The silence in the room was uncomfortable, broken only by the faint hum of the sphere on the table.

Leonar maintained a neutral expression, though his mind raced to find a way out.

The man’s piercing gaze from the back of the room, heavy with silent judgment, made him feel as though he were being dissected.

Yet, just as the tension seemed to reach him, a slow, lazy yawn echoed in his mind.

‘What the hell was that...?’ thought Leonar, barely hiding his startled reaction.

“Mmhh... such an annoying stare,” Eleonora’s voice suddenly rang in his mind, tinged with irritation and disinterest.

It took Leonar a couple of seconds to react.

‘Why are you awake now?’

“That’s my question for you. What are you doing that I feel all these inquisitive eyes on us?” she replied, her tone drawn out as if she were still stretching.

Leonar clenched his teeth slightly, disguising it with a crack of his neck.

‘I’m being interrogated. Long story. Could you just not—’

“Oh, I see,” Eleonora interrupted, entirely ignoring his frustrated tone. Her voice took on a slightly teasing note. “Mmhh, yes... those eyes are definitely annoying. Why don’t you do something to buy time? I don’t like the way they’re looking at me.”

Leonar raised an eyebrow, keeping his attention on the woman in front of him to avoid giving away the mental conversation.

‘Buy time? How exactly do you expect me to do that?’

“Just follow my advice, darling. Do you not know who I am? Of course, I can help you with this.”

“Mr. Leonar, I asked you a question,” the woman in front of him said firmly, pulling him back to the present.

Her tone was sharp, her expression impatient, though she maintained her composure. The man standing beside her remained motionless, his gaze locked on Leonar.

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Leonar let out a long sigh, lowering his head as if resigning himself.

“I have no bad intentions,” Leonar said in a neutral tone, clear enough to be heard.

He knew that if he tried anything reckless, they could easily apprehend him and treat him as a criminal.

So, the best strategy now was to clarify that point before moving on to evasive maneuvers.

The woman glanced at the man at the back of the room, who nodded, his expression still serious.

“Fine, then tell me how you obtained this power.”

Leonar pressed his lips together for a moment before letting out a small huff.

“The truth is... I’m starving. Really starving. And when I’m hungry, my memory doesn’t work well, you know?”

The woman stared at him, clearly puzzled by his response.

Then, she tilted her head slightly toward the man, who nodded again.

“You can eat all you want after this interrogation, but first, you need to answer my question.”

When Leonar heard her reply, he couldn’t help but let a small smile escape. It seemed his strategy was working.

It was a silly strategy, but if Eleonora could really deceive that man’s truth-detecting gaze, he might avoid a lot of trouble.

“I’m telling the truth. I’m starving. Without food, my memory just doesn’t work,” Leonar insisted, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head in a casual pose.

The woman blinked a couple of times, trying to process his response.

She glanced again at the man, who confirmed with a nod.

“Is... is this serious?”

The incredulous expression on her face almost made Leonar burst into laughter, but he had to hold back.

This wasn’t the time to break character; he needed to keep buying time.

“It’s serious,” Leonar said, and right on cue, his stomach growled loudly, adding emphasis to his words.

The woman sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes for a moment.

“Alright, I get that surviving wasn’t easy. But I need to know how you awakened your powers. It’s important for the record and to understand what happened.”

Leonar twisted his mouth as if debating whether to answer.

‘I can’t stretch this excuse much longer. Time to try something else,’ he thought.

Finally, he leaned forward slightly.

“The truth is... I’m broke right now. But if you could lend me a little money... The place where we landed has a ton of treasures, you know? I could pay you back later.”

The woman’s hands hit the table with a faint thud.

She seemed on the verge of losing her patience.

“Please, just answer my questions!”

At that moment, Eleonora’s voice returned in his mind, playful this time.

“All done. Now you can lie all you want.”

Leonar almost let out a laugh but managed to hold it in.

He pressed his lips together and lowered his head for a moment before looking up with a light smile.

“Well, now that you mention it, couldn’t you secure me an advance?” Leonar asked, miming the act of counting invisible bills with his fingers.

The woman stared at him in disbelief before burying her face in her hands, as if trying to calm herself.

“Yes, we can give you something... But please, just answer my questions already!”