Luna stood there, surrounded by laughter, the scent of spice, and the sight of pure joy, her heart glowing with warmth.

But then, as she watched the chaos of happy elves devouring plate after plate of golden chicken, she suddenly froze and her smile faltered.

"Wait…" She muttered softly to herself.

She blinked down at her empty hands.

"I...I haven't even tasted it yet."

The realization hit her all at once.

She had been so busy helping Luca cook, passing the bowls, watching everyone's reactions, and making sure the chaos didn't explode that she of all people hadn't even taken a single bite.

"I helped make this. And I don't even know what it tastes like." She laughed softly in disbelief.

It was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

So, determined, she reached toward the table and picked up one of the classic fried pieces—no spice, no glaze, just the golden, crisp chicken in its purest form.

It was warm in her hand, the crisp outer layer gently cracking under her fingers. She lifted it close and gave it a deep, slow sniff.

Her entire body shivered.

The aroma was intoxicating—rich, savory, buttery, with just the right hint of seasoning.

It felt like the scent itself melted into her chest.

A satisfied smile curled on her lips.

"Alright...let's see what all the fuss is about." She said, raising it to her mouth.

Her teeth were just about to sink in—

—when suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air like thunder.

"YOU GUYS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?!"

The shout startled her so badly she nearly dropped the chicken. And all around her, the elves froze mid-bite. Conversations died. Laughter stopped.

Even the birds in the trees fell silent.

Everyone slowly turned their heads toward the voice.

And there he was—Julius—standing at the edge of the clearing with an expression of absolute disgust, his brows furrowed deeply, his jaw tight.

Beside him stood Leona, calm and silent, and behind them, a group of male elves, all wearing looks of disdain and shock.

"What in the name of the spirits is happening here?!" Julius shouted, his voice echoing through the forest. "Are my eyes deceiving me—or are you all actually eating an animal's flesh?!"

"These very same beautiful birds that fly around our forests..."

"...that trust us..."

"....that live among us..."

"...AND YOU'RE EATING THEM?!"

He spat the words as if they burned his tongue.

"You've turned into monsters!"

Several of the male elves behind him nodded, muttering in agreement.

"We are elves!" Julius continued, his words cutting through the clearing. "We are the children of the forest! We live with the trees, the rivers, and the animals in harmony! We do not kill! We do not consume flesh!"

He jabbed his finger toward them.

"Our ancestors forbade this for a reason! The forest gave us fruits, vegetables, and grains—not...not this!"

He gestured furiously toward the tables of chicken, his face twisting in revulsion.

"And yet, here you are! Sitting in filth, eating the corpses of innocent creatures! Are you not ashamed of yourselves?! Have you no dignity left as elves?!"

His voice echoed through the forest, and several of the male elves behind him began shouting too.

"He's right! This is disgusting!"

"You're eating corpses!"

"You've lost your way!"

"You're no longer elves—you're beasts!"

Julius sneered at the sight before him—women, elders, even little girls, all happily chewing meat as if it were normal and he clenched his fists tightly.

"This—this was supposed to be a joke! I came here to laugh at the Hero's failure! I thought no one would ever betray our traditions like this! But now…"

He gestured to the crowd, his voice cracking.

"You've all fallen for his trick!"

The men behind him nodded, their faces contorted with disapproval.

"He must have cursed them!"

"Yes, this is witchcraft! He's using some kind of spell!"

"This isn't natural!"

And then, the accusations turned personal.

One male elf glared at his wife sitting on the grass with a chicken drumstick in hand.

"You! You made our daughter eat this filth? How could you? Are you not ashamed?!"

Another older brother shouted at his sister.

"You're eating corpses! Are you out of your mind?!"

Yet another pointed furiously at a group of women sharing a plate.

"You'll bring curses upon us all! The spirits will abandon us!"

The tension was boiling fast and one man even stormed toward his wife, his face red with fury, yelling.

"Drop that right now! I SAID DROP IT!"

He raised his hand as if to smack the food out of her hand—

—but before he could even touch her, a sharp sound echoed.

Shing!

And he froze on the spot as to his utter horror, his wife stood in front of him, her expression cold as ice with her dagger pressed lightly against his throat.

"Take one more step..." She said in a low, trembling voice. "...and I swear I'll slit your neck before you even touch my chicken."

Her husband stiffened in shock, his hand still midair, his face going pale.

And suddenly—it spread.

One by one, other women stood up too.

"Get lost, you bastard!" One shouted.

"No one asked for your permission!" Yelled another.

"Who invited you here anyway?!"

"Fuck off!"

"Chicken is the best thing that's ever happened to this village!"

"I don't care about your stupid traditions!"

"You can starve on grass if you want—we'll eat this!"

Soon the entire clearing erupted again, but this time it wasn't laughter—it was war cries.

The female elves stood their ground, clutching their fried treasures in one hand and blades, sticks, or even cooking utensils in the other.

Their eyes were blazing with defiance.

Selma pointed a chicken leg like a sword.

"You want to stop us? Then come try! But you're not taking this from me!"

"Yeah!" Alia smirked darkly. "Touch my drumstick, and I'll show you how sharp an arrow can be at point-blank!"

And witnessing this, the men were dumbfounded.

Never before had they seen their gentle, peaceful counterparts look so fierce—so ready to fight.

Some women even drew their bows, arrows notched and aimed toward the males.

Others stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a wall of determination and protective fury, as if defending sacred treasure.

Luna herself was too stunned to speak for a moment.

