Chapter 372: Warm return

Thanks to his special eyes and exceptional memory, Luke remembered the exact locations of every trap he had planted.

That was why he first went around disabling and removing them, including the killing bot, before storing everything in his inventory. He deliberately left a few traps in place, however, choosing ones that could not be triggered accidentally, just in case something unexpected happened.

Once he was done, he returned to the entrance and took a deep breath.

He pushed the door open, only for his instincts to immediately scream at him to back away. Three figures stood inside, each of them poised to pounce the moment he stepped through.

Dart stood on the left, his short club gripped tightly in one hand. In the middle was Lex, who looked slightly fatigued but still held his dagger at the ready. On the right stood Laila, clutching her blade with an eagerness that suggested she would not mind seeing blood.

However, the moment the light fell upon Luke and revealed his face, all three of them seemed to relax at once.

"It’s me, guys. We’re safe now," Luke said, slowly stepping inside.

Laila was the first to react. She immediately sheathed her knife and rushed forward, throwing her arms around him.

Luke effortlessly pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"Sorry for making you wait. I had to stay outside to make sure everything was taken care of."

He had been away for almost two hours.

Under normal circumstances, that was hardly an unreasonable amount of time for him to spend outside. Tonight, however, was different. His family knew that anything could happen, and every passing minute without word from him would have only deepened their unease.

They must have heard the explosion, the cries that followed, and then the sudden, unnerving silence that descended afterward.

Luke had dreaded the possibility of someone rushing out of the house to investigate, only to accidentally trigger one of the traps he had scattered around the area.

Fortunately, they had been patient enough to stay inside. That did not mean the ordeal had left them unaffected.

"*Sniff* It was difficult staying here... Mother collapsed twice," Laila informed him through her sobs.

Luke’s expression tightened with concern, but rather than immediately rushing toward Monica, he focused on reassuring Laila first.

"I am fine, I promise. They couldn’t harm me much. And now, they’re gone."

Dart stepped forward, his expression still carrying a trace of disbelief.

"You said there were hundreds of them. Then... what exactly happened? Did we settle on some kind of compromise?"

Luke gave him a wry smile.

He couldn’t lie to them, not when there was little chance of keeping the truth hidden for long. By tomorrow, they would almost certainly hear about what had happened from someone else.

The villagers might have witnessed the chaos from the safety of their homes, and the guards who had been present would have families of their own. There was no doubt the details would spread quickly once they began talking about what they had seen.

Things like these never remain hidden for long. Knowing that, Luke simply told Dart, "They were dealt with. Don’t worry. They won’t trouble us anymore."

His voice grew slightly heavier as he added, "We lost a few warriors from our side and... Baldon died too."

"!!!"

Dart’s eyes widened, while Lex visibly flinched at the news.

Luke gave them a moment to process it before continuing.

"For tonight, stay here if you want, Dart. And Lex..." He met his brother’s eyes. "...go back to sleep."

Lex clicked his tongue. "We’ll talk about this... my situation... tomorrow. Don’t you dare run away."

Luke shook his head with a faint smile. He was undoubtedly going to receive an earful from his father as well. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to regret what he had done.

Not long afterward, Luke entered the room with Laila by his side.

The moment he stepped inside, his gaze settled on Monica, who was seated on the bed. Her face was pale, her eyes swollen and puffy from crying. It was obvious that she had spent much of the past two hours in tears.

Luke’s world seemed to narrow around her.

He slowly walked closer, unable to look anywhere else.

Dalia, Ginna, and Nadia quietly stepped aside, giving them the space they needed as Luke finally sat down on the edge of the bed.

They remained that way for several moments, simply looking at each other, neither needing to say anything. Eventually, Luke gently pulled his beloved into his arms and held her close.

Her shoulders trembled as she clutched the fabric of his shirt, her voice breaking between sobs.

"It’s difficult... Even knowing that you can protect yourself... it’s still difficult," she whispered.

Luke sighed softly and rubbed her back in slow, comforting strokes.

"I understand, and it’s okay to be worried, Monica. But, just as I promised, I’m back here with you, safe and sound."

She lifted her head to look at him and shook it slowly.

"You can fool anyone but me."

Luke could only give her a wry smile before gently pulling her face back against his chest. Nothing escaped her senses, but he would rather save that conversation for later.

His gaze eventually drifted across the room, where he noticed Ginna watching them. Her eyes were red as well.

When Ginna caught him looking, she gave a small, apologetic smile.

"Sorry. You gave me the role of comforting Monica and the others, yet I was no better than everyone else."

Luke shook his head with a smile.

"That doesn’t matter. Your presence alone here is reassuring enough."

He then glanced toward Nadia and Dalia, both of whom wore faint smiles.

Nadia had somehow managed to keep her emotions under control, but with Luke standing here, right before her eyes, it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to hold back her tears.

Luke sighed and lowered his gaze.

Better not create a situation here.

Not long afterward, Dart entered the room.

"If everything is sorted, I think we should return home," he said, glancing toward Nadia.

The purple-haired woman gave a small nod.

"We have enough space, you know," Luke told him.

Ginna soon added, "And since you’ll be busy starting tomorrow morning, why not let Nadia stay here for the time being?"

Naturally, with so much having happened, Dart’s role had become even more crucial. As someone responsible for guarding the village, there was no doubt that he would have plenty to deal with under the current circumstances.

From the shift in Dart’s expression, it seemed he was genuinely reconsidering the suggestion.

But before he could say anything, Nadia spoke.

"No. You must all be tired, so please rest. We’ll go back now," she insisted, deliberately avoiding Luke’s gaze.

Luke continued looking at her for another moment before eventually shrugging.

Soon, they left.

Dalia retired to her own room as well, especially with Lex still in such a strange state. Gustav was sleeping in Terek’s room, whom Laila checked on before finally returning to Luke’s room.

And now, lying on the bed was the man of the house, surrounded by his three queens.

Enveloped by their warmth and affection, Luke finally let out a contented sigh.

’No better reward than this.’