Normally, the sight of someone crying was something sad and pitiful, something that pulled at your heartstrings and made you want to comfort them.

That was exactly what the elves had felt for Luca at first.

They had no idea who that flower woman was, or where those voices came from, or how any of it was possible.

They were confused and bewildered.

But their concern for Luca overrode everything else.

That’s why they had surged forward, enveloping him in a massive group hug, determined to smother his sorrow with their warmth.

But then they actually looked at him.

And something changed.

This was the Hero. The man sent by the Goddess herself. Someone so powerful that the entire human continent trembled at his name.

He was practically a God playing at being mortal, always confident, always in control, always untouchable.

And yet here he was crying. Sobbing like a child. Completely vulnerable, completely broken, completely open.

The contrast was intoxicating.

Their hearts ached uncontrollably, but they also raced. Because in that moment, he wasn’t the untouchable Hero anymore.

He was just a man. A man who was hurting, who needed comfort, who was showing them a side of himself that no one else had ever seen.

And he looked so cute. So adorable. Their inner mother instincts kicked in like a tidal wave, and suddenly they weren’t looking at the warrior anymore...

....they were looking at a child who needed to be held, coddled, and spoiled until he felt better.

They wanted to cherish him. They wanted to make him smile.

They wanted to wrap him in blankets and feed him soup and tell him everything was going to be okay.

So they hugged him. They pressed against him.

They whispered soft, soothing words into his ears.

They ran their fingers through his hair and stroked his back and held him close.

Of course, with over fifty women all trying to comfort one man, things got...competitive.

"You’ve been hugging him for too long!"

"No, you have! I barely got a turn!"

"Move over! It’s my chance now!"

"Someone just bit me!"

"That was an accident!"

"No, it wasn’t! I saw your teeth!"

Leona, Lulu, Luna, and Nyx, who had been hugging Luca first were unceremoniously shoved aside by the mob.

"Hey!" Lulu protested, stumbling backward. "We were here first!"

"The Hero needs all of us!" An elf shot back, not even looking at her. "Not just you four!"

"We love him too!"

"We’ve been waiting for this moment!"

And so the battle for Luca continued. He was passed from arms to arms, hugged and coddled and cooed over, his face pressed against breasts and stomachs and shoulders.

Every time he tried to lift his head, he found himself staring at something that way too intimate.

This went on for several minutes.

And Lulu, having been banished from the inner circle, was preparing to fight her way back in when suddenly—

"Kyaa—!"

One of the hugging elves leaped backward, clutching her breast with both hands.

Her face was flushed, her eyes wide.

"Something bit me!" She exclaimed. "Right on my nipple!"

Everyone stared at her in confusion. But before anyone could respond, another elf jumped back with a similar yelp.

"My—my breasts were just licked!"

Another elf staggered away, her hand pressed between her legs.

"My pussy! Something slid inside my vagina!"

A fourth whirled around, grabbing her backside.

"My asshole! Someone stuck a finger in my asshole!"

Soon, elves were scattering in every direction, covering their bodies with flustered cries.

"Ah! My pussy!"

"My breasts!"

"My butt!"

"Someone licked me over there!"

"No, don’t do that!"

Within moments, all the elves had retreated, creating a wide circle around Luca.

And as they did, he emerged from the center of their huddle like a flower finally blooming after a long winter.

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with the effort of drawing air, completely drenched in perspiration. His hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and his eyes were wild.

"Finally." He gasped, panting hard. "Finally, I can breathe."

All the elves stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

Luca held up his hands, a guilty smile spreading across his face.

"I’m sorry about that, everyone. The one who was...well, exploring your bodies just now...that was me."

An even deeper flush swept across the elves’ faces as they realized what had happened.

"But you really can’t blame me." He continued, his tone light and teasing. "Every single one of you was bombarding me from all sides."

"I raised my head, and I was stuffed by a pair of breasts. I looked down, and a pair of pussy lips were pressed against my nose."

