Chapter 334: Selene’s Choice

Leon paused, turning to look at her. Rune also tilted its head, staring at Selene as she slowly regained consciousness.

The young lady’s brows furrowed, and she groggily opened her eyes. Seeing the unfamiliar ceiling, she immediately sat up and looked around.

Her gaze landed on Leon and the cat, and she froze. Memories of what had happened before she fell unconscious slowly returned to her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her stomach growled immediately.

Leon smiled gently and poured her some soup from the pot. He had stolen some yam tubers from the Dome, which he had used in preparing the meal.

He handed her the bowl of porridge and said, ’You should eat this for now, "You should eat this for now."

Selene nodded and accepted the food. She tried her best not to rush it, but in the end, she consumed everything within five minutes.

Leon collected the empty bowl from her and placed it on the table beside her.

As he turned back to face her, she suddenly lunged at him, grabbing his throat and tackling him to the ground.

Leon’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t resist. Selene pinned him to the ground with her body, her blue eyes blazing with icy anger.

"What did you do?" She asked with a low hiss.

Leon stared at her without flinching. "I have completed my requirement. We can leave now."

Selene froze, her eyes widening in astonishment. "You... how?"

Her grip on his neck tightened. "Leon... what did you do? How did you get it?"

She felt shocked, confused, and bewildered. It felt as though she had only fallen asleep yesterday. In fact, she was angry that she had been forcibly put to sleep.

However, that wasn’t the most important at the moment. What was truly important was that...

"Tell me... what did you do?"

She had a feeling that she wouldn’t like the answer.

Leon closed his eyes, then tapped her hand that was holding his neck. Understanding him, she eased her grip slightly.

Leon cleared his throat, then said. "I think we should sit properly."

Selene froze, but still didn’t stand up. She tightened her grip on his neck.

"Start talking."

Leon nodded, not liking the idea of being choked. So, he told her everything.

He didn’t omit a single detail, telling her everything he had noticed, everyone he had personally killed, and what he had done with the Heart.

Selene stared at him with disbelief in her blue eyes.

"You... is that why you put me to sleep?" Her lips twisted in an angry scowl.

Leon blinked, a little confused. "Hey, calm down, will you? I’ve already completed the requirement. Isn’t that what matters? Besides, nobody died."

"So that’s the reason." She hissed. "You were trying to protect me? Leon, what do you take me for? Some damsel in distress?"

He rolled his eyes. "Surely not. Anyone who thinks you’re a damsel is terribly wrong."

The moment he gave an answer, she tightened her grip. "Then why?! Do you think I am weak?! Do you think I am so easy to kill that you had to put me to sleep and hide me underground so I won’t go die in there like a dog?!"

Stunned by her outburst, Leon fell silent. He simply stared at her, dazed.

Then, he sighed and answered in a strained voice. "I was just doing my shit by myself. Alone, and without needing to endanger you. What’s wrong with that?"

Selene laughed, further irritated. "Wow. You sound so righteous, Leon. Tell me, do you really think of me as a friend or just a convenient ally?"

Leon’s brows furrowed. "You’re obviously a friend. Why are you asking?"

"Good." She nodded. "Then why aren’t you treating me like one?"

"What?" Leon couldn’t believe his ears. "I didn’t treat you like one? How?"

"Aren’t friends supposed to help each other?" She released her grip on his neck, covering her face with her hands. "Let’s just make this simple. I don’t like how we’ve been exchanging words."

She paused, pulling her hands away from her face.

"If you truly consider me as a friend and not a convenient ally, then you wouldn’t do what you did. You took away MY CHOICE. The same thing my father did. Do you want me to hate you too?"

"Ah..." Leon gasped faintly, realization dawning upon him.

Regardless, Selene continued. "You could have asked me to stay behind! I know I might argue, but if you convince me well, I would stay behind. You know the kind of people I hate? Manipulators."

Her expression turned frosty.

"And you know what I hate most? Being manipulated by one without having a choice. I absolutely detest it. So please... do not let this happen again."

Leon slowly nodded. "I understand. It will not happen again."

Even as he said that, he had a feeling that it would happen again. However, he didn’t dare mention his doubt. After all, he didn’t want to screw himself.

Selene exhaled. "Thank you."

Leon nodded again, then said, "Can you stand up now?"

Selene’s eyes flashed with a glint of mischief. "No. I’m not done questioning you."

Her voice turned somber.

"The Vaelari... what happened to them?"

"What else?" Leon shrugged indifferently. "They scattered. Most of them were killed, while the others simply ran away. I don’t know if they can still regroup and rebuild their civilization, and I don’t care."

Selene stared into his eyes and asked, "Why? I thought you’d feel a little... guilty."

Guilt?

Leon blinked, looking at her in confusion. Why would he feel guilty for causing the death of people who wanted to kill him?

Sure, there were harmless children and the vulnerable people, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t come after him if they had the ability to.

"I don’t feel guilty, Selene. As for why I did that, it’s simple. They crossed me. They tried to kill me—not once, but multiple times." He scowled. "They tried to kill you too, even going as far as to infect you with a parasite. Also... they had been hunting Rune’s kind for long and using their calming abilities as part of their throne. I can only tolerate so much."

Selene slowly nodded. "Well, as long as you aren’t burdened by guilt, you’re fine."

She paused, her eyes narrowing. "Did you notice something?"

Leon blinked. "What’s that?"

"The mana in the air..." Selene hesitated. "...It’s thinning, don’t you think?"