Saving The Monster Race Starts With Breeding The Elf Village

After a couple of minutes of Luca gently patting her back, pressing soft kisses to the top of her head, and whispering sweet, reassuring things right against her ear—Leona finally managed to calm herself down.

But then she realized what she had done. She had been crying into his shirt like a child, leaving wet patches on the fabric.

Luca was also looking at her with that gentle, ambiguous gaze that made her face turned bright red in embarrassment.

”Ah—! I—I don’t know what came over me.”

She stammered, waving her hands awkwardly in front of her face as if trying to erase the moment.

”It’s nothing, really! Just...dust in my eyes or—or the wind or something. I’m fine! Completely fine!”

It was obvious the excuse wasn’t working at all, but Luca decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he reached for the bags he had brought back and held one open for her.

”Look, I got everything we need.” He said softly, changing the subject with a warm smile.

The moment Leona peered inside and saw the bundles of colorful microfleece, her entire face lit up. She reached in and touched the fabrics with reverent fingers.

They were impossibly soft—thinner and lighter than anything she had ever felt before, yet they still held a gentle warmth.

She quickly pulled out a piece and pressed it against her ear. Her sensitive ears barely registered any texture at all; it felt like a warm, weightless cloud against her skin.

”Oh...Oh my goodness...”

She whispered, voice full of wonder. Then she jumped up in pure joy, clutching the fabric to her chest like a precious treasure.

”This is perfect! It’s exactly what I needed! It’s so soft I can barely feel it, but it still warms my ear beautifully! Luca, you really did it—you found the perfect fabric!”

She threw her arms around him in a big, grateful hug, squeezing tight.

”Thank you...Thank you so much!”

After the hug, both of quickly got down to business and were currently back on the grass.

Luca sat cross-legged while Leona settled herself right on top of his lap, surrounded by bundles of colorful microfleece, scissors, stitching tools, and stacks of small paper letters she had already prepared.

They were about to start making the earmuffs together.

Luca shifted slightly. ”Leona...maybe you should sit beside me? It might be easier to work—”

But Leona immediately shook her head, looking like she was on the verge of tears again.

”No! This is the perfect position to teach you how to do it.” She insisted, voice stubborn but soft. ”I can see everything clearly from here, and...and I can help guide your hands better. So stay like this.”

”...Please?”

Luca didn’t mind at all. Ever since he had returned through the portal, Leona had been incredibly clingy—always holding some part of him, whether it was his hand, the edge of his shirt, or pressing her body against his.

She seemed to need constant contact, like a very clingy girlfriend who couldn’t bear even an inch of distance.

It was rather cute and adorable, so he simply smiled and let her stay exactly where she was.

Leona picked up a piece of fabric and a pair of scissors, suddenly very focused.

”Okay, pay attention, Luca.” She said seriously. ”I’ll only show you this one time, so you need to watch every single detail.”

She carefully cut the fabric into the precise shape needed, then folded it into a neat cone that perfectly matched the curve of an elf’s ear, almost like she was doing origami with cloth.

Once the shape was right, she took needle and thread and stitched it up with quick, practiced movements, showing decent skill even in this craft.

”Ta-da!” She announced proudly, holding up the finished earmuff. ”See? In less than a minute, I made something like this. I’m so great, aren’t I?”

”Of course.” She continued, her tone becoming slightly condescending. ”You probably won’t be able to learn such a complicated creation with just one viewing.”

”But don’t worry. I’m a very patient teacher. I’ll show you a few more times until you—”

”Ah, there’s no need.”

She blinked. ”What?”

”I’ve already learned it.”

Luca held up his own completed earmuff. It was identical to hers—same shape, same size, same stitching pattern.

Except his was neater. The edges were cleaner, the stitches more even, the fabric perfectly aligned.

Hers looked like something made by an enthusiastic amateur.

His looked like it came from a master craftsman.

Leona stared at his earmuff. Then at hers. Then back at his.

”How?” Her voice cracked. ”How are you so good at everything!?”

She started banging her head against his chest, not hard, but with enough force to express her indignation.

”You’re supposed to be a Hero! Strong and fast and good at fighting! Why are you also good at girly things like making clothes?!”

Luca caught her head gently, stilling her movements.

”Who says a Hero has to be a brute?” He smiled, self-satisfied. ”I’m a cultured man. I dabble in everything. Jack of all trades, master of—well, apparently also master of earmuff-making.”

Leona grumbled, her pout so pronounced it was almost comical.

”That makes me so angry! I’m very competitive, you know. I thought I could finally hold something over you. But it seems like I can’t beat you at anything.”

Luca’s expression softened. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

”Actually.” He said. ”There is one thing you can definitely beat me at.”

She looked up, eyes bright with curiosity. ”What? What is it?”

”If there were a competition for appearance—for who looks more beautiful—you would win without question.”

He gazed at her, letting the words settle.

”I have absolutely no chance against someone as pretty as you.”

Her face went red. Her ears fluttered like startled butterflies. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again.

”You—I—” She looked away, her voice coming out in a flustered mumble. ”Luca, you idiot.”

But she was smiling. She was also wriggling her bottom on his lap, a small, unconscious motion that she probably didn’t even realize she was doing.

If anyone had walked past them right now, they would have gagged. They looked like the most obnoxious, lovey-dovey couple imaginable—all stolen glances and blushing cheeks and barely contained affection.

Leona caught herself and forced her expression into something stern.

”No more flirting around, Luca!” She declared. ”Now that we’ve got all the materials we need, we have to supply everyone in the village with a pair of earmuffs.”

”It’s going to be hard—our hands are going to definitely hurt—but the end goal will be worth it.”

She looked back at him with determination shining in her eyes.

