Ellia sat next to him without a word. She couldn’t help the butterflies in her stomach, however much she wished she could. She decided it was best not to look at him. No matter what happened, she did not want a bond with this man. It would neither be good for her, nor her tribe. He said a little too adoringly, “It’s great to see you again. I wanted to talk to you so badly throughout the day, but you were always one step ahead of me! It seems you have a pretty busy schedule.” Ellia took a sip of water and gathered her thoughts. She had a lot to tell him, but she decided that she should at least try to have a civil conversation with him first. “Yes. As the leader of the Nymphs, I have a lot of micromanaging to do in one day. What did you want to talk to me about?” “Well, I’m actually a pretty good strategist. I was wondering if it would be okay to sit in on your war counsels? If not that, I was wondering if you had anything else for me to do. I want to be of use.” Nikodemus asked brightly. Ellia cut a juicy piece of meat off the slab, stabbing it with a fork, refusing to even look at the Last Man. “That won’t be needed. You should just relax. You have only one job: Preserving the human race. We don’t need you getting overly stressed.” Nikodemus’ smile melted into a frown. There was silence as they ate, Ellia digging into her cactus fruit and Nikodemus drinking a glass of milk. Ellia still refused to look at him. Nikodemus noticed. He finished his glass of milk, and then cleared his throat, glancing from his plate to Ellia and then back again. “Thank you so much for thinking about my well-being, but I can handle doing a few chores. I want to take some of the burden off your shoulders…” Nikodemus’ fingers twitched, and then he slid his hand over Ellia’s. Ellia jerked her hand away and finally looked Nikodemus in the eyes. “What are you doing?” Nikodemus blinked rapidly, his face filled with confusion. Ellia wondered whether it was a look he had practiced in front of a mirror or whether it was genuine. Nikodemus chuckled an insolent chuckle. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m looking forward to tonight, and I’m looking forward to helping you in any way you would like.” Ellia’s thick eyebrows knitted. “There will be no need for that. We are not a couple. You’ll be spending the night with three other women, not me. Besides, you won’t be much use to me around the fortress with your small size. It would probably take you twice the time to do any chores as any of my other soldiers.” Nikodemus stared forward expressionlessly. “So you think I have no uses other than what God has given me at birth?” For a moment, Ellia just listened to the murmur of the indistinct chattering of the dozens of women surrounding them, her expression neutral and calculating. “You speak sacrilege. There is no god other than Ziron. But even if there were, I have to say that your primary use outweighs anything else you have to offer. I’m sure you must realize by now—considering how old you are—that your one purpose should be preserving the human race. I don’t care how used or worthless it makes you feel.” Nikodemus scowled at her. “I’m not going to break my arms by carrying laundry around. Do you truly want to treat me as an animal? As a tool? Don’t you realize that treating me in such a way makes you little better than an animal? What’s the point of preserving our race when we have lost everything that makes us human?”