Chapter 204: Last Man Standing

After walking a little farther through the forest with Leona happily guiding them—pointing left one moment, right the next, changing directions on a whim like she was steering her favorite ride—they finally reached a quiet spot beneath a rather large tree.

The tree itself looked ancient and weary, its bark cracked and rotten in places, with only a few sparse leaves clinging stubbornly to the branches.

It gave the impression that it might topple over or simply give up any day now.

Leona leaned forward over Luca’s shoulder, eyes sparkling.

“Right here!” She ordered cheerfully. “Place the boulder down, Luca!”

He obeyed without complaint, lowering the massive rock with one hand until it settled onto the soft earth with a deep, resonant thud.

Boom!

The ground crunched and shifted slightly under its weight, but the boulder stayed firmly in place.

Seeing this, Leona squeezed him tight, her arms wrapping around his neck with sudden enthusiasm.

“We did it, Luca! We actually did it!” Her voice was bright, excited. “The elders won’t have to worry anymore! No more superstitions, no more blaming the poor rock for everything.”

“They can finally have peace of mind!”

Luca looked back at her with disbelief.

“We? Leona, I carried that rock. I walked it all the way here. I put it down. You literally just hung off my back and added extra weight!”

Leona looked sheepish for only a moment before rallying.

“How could you say that, Luca?” She raised her chin proudly. “I was the one who guided you with precision! If I hadn’t done that, you would’ve been completely lost and wouldn’t have known the perfect place to put this rock.”

“Without me, you might’ve placed it somewhere wrong, and the elders would just start worrying all over again.” She nodded firmly. “You should be grateful to me!”

Luca stared at her in utter shock, not expecting the dignified Matriarch to say such shameless lines. He could definitely see hints of where Lulu got it from.

But before he could make a comment, Leona suddenly pressed herself closer with excitement.

“Luca! Luca! Get closer to the rock! I want to do something!”

“What exactly are you going to do?” He asked warily. “Please don’t tell me you accidentally put it in the wrong place. I don’t want to move it again.”

“Just go, just do it!” She shook her head and nudged him forward. “Stop asking so many questions!”

She started pinching his cheek like she was punishing him for talking too much when she was the one giving orders.

Having no choice with this bully on his back, Luca walked forward toward the rock while still carrying her.

Once they were close enough, Leona opened a small pouch at her side and pulled out a knife, bringing it near Luca’s neck.

He froze in shock not expecting this betrayal.

“What is this, Leona? Are you trying to kill me and take all the credit for yourself? If you really want to show off that you moved the rock alone, go ahead—there’s no need to take my life over it.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not that, Luca.”

Instead of explaining, she leaned toward the rock and started trying to carve something on its surface.

But just as Luca had said earlier, the basalt was extremely hard, and she could barely make an indent despite her efforts.

Seeing what she was trying to do, Luca held out his hand. “Give me the knife.”

Confused but compliant, Leona handed it over.

He placed the blade against the rock, then smiled.

“Now you can just guide my hand and draw or write whatever you want. It’ll be much easier that way.”

Curious if that would really work, Leona held onto his shoulder with one hand while the other reached out to grip his wrist—almost like she was using his hand as a pencil. She began to move it across the rock’s surface.

To her utter surprise, it worked exactly as he’d said!

Unlike her own attempts that barely left a mark, with Luca’s strength behind the blade, it carved easily into the stone.

Even though he didn’t seem to be straining at all, the fact that he could mark the basalt so effortlessly showed just how much strength he possessed.

She couldn’t help but look down at his hand—how steady it was, how the muscles in his arm were firm but relaxed, like this took no effort at all.

Her face warmed at the thought of how much power he wielded so casually, and how she was controlling that power right now through his hand.

Feeling strangely empowered, she got to work, guiding his hand around the rock and carefully carving something out.

Luca assumed she was drawing a picture or design.

But no—she was writing in Elvish script. Slowly, words began to take shape.

Finally, Leona pulled her hand back, completely satisfied. Luca took a step back to read what she’d written.

He’d initially thought maybe she’d put her name on it, or perhaps a date—like people in his world often did to leave their mark on something. He’d found it quite adorable.

But when he actually saw what she’d written, his face went pale. He was genuinely shocked.

Leona hadn’t just written her name.

Along with her name, she’d written his as well—along with a few other very problematic words:

Leona and Luca – May they lie in peace forever, for ages to come, and may their souls rest in peace

She’d turned this giant boulder into an ominous memorial!

Luca immediately looked at her in disbelief.

“What the hell, Leona?! What is this?! Are you trying to curse us to death?!”

Leona simply giggled in a carefree manner.

“Oh, Luca, don’t take it too seriously!”