She'd never seen her people like this—never seen the soft-spoken, peace loving elves stand their ground like warriors.

But it was Julius who was especially flustered now, as his voice rose in frustration.

"T-This is madness! You're all under mind control! That human's food—it's poisoned you! He's cast a spell on you, can't you see?!"

But his desperate words fell flat.

An elderly stood up, her tone firm and clear as she said,

"No, Julius. The only spell here is the truth. The Hero has shown us what we were blind to for thousands of years."

Another elder nodded, saying proudly.

"We've lived in fear of change for too long. But he...he gave us something real. Something that made us feel alive again."

"We've made our choice." Said another, clutching a wing like a weapon. "And no words from you will change it."

The women all raised their chicken pieces defiantly.

"CHICKEN IS LIFE!" One shouted.

"CHICKEN IS FREEDOM!" Yelled another.

"CHICKEN FOREVER!" Cried a third.

The men were stunned silent.

Some even stepped back nervously as the women glared them down, their resolve shining like fire.

It looked like the clearing could erupt into a full-blown battle at any moment.

But just as tensions were about to explode—

A calm, easygoing voice cut through the noise.

"Alright, everyone, calm down." Luca said cheerfully. "No need to fight."

The crowd turned to see him strolling casually toward them, his trademark smirk still on his face.

And in his hands was an enormous tray stacked high with every kind of fried chicken—golden, glazed, spicy, and sweet.

"There's plenty for everyone."

He said lightly, holding it up so that all the male elves could see.

"So how about we all stop screaming and...share?"

"WHAT?!" Shouted Selma, like she heard that he wanted to willingly trade secrets with the enemy.

"Hero, why should we give it to them?!" Cried Ivy, glaring at the men as if they had committed a crime. "They mocked us! They insulted us! And now you want to share this heaven with them?!"

"Yeah!" Another woman yelled, holding her plate close to her chest. "They called us monsters five minutes ago, and now you want to reward them? No way!"

"I can throw them the bones, but not the flesh!" Shouted one elder defiantly, clutching her chicken wing possessively. "The flesh is mine!"

More joined in—voices overlapping, the forest echoing with outrage and hilarious protests.

"No! Don't give them anything!"

"They don't deserve a single crumb!"

"They called it disgusting—well, let them eat leaves then!"

"Fruit-eaters forever, right? Then go eat your fruits, you hypocrites!"

"They can lick the oil left on the table!"

"Feed them feathers if they're so holy!"

"This is sacred now! The Holy Fried Treasure of the Forest!"

Some even hid pieces under their robes protectively. Others shielded their bowls like dragons hoarding treasure.

Luna, trying to calm them down, said.

"Wait, wait—everyone, maybe we should—"

But she didn't get to finish.

"NO!" Shouted an elderly elf woman, pointing her oily finger at Luca. "If they want chicken, they can earn it! Do you know how long we've been waiting for this taste?!"

Even Nyx was snickering, wiping her mouth.

"Well, Hero, seems like they're not big on charity today." She said, biting into another wing.

Meanwhile, Julius and the other male elves stood on the opposite end, faces stiff.

But despite their angry scowls, their noses twitched, and their eyes betrayed them.

The scent was too powerful. The golden sheen of the chicken glimmered in the light, the steam curling upward like a siren's whisper.

Julius's throat bobbed. His stomach betrayed him with a faint growl, but he quickly straightened his back and forced a scoff.

"W-Who cares about this?"

He shouted loudly, pointing at Luca as if that would distract from his hungry eyes.

"You think we'll fall for these tricks? Never! We will never eat this...this flesh! We don't need it!"

The men behind him nodded quickly—perhaps a little too quickly.

"Y-Yeah! We don't want it!" One stammered.

"It's...filthy!" Another said, eyeing the platter.

"I'd rather eat puke!"

Even so, they couldn't hide their curiosity. Their noses tilted forward ever so slightly, their pupils following every shimmer of the chicken's surface.

And Luca noticed, so with that same knowing smirk, he slowly walked toward Julius, tray in hand.

The sizzling aroma grew stronger with each step.

"Come on, Julius." He said softly, his voice calm, teasing, almost melodic. "You and I both know there's no use in pretending anymore."

He raised the tray to Julius's eye level, the steam wafting directly under his nose.

Julius stiffened. "Wh-What are you—"

"The women have already fallen." Luca said calmly. "They're lost to the power of fried chicken. You could yell for a hundred years and they'd still never give it up. They'll probably start hunting down every bird in this forest tomorrow."

Julius's mouth opened, then closed again as Luca continued circling him like a seasoned merchant showing off his finest wares.

"So why fight it?" Luca continued, offering the tray toward the other men as well. "Why not join them? Take a bite. Just one. You'll see—it's not the end of the world. It's the beginning of one."

He gestured to the tray proudly.

"Not to mention that this is a taste you'll never find even in the human continent. I've eaten their food—they have soups, breads, roasts—but nothing like this."

"Fried chicken like this exists only once in a lifetime..."

"...And today, gentlemen, is your lifetime's chance."

The men were visibly shaking now, torn between pride and temptation.

Luca stopped right in front of Julius again, lowering his voice, almost friendly.

"Don't think of it as me tempting you with something from my world." He said softly. "Think of it as a truce, a bridge between us. A peace offering. An exchange of culture."

He grinned faintly.

"You don't even have to eat it for yourself. Do it for me. For peace. For understanding."

...but even though he was talking about peace and harmony, he was already having devious thoughts running through his mind.

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