Chapter 71: Hide Like The Rats You Are

Facing the catastrophic threat in front of him, Isaac’s lips quivered as he stared up at him.

“H-He’s serious…” He whispered, voice barely audible. “He really is going to kill us.”

Rufus was no better.

He backed up against the wall, muttering prayers under his breath, regretting every decision that brought him into this mess.

Julius, however, refused to cower. Though beads of sweat ran down his temple, he forced himself to meet Luca’s eyes, his voice steady but quieter now.

“Why?” He asked finally. “Why this sudden change? Moments ago, we were still speaking as civilized men. You were calm. Rational.”

“You didn’t threaten or curse.”

“You didn’t bare your fangs like some barbarian.”

“We may have opposed one another, but we still showed decorum.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“So tell me, Hero—what changed? Why now?”

The others turned to him—Luna and Lulu both glancing anxiously toward Luca, waiting for his answer.

Luca took a breath, then sighed softly.

“There are a lot of reasons.” He said. “Let’s start with the simplest one.”

He held up a finger.

“First—I wanted peace, not chaos. If I started shouting and cursing from the very beginning, it would’ve sparked outrage in the village and made things messy. I didn’t want anyone to panic or worsen the tension. So I kept things polite, rational.”

“That’s reason number one.”

He raised a second finger.

“Second—I suspected that you, Julius, had some kind of scheme running behind the scenes. Even now, I believe you hold some form of control over this village—some influence, some threat.”

“I can’t prove it yet, but I can feel it. That’s why I needed to let your guard down. I wanted you relaxed, predictable. That way, I could figure you out without alarming anyone.”

And then, his eyes flicked toward Leona, catching her completely off guard.

“The third reason…” He said slowly. “…is because of her.”

Leona stiffened as his gaze held hers.

“There’s something restrictive between the two of you.”

Luca continued, his tone quiet but sharp.

“Every time you speak, she follows. She listens to you even when she disagrees. She doesn’t seem to love you, yet she obeys you like a prisoner. I wanted to understand what that was before acting rashly.”

He looked back at Julius. “So yes, I tried to stay civil. Rational. I wanted to keep things in control.”

He paused, then shook his head slowly.

“But now?”

His tone hardened.

“After seeing everything that just happened, I can’t keep up that act anymore. You’ve already crossed the line.”

His voice rose slightly, raw and furious.

“Not to mention the fact that you’re a horrible husband. A horrible father. A shitty healer. A disgrace to your clan for making your own people betray their own kind just for your selfish gain.”

“But I could’ve even looked past that.”

He shook his head before stepping closer, his shadow falling over Julius.

“But letting your disciple not only toy with a patient, but molest a frail woman in front of her own daughter, while you stood there and did nothing—”

He gave a sarcastic chuckle.

“No. That crossed every line I had. Even I have limits. And you just broke them.”

The room fell silent. The tension was so heavy it could crush air itself.

Luca finally exhaled, his gaze sweeping across Julius, Isaac, and Rufus.

“So here’s how it.” He said calmly. “Now that all pretense is gone, now that I’ve stopped playing polite—”

His eyes glowed faintly.

“—it won’t be long before I slaughter every single one of you. And everyone who dares to stand in my way.”

A chill fell over the room. It was as if the air itself froze solid, trapping every breath inside their lungs.

No one doubted him for even a heartbeat.

Everyone here had already heard stories of what he’d done in the human continent—how he’d walked through fortified fortresses alone and left nothing but silence behind.

Killing was nothing to him; it was like breathing, so they did not even question him regarding that.

Luca’s gaze swept the room, before he spoke again.

“So here’s how this is going to go.” He said, his tone slicing through the tense air. “There are two ways this can end.”

He held up one finger.

“First option: you stay in this village. You do whatever you want. Whatever filthy schemes or little manipulations you’ve been weaving here—you can keep doing them.”

“Since you’ve got some kind of control over Leona and she allows you to stay, my hands are tied for now.”

His expression darkened as his voice dropped low.

“But I’ll find out eventually. And when I do, I’ll make her change her mind. And when that day comes, Julius…”

His grin widened, sharp as a jagged stone.

“…you’ll die.”

Hearing this, Isaac felt bile rise in his throat. He wanted to run, scream, do anything but stand there.

Luca continued, his tone chillingly casual.

“Now, the second option…” He let out a cruel chuckle. “…isn’t much better for you either.”

“You can run. Leave this village, flee far, far away—so far that even the best trackers couldn’t find you even if they wanted to. Hide in the deepest hole you can find, like the rats you are.”

He smirked faintly. “But even then, when these restrictions fade—and they will fade—I’ll still find you. And when I do, I’ll slaughter you all the same.”

“Though to be fair, that’s the better option.” He tilted his head mockingly. “Because maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a rat hole so deep that even I can’t sniff you out. That’s the only chance you have left.”

His voice hardened to steel. “So make your choice.”

He pointed toward Julius, Rufus, and Isaac one by one.

“Stay here, scheme, and die fast…or run so far that not even the gods remember your names. That’s the only way you prolong your lives.”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

And then, unexpectedly—something strange happened.

