Chapter 355: Leader Roxanna Is Back!
Roxanna couldn’t contain her smile the moment she saw the entrance to the Vixeria Settlement in the distance.
Her fluffy fox tail swayed happily from side to side as excitement bubbled inside her. She didn’t even want to waste another second and immediately sprinted toward the gates.
"Hey, that’s the Leader!" one of the guards exclaimed, straightening his back the moment he spotted Roxanna.
His partner quickly cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Leader Roxanna is back! Leader Roxanna is back!"
He repeated it several times, wanting everyone in the settlement to hear the good news. At the same time, he hoped Cyrus and Luan would hear it as well.
Just as the guards expected, less than a minute later, Cyrus and Luan came running toward the gate. They were so fast that the people in the settlement thought a strong gust of wind had rushed past them.
"Roxanna!" Luan ran faster than Cyrus. He reached her first and caught her effortlessly as she threw herself into his arms.
She wrapped both arms around his neck and locked her legs around his waist. Giggling, she hugged him so tightly that she almost forgot to breathe.
"Luan, I’m home!" she said brightly. Her tail wagged so quickly that it nearly slapped him across the face. "I really, really missed you!"
She wiggled happily in Luan’s arms because she was so excited. Then, when she lifted her head and saw Cyrus standing right behind Luan, her smile grew even wider.
"Cyrus!"
She jumped out of Luan’s arms and ran straight toward him. Without slowing down, she threw herself into his chest as if he were the safest place in the world.
If Cyrus hadn’t had such excellent balance, the force of her hug might have knocked him onto the ground.
"I really, really missed you too!" she exclaimed.
Smiling warmly, Cyrus lifted her into his arms and spun her around once.
"I’ve been dying to see you again," he murmured.
He pulled her close and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
"I was so worried," he admitted softly. "I kept thinking something terrible might have happened to you in the ocean."
Roxanna let out a soft laugh before leaning back slightly so she could look at him.
"A lot of bad things really did happen," she admitted with a smile. "But don’t worry. Everything is alright now!"
Luan walked over to them, his expression already filled with concern.
"But... were you hurt?" he asked.
Roxanna looked at him for a moment before replying, "I’m fine now."
[Mostly, I got hurt because of Calen and Zeir, but I—]
"What?!" Luan’s shout was so loud that Roxanna instinctively pulled her head away.
He immediately turned toward Calen and Zeir, who were standing only a short distance away. "What did you two do to my wife?!"
Roxanna widened her eyes, suddenly remembering that he could hear her thoughts.
"No, no, no!" she said in a panic. "Don’t misunderstand! They didn’t do it on purpose!"
Even though Roxanna tried to defend them, the dog and lizard beastmen seemed determined to dig their own graves.
"No, it was truly our fault!" Calen said in a loud voice. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he remembered what he had done to Roxanna.
"I even kicked her—"
Before Calen could finish his sentence, Luan charged at him. He practically pounced like a furious cat ready to sink its teeth into a helpless mouse.
"You kicked my wife?!" Luan roared.
Calen stood still, ready to take the punch without resisting. But before Luan’s fist could land, Roxanna quickly grabbed his arm from behind.
"It wasn’t like that!" Roxanna shouted, desperately trying to calm everyone down. "They were being controlled by someone! I had to hurt them too, so we’re even!"
Luan looked back at Roxanna, his brows tightly knitted together. "What do you mean?"
Roxanna slowly let go of his arm and stepped in front of him.
"There was an enemy who could control people’s minds," she explained. "Calen and Zeir weren’t themselves. They couldn’t control what they were doing."
Luan opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly, he realized something was missing. His eyes quickly scanned the people standing behind Roxanna.
"Where are Azul and Azura?" he asked. A deep frown appeared on his face as a bad feeling settled in his chest. "Did something happen to—"
"They’re fine!" Roxanna quickly interrupted before he could finish.
Seeing the worry on his face, she smiled reassuringly. "How about we find somewhere comfortable to sit first? Then I’ll tell both of you everything that happened."
Luan stared at her for a few more seconds before finally letting out a sigh. "All right."
Cyrus stepped forward and suggested. "Let’s go to the meeting hall. It’s quieter there."
Roxanna nodded. "Sounds good."
The group began walking through the gates together, but the news of Roxanna’s return had already spread throughout the settlement.
"Leader Roxanna is back!"
"It’s really her!"
"Leader!"
One by one, the beastmen and beastwomen came out of their homes. Some waved excitedly, while others called out her name with bright smiles. Even the children ran toward her, their little tails wagging as they cheered.
Not far from them, Roxanna spotted Skiv running toward her with Lilo cradled carefully in his arms.
For some reason, he looked taller than the last time she had seen him, even though it hadn’t been that long.
"Leader!" Skiv called out.
He stopped in front of her, biting his lower lip as he tried his hardest to look strong. His eyes, however, were already red.
Roxanna smiled gently. "Just cry," she said softly.
The moment those words left her mouth, all the strength Skiv had been forcing himself to hold onto disappeared.
His shoulders trembled. "I..." His voice cracked. "I really thought..."
Before he could finish, tears spilled down his cheeks. "I thought you weren’t coming back!"
Roxanna sighed and walked over to him. She gently patted his head while Lilo, the chubby cat, climbed onto her shoulder, making her sway slightly to the side.
"There, there. I’m fine," Roxanna said, ignoring the weight on her shoulder.