kind of beauty that only came with time.

It was bountiful. Beautiful. A sight to behold.

And right now, because she was lying on the ground, it was emphasized even more. A perfect round mound rising behind her like a gentle hill.

But that alone wouldn’t have held his attention.

It was what happened when she fired.

The first shot—BOOM—and her entire butt jiggled. Rippled. Shook like jelly being disturbed.

Both cheeks bounced and trembled from the recoil transferring through her body.

Luca blinked. Had he imagined that?

Second shot—BOOM—and there it was again.

A mesmerizing, hypnotic motion that drew his eyes like a moth to flame. The way her butt cheeks swayed and bounced with each shot was utterly captivating. Beautiful. Almost hypnotic.

By the third shot, Luca had stopped pretending to watch anything else.

His gaze was fixed. Unwavering. Completely glued to the sight before him.

And the motion—gods, the motion.

Each shot sent a wave through her body that culminated in that perfect, jiggling bounce.

Like watching a masterpiece of physics and biology combined into one breathtaking display.

Some of the elves noticed.

“Hey…is the Hero staring at the matriarch’s rear?”

Another elf immediately hushed them.

“Don’t be ridiculous! The Hero would never do something like that! Look at his face—he’s clearly focused on her form. He’s probably checking her posture to make sure she’s shooting correctly!”

“Ohhh, that makes sense. Look how intently he’s gazing. He must be analyzing every detail to help her improve.”

“He’s such a dedicated teacher!”

The elves nodded sagely, convinced by their own reasoning.

Nyx, however, was not fooled.

She watched from the clay pigeon range, shotgun cradled in her arms, a knowing smirk spreading across her face.

She saw exactly where Luca’s eyes were fixed. Saw the fascination in his expression. Saw the way he leaned slightly, as if trying to get a better angle.

’Oh, you’re not fooling me, Hero.’ She thought, amused. ’But by all means, keep watching. Get a good look at my sister’s assets. I certainly don’t mind.’

Meanwhile, Leona, who had no clue about this, finally gave up trying to hit the bullseye on her own.

No matter how carefully she aimed, no matter how perfectly she thought she’d aligned every shot, the results remained stubbornly in the outer rings.

It was frustrating. Embarrassing. Completely beneath someone of her skill.

She turned her head, ready to ask Luca for help.

“Luca, I need to ask you some—”

She stopped.

He was staring. Not at her face, not at the target, not at the gun.

Behind her. Somewhere around her lower back. With an intensity that bordered on hypnotic.

Confused, she frowned. “Luca? What are you staring at?”

He jolted, caught completely off guard. For a split second, panic flashed across his face before he blurted out.

“Pudding!” He blurted out. “I was staring at…jiggling pudding!”

Leona’s nose scrunched in bewilderment.

“Pudding? What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Luca recovered quickly, waving a hand dismissively.

“Sorry, sorry—I meant I saw an ant. Crawling up behind you. I was worried it might bite.”

Leona’s eyes widened. “An ant?!”

She immediately began twisting, trying to look at her own back, shaking her body to dislodge the imaginary threat.

The motion caused her to shift on the ground, and inevitably, her plump ass swayed and jiggled with the movement—

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

—a mesmerizing display that Luca absolutely did not miss.

“Is it gone?” She asked urgently, still wiggling. “Did it fall off? Luca, is it gone?”

Luca tore his gaze away with visible effort.

“Yes! Yes, it’s gone. Flew right off. Nothing to worry about.”

Leona sighed with relief, settling back down.

“The ants in this forest may be small, but their bites are surprisingly painful. I’ve had run—ins with them before.”

She shook her head, refocusing.

“Anyway. I wanted to ask you something. I can’t seem to hit the bullseye.”

She gestured at the target that was full of holes but not in the place she wanted them to be.

“My aim is perfect, my posture is correct, I’m following every instruction—but the shots keep landing in the outer rings. What am I doing wrong?”

Luca studied her for a moment, then shifted closer.

“The answer’s actually quite simple.”

He reached out, placing his hand on her lower back.

