Chapter 351: Unexpected Welcome
Luca noticed the elders and felt a pang of guilt. He made a mental note to spend extra time with them when he returned.
Before he could dwell on it further, Luna stepped forward, a strange package in her hands.
"Come here, Luca." She said, motioning for him to crouch down.
Luca obediently lowered himself to her level, and Luna reached up to wrap something around his neck.
He felt her fingers working behind him, tying a knot of some kind, before she finally pulled back with a satisfied smile.
"There." She said, her voice filled with pride. "It looks really good on you, Luca. You look like a real Hero!"
Luca looked down at himself and blinked in surprise.
Draped over his shoulders was a large red blanket—no, a cape—that had been expertly fashioned into a flowing garment.
It hung down his back, rippling slightly in the breeze, and made him look like a child playing dress-up in a fort.
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Luna." He said, his voice filled with amusement. "Why exactly did you give me a cape?"
Luna’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
"I saw it in one of those movies you showed us!" She explained excitedly. "The Heroes always wear capes! Long, flowing capes that go all the way down to their feet!"
"And I thought, since you’re also a Hero, you should have one too!"
She puffed out her chest with pride.
"Doesn’t it make you feel heroic? Doesn’t it make you feel like you could save the world?"
Luca’s smile was warm and genuine.
"Luna." He said gently. "The Heroes in those movies were actually Superheroes, not the kind of Heroes you’re thinking of. There’s a difference, you know?"
Luna’s face fell, her expression turning into a pout.
"Do you not like it?" She asked, her voice small and disappointed.
Luca immediately pulled her into a tight hug.
"I love it." He said firmly. "I love absolutely everything you give me, Luna, just as much as I love you!"
He pulled back, his eyes shining.
"I’ll make sure to show off my wonderful cape to all the Centaurs." He promised. "I’ll tell them that my beautiful wife made it for me."
Luna’s face lit up with joy, her earlier disappointment completely forgotten.
Lulu was the next to approach, though she seemed much less concerned about Luca’s safety and much more interested in what he could bring back.
"I want souvenirs." She announced. "Good ones! And if possible..."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Cut some hair from their manes. Apparently, centaur hair is incredibly soft. Especially the tail hair."
Lulu’s eyes grew dreamy.
"I can make a fluffy pillow with that." She mused. "Imagine how soft it would be! It would be like sleeping on a cloud!"
Luca stared at her in disbelief.
"Lulu." He said slowly. "You want me to sneakily cut off the hair of the Centaurs’ manes and tails?"
"Only if you can get away with it!" Lulu said cheerfully. "Don’t get caught, obviously!"
She winked at him and scampered away before he could respond, her pregnant belly bouncing with each step.
Luca shook his head, wondering why he needed enemies when he had a wife like Lulu actively trying to sabotage him from the get-go.
Leona approached last of the inner circle.
Unlike the others, she didn’t offer tears or gifts or requests.
Instead, she moved close, so close her lips brushed his ear, her breath warm against his skin.
"Listen to me, Luca." She whispered. "You absolutely have to come back. Not just for me and the little one in my belly—"
She pressed a hand against her stomach.
"But also because..."
She blushed deeply, her voice dropping even lower.
"I’ll make sure to milk my breasts thoroughly while you’re gone. I’ll fill up multiple jugs of milk just for you. And I’ll massage them every day to make sure they’re full and plump and ready for you."
Luca’s eyes widened, his heart suddenly racing.
"So make sure to come back." Leona continued, her voice a breathless whisper. "And drink your fill, Luca. If you don’t, it’ll all go to waste."
She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, then quickly pulled back and scampered away before he could respond.
Luca stood there, completely energized.
He felt like he could fight all the Goddesses in the heavens and still come back just to suckle on those magnificent breasts.
His blood was pumping, his mind racing, and he was more ready than ever for whatever awaited him.
The other elves noticed his sudden enthusiasm and immediately crowded around Leona.
"What did you say to him?"
"How did you get him so...energized?"
"Tell us your secret!"
Leona waved them off, her face still pink.
"Nothing important! Just...wife things!"
But the other elves weren’t convinced.
They pestered her mercilessly, trying to get her to reveal her secrets.
But before the interrogation could continue, the sun finally reached its peak.
The golden light bathed the village square, and Luca knew it was time to go.
He summoned a portal in front of him.
"Bye-bye, darling!" The elves called out. "Have fun with the Centaurs!"
"Be obedient!" Another chimed in. "Don’t mess anything up while you’re there!"
"Don’t try to show off your power like you did at the meeting!" A third added. "It’s not always good to be a show-off!"
The little ones waved at him, their faces filled with love and excitement.
"Bye, Daddy!"
"We love you!"
"We’ll be waiting for you to come back!"
Some of the children even started crying, as if they genuinely believed he might never return.
Their mothers quickly pulled them close, whispering reassurances.
Luca felt a lump form in his throat. Despite all the dramatic farewells and over-the-top reactions, this was undeniably wholesome.
He waved at them all, a genuine smile on his face.
