The silence in the room was palpable, broken only by the faint hum of the sphere resting on the table.
Leonar maintained a neutral expression, though his mind raced, desperately searching for a way out.
The man at the back of the room fixed him with a piercing stare, silent but heavy with judgment, making Leonar feel as if he were being dissected.
Just as the tension threatened to overwhelm him, a lazy yawn echoed in his mind, drawn out and utterly unconcerned.
'What the hell was that...?' Leonar thought, barely concealing his surprise.
"Ugh, what an annoying stare..." Eleonora's voice suddenly chimed in his mind, dripping with irritation and boredom.
It took Leonar a couple of seconds to process what had just happened.
'What are you doing awake now?'
"I should be asking *you* that. What on earth are you doing to make me feel all these prying stares?" she replied, stretching her words as if she were still waking up.
Leonar gritted his teeth slightly, covering it up by cracking his neck.
'I'm being interrogated. Long story. Can you not—?'
"Oh, I see," Eleonora interrupted, completely ignoring his annoyed tone. Her voice gained a playful edge. "Mmh, yeah... definitely don't like those eyes on me. Why don't you do something to stall for time? I don't like the way they're looking at us."
Leonar raised an eyebrow, keeping his focus on the woman in front of him to avoid betraying their mental conversation.
'Stall for time? And how exactly am I supposed to do that?'
"Just follow my advice, dear. Don't you know who I am? Of course, I can help you with this."
"Mr. Leonar, I asked you a question," said the woman before him, her firm tone dragging him back to the present.
Her expression betrayed her impatience, though she kept her composure. The man standing beside her remained motionless, his unrelenting gaze fixed on Leonar.
The young man let out a long sigh, lowering his head as if resigned.
"I don't mean any harm," Leonar said in a neutral tone, clear enough to be heard.
He knew that if he tried anything stupid, they could easily detain and charge him as a criminal. That's why the best move now was to establish that he wasn't a threat before he began stalling.
The woman glanced at the man in the back, who gave a slight nod, his serious demeanor unchanged.
"Fine. Then tell me how you obtained your powers."
Leonar pressed his lips together for a moment, then let out a small huff.
"Honestly... I'm starving right now. Really starving. And when I'm hungry, I can't remember things clearly, you know?"
The woman stared at him, clearly baffled by his response. She tilted her head slightly toward the man again, who gave another nod
"When this interrogation is over, you'll be free to eat as much as you like. But first, you need to answer my question
When Leonar heard that, he couldn't help but let a faint smile creep onto his face. His ridiculous strategy seemed to be working
It was a dumb plan, but if Eleonora could truly fool the lie detector's gaze, he could avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble
"I'm telling you the truth. I'm starving. Without food, my memory doesn't work properly," Leonar insisted, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head in a casual pose
The woman blinked a few times, trying to process his words. She glanced at the man again, and he confirmed with a nod
"Is... is that for real
The incredulous expression on her face nearly made Leonar burst into laughter, but he had to keep it together.
This wasn't the moment to lose focus; he needed to buy as much time as possible
"It's true," Leonar said, and as if on cue, his stomach growled audibly, punctuating his statement
The woman let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead as she closed her eyes for a moment.
"Alright, I get it. Surviving couldn't have been easy. But I need to know how you awakened your powers. This is important for documentation and to better understand what happened
Leonar pursed his lips, as if weighing whether or not to respond.
'I can't believe this nonsense is actually working. Still, I'd better switch gears soon,' he thought, leaning forward slightly.
"Honestly... I'm completely broke right now. But if you could lend me some cash... the place where we landed has a ton of treasure, you know? I could pay you back later."
The woman's hands dropped onto the table with a faint thud.
She looked like she was on the verge of losing her temper.
"Please, just stick to answering my questions!"
At that moment, Eleonora's voice resurfaced in his mind, playful and smug.
"All done. You can lie as much as you want now."
Leonar had to fight back a laugh that nearly escaped him. He pressed his lips together, lowering his head briefly before raising it again with a light smile.
"Well, since you mentioned it, how about that advance payment?" Leonar asked, making a gesture with his fingers as if counting imaginary bills.
The woman stared at him in disbelief, then brought both hands to her head, as if trying to calm herself down.
"Fine, you'll get something. But please, just answer my questions already!"