“You’re too rigid, Leona. Feel right here—”

But to Luca’s surprise, the moment his fingers made contact, Leona jerked like she’d been shocked.

She practically launched herself away from him, scooting several inches across the grass with a flustered expression.

Luca blinked, genuinely surprised.

“Whoa. There’s no need to react like that. It was just a touch.”

He tilted his head, a teasing smile forming.

“You’re acting like some untouched virgin who’s never been touched by a man before.”

He meant it as a joke. A lighthearted ribbing.

But Leona’s reaction was anything but lighthearted.

Her face went crimson. Her mouth opened and closed several times.

“What?! No! That’s—that’s ridiculous! I’m not—I have two daughters, for heaven’s sake! How dare you suggest such nonsense!”

Luca’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The reaction was…disproportionate. Almost defensive. Almost like she was hiding something.

Leona saw the suspicion forming on his face and panicked.

Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and slammed it back onto her lower back—exactly where he’d touched before.

“See?! I have no problem with it at all! I was just startled earlier, that’s all! Now continue what you were saying!”

Luca blinked at her bizarre behavior but decided to let it pass. For now.

“You’re extremely tense.” He said calmly, running his hand up and down her spine.

Leona winced slightly and bit her lip.

“Even though your posture looks good and everything seems right…” He continued. “…your body is completely pressurized. You need to loosen up and become one with the weapon.”

“Otherwise, the moment you pull the trigger, even slightly, your body will move it off target.”

He furrowed his brows slightly as he continued touching her back.

“Honestly…you’re a little too tense. It’s almost unnatural.”

His voice shifted into something more concerned.

“It feels like you’re carrying a massive weight on your shoulders at all times. Your body is constantly bracing itself.”

Hearing that, Leona couldn’t help but show a thoughtful expression.

A faint, wry smile appeared on her face.

That made sense.

For decades, she had carried heavy burdens.

The safety of the villagers. Her daughters. Her sister.

So many things she never spoke about to anyone.

She hadn’t even had proper rest in a very long time.

No proper sleep. No true relaxation.

Her body had simply adapted to constant tension.

Meanwhile, Luca continued,

“I’m honestly surprised you’re even able to shoot bows and arrows properly in this state. After all, archery requires looseness. A free-flowing motion, especially when you draw and aim.”

“If you’re stiff, you’ll mess up.”

Leona snapped out of her thoughts and answered calmly.

“I don’t really aim the usual way.”

He raised a brow.

“Because the bow is heavy, I don’t hold it long. I pull it back and fire in a single motion. In that instant, I aim and release. I don’t stall. If I hold it too long, I won’t be able to maintain the draw.”

Luca’s eyes lightened with understanding and appreciation.

“That’s incredible, Leona. Most archers couldn’t dream of that level of instinctive shooting.”

He looked at her with renewed respect.

Leona blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice.

A warm feeling bloomed in her chest, one she quickly tried to suppress.

“But that instinct won’t work here.” He quickly added with a frown. “With a sniper rifle, you have to hold the shot. You have to breathe, wait, focus. Or else you won’t be able to make the shot.”

Leona let out a quiet breath and shook her head.

“How am I supposed to do that?”

There was no sarcasm in her voice. No pride either. Just honest confusion.

“For years now.” She continued. “I’ve always been like this. My body being stiff and rigid…it’s normal to me. I don’t even notice it most of the time.”

Her gaze drifted slightly.

“I’m used to being on guard. Used to watching my words. Watching my movements. Watching everything.”

She gave a faint, humorless smile.

“You’re asking me to suddenly be relaxed as if I can just switch it on and off. I don’t know how to do that.”

Luca considered this, genuinely thoughtful.

“Surely there’s some moment.” He said gently. “Some time in your life when you felt at ease.”

“Something you did that made you feel safe.”

“A memory, a place, a person—anything that let you put your guard down completely.”

Leona opened her mouth to dismiss the question, then stopped.

Her expression shifted.

The frustration melted into contemplation, then realization, then something softer—a gentle, wistful nostalgia that transformed her features completely.

“There is one thing.” She murmured. “One thing that would definitely make me relax.”

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