170 The Debate
Selma Payne’s POV:
It sounded almost the same as what I remember. I was glad I could keep my mind clear after being blinded by greed and hunger. Otherwise, I could only commit suicide to apologize if I had accidentally eaten my friend.
“The moment the mark flashed, I knew something had happened to you,” Aldrich said in a low voice. “I immediately brought people to support them. On the way, we met a team of members returning with the unconscious Linda. I have to say, I was furious at that time. Selma, you knew that the road ahead was full of danger. How could you bring those few people and go straight in alone?”
“I’m a little guilty,” I replied. “Because we haven’t found where he is. I’m worried that he’ll be in danger.”
After being looked at by my pitiful eyes, Aldrich, who was as angry as a pufferfish, put aside his temper and weakly scolded me, “That still couldn’t be… Girl, sometimes I don’t know where you get your courage. You’re not afraid of anything. Perhaps you’ve thought for a moment that if something happened to you, how sad would the King, the Queen, your friends, and I be?”
“I’m very sorry!” I had never suffered Aldrich’s unconcealed anger so directly, so I was a little at a loss. “I know I was too impulsive. I promise it won’t do this again!”
“Don’t give me a perfunctory reply, darling. Your eyes can’t hide your thoughts. Would you agree if I told you that the King wanted us to return to the pack immediately after you woke up? Don’t be impetuous. Follow your heart and tell me the answer.”
I subconsciously wanted to nod, but I stopped in the next second.
How could he possibly agree? Dorothy and I had a chance of survival here. Although the road ahead was dangerous, and we had suffered quite a bit of damage, hope was right before us. How could we give up halfway?
However, I suddenly remembered that I was no longer in danger. After my body had gone through the process of explosion, reconstruction, and rebirth, the little trouble left behind by Leviathan had turned into nourishment for my growth and disappeared.
I ‘ate’ Leviathan’s power, just like I ‘ate’ the entire pine forest.
Although I hadn’t studied it in detail, I already had a general understanding of the new energy I’d obtained. I was like a whirlpool at the bottom of the sea or a black hole in the universe. I greedily and insatiably devoured everything that could be transformed into my power.
Whether black or white, good or bad, whether it was a gift from the gods or a curse from the demons, everything would nourish my growth as long as I wanted to.
However, the side effects were also huge. Once my current body could no longer withstand the powerful force, it would explode as it did in the cocoon and then reform. This was my weakest and craziest moment. As long as you could find me hiding in the nutrients, you could easily kill me. And I, who had lost my mind, would likely devour everything regardless of whether it was friend or foe.
Having spared Dorothy and the rest this time was pure luck.
The time needed to digest the energy varied. For example, finishing the giant pine tree took me a week. I could easily digest the demon fragment because it was on the verge of exhaustion. If I were to encounter food with a stronger vitality, it would be hard to say how long I would take.
All in all, the curse of Leviathan has disappeared, and so has the mark of the goddess. I was now entirely out of danger.
I could even use my power to ‘eat’ up the curse hidden in Dorothy’s body. This was just a piece of cake compared to the giant pine tree.
I immediately told Aldrich and Dorothy about my new ability when I thought of this. Master Hayley was also present, but I trusted her completely. Moreover, she had performed many physical examinations on me, so she probably already noticed something was wrong with me. It was just that she didn’t expose me due to the silent personality that she had developed in the Royal Court.
Aldrich didn’t even care about being angry anymore. He wanted to stuff me into the plane back home without saying anything.
“This is no small matter! Be more serious.” He finally displayed the dignity of a general when he saw my confused expression.
“Your body has undergone a structural reorganization and even formed such a strange ability. Selma, I dare say there has never been such a precedent in the history of werewolves. I can’t even find any data that can be used as a reference. We don’t know if this is good or bad for you, but the gift of fate has never been free. Before it starts to collect interest, we must understand the truth and seize the opportunity.”
“But I think this ability is harmless to me,” I tried to refute. “It’s like a new hand and foot that’s completely under my control.”
“All tools are controlled by their masters, but that doesn’t mean they won’t point their blades at their masters.” Aldrich had a non-negotiable expression on his face. “Right now, you are devouring the energy of the outside world. Who can guarantee that you won’t devour yourself one day in the future? The more powerful the ability, the more terrifying the backlash. Aren’t there a few examples of this?”
But I didn’t want to go back, and I couldn’t go back. So what if the curse of Leviathan was resolved?