"I’ll be back before you know it." He promised. "Take care of each other!"
He turned and began to step into the portal when suddenly, Nyx’s voice cut through the crowd.
"Wait, Hero! Hold on! Just give me a second!"
But before she could finish, Luca stepped through the portal.
And vanished.
Leona was immediately at Nyx’s side.
"What is it, Nyx?" She asked urgently. "What did you need to tell Luca?"
"If it’s a really concerning matter, you can just summon your own Luca and tell him. It’s the same as talking to him."
Nyx’s expression shifted from urgency to mischief.
A sly smile spread across her face.
"Oh, I was just going to tell him that he’s already met the Queen of the Centaurs before."
She said, her voice dripping with playful malice.
"And it was a rather intimate encounter as well."
Leona blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean? When did he—"
But Nyx just shook her head, a knowing glint in her eyes.
"But it’s alright." She said calmly. "Let the Hero handle it all on his own."
"Hehe. I’m pretty sure it will be much more fun for him to find out than for me to spoil everything."
Leona didn’t feel good about that at all. Not even a little bit.
But Nyx was already turning away, her eyes sparkling with anticipation of the chaos to come.
—
Meanwhile, Luca was floating through the interdimensional space between portals.
The realm around him was a swirling chaos of blue and black, like waves crashing against one another in an endless dance.
It was a transitional space, not meant for lingering, but he had to wait for signal on the other side before he entered.
As he waited, his mind buzzed with excitement.
The centaurs! A race of noble warriors!
He imagined their culture—honor-bound, martial, proud.
He pictured their armor—gleaming silver, intricately crafted.
He wondered about their tails—were they really as soft as Lulu claimed?
Did they braid their horse-hair?
Did they have horse racing competitions?
How do they use the bathroom?
Do they live in stables?
But there were other questions too. Weirder questions.
Questions about Centaur anatomy.
Questions about how certain things would work if he had to...well, do certain things with them.
He didn’t know how to feel about that at all. He hoped it wouldn’t be too strange.
He quickly pushed those thoughts away, focusing instead on the pure excitement of what awaited him on the other side.
—
Just as he expected, a portal opened before him.
Whoosh!
It wasn’t like the portal he had created, this one was different.
It was formed from the Centaurs’ own prayers and intentions, a shimmering gateway that pulsed with energy.
It was an invitation, a sign of permission, a go-ahead for him to enter their realm.
Luca took a deep breath, remembering Luna’s cape, her belief in him as a her and how Heros made grand entrances.
He decided to fully commit to the role, no matter how cheesy it may be.
—
The moment he stepped through the portal and into the sunlight of a new world, he didn’t hesitate.
He struck a heroic pose, his cape billowing behind him in the breeze.
"Is that a bird!?" He declared dramatically, flapping his arms like wings in a comical imitation of flight.
"Is that a plane!?" He spun around, spreading his arms wide like a jet.
"Is that an elf who slipped from the elf village!?"
He put two fingers to his ears, striking a listening pose.
He paused for effect, then shouted vehemently,
"NOOO!"
"It’s actually the Hero, sent by the Goddess herself, who’s come here to save the day!"
He spun around one more time, cape flying.
"So do not worry, my friends with hooves for feet!"
He proclaimed, puffing out his chest.
"The Hero has come here to save the day!"
"Whatever problem or worry you may have, or any enemies that you may need to be vanquished, leave it all to me!"
"Your local neighborhood Hero, Luca!"
He paused, his arms still outstretched, waiting for the applause that was surely coming.
’Perfect entrance.’ He thought smugly. ’They’re probably all in awe of my magnificence right now. I bet they’re all falling for me instantly.’
But the applause never came.
He waited.
And waited.
Still nothing.
Finally, he hesitantly opened his eyes and looked around properly...
...but the sight that greeted him made his blood run cold.
He was in a valley surrounded by small grassy hills, the landscape stretching out endlessly like a highland plain where wild horses could roam freely.
The grass was tall and green, swaying gently in the breeze, and the sky above was a brilliant blue.
But Luca didn’t notice the beauty of the scenery.
Because he was surrounded.
Completely and utterly surrounded by female Centaurs, dozens of them, who had formed a perfect circle around him.
They were everywhere—in front of him, behind him, on all sides and they were all wearing shiny, polished armor that gleamed in the sunlight.
Their horse bodies were also magnificent, with colors ranging from rich hazelnut brown to pure white to dark ebony.
Their lower halves were also armored, their legs covered in protective plates that made them look like living tanks.
These weren’t just centaurs; they were works of art given life and purpose.
But it wasn’t their beauty that made Luca freeze.
It was the way they looked at him.
All of them, every single one, had expressions of restrained anger on their faces.
Their beautiful, noble features were twisted with barely contained fury, their eyes blazing with a hatred that made Luca’s skin crawl.
Banners and flags had been erected behind them—massive standards that bore the crest of the Centaur race.
It looked like they were preparing for a war.
And Luca was the enemy.
His cape fluttered in the wind, suddenly feeling less heroic and more like a target.
Comments