Chapter 247: Arrow Of Challenge

Back in the village, the shimmering portal opened once again, and both Luna and Lulu immediately turned to look at it with barely contained anticipation.

Luca stepped out.

His face was absolutely radiant—grinning from ear to ear, eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement, practically vibrating with energy.

And the moment he saw Luna, he rushed toward her like a man who hadn’t seen her in years and bent down, scooping her up in a crushing embrace.

“LUNA! LUNA! LUNA!”

He spun her around, then pulled back just enough to look at her face.

“You’re an absolute gem! An absolute treasure! A goddess among mortals!”

He started kissing her all over—her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, the top of her head—pressing rapid, enthusiastic smooches like a golden retriever greeting its owner after a long day.

“This is all because of you! It’s because you brought those test results over and brought up that topic that I figured everything out!”

“Without you, none of this would have happened!”

He kissed her forehead again.

“You’re my lucky charm!” Another kiss on her nose. “My little medical miracle worker!”

Luna was utterly bewildered—she had no idea what she had done that was so amazing.

But she was giggling uncontrollably from the sheer abundance of affection being showered upon her.

Her face was flushed, her heart was racing, and she was pretty sure she might actually float away if he kept this up.

Lulu watched this display with growing indignation. Her lower lip jutted out in a pout.

“Me too!” She stomped her foot, her face flushing. “I also contributed! I gave you my POOP!”

She said it loud enough to embarrass anyone within earshot, but Luca just laughed.

“Of course! How could I ever forget my little chick?”

He kissed her all over just like he had done with Luna, while saying.

“You were instrumental! Absolutely critical to the mission! Your sacrifice shall be remembered in song and legend!”

Lulu giggled, squirming in his arms.

“Hey! Be gentle! I’m a delicate flower! A traumatized delicate flower!”

Nyx watched the three of them with a fond smile, her arms crossed and when Luca finally released his grip on her nieces, she cleared her throat.

“So, I take it everything went well?”

“Went well?” His grin widened impossibly further. “It went more than well! It went PERFECTLY!”

“I got exactly the results I needed! Everything matched my predictions perfectly!”

The moment those words left his mouth, all three women lit up with hope.

Luna jumped up with stars in her eyes.

“Does that mean…we’re finally going to figure everything out?! We’re finally going to get Mother back?!”

“Can we finally punch that damn bastard of a father?” Lulu punched the air excitedly. “I just wanna beat him up and break his bones!”

Nyx’s fists clenched, her eyes gleaming with eager intensity.

“Just say the word, Hero. I’ve been waiting for this moment for years.”

Luca chuckled and gently patted both Luna and Lulu on their heads.

“Unfortunately, we’re not at that final stage yet.”

All three of them immediately deflated, their shoulders slumping in disappointment.

“But.” He added cheerfully. “It won’t be long now.”

Their heads snapped up, hope reignited.

“Now that I have enough clues, I can easily deduce everything that comes next.”

“A few more tests, some research, observation, a little digging around…”

He smiled, warm and confident.

“It won’t be long before Leona breaks free. Before the curse that’s been hanging over this village is completely gone.”

All three of them looked like they might cry—but happy tears, the kind that come from seeing light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel.

“So what do we do now, Luca?” Lulu bounced on her heels. “What’s our next step?!”

Luca held up his fingers, counting off.

“First, we’re going to need a building—a big one. A research facility with proper equipment.”

“I’m also going to need to bring over some X-ray machines, and maybe a surgery suite just in case.”

“Also a few other devices…”

He rattled off a list of equipment they didn’t recognize—MRI, ultrasound, endoscope, things that sounded like they belonged in a different world.

“And I’ll need to read a lot of books to understand the full scope of the situation. Might have to make a trip to the human continent as well.”

He then paused, looking at the three of them with a gleam in his eyes.

“And most importantly…”

His voice dropped to a dramatic whisper.

“I’m going to need poop…A LOT OF POOP!”

They stared at him like he had gone crazy once again.

“In fact…” He rubbed his chin like he was calculating something. “The entire village is going to need to do a lot of pooping, so I might as well add a bathroom to the building.”

Luna’s brain short-circuited. Lulu’s mouth fell open. Nyx’s eye twitched.

“Poop?” Luna repeated, as if she had never heard the word before. “The entire village? Is going to…poop?”

“For science!” Luca said brightly. “For your mother! For justice!”

Lulu tilted her head, genuinely confused.

“I don’t understand, Luca. What does poop have to do with saving my mother? Is there a very specific type of poop that cures magical curses?”

“Is that a thing? Did I accidentally eat something magical that—”

“Just trust me.” Luca interrupted, still grinning. “It’ll make sense later. For now, I need samples. Lots of samples. Bags and bags of samples.”

“A mountain of samples. A poop mountain.”

Nyx pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I never thought my life would come to a point where I’d be discussing mass pooping operations, but here we are.”

Lulu, despite her confusion, started bouncing up and down again.

“Okay! Okay! So what do we do now? I want to help! I want to do something productive!”

Luna nodded eagerly. “Me too! Tell us what to do! We’re ready!”

Luca chuckled and pointed toward the village.

“You two—go gather a batch of villagers. Preferably the older ones, the ones who’ve been here the longest.”

“Be inconspicuous. Don’t make it obvious that I’m purposely collecting people.”

