Chapter 347: Test me?
"LUKE! HELP ME!"
Hearing the voice over and over was becoming irritating, but unlike Laila and the others, Luke wasn’t worried. He could tell there was no one outside, and it certainly wasn’t Lex calling for his help.
"But what if it really is him?" Monica asked, her concern for her son coming naturally.
Luke exhaled and activated .
The familiar sense spread through the surroundings, revealing everything within its range.
"There is no one even remotely near our house," he said. "And the fact that Dalia hasn’t rushed out of her room means this voice is only meant for us to hear."
The windows of both rooms faced the same direction, and Dalia wasn’t such a heavy sleeper that she would fail to hear the desperate cries of her mate.
Especially when they were this loud.
"HELP ME!!"
The scream echoed again, shrill and ugly enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.
"Then what exactly is it?" Ginna asked in a low voice. She was already on her feet, prepared to pounce on whatever danger might be waiting outside.
"Stay inside the room. I’ll check from a safe distance," Luke instructed.
"Be cautious," Monica warned. "Whatever this is, it is very disturbing."
Her reaction was understandable. The voice belonged to her son, and the desperation behind those cries was enough to stir anyone’s heart.
Luke nodded before glancing at Laila.
She nodded back and drew her knife, just in case.
Luke then stepped out of the room and approached the door.
The screaming suddenly stopped.
He frowned and looked around.
People were still passing by outside, completely undisturbed. None of them had reacted to the cries.
If someone had been screaming at the top of their lungs, surely someone would have come out to see what was happening.
"A warrior... someone accompanying the guests?" he wondered.
Whatever it was, this definitely had to be some kind of magical skill.
He made his way toward the backside of the house, following the direction from which the cries had come.
There was nothing there except the hearth and the bathing area. Even the people walking past seemed completely oblivious to anything unusual.
It was so vivid and undifferentia...
TNG!
His thoughts abruptly died.
Something struck him with enough force to make his eyes roll back. His senses dulled instantly, as though someone had smashed a metal pipe against his skull or set off an impossibly loud noise right beside his ears.
For a moment, the world became nothing but a blur.
Shocked, Luke muttered a command. The system responded immediately, assigning more points to his Endurance and helping him regain some control over his body.
Still dazed, he quickly drank a potion.
Warmth spread through him, and his mind gradually cleared. His vision steadied, and the ringing in his ears began to fade.
"Fuck..." he cursed under his breath, clutching his head and hurriedly wore the earrings he got from Thea.
He shouldn’t have taken them off.
’What was it anyway?’
The sensation was almost identical to what he had felt after swallowing Manbaru’s magic stone. Back then, he had assumed it was merely a side effect of the crystal, even though his high Endurance should have made such a reaction unlikely.
But now he knew better.
Someone had attacked him both times.
Have my senses gone dull?
First, he had failed to notice the chief’s daughter in the forest. And now...
Wait.
His eyes narrowed.
He had failed to notice the ambusher and that girl alike.
The possibility that she had been somewhere in the forest back then, hiding and silently watching him, suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched.
And now, she was in the village too.
Could it be?
Luke’s expression hardened.
There was only one way to find out.
He needed to investigate.
...
"It was nothing, as I said."
Once back inside, Luke assured them, keeping his voice calm. "It wasn’t Lex. I made sure of it by seeing him with my own eyes."
He wasn’t lying. Lex wasn’t difficult to find since he was somewhere around the village perimeter. Luke had simply made a quick round trip to confirm his presence before returning.
"Glad to hear that..." Monica breathed a sigh of relief.
Ginna frowned. "Then what was that? Someone playing a prank?"
Laila gritted her teeth. "Such a nasty trick to play."
Luke exhaled slowly.
"Whoever it was, they’re capable enough to escape my senses. So I wouldn’t take them lightly."
The words immediately changed the atmosphere.
Everyone turned serious.