She looked at the boulder with genuine affection and continued saying,

“I was just thinking about what I said earlier—how this boulder could one day be a tombstone. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a really good, amazing rock it would make for one.”

She seemed as if she was impressed with her own thoughts.

“Even though it’s large and dark, there’s a certain beauty to it. If I were to die, I’d definitely want this to be my tombstone—something lasting to remember me by. So I decided to mark it now so no one else could take it away in the future.”

Luca stared at her, utterly baffled.

“And why the hell did you write my name?!” He asked, voice rising in exaggerated disbelief. “If you want to reserve the stone, keep it for yourself! There’s no need to add my name too!”

Leona pressed her cheek against his with a sly little smile.

“Honestly…I was a little scared to do something like this alone.”

She admitted, voice turning playful.

“After all, writing your name in such a context felt scary—like I might actually curse myself to death.”

“But now that your name is there too, I don’t feel scared anymore.” She puffed up proudly. “I have the reassurance of the great mighty hero by my side.”

“Now we can both share this tombstone when we die!”

She giggled again, clearly delighted with herself.

Luca could only stare in disbelief. The more time he spent with Leona, the more the image of the cold, composed matriarch melted away, revealing someone surprisingly silly and carefree just like Lulu.

Actually, she might be even worse than Lulu—because even Lulu would hesitate before doing something like this. But Leona had done it without a second thought.

He stared at her in disbelief, wondering if this was the woman who’d been hiding all along—finally revealing herself while being with him.

Meanwhile, Leona was looking at the ’tombstone’ with great affection, like it was a significant accomplishment.

But then she looked down, and something seemed to occur to her.

A sudden melancholy crossed her face, like she’d realized something sad and disheartening.

She slowly muttered under her breath,

“But even though the tombstone has both our names on it…I don’t think we’ll ever actually get to rest under it together.”

She let out a soft, humorless chuckle.

“After all, no matter how powerful you may be, Luca, you’re still human at the end of the day.”

Her voice was tinged with sadness.

“Your lifespan is quite limited. You won’t stay in this world for too long. Mine, on the other hand, is much longer, since I’m an elf.”

She paused like she didn’t want to finish what she was saying.

“So if you were to pass on…I wouldn’t be able to join you. Instead, I’d be the person burying you under the tombstone I made.”

The moment the words left her, a really gloomy cloud settled over her.

She tightened her grip on him—much tighter than before—wrapping her arms and legs around Luca as if she never wanted him to leave her side.

He had come into her life so suddenly, bringing warmth, protection, and a happiness she hadn’t felt in ages.

So, the thought of a distant future where he would eventually die while she lived on felt terrifying.

Luca felt the shift in her mood. He looked back at her with a tender expression—then to her surprise gently reached up and patted her head, caressing it softly.

“Let me ask you a question, Leona.”

That caught her attention.

“If the roles were reversed…” He continued. “…and I was the elf with the long lifespan, and you were the human with limited time—if instead of you having to watch me go, it was me who had to watch you go instead—would you feel more relieved?”

Leona thought about it carefully, genuinely contemplating the question. Then she let out a soft, beautiful smile, resting her chin on his shoulder.

“Honestly?…I think I would.”

She gazed at him with warm, glistening eyes.

“I wouldn’t want the lesser lifespan because I enjoy being an elf. But I would much rather prefer to spend the rest of my life with someone I like—getting to share every single moment with them until the very last breath—rather than watching the person I care for and love pass on while I’m left with that hollow ache in my heart.”

Her eyes twinkled, almost as if she were holding back tears.

“So yeah…I think I would prefer if our roles were reversed and I was the one with the shorter lifespan instead.”

As soon as she said it, she realized just how bold that statement was.

She’d basically told him—indirectly but clearly—that she cared deeply for him, loved him even, and wanted to spend her lifetime with him.

Her face flushed bright red. Her mouth had been speaking before her mind could catch up.

She couldn’t help but bury her face in his neck out of sheer embarrassment, her ears turning completely red like they’d been heated by fire.

She braced herself for him to tease her mercilessly.

She thought she’d have nothing to say in response and dreaded it.

But surprisingly, none of that happened.

He was quiet.

When Leona finally worked up the courage to look up, she saw Luca gazing at the carved tombstone with a thoughtful, distant expression—a small, bittersweet smile on his face.

Then he finally spoke, his tone slightly somber but gentle.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Leona.”

There was a flicker of sadness in his eyes that she caught, just for a moment as he said,

“If anyone has to go through the pain you described right now, it’ll most definitely be me and not you.”

“So you can rest assured.” He chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving anyone behind.”

His smile turned a little warmer, though the melancholy hadn’t entirely left as he said under his breath,

“I’ll always remain here. Forever. And ever. And ever. Until…”

“…I’m the last one standing.”

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