Insect Tamer's Ascension Chapter 185: What was the gate like?

Theo made his way toward the infirmary where his father and the two brothers were resting in the sa big room.

When he got inside the infirmary, he saw all the doctors just frolicking around like usual.

They were all just busy every hour of the day due to the tendency of the guards and knights being injured. Even the tad beast infirmary was filled right now, but without any wait, Theo went to the big room where the trio was located.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Theo opened the door a few seconds after the knock and looked around only to find three beds stacked in a line but a few ters away from each other.

"Theo?" Lucien, who was seated in the middle, called out to him in surprise.

When Theo looked at Lucien after so long, a mix of emotions stirred inside him, yet they all indicated toward one thing—he had missed Lucien these past eight months.

"You have grown a lot taller while we were away, Theo," Lucien spoke again with a smile.

Yet his injuries betrayed the smile on his face.

Half of his body was covered in heavy bandages. Even his head, where his hair should have been, was covered completely with bandages, which made Theo see the whole outline of it.

From this far, all Theo could see were the bandages all around his body.

His gaze went to the Baron, who was looking at him with the sa calm expression as usual. Theo looked at him up and down and sighed internally in relief.

There were no significant injuries he could see on his body—yet inside was another thing.

Then there was Cedric. The boy was covered in thick bandages from top to bottom. His leg was pulled up and tied as if it was broken, and he was the only one who was laid fully down and was sleeping.

Theo made his way between both the Baron and Lucien, as Cedric was not awake right now.

"Father, elder brother Lucien..." Theo spoke with a sowhat heavy voice. He wasn’t crying, but the emotions in his heart were almost like that.

"It’s so great to see you all safely back to the castle," Theo spoke and smiled maturely.

Lucien only chuckled listening to him and yet did not speak after looking at their father.

"Worrying is normal, Theo. But don’t forget," the Baron spoke with a wide grin, "We are the rricks—killing us off is a lot more difficult than anyone would think," the Baron said, making Theo laugh.

The Baron was in a good mood, and why wouldn’t he be? They had co back from an exploration that killed half the participants from just the harshness inside, but also crippled a lot more for many years.

"Can you tell what you did the last eight months? How was the gate? I an the terrain—I have heard the terrain is different in each one. And what about the beasts? Were there any unique one—"

"Good lord, Theo, just stop." Lucien was on the verge of bursting in laughter but stopped himself.

"I know you have been curious about the gates for as long as I have told you about them, but right now, I am more curious about sothing else. I know Father has already observed it too," Lucien spoke and looked at his father, who calmly and slowly nodded while looking at Theo.

"What is it?" Theo was so curious about what transpired in the gate that he couldn’t even think of what they were talking about.

"You’re level 5 already, Theo. What’s that about?" Lucien spoke, and Theo finally understood.

"Oh that, well, I have been working hard, but it’s already been 8 months so it’s not that much of a surprise, Father and elder brother," Theo spoke with a chuckle, making the Baron just stare at him before he burst into laughter.

Even Lucien didn’t hold back and started laughing, confusing Theo.

"You’ve got the thickest rrick blood out of all of us heirs, Theo. That sure is true," Lucien just stated and shook his head.

"That’s what I expect from one of my sons," the Baron stated with a wild grin.

Theo was surprised. All this ti before the gate, there was a ti where the Baron was always seen serious. It was to the point that it had been a while since Theo had listened to this laugh of his.

It made him feel satisfied beyond asure, to see the person who he had considered his father figure after coming to this world finally happy.

"So you’re at the level 5 breakthrough quest right now?" Lucien asked, getting Theo’s attention again.

"Well, that is a bit complicated, but I was able to solve it in theory for the mont. But I still have to confirm so things," Theo stated. But then he realized that he was missing sothing. He was looking at them and could observe sothing, but didn’t know what he was not saying.

Until finally, a few seconds later, his eyes widened for a split second before he finally asked, "How injured are you both? It isn’t serious, right?" Theo asked.

Lucien wanted to laugh again seeing those raw expressions on Theo’s face, yet he refrained. His body had now started to hurt from laughing so much.

"Lucien is fine. He has so internal injuries, but the ones on the outside are manageable," the Baron spoke in a calm tone.

"Though it still hurts."

"Stop crying," the Baron interjected with a light "hmph" and continued, "Then there is Cedric. He made so rather bold decisions in the gate that nearly cost his life, but as you can see, we were able to bring him back." The Baron stopped speaking and moved his arms around.

"I have not been injured that much, just so burns here and there."

"Burns?" Theo asked but shook his head—it was not the ti to open those topics.

"Well, what matters for is that you all are safe, Father. Mother will be coming here soon. She is completing so Baron’s work right now," Theo spoke.

Before even coming here, he had first gone to the Baroness, his mother, but soon realized that she was busy beyond asure. It was the first ti Theo had seen his mother so serious—as not once did she lift her head up while reading the docunts. Her eyes were sharply etched on them.

So it didn’t feel like the right ti to talk with her.

"I know what she’s doing right now. Now tell what that quest is, Theo," the Baron asked, and there was this curiosity laced in his tone.

Theo nodded and spoke, making Lucien listen intently too. "I got a rather confusing quest. It’s that I have to discover a beast that has a hive mind ability," Theo spoke.

"What’s a hive mind?" the Baron asked with a hand at the back of his head.

But then he started thinking very deeply and scratching his head as if he got to sowhere, but Theo literally saw him just give up in between—as if he just gave up on using his brain right now.

Theo wanted to laugh but realized that he was the father, so it’s not that good of an idea.

"Hive mind is a rather new term for too. Did you find anything out?" Lucien asked with a thoughtful gaze too.

Everyone wanted to help, as this was a mont in Theo’s life where if he went past it, it would just an the change of his whole life altogether.

"Yes, I was brainstorming with old man Bernard just a while ago, and we ca to the conclusion that it may just be beasts like ants that work together. Hive mind basically ans they might be connected by the mind and work together. At least that’s what we think so far," Theo explained, and Lucien nodded.

"Working together with the mind, huh. Sounds awfully like us working with our beasts with our bond," Lucien spoke.

The Baron’s eyes widened in shock for a mont before he went back to normal. He couldn’t believe his own sons were talking in such a knowledgeable manner, which was almost a complete opposite to him.

"You... make a valid point, elder brother. The head butler has found two ant colonies near the forest so far, and I am going to check on them."

"So does that an you are going to ta another insect?" the Baron spoke with a light frown, making Theo realize that this was also a topic he was not yet so past from.

"Father, I do not wish to do that. But... if this hive mind is only possessed by insects like ants and bees... then it might just be the benevolent artifact guiding toward this path. Or else why would I get such a confusing quest to begin with? I have heard people have even got so quests where they just have to run for a certain ti and days," Theo explained in an analytical manner, making the Baron look at him with a serious face.

"... You did reach level 5 with the help of that insect beast. Well, let’s see how this plays out, Theo," the Baron spoke, making Theo smile—until he spoke again.

"And how is your sword training? What has Rhys made you learn so far?" the Baron asked, not knowing what rabbit hole he was getting himself in.