They knew how sharp Luke’s hunting instincts were. If someone had managed to get close enough to attack him without being detected, then whoever was behind this was far more dangerous than a simple prankster.
And that was what unsettled them most.
Luke exhaled another breath and rested his hands on his waist.
"As I thought, this village is cursed to be surrounded by trouble at all times."
He shook his head before continuing, "I’ll double the traps and alarms for tonight. You three stay inside. And Ginna, make sure Dalia knows about everything that happened."
Ginna nodded earnestly.
Luke then stepped outside.
There was someone he needed to check on first.
....
After having dinner with her family, Ilya had returned to the forest.
A bow rested in her hands, with a few arrows lying beside her. Her current target was a tree some distance away, though the harsh evening wind made the task far more difficult than it should have been.
The arrows were far from sturdy or straight, especially since she had carved them herself.
Her aim, however, was impeccable.
So was her awareness of the surroundings.
Ilya drew the string back and took a slow breath, settling into her stance. Her eyes remained fixed on the tree for a moment before suddenly shifting toward a dense bush several meters away.
She released the string.
The arrow tore through the air.
TNG!
It struck something hidden within the foliage and came to an abrupt stop.
"You aren’t very good at this sneaking game," Ilya said, narrowing her eyes.
A familiar figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
"Not many people could see through my disguise."
Luke’s voice surprised Ilya.
There was none of the tenderness or curiosity he had shown earlier. Only caution remained.
"May I ask why you are about to attack me?" she asked, her fingers tightening around the bow.
"You won’t be attacked if you tell me about your magical skills."
Luke stopped in his path and crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on her.
"Why so wary?" Ilya asked. "Do you think my mother would send me to deal with you?"
"I don’t believe you care about petty revenge," Luke replied. "But I do believe you have an interest in provoking someone else."
She hummed.
"Still salty about earlier? Maybe I judged you too soon. You turned out to be nothing more than a pitiful, sulking boy."
Luke didn’t react.
That surprised Ilya.
From her perspective, he had been annoyed earlier because he believed himself invisible to the world. She had assumed that was the reason he had come looking for her.
Yet his reaction now contradicted that assumption entirely.
Ilya exhaled softly.
"You want to know my true skills, right?"
She tossed the bow aside and drew a small dagger from her waist.
Meeting his gaze, she raised the blade slightly.
"Then go ahead. Make me use them."
Luke’s left eyebrow rose.
"Are you sure you want to do it this way?"
Ilya’s lips curved into a faint smile.
"Stop pretending you’re concerned when there’s such a huge smile on your face. Come on. I’m ready."
Luke wouldn’t lie he was curious to know how a woman who commands so many warriors actually fought.
Taking out his own dagger he said, "Don’t cry about it later."
.....
Gustav and Lex had been stationed together, the two walking side by side along the village perimeter.
They had been assigned the same guard post for one simple reason. They had fought alongside each other before.
Neither of them had much experience standing guard, so pairing them together ensured they could cover each other’s shortcomings if danger appeared.
"I really hope nothing dangerous shows up tonight." Gustav glanced at his eldest son with a sheepish smile. "With only one hand, I’d be nothing but a burden to you."
Lex frowned at those words.
"Your experience already gives you an advantage against most opponents. Even if you can’t fight like before, I’m sure your guidance would be more than helpful."
Gustav chuckled softly, somewhat relieved that Lex still held such respect for his father.
A moment later, Lex added, "And I would appreciate it if you continued guiding me in the future as well."
Gustav hummed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Lex shrugged. "Once Luke and the others move out, it’ll be just Dalia and me. I hope you won’t abandon us, Father."
Gustav fell silent for a moment.
The simple words stirred something deep within him. His heart swelled with warmth and a quiet sense of pride. Perhaps, despite everything that had happened, his son still saw him as someone he could rely on.
After a moment, he gave the younger man a reassuring smile.
"You can count on me, son."