He gestured vaguely around his wet nose.

"I turned to the right, and I was sandwiched between two butt cheeks. I turned to the left, and there was a thatch of pubic hair in my mouth."

"No matter where I went, I was being smothered. I had no choice but to use some sneaky tricks to escape."

The elves squirmed. Some looked away, embarrassed. Others bit their lips, trying not to smile.

Because the truth was, they hadn’t been entirely innocent either.

Seeing Luca cry had stirred something in them, something more primal.

The sight of the powerful hero weeping had awakened a strange, thrilling excitement.

They had pressed against him longer than necessary, rubbed their bodies against his, enjoyed the feel of his skin against theirs.

They had been taking advantage just as much as he had.

But before anyone could dwell on that awkward realization, another, more important realization dawned.

Luca had stopped crying.

He wasn’t the same man who had been weeping on the ground moments ago.

The despair had vanished from his eyes. The darkness had lifted.

He looked...renewed. Reborn.

He looked like the Luca they knew. The confident, powerful, slightly mischievous hero who had stolen their hearts.

But somehow, even more than that.

As if he had discovered something new to fight for, something worth every struggle, every pain, every sacrifice.

Seeing this, Nyx stepped forward, Leona, Luna, and Lulu close behind her.

She reached up and gently caressed his cheek.

"Are you alright, Hero?" She asked softly. "You seemed to be struggling just a moment ago."

"Yes, Luca." Luna nodded, her brow furrowed with concern. "Don’t hesitate to say if something’s wrong. We’ll do whatever it takes to help you."

"Exactly!" Lulu bounced on her heels. "And if you want to cry more, I’ll even give you some of my chickens to use as tissues!"

"Their feathers are really good at absorbing tears!"

Leona stepped closer, her arms half-open.

"Do you need another hug? I can give you as many hugs as you want."

Other elves joined in, their voices overlapping with concern and affection.

"Are you okay, Hero?"

"Please tell us if you need anything!"

"We’re always here for you!"

Luca looked around at all of them—these beautiful, naked women who had bared their souls and bodies for him.

Who had waited for him, believed in him, loved him.

His smile widened, warm and genuine before he reached out and patted Nyx’s head, much to her flustered surprise.

"Thank you for asking, everyone." He said. "And as for how I’m feeling right now...I’m perfectly fine. There’s nothing to worry about."

He let out a long, slow breath.

"To be honest, just a moment ago, I was at the edge of despair. I was going to give up. I was going to tell all of you that I couldn’t do what you were asking."

He paused, his expression somber. "I was going to let every single one of you down and abandon my responsibilities as your Hero."

The elves’ faces fell. Nyx’s heart sank. So her plan had failed after all. He was going to reject them.

But then Luca’s expression brightened.

"But then...that miracle happened."

He looked down at the flower petals still scattered around his feet.

"And even though I can’t explain what I saw—it would take too long, and it’s a story from long, long ago—I can say that after hearing those words, after hearing those voices...I changed my mind."

A ripple of gasps swept through the crowd. Hope flickered back to life in every eye.

Nyx grabbed his shirt, her fingers clutching the fabric.

"Do you mean—do you mean—?"

"Yes." He said firmly. "I’ve made my decision."

The entire crowd held their breath.

"I’ll do it."

Gasps spread everywhere.

"As you wished..." Luca continued. "...I’ll become the father of this village."

For one second—

Nobody moved.

Then the entire village exploded.

"We...did it?!"

"HE AGREED?!"

"THE HERO AGREED!"

Lulu literally jumped into the air screaming.

Luna grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently.

"We’re saved! We’re actually saved!"

Leona covered her mouth while tears filled her eyes.

Nyx looked moments away from passing out from happiness.

Meanwhile, Luca glanced down at his trembling hands.

"They’re still shaking." He admitted quietly. "And honestly...I’m still terrified."

The celebration slowed slightly.

"The thought of having children still scares me more than almost anything else."

His expression twisted painfully for a moment.

