After saying that, both the baron and the baroness departed first.
But not until the baron had made sure to et with all three of his children.
As they walked toward a certain secluded corridor, the baroness glanced at him with a serious expression on her face.
"lric ca to the barony a month ago..." she said softly.
The baron remained silent.
"It’s over, right?" she asked. Her eyes weren’t sad for herself, but for her love.
The baron kept walking in silence, not answering or replying to her, and the baroness did too, not pressing him further. Sotis things were better when left undisturbed.
anwhile, Theo remained with his elder siblings for a few more minutes.
They didn’t pry into anything personal yet, but they did ask whether he was close to breaking through to level 10, which Theo answered honestly.
While they were surprised to know that he was close, Cedric was the first to leave, though his deanor toward Theo had subtly changed.
While he felt more approachable now, Theo felt like it would be better to avoid him for a while.
Elara was still at level 8, despite being seven years older than Theo, a clear reflection of just how different their priorities were when it ca to growth.
Cedric, on the other hand, had already reached level 10, while Lucien stood at level 9.
Theo was certain of the fact that Lucien’s level was deliberate, and he was right. Apparently, Lucien was still refining himself, trying to strengthen his foundation before advancing beyond level 9.
And by sensing how Lucien was currently at, Theo could tell he might even defeat soone above level 10, as long as they weren’t soone like Cedric.
Even now, if Theo were to refrain from using his aura, Lucein would likely still defeat him.
Eventually, Lucien and Elara also took their leave. Theo, however, stayed behind to et a certain person among the gathered knights.
"It’s great to have you back, Young Master Theo. Now the training session will finally be lively again," one of the knights at the side spoke with teary eyes, making Theo laugh.
Knight Rhys shot the others a glance, and they quickly understood it was ti to leave.
Once they were alone, the knight’s sleepy eyes finally softened into a faint smile.
"It’s great to see you again, Sir Knight," Theo said with a warm smile. As he looked at the knight again, all the mories of the grueling training sessions and the long days in the forest resurfaced, making him smile even wider.
"...I should be the one saying that, Young Master," Rhys replied in his usual sleepy tone, but Theo could tell he was trying his best to not do so.
"Congratulations on gaining the aura, young master," the knight continued. "With the speed you were training before, I would have never expected you to manifest your aura in the blade so soon."
"I guess my lord really went to the extre with the training..." he said, glancing down at his abdon only to notice the punctured hole in Theo’s armor.
Theo followed his gaze and chuckled softly.
"It was hard, but the mont I was able to manifest my aura, suddenly every bit of pain and struggle started feeling worth it, Sir Knight." Theo admitted, making Rhys nod in nostalgia.
"Now that you have attained your aura, training you will be an even greater honor. When everything is over and you’re free again... let’s have a practice spar."
Theo opened his mouth to respond, a little too surprised by the comnt.
"I look forward to it," he said at last, making the knight nod.
"There is this calm aura around you now. A clarity in your mind I hadn’t seen before," Rhys comnted right away, only for his eyes to close sleepily again.
"We will talk about this later on, Young Master. Enjoy your well-earned rest today, as we will need to leave tomorrow morning again."
Theo nodded and bade him farewell before the trio began walking toward his room.
"Clara, do you want to visit your family today? We will be leaving early tomorrow for the evaluation," Theo asked. Then, through his bond, he added, "It seems the mantis will also need as much rest as possible before the big day; am I right?"
There was no response from the beast space where the mantis resided, making Theo certain that the glutton was sleeping soundly in peace.
"I will go et them quickly, young master," Clara replied. "But only after I have procured so food for you."
"I can do that for him," Elias offered, walking forward.
Clara glanced at him.
"You heard the man," Theo said with a grin while looking over his shoulder. "Go et your family and co to the castle tomorrow morning. Don’t be late, alright?"
"Never," she said with a small bow.
Before leaving, her eyes lingered on Elias for a mont, and she gave him a subtle nod of appreciation.
A smile ford on Elias’s face without him realising it.
What he didn’t know, however, was that Theo was watching him like a hawk.
And when Elias noticed Theo’s gaze, he abruptly stopped laughing and couldn’t help but avert his gaze, clearly wanting to whistle, sothing that wasn’t allowed.
"Make sure you grow strong enough before making any advances, alright? She is like my sister," Theo teased, while Elias kept averting his gaze.
But then Theo noticed sothing he had never seen before.
Elias was blushing.
Not able to control himself anymore, Theo burst into laughter.
Just like that, for the next few minutes, he kept teasing Elias until they reached the door of Theo’s room.
"I would have liked it if you could visit your mother as well, Elias. But she lives too far away," Theo said thoughtfully.
"You don’t need to worry about that, young master," Elias replied. "I will write her a letter. Just knowing that I am alive will make her happy."
Theo nodded quietly.
Being away from caring parents was sothing he had only experienced in this life, and it still felt wrong to him since he had grown too accustod to being with them.
"Alright," he said at last. "Let’s go and see how the terrarium is doing."
With that, he pushed open the gate.
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