Netori Harem: New life as a hunter and gatherer-Chapter 60: Past wounds

Four big melons getting squashed... that was what Luke saw when the two women hugged.

Yes, he knew he shouldn’t be looking at them like this, but it was hard to ignore two busty women being so close and cozy.

This was the first time he had seen Dalia this emotional and happy at the same time. Back home, she always remained stern and distant, as if she hadn’t accepted anyone other than Lex as family.

This woman, Ginna, was another exception.

A warm smile rested on her lips as she hugged her mother tightly.

"Oh my sweet bean, how have you been?" the older woman asked as she pulled back slightly and gently cupped Dalia’s face.

Dalia nodded. "I’m doing well."

The older woman then turned toward Luke. "Hmm? Has Lex gotten more handsome, or are my eyes getting weaker?"

Dalia blushed in embarrassment, while Luke chuckled. "I’m his younger brother, though you’re not wrong about me being more charming than him."

The older woman blinked in surprise before turning to Dalia and laughing. "Ah... haha. I really need to eat more vegetables, or my eyes will keep making mistakes."

Dalia simply shook her head, choosing not to comment.

Just then, the older woman said, "I’ve been thinking of coming over to meet you two for quite some time now. You should have brought Lex along as well."

Dalia sighed. "Well, he got injured this morning. He really wanted to come check on you. Ah, by the way, how is your health? You look completely fine to me."

The older woman tilted her head. "What do you mean? I’m perfectly fine. Why did you assume I wasn’t doing well?"

Dalia’s eyes widened, while Luke frowned... what?

The blue-haired woman spoke at once. "But, Mother, a messenger came this morning saying you were sick and not doing well. So I came to see you."

The older woman was taken aback, but before she could respond—

CLANG

The door was kicked open, and a voice cut through the room.

"How gullible of you to fall for such a trap."

Everyone turned toward the three men who had barged into the house uninvited.

Dalia’s face turned pale the moment she saw the man standing in the middle.

A rugged build, a bald head, and a wide grin that revealed rows of yellowed teeth.

Her legs began to tremble, her eyes welling up at the sight of him...

The man who had taken her father from her.

"Borius! You’ve just returned to the village and you’re already spreading your filth?!" Dalia’s mother pulled her daughter behind her and shouted in fury.

Borius scratched his ear with his finger, one eye half closed, and spoke lazily, "Eh? Why do you make it sound like this has nothing to do with her?"

He pulled out a long knife and pointed it at Dalia. "I chose her as my mate, and she refused. As punishment, I killed your mate right before her eyes."

Tilting his head, he added, "Then... she went and bonded with another man, crushing my pride and making a fool out of me."

Ginna gritted her teeth. The memory of her mate’s butchered body surged back, and tears welled up in her eyes.

This man had always been after Dalia for reasons unknown. That was why, when Lex arrived, she hadn’t hesitated to entrust her daughter to him, knowing he would take Dalia far away from this village.

Since then, Ginna had never once asked Dalia to return, fully aware that this hyena still lurked around, always searching for a chance to hurt her.

"You really are a heartless woman, keeping your daughter away for so long. In the end, I had to spend my own money to send a fake message to her village. But guess what?"

His lips stretched into a wider grin. "The fish took the bait... gahahaha!"

The two goons beside him burst into laughter along with their leader.

Dalia trembled from head to toe.

That day, when her father had been brutally killed before her eyes, remained carved deep within her mind.

She had stood frozen, unable to move, as Borius and his men tortured her father to death.

That was the reason she never returned to the village, even knowing her mother was all alone here.

And now, after four long years, when she finally did... the one face she never wanted to see stood right before her, grinning at her misery.

"Haa... that was quite the entrance," a voice suddenly cut in.

The man who had remained silent until now, standing in the corner and watching the entire scene unfold, finally spoke.

Borius tilted his head and scoffed. "So she refused me, only to choose a wimp like you as her mate."

"N-No! He has nothing to do with this," Dalia protested, but her reaction only piqued Borius’s interest further.

The agony on her face... it soothed his wounded pride.

And if she cared about this wimp, then he would take his time killing him as well.

Resting his sword on his shoulder, the short man stepped toward Luke. "Do you want to know... what makes her fear me this much?"

Luke let out a light chuckle. "Apart from your ugly teeth and this pot stomach, I can’t think of anything else."

Borius’s smile stiffened.

The amusement drained from his face, replaced by a cold, creeping anger as his eyes locked onto Luke. "It seems you’re tired of living. Trying to provoke me so I take your head off in one clean swing?"

Luke said nothing.

He slowly raised his hand, that same faint smile still lingering on his lips, and pressed his knuckles lightly against the man’s chest, almost as if testing the firmness of a fruit.

"You know the best thing about this world?" Luke asked, his tone casual, almost curious.

Borius opened his mouth to respond—

SQUELCH

"Gah—!"

The sound was wet. Ugly.

Several sharp, elongated spikes tore through his chest from the front, punching straight through flesh, bone, as if they were nothing more than soaked paper. Blood burst out of his mouth in a thick spray, splattering across Luke’s face and clothes.

For a second, Borius didn’t even understand what had happened.

Then the pain came.

Burning and hollowing.

His nerves screamed all at once as the heat of ruptured flesh spread through his torso, his limbs going numb while his heart struggled against the damage.

Luke didn’t move.

He simply leaned in, close enough for Borius to feel his breath through the choking blood.

"It’s the absence of law," he whispered.

His hand twisted.

The spike inside Borius’s chest shifted with a sickening grind, scraping against bone, dragging through muscle, widening the wound without mercy.

A strangled gargle escaped Borius’s throat.

Luke’s smile deepened, just a little.

"No rules," he murmured softly, "means no one’s coming to save you."

••••

A/N:- If you didn’t understand the last part; he summoned his metal claws with his knuckles on the man’s chest. Well, thanks for reading.