Both of them snapped to attention and saluted—Luna with perfect form, Lulu with her fingers backwards.

“YES, SIR!” They shouted in unison.

Lulu bounced away immediately, nearly tripping over a root in her excitement. Luna followed at a more measured pace, but with equal enthusiasm.

Luca turned to Nyx, who was watching the sisters disappear into the trees with a fond expression.

“Now, you and I—we’re going to build a building.”

Nyx raised an eyebrow. “Just the two of us? With no tools? No materials? No—”

Luca opened a portal.

A massive pile of wooden planks tumbled out, followed by stacks of nails, hammers, saws, levels, and enough construction supplies to build a small fortress.

Nyx stared at the pile before letting out a reluctant smile. “I guess this will work.”

They got to work.

Luca moved like a man possessed, driving wooden stakes into the ground with his bare hands, laying down a foundation with frightening speed.

He handed Nyx a hammer and a bag of nails, and she fell into rhythm beside him, hammering away with more enthusiasm than precision.

“The faster we finish this…” Luca said casually, not even looking up from his work. “…the faster you you’ll get to see Julius die

Hearing this, Nyx’s hammering intensified.

Her arms ached. Her back protested. Sweat dripped down her forehead.

She had never worked so hard in her entire life.

But every nail she drove, every plank she laid, felt like a small victory.

Like she was building not just a building, but a future.

A future where her sister was free, where the village could finally heal and most importantly a future where Julius got what he deserved.

—

4 Days Later…

Leona tossed and turned restlessly in her bed before her eyes finally fluttered open.

When she glanced toward the window, soft midday sunlight streamed in, and she realized with genuine surprise that she, of all people, had taken a nap.

Not just a short one—she had fallen asleep four hours ago from sheer exhaustion and slept straight through without stirring once.

That was extremely shocking for her. It was such a rare occurrence that she could barely remember the last time it had happened.

After all, for years, sleep itself had been a luxury she could scarcely afford.

The endless pressure of handling the village’s affairs…

The constant dangers lurking around them…

The way her own villagers looked at her with a mix of fear and resentment…

The heavy burden of maintaining that cold, distant mask with her family…

It had all weighed on her so heavily that many nights she lay awake until dawn, staring at the ceiling.

But nowadays, she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

And now she had even napped in the middle of the day.

But it all made sense in her heart. All the burdens and pressures she had carried for so long had completely disappeared ever since Luca had arrived.

And it wasn’t just that.

After reconnecting with her daughters, they had been able to speak much more openly since then.

Of course, Leona herself was still awkward at having natural conversations with them. She didn’t quite know how to drop the authority she had clung to for so long.

But Luna and Lulu’s playful antics always broke through her shell. Soon she would find herself laughing along with them, joining in their teasing, and feeling like a real mother again.

It was the same with Nyx.

In the past, when Nyx teased her, Leona would look away and deliver a brusque, cold retort.

Now she giggled. Sometimes she even teased back, just like she used to when they were young.

Nyx had looked so shocked the first time it happened that Leona had nearly laughed again just at her expression.

Even with the villagers, things were changing.

She greeted them now. Smiled at them. They were shocked at first—some even looked behind themselves to see if she was smiling at someone else.

But gradually, they started smiling back. They started having conversations. Nothing deep, nothing painful, just…normal.

The way it should have been all along.

These past few days felt like a dream. Every wall she had built around herself was crumbling, brick by brick, and underneath was the person she had buried so long ago she had almost forgotten she existed.

The fear was still there—the old terror of what might happen if she showed her true emotions.

But ever since Luca had looked her in the eyes and promised that nothing would happen to her or anyone else, the fear had…quieted.

It hadn’t vanished completely, but it no longer controlled her.

She was finally free. Or at least, she was learning what freedom felt like.

Leona stretched luxuriously, considering whether she might take another nap just to prove how light she felt.

She was just settling back against the pillows when—

FWOOSH!

A whistling noise cut through the air, sharp and sudden.

Something flashed past her vision from the open window, and then—THUNK—an arrow embedded itself in the floor right next to her bed.

Leona jerked upright, her heart slamming against her ribs. Her first thought was attack. Someone was attacking her.

But when she looked closer, she saw a rolled-up piece of paper tied to the shaft and she realised what it was

It was an old-style arrow of challenge, something used long ago when villagers were dissatisfied with the Matriarch or Patriarch and wanted to force a public hearing.

But she was no longer the Matriarch in any official sense, so she didn’t understand why someone would send one to her.

Curious, she plucked the arrow free and unrolled the note.

But the moment she recognized Luca’s familiar handwriting, all her tension melted away.

The message was short and simple:

[Come to the village square. Quickly!]

Leona’s heart fluttered. A secretive little smile spread across her lips.

“He must be asking me out on a date.”

She whispered to herself, cheeks warming.

“And he wants to be mysterious about it…how cute.”

The thought of sneaking around the village with him again filled her with exhilaration and she didn’t hesitate.

She quickly changed into a new dress, one she had been saving for a special occasion, applied a touch of makeup, and made herself look extra pretty just to impress him.

She even wrapped the green scarf Luca had given her around her neck. When she looked in the mirror, she felt like a young girl going on her very first date.

Heart fluttering, Leona hurried out of her house and made her way toward the village square, skipping lightly along the wooden bridges.

But as she walked, she noticed something really strange.

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