In the apartment, the heresy leader locked eyes with Veela.

“Why?”

Upon hearing Asho’s question, Furia paused for a moment and said, “I am still a legal citizen. I can rent a place to shelter you, I can work to support you, and you can entrust me with any inconvenient matters. I… I will do whatever you ask me to do.”

“While I am glad that you are willing to work and support me,” Asho couldn’t help but smile, “my question is not ‘why should I bring you along’, but ‘why do you want to follow me’.”

Furia blushed slightly and looked down at the little string rubbing against her foot. “There is no reason… I just want to be with you.”

“Then let me rephrase the question. Why can’t you accept me leaving you?”

Furia opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything.

She bit her lip, feeling a pain in her heart but not knowing how to express it.

Years of education didn’t allow her to show her weakness.

Suddenly, she remembered what Asho had said to the little string earlier: “If it hurts, don’t bear it alone. Shout it out, or no one will know.”

“Because it hurts,” she whispered softly. “Just the thought of never seeing you again, never tasting the food you cook, never being able to chat with you… it makes my heart ache, it’s uncomfortable, and I even feel like crying.”

As she spoke, Furia became more and more aggrieved. “Even though everything will return to normal once you’re gone, why do I feel this way? It’s not any different from before, but as soon as you appear, my emotions become a mess. Why is that…”

“Because you feel lonely.”

“Lonely?” She was a little confused. “But… we have always been lonely. That’s what the books say. Loneliness is the wing of freedom, and freedom shines because of loneliness…”

Asho took Furia’s hand and sat her down at the entrance, speaking gently. “But you haven’t embraced loneliness before. You were just avoiding it. Because you are young, the world is still new and exciting to you, and life is interesting. So you could keep running away, and loneliness couldn’t catch up with you.”

“You’ve seen Fenanche’s speech, haven’t you? Do you know why he is searching for his descendants? It’s because loneliness has caught up with him. He is too old, the world is no longer new and exciting to him, and life is just about calculations. Faced with the pursuit of loneliness, he has nowhere to hide. That’s why he urgently needs to find another vessel to contain his loneliness—nothing relieves the pain of loneliness more than seeing his bloodline continue.”

“And what I did was establish a bond with you. When we are together, the bond can drive away loneliness. But when I leave, the other end of the bond connects to loneliness, and that’s why you feel pain. You have been caught up by loneliness, and you can’t escape it.”

Furia looked down at her beautifully manicured feet and murmured softly, “You’re so mean…”

“In your eyes, I must be a great villain,” Asho chuckled. “Actually, your thoughts are not wrong, and the education of Blood Moon is also for your own good. As long as you don’t enter any intimate relationships, don’t establish any bonds with anyone, you won’t be disappointed, you won’t be lonely, and you won’t get hurt. Because you’ve never had it, you’re not afraid of losing it.”

“But… I refuse to acknowledge this ‘for your own good’.”

Asho beckoned to the little string, and when it came over, he lifted it up high, looking at the area where it originally had testicles. “Pet stores neuter cats before selling them because being in heat is uncomfortable and painful for cats. There are many complications. Neutering cats is for their own good.”

“In my opinion, what Blood Moon did to you is no different from neutering cats. You dare not enter into intimate relationships, and you are cautious even with cotton candy. This does indeed avoid many potential injuries, but it also makes you lose the greatest ability of humans—to love.”

“But humans are not pets, or at least… they shouldn’t be pets.”

“I’m glad, Furia,” Asho said, looking into Veela’s eyes. “You have learned to love, and you know how to resist loneliness instead of running away from it. This means that it’s not me who is crazy, but this country.”

“Asho, you really are a complete heresy leader,” Furia’s smile was somewhat sad. “What should I do then?”

“Don’t resist entering into intimate relationships. Actively seek new bonds, whether they are friendships or romantic relationships. This way, you can resist loneliness,” Asho said. “However, you need to correct the way you love. It’s too extreme. You even said things like working to support me. Such words make you vulnerable to scammers.”

“Maintain your individuality and learn to love. As long as you do these two things, you can live well in this crazy country, or at least live happier than others.”

Furia gazed at him, infatuated. “Can’t you let me follow you?”

“It’s not that I can’t, I’m very willing,” Asho said. “But it means that you have to give up the achievements of more than ten years, take the risk of becoming a wanted criminal, give up the degree that is within your reach, give up the resource-rich university, give up the mature Artificer training system of Blood Moon, and even give up the opportunity to become a Mind Sorcerer… Are you willing?”

Veela was stunned.”I’ve been with you for five days and four nights, which is nothing compared to your decade-long life in Camon. I’m not that important to you, you’re just a bit impulsive – of course, I’m happy about this impulsiveness, it signifies the budding of your affection.”

Asho couldn’t help but laugh, “Speaking of which, I once invited someone to leave with me, but she decisively rejected me due to reality. Now you actively follow me, and I’m the one rejecting you.”

Furia muttered, “You always covet what you can’t have, and despise what’s readily available.”

“I’m starting to question my noble character after being scolded by you.” Asho grinned, “But my idea has never changed – I can give you this choice, but you have to think it through.”

“I can be your regret, but I can’t be your disaster.”

Furia picked up the little string and slumped on the ground, thinking for a long time, and finally said slowly, “So you plan to play with me until I can’t go back, and then just leave?”

Persuaded by Asho, she calmed down a bit. Becoming a mental sorcerer was her dream. Although she was now love-stricken, it was only because she hadn’t made a strict balance, or she didn’t want to balance. However, when Asho put dreams and love on both ends of the balance in front of her, she could no longer escape.

What can be seen is always important, what can’t be seen can always be easily discarded.

“You suddenly scolded me so harshly, making me seem like a scumbag, but I didn’t actually do anything.” Asho was a bit dumbfounded, “And I’m not refusing to pay… Didn’t I give you a Sorcery Spirit?”

He paused and then said, “If you haven’t found a new bond for the time being, just look at the Sorcery Spirit and miss me. Missing someone can alleviate loneliness, and it can brew anticipation.”

Furia looked at the sympathetic Sorcery Spirit in the glowing ball, and suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

“You’ve been so good to me, doing so much these days, is it just out of sympathy?”