Saving The Monster Race Starts With Breeding The Elf Village

Just as Sigrid was lost in her own tangled thoughts, Luca’s voice cut through the haze of her introspection.

”What about me, Sigrid?”

She blinked, startled. ”Pardon?”

”I mean, what about me? You heard what I said earlier—I think you’re fundamentally different from all the other centaurs, and certainly from regular horses.”

He pointed at himself, his expression curious and open.

”But do you think I’m different from all the other humans in this world? Not just because I’m the Hero, or because I dropped in from another dimension...but as a person?”

Luca couldn’t quite get a clear picture of how she truly viewed him.

On one hand, she treated him with deep, rigid knightly respect, but on the other, there was a lingering, cautious wariness in her gaze.

And occasionally, a deeply strange look that left him completely baffled. He wanted to know where he actually stood with her.

She considered the question carefully, muttering under her breath.

”What do I think of you...what do I think of you...”

Then, unbidden, the memory of that gossiping centaur’s words surfaced in her mind.

Husband.

Mate.

The one man closest to you.

Heat flooded her cheeks, and she shook her head violently as though physically trying to dislodge the thought.

’No. Not now. Focus.’

She took a steadying breath and finally looked back at him with a thoughtful expression.

”I actually do believe you are quite different from other humans.”

Luca’s face brightened with visible pleasure at the positive feedback.

”You see, in the past, when I was younger...”

Sigrid continued, her voice taking on a reflective quality.

”The elders would always warn us about humans. They described them as abhorrent monsters who lived according to their seven desires. Because of those desires, they could never achieve a peaceful, tranquil existence. They would always sow chaos wherever they went.”

”You mean the seven deadly sins?”

”Precisely.” She nodded. ”Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. I was taught that humans were defined entirely by those seven emotions. That without them, a human was not truly human at all.”

Her expression sharpened as she studied him.

”But you...you don’t seem to possess those emotions at all.”

Luca raised an eyebrow. ”Is that so?”

She began counting on her fingers.

”Let us begin with wrath. I can strike that out immediately. Yesterday, despite being challenged repeatedly and being placed in uncomfortable positions, you never displayed genuine anger. Not once.”

She paused, considering.

”You had moments of frustration, certainly. Small outbursts here and there. But those weren’t real anger. Anyone watching could see that.”

Luca smirked. ”What about the wrath I displayed against the human armies? Surely you’ve heard about the number of soldiers I’ve killed.”

Sigrid remembered. Of course she remembered.

The reports had been impossible to ignore—over ten thousand humans dead.

The number alone was staggering, the kind of figure that would haunt her nightmares for years to come.

The thought of so many bodies piled before her was terrifying to contemplate.

But she shook her head firmly. ”No. That doesn’t count.”

Luca faltered. ”It doesn’t?”

”That wasn’t wrath on your behalf. That was wrath on behalf of the demi-human races. You were acting for the greater good.”

She met his gaze steadily.

”It wasn’t personal. You were simply purging the continent of evildoers. That cannot truly be considered wrath because it came from a place of necessity, not emotion.”

Luca studied her with renewed interest.

There was something fascinating about Sigrid—the way she could be so impossibly stubborn about certain things, so rigid in her principles that she seemed almost foolish.

And yet simultaneously possess such keen insight. She had a deep understanding of situations that most people would miss entirely.

She was, he realized, far more intelligent than she appeared.

Oblivious to his analysis, Sigrid pressed on.

”As for envy—the desire for what belongs to others—well, I don’t even need to consider that.”

She let out a sarcastic chuckle.

”You’re someone who has likely experienced everything the world has to offer, given how powerful you are. Even if you wanted something, the thought of envying another wouldn’t enter your mind.”

”You would simply take it. That’s all there is to it.”

She shook her head with a wry smile.

”If anything, others envy you and your power. You have no reason to envy anyone.”

”And gluttony?” Luca asked, genuinely curious now.

She scoffed. ”Gluttony shouldn’t even be considered. When I imagine someone consumed by gluttony, I picture someone fat. Plump. Obviously overindulging in food and drink.”

”But you—”

Her eyes swept over him before she could stop herself.

His forearms, visible below his rolled sleeves, were corded with muscle. His chest, partially visible through the gap in his shirt, was solid and well-defined.

Even now, she could feel his thighs pressing against her sides—thighs that felt like stone, unyielding and powerful.

Her face grew slightly warm, and she quickly looked away.

”Y-You obviously aren’t gluttonous! Instead you seem fit—more than fit, actually. You’re in peak physical condition!”

”So I don’t think I could consider you a gluttonous person, not by any stretch of the imagination.”

Luca chuckled, and there was a knowing glint in his eye that made Sigrid suspect he had noticed exactly where her gaze had wandered. But mercifully, he didn’t call her out on it.

”What about sloth?” He asked instead. ”I can be quite slothful at times, you know. Just this morning, my wife Luna had to drag me out of bed while I was perfectly content to sleep the entire day away. I was grumbling and complaining the whole time.”

”That definitely counts as slothful behavior, doesn’t it?”

To his surprise, Sigrid scoffed even more loudly than before.

”Absolutely not, Sir Luca! Sloth is the last thing you can possibly be accused of!”

”Really?” Luca blinked, surprised by her defensive tone.

”Yes! After all, I know what you did during the peace conference!” Sigrid declared proudly, as if presenting evidence in a high court.

”You organized an entire grand spectacle—a ’concert’, as you called it—complete with music, choreography, light shows, and custom attire for the performers!”

”The elders whispered that you personally orchestrated every single detail just to build friendly relations between our races! A slothful man would never put himself through such immense labor for the happiness of others.”