"There are memories tied to it that I still can’t handle properly."

But then he clenched his fists.

"But being afraid doesn’t mean I can stop moving forward."

The petals around his feet shifted gently in the wind.

"I promised her I’d keep running."

His voice grew stronger.

"So even if this terrifies me...even if I stumble...even if I panic..."

He looked directly at them.

"I won’t run away."

The elves stared at him with shining eyes.

"And just like you wanted..." Luca said with determination. "...I’ll make sure every single one of you has the chance to bear my children."

"And not only that..."

Luca added smugly.

"...I’ll breed you all so much, that this village is probably going to suffer from overpopulation."

The village erupted even louder than before.

"We did it!"

"I thought it was impossible! I thought I would never have a child!"

"I’M GOING TO BE A MOTHER!"

A young elf named Letty grabbed her best friend Dalia and spun her around, their breasts bouncing, their laughter echoing across the square.

"We’re going to have babies! Real babies! Little ones with pointy ears and—and—"

"And the Hero’s eyes!" Dalai finished, giggling uncontrollably. "Oh, can you imagine? Little black eyes like his?"

—

Another elf, clasped her hands over her belly, her expression dreamy.

"I’ve already decided. If it’s a girl, I’ll name her after my mother. If it’s a boy..." She blushed. "Maybe Lucan. After the Hero."

"Lucan?" Her friend teased. "That’s just Luca with an ’n’ at the end!"

"It’s distinguished!"

"It’s unoriginal!"

—

One elf grabbed another’s shoulders in panic.

"WAIT, WHAT IF MY CHILD INHERITS THE HERO’S STRENGTH?!"

Another gasped.

"What if they inherit his appetite too?!"

"We’ll go bankrupt feeding them!"

An older elf started crying happily.

"I thought I’d never get to see children running through this village again..."

Another held her stomach with watery eyes.

"I wonder what my baby will call me first..."

"Mama."

"No, obviously it’ll be ’mother.’"

"No child says ’mother’ first."

A nearby elf raised her hand proudly.

"My future child will say ’fried chicken’ first."

—

Lulu bounced over to Luna, her eyes sparkling.

"Luna! Luna! When we have babies, can they play together? Like, all the time? We can build them a little playground and they can chase each other and we can make them matching outfits!"

Luna laughed, pulling her sister into a hug.

"Of course, Lulu. Our children will grow up together. Just like we did."

"Well, maybe not exactly like we did." Luna quickly added, pulling back with a thoughtful expression.

"Hopefully with less screaming and hair-pulling."

"You pulled my hair back then!" Lulu retorted.

"Only because you stole my doll!"

"You broke its arm!"

"It was AN ACCIDENT!"

They glared at each other for a moment—and then burst into laughter, hugging again.

—

Nearby, Nyx poked Leona’s belly with a teasing finger.

"You’re going to get fat, sister. This beautiful figure of yours is going to become much more...curvaceous."

Leona swatted her hand away, but she was smiling.

"I don’t care. No matter what I look like, I’m sure Luca will still love me."

She looked at her sister with a smirk.

"Besides, you should be the one worrying. I’ve been through pregnancy before. I’ve given birth to twins. I know all the struggles."

She leaned closer. "But you? You have no idea what you’re in for."

Nyx didn’t flinch. She just looked at her sister with a tender gaze.

"I’m not worried, Leona. After all, I have my dear sister by my side."

She pulled Leona into a hug.

"With you, how could I possibly be afraid of anything?"

Leona hugged her back, her eyes wet, her heart full.

The celebration continued, a whirlwind of joy and laughter and hope.

Elves laughed.

Cried.

Talked excitedly about future children.

About homes.

About names.

About their children’s future.

And through it all—

Luca quietly looked down at the flower petals in his hands.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"I won’t stop, Azu..."

His fingers gently tightened around the petals.

"I’ll keep running."

His eyes glowed softly with renewed purpose.

"All the way until the very end."