Luca stood silently for a moment, letting their questions wash over him. He genuinely did not want to answer but he knew he had no choice.
So, with a calm but knowing expression, he said,
"The food I'm talking about...is something none of you have eaten for thousands of years."
"Something your culture has long forbidden. Yet it is one of the most essential sources of protein your bodies need to survive."
He paused deliberately, scanning the crowd.
Luna bit her lip.
Lulu tilted her head in confusion.
Julius squinted suspiciously.
And then—
"It's meat."
Silence.
Utter, perfect silence
A few birds chirped awkwardly in the distance, realized the tension, and shut up immediately.
Then—
One elf near the front with messy brown hair, raised her hand with a big grin.
"If it's mead you're talking about, then there's no deficiency in that at all, Hero! I drink it every single night!"
A burst of laughter erupted around her.
"Right?! I drink mead every single night!"
