Chapter 388: Let Me Take You On A Tour!
Luca pushed himself out of bed with a grunt, making his way toward the small back room he had set up as a personal washroom.
A portal opened above his head at his command, and water cascaded down like a modern shower—one of the many conveniences he had introduced to the village.
It had been tremendously helpful for the elves as well, eliminating the need to haul buckets from the lake and providing them with unlimited clean water.
After quickly bathing and changing into fresh clothes, he emerged to find Leona waiting for him.
She had heard the news as well. Without a word, she stepped forward and began grooming him—smoothing his collar, adjusting his sleeves, and carefully tending to his hair.
When she was finished, he turned to leave—
"Wait, Luca. Hold on."
Leora’s hand caught his arm. He turned back to find her gazing up at him with shy, watery eyes.
In her hands, she held a small package, carefully wrapped.
"It’s...It’s freshly squeezed." She said, her voice soft with embarrassment. "Drink it whenever you’re thirsty."
Luca looked down at the package and smirked realising what it was.
He leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Leona’s forehead, then bent lower to place another kiss on her rounded belly.
The satisfaction that bloomed across her face was worth more than any words.
He repeated the gesture with Nyx, Luna, and Lulu—each receiving a kiss, each offering their own farewell.
"Don’t mess it up this time, Hero." Nyx teased with a wink.
"If they get mad, just bring me over!" Lulu chirped adorably, patting her belly. "Nobody can stay mad at a cute pregnant elf!"
Luna simply waved, her smile gentle and encouraging.
Luca waved back. Then he stepped through the portal.
—
He emerged in the same highlands as yesterday.
But everything was different.
Gone were the forty centaurs who had waged war against him.
Instead, there was only a single figure.
Sigrid.
And Luca found himself utterly mesmerized.
Sigrid was, of course, as beautiful as ever.
Her silver hair was drawn back into an elegant ponytail that swayed gently with every movement of her head.
Her sapphire eyes caught the morning light, sparkling with something that looked almost like nervousness.
Her pink lips were slightly pursed, as though she had been waiting for him and was trying very hard not to show her anxiety.
But that was not what made Luca stare.
She was not wearing her armor.
In its place, she wore simple, elegant clothes that transformed her entire appearance.
A small ornamental strap encircled her neck, delicate silver chains with a single jewel at its center
Even the cloth draped over her centaur body was different. It was much lighter in color than before, with delicate embroidery along its edges, intricate patterns of leaves and vines that must have taken someone hours to stitch by hand.
Yesterday, she had looked like a proud, dignified knight ready to charge into battle without fear.
Today, she looked like a refined noblewoman—elegant, graceful, and utterly captivating.
He found himself staring at her silver tail as it swished back and forth, the movement almost hypnotic until—
"Sir Luca."
He startled. Sigrid had turned and noticed him watching her.
For a moment, surprise flickered across her features, as she hadn’t expected him to actually come.
But then she composed herself, her expression shifting to one of quiet resolve.
She strode toward him with purpose.
"Sir Luca." She said again, and the formal address caught him completely off guard.
Before he could respond, Sigrid lowered herself to the ground.
Her equine body folded gracefully onto the grass, and with an apologetic expression etched into every line of her face, she bowed her head deeply.
"I deeply apologize for what I did yesterday, Sir Luca!"
Luca took an instinctive step back, utterly bewildered. "What...What’s going on?"
Sigrid lifted her head, her eyes meeting his with pure, undisguised sincerity.
"I should never have treated you the way I did! Not only did I spring the challenge upon you after inviting you as a guest—which was already a breach of hospitality—but I took advantage of you again and again."
She let out a tired, self-recriminating sigh.
"And then the situation with my sister occurred, and I dragged you into our family drama as well. That was completely unacceptable. Something I cannot allow myself to overlook."
She shook her head with profound disappointment that was directed entirely at herself.
"And if that weren’t already enough..." Her cheeks flushed crimson. "Not only did I throw you from my back, but I...I kicked you. I sent you flying across the field like a ball. I didn’t even check to see if you were injured. I simply...ran away. Like a coward."
Her voice cracked slightly on the final word.
"That is the most shameful thing I have ever done in my entire life. And I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate. So please—" She bowed her head once more. "—forgive me for what I did to you yesterday!"
Luca stared at her, utterly bewildered.
This was not what he had expected. Not even remotely.
When he had seen her charging toward him, he had been certain she was about to draw the sword that still hung at her side, because of course Sigrid would carry her weapon even in casual attire.
But instead, she was bowing. Apologizing. Asking for his forgiveness.
He scratched the back of his head, genuinely at a loss.
"So...you’re not angry at me?"
Sigrid looked up, her expression shifting to genuine confusion.
"Angry? At you? " She blinked. "Angry about what?"
Luca’s face heated. "I mean...after what I did to you yesterday. The whole...dagger incident."
Understanding dawned. Her face erupted in crimson.
She remembered. Gods, she remembered.
Even though it had only lasted a few seconds, she could still feel it.
The warmth of it.
The weight of it.