”Are you with me, soldier?”

Luca playfully saluted. ”Yes, ma’am! I’m with you all the way to the end!”

Leona looked very satisfied. She opened her pouch and pulled out a long piece of paper covered in neat handwriting.

”I will start from the upper half of the list and you’ll start from the bottom.” She said, handing him his section. ”We’ll make our way through the entire list so that everyone receives an earmuff.”

Luca glanced at the paper and he was confused.

It listed the names of every single elf in the village—young and old, more than a hundred of them—along with a bunch of numbers by their side.

He didn’t understand at first but then realised what those numbers signified.

”Wait, Leona...don’t tell me this is the measurement of every single elf here in the village?” He asked, stunned.

Leona proudly lifted the list high.

”Of course it is, Luca! You think I wouldn’t think of something as simple as this?”

”After all, every elf out there has a different set of ears.” She explained. ”They may all look long and elegant, but everyone has a certain length and bend. We can’t just make the same earmuffs for everyone—that would be uncomfortable.”

”So I went around snooping through the village a while back and took measurements of everyone’s ears. Through all of my research, I finally managed to make this.”

She held the list up like a treasured possession.

Luca stared at her.

This woman. This impossible, incredible woman. He already knew she was kind, that she spent her life secretly helping others, that she bore the burden of her village alone.

But this was beyond kindness. This was obsession.

Love, poured into every detail, every measurement, every stitch.

She had taken personal measurements of every single person in the village. For their comfort. So they could be warm at night without suffering.

Unable to hold back, he grabbed her waist and started planting soft kisses all over her sensitive ears.

Leona jerked in his embrace, surprised and flustered.

”W-What are you doing, Luca?! Why are you kissing me all of a sudden?”

Luca pulled back with a gentle smile.

”I just thought you’ve been doing so many things for the village without any compensation at all. So I thought I would compensate you on their behalf and give you a bunch of kisses.”

He leaned in and kissed her ears again, making her giggle and squirm from the ticklish sensation.

Leona pouted, trying to sound angry even as she smiled.

”If you’re going to give me compensation, then give me something important and valuable. I would much rather prefer that.”

She said it as a joke—but Luca actually agreed.

”Sure. I raided a bunch of treasuries when I was on the human continent and I have a whole lot of things if you want.”

He lifted his hand as if ready to summon a portal and dump everything out.

But Leona quickly shook her head, waving her hands.

”No, no, no! I was just joking! I-I don’t want that!”

Then, in a very shy and timid voice that was barely audible, she added,

”I would much rather prefer kisses from you instead...”

Luca was surprised—Luna had said something very similar once. Like mother, like daughter, it seemed.

Leona noticed his expression and immediately thrust a bundle of fabric into his hands to distract herself.

”Stop staring, Luca! Get to work already! I want this to be done by tonight, so no more dilly-dallying around. Let’s get to work!”

Luca simply shook his head with a fond smile and started working on the earmuffs.

But even though Leona had said she wanted everything finished tonight, she honestly didn’t think it was possible—they had to create over two hundred of them. She thought it would take at least a day or two.

But to her utter shock, Luca was like a magician with his hands.

They moved so incredibly fast that every ten seconds he was producing another perfect earmuff, each one in exceptional quality.

Leona was stunned, but she refused to be outdone.

She worked quickly too, and together—side by side—they joined forces and in about half an hour, they had a massive stack of finished earmuffs in a basket.

Leona had already placed each pair into the personalized paper letters she had prepared, writing every single elf’s name on the front so nothing would get mixed up.

Now everything was done. All they had to do was deliver them!

Leona felt extremely happy, like a shopkeeper who had just sold out her entire stock of goods. But then a contemplative look crossed her face.

”Now we just need to deliver them.” She frowned. ”But how are we going to do that? Go to every house individually? Leave them on doorsteps? That would take forever.”

Luca waved his hand dismissively. ”No need for that. I have a simpler method.”

He stood, pulling her up with him, and walked to a nearby tree. Then he raised his foot and kicked it.

Once. Twice. Three times.

The tree shook violently, leaves raining down around them.

Leona realised what she was doing and she wanted to help out as well. So, she ran over and started kicking too.

They kicked together, a ridiculous pair—the Hero and the Matriarch, abusing a poor tree in the middle of the night.

The tree shuddered, creaked, and shed more leaves.

Finally, from the village, shouts rose.

”Look! The forest spirit is back!”

”At this hour?! What is she doing?”

”I don’t know, but let’s go see!”

”Someone wake the children! They won’t want to miss this!”

Footsteps. Many footsteps. Coming their way.

Luca grabbed the basket of earmuffs, set it in the middle of the clearing, and swept Leona into his arms. He leaped into the nearest tree, landing silently on a high branch, hidden by leaves.

The moment Luca and Leona vanished into the branches and hid among the thick leaves, a burst of elves exploded out through the bushes below, panting and shouting with wild excitement.

”Where?! Where is she?! We can’t let her get away this time!” One elf cried, spinning in a frantic circle.

Another scanned the clearing desperately.

”She was right here! I swear I saw the tree shaking! The Spirit of the Forest must still be close!”

They spread out, peering into every shadow and behind every trunk, calling out in hopeful voices.

”Dammit...she escaped once again!” One groaned after a full minute of fruitless searching. ”How is she so fast?!”

”Well, she is the spirit of the forest after all. We can’t even begin to fathom her abilities.”

”But why exactly did she appear here right now?” Someone asked, still catching their breath. ”I don’t think anything as changed over and tree has been taken away.”

Just then, a younger elf near the center of the clearing gasped and pointed,

”Look! Look! There’s a basket over there! A basket full of letters!”