All four women in the room—Luna, Lulu, Nyx and even Leona—felt a sudden rush shoot through their bodies.

A warmth unlike anything they had felt before. It was as if the very air around Luca carried an energy that seeped into their veins, setting their hearts pounding.

Lulu blinked rapidly, clutching her chest as her face grew red.

“L-Luna.” She whispered. “I…I just felt something weird. My body feels all tingly inside.”

Luna looked down, her cheeks flushed pink as she fanned her neck slightly.

“I…I don’t know either. I feel it too. My body’s getting hotter the more I look at him…”

She swallowed, her voice trembling.

“It’s…strange, but…it feels…nice.”

Nyx hid her smile behind her hand, her eyes glimmering knowingly. Of course she knew what it was—because she felt it too.

Even a self-disciplined woman like her couldn’t suppress the heat rising inside her chest.

It wasn’t magic. It was instinct.

The sheer dominance in Luca’s voice, the confidence, the power radiating off him—it tugged at something primal and feminine within them.

’Wow.’ She thought. ’Our dear Hero doesn’t really realize the effect he’s having on us, does he?’

Even Leona, who tried desperately to stay composed, felt her throat go dry, her breath quickening against her will.

She wanted to deny it—to hide it—but every word Luca spoke, every commanding tone that echoed from his lips, made her pulse race faster.

Lisa, still hanging off Nyx, blinked innocently.

“Why’s everyone getting all flustered, Big Sis Nyx?”

Nyx smiled softly, brushing the girl’s hair.

“Oh, sweetheart.” She murmured. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Meanwhile, the men felt none of that warmth.

Quite the opposite—Julius, Rufus, and Isaac felt as though they’d been plunged into an icy pond. Their hearts pounded in dread, their bodies heavy with fear.

Rufus was visibly trembling, his legs barely holding him upright.

Isaac was pale as chalk, muttering prayers under his breath.

Julius, though shaken, still forced himself to remain steady.

His composure cracked just slightly as he clenched his fists, but he managed to keep his tone cold.

“Do whatever you want, ’Hero’.” Julius said with disdain. “To tell you the truth, I thought you were a man of sophistication, someone different from the barbarians of your race. I even respected you at first.”

“But hearing you now, with these vulgar threats and savage declarations, I see you’re no different from every other human beast out there.”

“Utterly disappointing.”

He exhaled sharply through his nose. But Luca didn’t flinch. He simply smiled faintly.

Then Julius turned toward Leona, his tone changing to something gentle and controlled.

“And as for what you said earlier, this supposed ’restriction’ between me and Leona…I don’t know what fantasy you’ve conjured up in your mind, but there’s no such thing.”

He looked at Leona directly, his gaze commanding.

“Isn’t that right, Leona? Tell him.”

Leona hesitated. Everyone could see it—the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, the tension in her face.

But finally, she nodded, her voice quiet.

“Yes…there’s nothing like that. Between me and Julius. Nothing at all.”

But Luca wasn’t having it and just waved his hand dismissively.

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.” He smiled faintly, but his eyes said otherwise. “You can say whatever you like now. I’ll still find the truth later.”

Julius’s flinched. He hated that smug look on Luca’s face.

For a moment, even someone as composed as him wanted to punch the man straight in the mouth.

But he held it back. He took a breath, forcing himself to remain calm.

Then suddenly, his eyes flicked toward Esme—still lying weakly on the bed—and a glint appeared in his gaze. His lips curved into a thin smile.

“Well then.” Julius said smoothly. “You can threaten me all you want, call me what you like—but there’s one thing I won’t overlook.”

“You insulted my work.”

He folded his arms, his tone sharpening.

“You called me an incompetent healer. You blasphemed my reputation. That, I cannot forgive.”

He looked directly at Luca, his tone rising.

“And since you clearly don’t believe in my skills or trust my expertise, then so be it. I will no longer be treating any of the patients here. I am resigning from my duties.”

“From now on, you can handle this mess yourself, Hero. Let’s see how long your arrogance lasts when no one here can save the sick.”

His words made all the women falter.

Even Nyx’s smile faded slightly, since as much as they despised him, Julius was still the only one with any kind of medical expertise.

His methods were questionable, but he was their only chance to help the afflicted elves including Esme.

Lulu clenched her fists. “You can’t just—”

But before she could finish, Luca spoke.

“Who says we need you anymore?”

All eyes turned to him instantly.

Luca smirked faintly. “Honestly, I was already planning to kick you out the moment I heard about your failures with the other patients. So you resigning just makes things easier for me.”

“So casual…” Julius frowned deeply. “Tell me, then, without me, who will save these people? Don’t tell that you’re just going to let them die? That’s not something a hero would do.”

Luca tilted his head. “Who said anything about letting them die?”

He smiled, slow and confident. “I already have a replacement.”

Everyone blinked in surprise.

“A replacement?” Julius’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

Luna and Lulu both leaned forward, curious.

Leona and Nyx’s also expression turned intrigued.

And just as they wondered who this mysterious healer was, Luca paused dramatically before suddenly raising a finger and pointing at himself.

“The new doctor is me, of course.”

He said with a grin.

“I’m running the building now.”

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