Leona was completely caught off guard.

She had expected Julius to at least listen.

To hear her out, to understand that everything she had said about Luca wasn't just her personal change of heart, but an attempt to reach him too.

To make him see that Luca wasn't an enemy, that he had value, that he mattered to their people.

But Julius...he didn't even seem to care.

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"But why, Julius?" She asked, her tone almost pleading. "Didn't you hear a single thing I just said?"

"He was sent by the Goddess herself to help us. My Mother sacrificed her life, along with the other clan leaders for him!"

"And now, after everything, you're saying we should just...throw him away?"

"How does that make any sense?!"

Her hands balled into fists as she took a step forward.

"I-I mean, you've seen it yourself—how much he's done for us in just two days. The way he's been helping the villagers, the way he's brought hope back into their eyes."

"Now, imagine what he could do if he stayed longer. Imagine the amazing changes he could bring that would help us all."

"Don't you see how much we need him?"

She took another step closer, looking at Julius like she was trying to reason with him out his hate for Luca

"Julius...I know you and he don't get along. I know there's tension between you, but that doesn't mean you should—"

"—what do you mean by that, Leona?"

Leona froze.

Julius's voice, normally calm and composed, now burned with offense. His sharp glare cut through her words as he took a step forward, his tone rising with every sentence.

"What do you mean 'grudges'?"

"What do you mean 'don't get along"?"

"What exactly do you mean by that?!"

Leona instinctively stepped back as he advanced, his eyes flaring with something dangerous.

"Do you truly think..." He said, his tone cold and venomous. "...that I would compare myself to him? That I envy him? That I see him as my equal!?"

He scoffed, shaking his head as he took another step closer.

"Do you honestly think I treat him on the same level as me, Leona? That I would ever lower myself to that?"

Leona blinked, stunned, her voice caught in her throat. She had never seen Julius lose his composure like this before.

For a moment, his anger hung in the air—before he noticed his outburst and finally exhaled, running a hand over his face.

"…Forgive me." He muttered in his usual tone. "I let my emotions get ahead of me."

Then, lowering his hand, he fixed his eyes on her with that old, solemn authority that had always made her falter.

"This isn't personal, Leona. This isn't about envy or anger...I'm doing this for the village."

That made Leona's lip twitch but he went on to explain his reason for not wanting Luca.

"No matter how many good deeds he performs, no matter how useful he seems...he is still human."

"And humans are our enemies. They always have been, and they always will be."

"But Julius." Leona quickly said in argument, shaking her head. "Haven't you yourself gone to the human side? You said it was to broker peace between us and them, to help our clan survive."

"But nevertheless, you went over to the human side so how can you say—"

He turned sharply to her, his eyes narrowing.

"Exactly. That's why I know what they are."

His voice grew cold, his words dripping with quiet fury.

"You have no idea what I went through, Leona. You have no idea the kind of people they truly are."

"Humans are treacherous. They smile, they laugh, they pretend to be kind—and then they stab you in the back the moment you turn away."

He began to walk in circles around her, his voice lowering to an almost serpentine whisper.

"They'll make you believe they care."

"They'll make you feel safe."

"And when your guard is down...that's when they strike."

Leona stood still, her shoulders tense, her pulse quickening as his voice grew darker, closer.

"You don't know how deep their deceit runs." Julius murmured near her ear. "They have no mercy. No empathy. They only think about themselves—about what they can take, what they can use."

"They are parasites, Leona. And the longer we let one stay among us, the more he'll burrow into the heart of the clan...until we can't remove him anymore."

He stepped in front of her again, his eyes gleaming faintly in the barrier's light.

"We cannot let that happen. We cannot let a human—no matter how 'kind' he seems—infest us like a disease. For the sake of the village, he must go."

But even as he finished, Leona still shook her head, unwilling to give in.

"I understand that humans can be cruel." She said softly but firmly. "But not all of them are like that. Most of them just want to live their lives peacefully. And Luca isn't even from this world, Julius."

"He's from somewhere else—a completely different realm, with different people, different values! You can't judge him by the same measure."

But Julius just gave a quiet, mocking laugh, shaking his head slowly.

"Oh, Leona...how naïve you are."

He looked at her with a mixture of pity and disdain.

"Whether they come from this world or another, humans are the same. You just don't see it because you haven't lived among them like I have."

He pointed at himself, voice full of conviction.

"I've seen what they do. I've been among them, talked with them, trusted them—and I paid for it every time."

"So, trust me, Leona, when I say that you don't want to deal with them. You don't want to let one stay here and that's why I suggest you to send the Hero away."

Normally, this would have been the moment Leona's resistance crumbled.

She would argue once, maybe twice—then give in.

It had always been that way.

Julius always got his way.

But not this time.

Not about Luca.

She genuinely believed—with every fiber of her being—that the Hero's presence would let the village flourish, heal, grow strong again.

She drew a breath, steeling herself.

Opened her mouth to fight—to argue with every bit of fire she could summon.

But Julius's expression darkened further.

He spoke first, voice low and final.

"I also have to mention...this isn't merely my opinion."

Leona froze.

Julius met her gaze without blinking.