She continued, her voice gaining momentum.

”And there’s also your vitality to consider. It simply never stops. I witnessed it yesterday myself—even in your mortal form, you were so active, so full of life, that an entire brigade couldn’t wear you down.”

She fixed him with a firm gaze.

”So no. Sloth is the last thing you can possibly be.”

”And...” She suddenly added. ”A prideful person would also never allow the disrespect yesterday. So strike that from the list as well.”

Luca preened slightly at the praise. ”So I’m free of all seven sins? That’s quite the endorsement.”

But Sigrid’s expression shifted, becoming more pointed.

”Actually...I was about to say that you do seem quite greedy.”

Luca’s cheerful smile instantly froze. A deeply guilty, awkward look washed over his face.

”Uh...greedy?”

”Indeed.” Sigrid said, turning her head to give him an intense, piercing look. ”Even the most self-indulgent kings in history kept a modest harem—a wife on the right hand, a mistress on the left.”

”But you? You have claimed an entire village of female elves for yourself!”

She waved her hand dramatically toward the distant forest.

”Every single woman in that settlement belongs to you! Wherever you turn your head, there is another gorgeous wife waiting!”

”If claiming an entire sub-race for yourself isn’t the ultimate expression of Greed, I do not know what is!”

Luca opened his mouth to defend himself, but no words came out. He just rubbed his nose, looking utterly caught.

Before he could sink into shame, Sigrid let out a soft, gentle chuckle, her sharp gaze softening.

”Though...I suppose I must be fair. I know you did not force yourself upon a single one of them. It was the elves who threw themselves at you, and you merely...went with the flow rather than rejecting their hearts.”

”So perhaps ’Greed’ is the wrong word.”

Luca let out a massive sigh of relief.

”Besides.” Sigrid added playfully. ”Managing a harem of that scale must be an exhausting effort. Yet when I visited the elf village, every single woman looked radiantly happy, cherished, and deeply fulfilled.”

”If everyone involved is genuinely happy...it can hardly be called a sin.”

”Thank the Goddess!” Luca burst out, dropping his head onto her shoulder, leaning his weight against her with a dramatic groan. ”Thank the Goddess someone finally understands me!”

”Everyone thinks having a massive harem is some glorious, easy fantasy! They envy me! They have no idea how hard it is to satisfy a village full of needy elves who demand your attention twenty-four hours a day! ”

”igrid, you’re a saint for recognizing my struggle!”

Sigrid felt the warmth of his chest pressing against her shoulder blade, his breath tickling her neck.

Her heart did a strange little flutter, but she maintained her composure, chuckling softly.

”Tell me then, Sir Luca...if you could reduce the number of your wives to make your life easier...would you do it?”

”ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

Sigrid was startled by his sudden shift.

”Every single one of them is my beloved wife!” Luca declared passionately, slamming a fist against his chest.

”I love every single one of them with all my heart, along with every child we make! I will never abandon a single one, no matter how exhausting it gets!”

Sigrid stared at him for a long moment before offering a soft, deeply admiring smile.

”It is just as I thought. How can a man be called greedy when he possesses the infinite capacity to love, cherish, and protect every single soul he takes in? So...I strike off greed as well.”

She met his gaze with a look of genuine recognition.

”Overall, you really are different from other humans, Sir Luca. You don’t allow those emotions to pull you apart or drag you toward darkness. Despite possessing overwhelming power, you live a remarkably humble life.”

”I cannot consider you the same as other humans at all.”

Luca celebrated inwardly. He had received an excellent evaluation from Sigrid—far better than he had anticipated.

This was very good news for their relationship moving forward.

But then Sigrid’s eyes narrowed, and her lips curled into a frown.

”Of course, there is one sin where I cannot say you differ from other humans. In fact, I would argue that this particular sin of yours exceeds that of any ordinary human.”

Luca’s eyebrow twitched. ”And what exactly would that be?”

”It is lust, of course.”

The matter-of-fact reply left him momentarily speechless.

”I’m going to say this quite directly, Sir Luca, so that you don’t doubt my meaning.” Sigrid’s tone became stern, almost scolding. ”You are likely the most lustful human to ever exist!”

Luca sputtered. ”That’s—that’s not fair—”

”You single-handedly impregnated an entire village of elves! How could anyone look at that achievement and call you anything but an avatar of Lust?!”

”WOAH, HEY! THAT IS NOT FAIR!”

Luca yelled, waving his hands defensively, his face turning bright red.

”They literally begged me to do it! They cornered me! If anyone is lustful here, it’s those horny elves back at the village! They turned into complete succubi! You can’t put that all on me!”

”That’s exactly the point!” She said, her voice carrying the calm confidence of a prosecutor who had backed their defendant into a corner.

”Elves are supposed to be noble, dignified creatures. Untainted by anything dirty or base.”

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze intensifying.

”But then you arrived. And in the span of just a few months, they completely changed and became the most lustful creatures on the continent—even surpassing succubi in their appetites, from what I’ve heard!”

”That was your influence!” She pointed at him, her finger aimed directly at his chest. ”Your own lustfulness infected them, corrupted them, transformed their very nature!”

”It spread through the entire village like a contagion until there wasn’t a single elf left who hadn’t been affected!”

She leaned back, crossing her arms with an air of finality.

”That just shows how lustful of a person you actually are. You don’t just act on your own desires—you radiate lust. You project it. You transform everyone around you until they match your own...inclinations.”

Luca felt as if he were standing in a courtroom, and Sigrid was the prosecuting attorney delivering her closing statement.

He didn’t know what to say. How could he possibly defend himself against such a well-argued case?!