Even now, standing here in the morning sunlight, she could summon the phantom sensation with horrifying clarity, and it sent involuntary shivers cascading down her spine.
But she forced herself to shake her head.
"N-Not at all, Sir Luca. I wasn’t angry about that."
She paused. Then, with an expression of complete honesty, she corrected herself.
"Well...if I’m being entirely truthful, I will admit that I was angry. And not just a little bit. Quite a lot, actually."
Luca winced.
"After all." She continued, her voice growing quieter and more flustered with every word. "Not only did you ride me, which is already a deeply disgraceful matter, even though I accepted it."
"But you also...you also poked me with your..."
She couldn’t finish. She looked away sharply, her cheeks burning.
"For an unmarried young lady such as myself to experience such a thing...it truly is not something I can accept so easily."
Luca opened his mouth to apologize—
"But at the same time." Sigrid continued, turning back to face him with renewed conviction. "The way I treated you in response is utterly unacceptable."
"Instead of calmly addressing the situation, I reacted like someone panicking on the battlefield. I threw you off. I kicked you. I fled without a backward glance."
Shame darkened her features.
"I can’t believe I did such a thing."
Luca watched her for a moment, taking in the genuine distress on her face and realised this was not a performance.
Sigrid was genuinely tortured by what she had done.
He couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he said,
"Honestly, Sigrid, I think your reaction was pretty reasonable."
"If a girl realizes someone is...accidentally molesting her, a dropkick is a pretty standard response."
"No!" Sigrid insisted firmly, shaking her head. "You are the summoned Hero of the Demi-human continent! You sustained our entire realm! To strike you out of panic is treason to my values!"
She looked down, her tone softening.
"Not to mention, ever since you arrived yesterday, we have treated you terribly, despite nothing being your fault. For that...I am deeply sorry."
Looking at her earnest, bowing form, Luca felt the last lingering bits of yesterday’s awkwardness vanish. He let out a light laugh.
"Look, Sigrid, there’s really no need to keep apologizing." He said warmly. "Sure, yesterday was a bit chaotic, but I got to beat down forty knights, I felt mortal again, and..."
He offered a sly, teasing smirk. "...I got to take advantage of a pretty commander."
Sigrid’s cheeks puffed out in a cute, flustered pout, making her look entirely adorable despite her massive stature.
"So let’s just call it even." Luca declared, waving a dismissive hand. "You suffered some grievances, I suffered a dropkick. We’re square. I’m just glad you don’t hate my guts."
Sigrid could hardly believe what she was hearing.
When she had returned home yesterday and reflected on everything that had transpired, she had realized just how terribly they had treated him.
Especially that final kick—she had used so much force that she’d sent him flying, watched him tumble across the ground like a discarded toy.
If anyone else had been in his position, they would have been furious. Resentful. Demanding retribution.
But Luca had simply...forgiven them.
She searched his face for any trace of lingering anger, any hint of hidden resentment. But she found nothing but sincerity.
He had already let it go.
It was then that she truly understood how different he was from the male centaurs of her village.
The males of her race were even more arrogant and prideful than the females.
While they spoke endlessly of dignity and honor in battle, their real values lay in their own superiority.
They believed themselves above everyone else, despite being notoriously lazy and unambitious.
Luca was nothing like them.
Not even remotely. He was approachable. Easy to talk to. Genuinely decent.
The realization filled her with quiet relief.
But still, she wanted to make proper amends. To compensate him, somehow, for everything he had endured.
She looked up at him with a bright smile.
"Well then! If everything is settled between us, allow me to take you on a tour of our village."
Luca blinked. "You want to...show me around?"
"Of course! We should have done this yesterday. You are an honored guest, after all. But instead—"
Her expression soured with self-recrimination.
"—we kept you trapped here, battling us over and over without respite. We didn’t let you see anything. We didn’t show you any hospitality whatsoever."
She shook her head firmly.
"I cannot allow that to stand! That is why I will personally escort you through our village today!"
Luca’s eyes lit up with genuine excitement.
But then a thought struck him, and his enthusiasm dimmed.
"What about the other centaurs? After what happened yesterday..."
He thought of the younger warriors and their murderous glares.
"They might try to charge at me with their swords the moment they see me."
Sigrid offered a confident, dismissive wave.
"Do not worry, Sir Luca. They were merely hot-blooded and confused by the outcome. I shall handle anyone who dares raise a blade against our guest. You have my word!"
"Well." Luca chuckled. "If the Commander insists, I’d be honored."
He was truly eager now. Ever since he had arrived here, he had been confined to these highlands and hadn’t seen anything else.
He had no idea what the centaurs actual village looked like? What kind of houses they lived in? What their culture was like?
He knew every race had their own heritage—just as the elves had their treehouses, the centaurs must have something uniquely their own.
He wanted to explore it all.
But as he took a step forward, ready to follow her, he noticed something strange.
Sigrid hadn’t gotten up.
She was still seated before him, looking up with an expression of clear anticipation.
"What’s wrong, Sigrid? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Get on, Sir Luca."
Luca blinked. "Get on...what, exactly?"
"Of course..."
She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if the answer should have been obvious.
"...Get on my back."