"The will inside me agrees completely. Your father's spirit—he wants Luca gone. Far from the village. He does not want the human near us."

The words struck like cold iron.

Leona's mouth closed.

All the fire, all the arguments, drained from her in an instant.

Her face paled, while Julius pressed on, solemn and unrelenting.

"He's adamant about this. I can feel it. He doesn't want Luca anywhere near our people. And as a Former Patriarch, his word still holds power over the village. You know that."

"B-But Julius." She said weakly, desperately. "Please—just listen to me for a moment. If you just listen, you'll understand—"

He cut her off again, his tone turning final.

"Even if I understand, Leona, your father never will."

Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.

"I can feel how strong his conviction is." Julius said, voice low and heavy. "He believes this is for the good of the village. For its safety. And I trust his judgment." He leaned closer. "And you should too."

And hearing this, every single cell in her body told her to stop, to stop arguing and just go along with the agreement.

The moment the 'will' or her 'father' was brought up, she knew that she could never go against it.

But still, for the sake of the village, she wanted to try—try to do somethin to stop Luca from being pushed out.

So she looked at him in a weak manner and opened her mouth.

But that was then Julius leaned closer to her ear, voice dropping to a chilling whisper as he said,

"And you know what would happen if you went against the spirit's will."

Goosebumps erupted across Leona's skin.

Her eyes trembled.

Nightmares—old, buried horrors—flashed behind them.

Things she could never endure again.

Things the village could never survive.

Julius pulled back, expression shifting to one of sad resignation.

"I fought it. Truly. I tried to argue against his will, to push back…but there is nothing I can do. This is what he demands."

He spread his hands helplessly.

"It is final."

Leona's shoulders slumped.

The fight left her completely.

Defeat—utter, crushing defeat—settled over her like a shroud.

She had tried.

She had wanted to protect Luca, to keep the light he had brought.

But the moment her father's spirit was invoked…

She had no choice.

The consequences were unthinkable.

All the words she wanted to say died unspoken.

She stood there, silent and broken, looking every inch the failed matriarch she now felt herself to be.

Her voice broke as she finally whispered,

"I...understand."

"Good." Julius gave a small, approving nod and looked rather satisfied.

Everything had gone exactly as he'd hoped. Her spirit was crushed, her defiance dulled, and her sense of duty now bound in guilt and fear.

He had played his cards perfectly.

But as he stood there, watching the faint shimmer of the barrier light on her downcast face, a thought crept into his mind.

'Perhaps I can take it even further.'

If she was this broken now, maybe he could shape the future just the way he wanted it.

So, he straightened his collar, the soft glint of ambition flashing in his eyes.

"Speaking of protecting the village and making it better…" He began casually, as though merely continuing their earlier discussion. "Leona, I think it's about time we consider something more—something greater."

"You've seen the state of this forest. It's decaying, isolated, backward. We've lived here for generations, and what do we have?"

"Moss, mud, and old trees. Nothing more."

Leona lifted her head slightly, sensing the direction of his words, but he pressed on before she could interrupt.

"And that's why I think we should move to the human continent. I've already scouted a settlement on the human continent."

He said quickly and tried to sell his argument.

"A town that's thriving. Open, civilized, and surprisingly welcoming to us. They've got infrastructure, trade routes, medicine, culture. If we went there, we wouldn't have to struggle like this anymore."

"No more living in damp wood and surviving on bark soup and river water. Think about it—our people, finally prospering among civilization."

He smiled faintly, his tone coaxing, like a serpent whispering honeyed poison.

"Not to mention, that the will inside of me has been adamant about it. If we move there, we could—"

"NEVER!!!!"

The word tore through the clearing like a thunderclap.

Julius stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened as Leona's voice echoed around them.

Her entire demeanor had changed. Her pale, quiet defeat was gone—replaced by a terrifying fury that made even the trees seem to shudder.

"That..." She hissed, her tone cold as ice. "...is something I will never allow."

Julius blinked in disbelief as Leona took a step forward, her eyes blazing with wrath.

"I will never allow a single elf—not one—to cross into the human continent while I still draw breath!"

Her voice grew louder, fiercer, like the crack of a whip.

"I would rather shoot an arrow through every last one of them myself—mothers, daughters, even my own children—than watch them be taken to that place!"

Julius instinctively took a step back.

The sheer intensity in her voice, the cold conviction in her eyes—it was enough to send a shiver through his spine.

But Leona didn't stop. She was shaking now, her voice trembling with emotion—rage, grief, defiance.

"At least here they would die peacefully, as elves—with dignity. But if they cross that border, if they set foot on human soil…"

Her voice broke for a second before she steadied it again.

"They would be slaves, Julius! Turned into property, into playthings for the humans the moment they arrived!"

"That is not a fate I will allow for my people!"

Her fury was shaking. Her hands balled into fists that were glowing with mana as she finally said with conviction,

"Even if my father's spirit commands it, even if the heavens themselves tell me to move them—I will not!"

"Let the curse fall upon me, let the spirits punish me, let the world end for all I care!"

"I would rather die with my people here than see them suffer in the hands of those filthy humans!"

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