Chapter 307: Curious Young One

Slap!

Leon jolted and blinked, his head turning to the side as the slap connected.

"What are you...?"

Even as his anger faded, he still felt annoyed by the slap. Only his mother had dared slap him since he was born.

Seeing the hand coming for his face again, he immediately pulled away, staring at the person who had slapped him.

"Ah...?"

Recognition slipped into his gaze as he watched Selene sit up and cough while holding her reddened neck.

"You... bastard." She coughed again.

His eyes widened, and he hurried to her side. "Hey, are you alright?"

She smacked his hand away, stopping him from touching her.

Leon’s heart tightened with guilt, and he slowly pulled away from her.

She cleared her throat a few more times, then shot him a glare. "Tch."

Leon’s expression softened. "I... I’m really sorry about that."

She glared at him for a few more seconds, then turned away with a sigh.

"We should have known the weapon would be that bad."

Leon shook his head. "Still, I shouldn’t have attacked you. Although I can use the weapon’s influence as an excuse, it’s still my fault. So I apologize."

The young lady nodded, dusting the sand from her hair as she stood up.

"It’s fine. At least we now know not to let you use it ever again."

Clicking his tongue, Leon stood up too. "It was a good weapon, though. Very strong."

She shot him a mild glare and sheathed her sword. "It’s a dangerous one."

Shrugging, he said, "Still good, nonetheless."

Selene didn’t bother replying to that.

Meow!

The cat approached them with quick steps, leaping over corpses as it cried indignantly. Leon immediately turned to it and made a move to pick it up.

However, he paused. His hands were stained with blood, and it felt wrong to transfer that stain to the cat.

’That... I almost lost myself using that weapon. And I attacked Selene too...’

Grunting, he turned away from the cat. It stared at him in confusion, then turned to Selene. The young lady gladly picked it up and rubbed its head.

Unlike Leon, she looked presentable, at least.

Clearing her throat again, she said, "Let’s harvest the crystals first. Then we can find somewhere to stay for the night."

The sun was setting already, and the sky had turned orange, casting a soft glow upon their surroundings.

The atmosphere was warm and solemn, exactly like what the aftermath of a battle should be.

Leon and Selene took their time checking the beasts and taking the soul crystals from the creatures that had one. At least, some of the Vaelari zombies and mutated beasts had them.

After they were done combing through the battlefield, they walked deeper into the city.

Having regained some mana, Leon used Shadow Sense to map their surroundings, ensuring nothing would suddenly launch a surprise attack on them. He quickly found his spear that way, half buried in the ground somewhere far from the battlefield.

Thankfully, the city was empty—or so he thought until they reached what appeared to be a church cathedral.

To his surprise, there was actually a living being inside. A Vaelari, probably uninfected by the parasites.

Kicking the door open and breaking through the locks, he stepped inside the large hall. Selene trailed behind him, still carrying the sleeping cat.

They immediately saw a young boy chained to an altar, his legs and hands bound tightly. He was barely alive, already dying from starvation.

Leon and Selene slowly walked up to him. The young boy opened his eyes and looked at them weakly.

Leon expected a bit of hostility to flash in those eyes, but the boy actually looked curious instead.

"Who...?" He asked, his voice barely audible.

Leon hesitated for a moment, then turned to Selene. "What do you think?"

She stared at the boy, then nodded. "Do what you want to do."

Leon turned back to the boy, then took out his dagger from his storage ring. Under the boy’s wide, exhausted eyes, he cut the chains and freed him.

The young Vaelari collapsed to the ground, too weak to even stand. Noticing his condition, Leon took out some mutated chicken meat and gave it to the boy.

He quickly snatched it and stuffed it in his mouth, eating hungrily. Leon and Selene watched him cautiously as he ate.

Having regained some energy, the boy finally looked at them again and said, "Thank you for saving me. Are you guys aliens?"

Leon blinked, clearly surprised by the lack of hostility. Perhaps not all Vaelari were hostile?

Nodding, he answered, "Well, you could say that. We’re not from this planet of yours."

The young boy blinked and slowly nodded. "I... see."

He looked at them cautiously, then asked, "You’re not going to kill me?"

Leon and Selene exchanged glances, then Leon answered, "As long as you don’t attack, no."

"Really?"

Leon sighed and nodded. "Really."

The boy went quiet for a moment, contemplating something. After a while, he spoke.

"Since we were born, they always told us that anything that isn’t a Vaelari—whether ant or dragon—wants to kill us."

"Oh?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "Is that why everyone else we’ve met is hostile? A doctrine?"

The young boy shook his head weakly. "I think I understand why they did it anyway."

Leon fell silent, his gaze on the boy. He wanted to know.

Feeling his curious eyes, the boy sighed. "It’s related to our history. How our world was reduced to... this."

Realizing it might be important information, Leon asked him to wait, then went ahead and cleaned himself. He was covered in so much blood it felt uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Selene could create water, so washing themselves clean wasn’t a problem.

A while later, they sat at the steps leading to the altar, ready to listen to the boy. He stared at them curiously and asked, "What race are you guys? Your skin color surprises me."

Chuckling, Leon answered, "We’re humans. What’s your name?"

Scratching his head, the young boy nodded and replied, "I’m Merlin, but my friends call me Little Lin."

Still cradling the cat in her arms, Selene shot them a look. "You still haven’t spoken about your history."

Merlin immediately straightened, though a sad expression crossed his face.

"So... it all started when the Star Stream appeared."