Theo spent a long ti talking with Bernard, and with an outside perspective on things, he was able to find several new progressive ways to move forward.
When Bernard was done, he leaned back in his chair and took a long puff from his pipe, exhaustion settling in him.
"These bones probably don’t have more than a decade left," Bernard said with a faint smile. "But I am glad I might live long enough to witness what’s coming soon."
"What will you witness?" Theo asked curiously.
For a mont it sounded like he was talking about Theo, but there was still no clarity.
"Nothing," the old man replied with a soft smile.
Theo didn’t press further.
"You have been a great help, and I cannot express how grateful I am to you for bringing so much clarity," Theo spoke, bowing respectfully.
Bernard wanted to stop him, as an heir bowing to him didn’t look appropriate, but in the end, he simply sighed and nodded.
Theo left the library with a much clearer mind, while Bernard remained seated in the library, lost in thought.
"Maybe you will let see what I have been waiting so long for... Theo rrick."
_____
Afterward, Theo went to the ant queen to get inside the Hive Link.
Through it, he made the ant queen understand everything Bernard had told him.
Since the ant queen was essentially the mother of the entire colony, Theo asked it to be as direct as possible with its opinion.
But to his surprise, the ant queen didn’t have a problem with the plan. It even advised him to use ten ants from each level group to properly determine the lifespan he was trying to asure for the new burrow worker evolution.
That suggestion surprised Theo and reminded him once again how naive he could be compared to the instincts of nature.
Just like that, following the advice, Theo selected the ants needed for the experint and had the ant queen mark them. Apparently, the ant queen could tag specific ants with a different pheromone from the colony’s usual scent, which would help in identifying who they were experinting among the thousands in the colony.
Once that was done, Theo went to speak with Rhys about resuming his training. Apparently, the knight had recently returned after spending a long ti being stationed at the first ant colony Theo had established near the town.
Theo apologized repeatedly for the delay, and starting the next day, his knight training resud.
Rhys was quickly able to notice that sothing about Theo’s body felt wrong: the young master’s balance was different.
Theo didn’t have any problem with telling Rhys about it, though he kept certain details to himself. He simply said how his affinity had gifted him an extra ability that allowed him to sense what was happening around him.
Rhys didn’t ask further questions, though his curiosity remained obvious.
But that curiosity soon turned into shock when Theo began training with the other knights, without using his aura at all.
_____
Currently, Theo was sparring with one of the knights while Rhys stood on the side. It was the sa training group where Theo had practised swordsmanship since the beginning.
But sothing felt different today. Many knights had gathered around them, yet not a single one was cheering for anyone.
They simply stared at the spectacle before them, completely at a loss for words.
"AGGHH!!"
The knight Theo was fighting against seed to be in his early twenties.
And the amount of sweat pouring from his body in comparison to Theo revealed just how intense the bout had beco for him.
The knight lunged forward again with the wooden sword and even struck from an awkward angle that should have been difficult to dodge. Yet it was as if Theo already knew where the man’s attack would land and how he had to strike back.
BANG!
And Theo’s counterstrike was unlike any he had delivered against a knight in the past. This ti, their wooden sword clashed with a sharp crack, and the knight was forced to step back.
The utter disbelief in his eyes showed just how shocked the knight was with this bout.
Theo remained calm, standing exactly where he was, his eyes locked on the knight. When the knight hesitated and didn’t approach him for the next few seconds, Theo moved first.
He rushed forward, and the knight quickly took a defensive stance. Theo slashed forward to hit the defense repeatedly. The mont the knight tried to move to counterattack, Theo slipped past the strike before driving his palm at the knight’s shoulder.
"KUGH..."
The knight staggered back a step, shaking his shoulder a few tis before preparing to continue the fight again. But just then, he noticed sothing strange.
Theo was stumbling away in the opposite direction, his face completely expressionless.
Halfway through, Theo seed to have lost his balance. His perspective shifted suddenly, and he placed a hand on the ground to break his fall.
All the knights watching the scene grew even more confused at the situation.
The 9th heir had just fallen while trying to move forward.
It made absolutely no sense to anyone.
"That is enough."
Rhys spoke, without the usual sleepiness in his eyes.
All the knights turned to look at Rhys and then back at Theo.
For a few seconds, silence hung in the air until roars started erupting everywhere.
"WHAT WAS THAT?"
"ISN’T YOUNG MASTER AMAZING?"
"HE DODGED EVERY SINGLE ATTACK LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!"
Those were the only coherent shouts Theo could make out as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
Rhys walked toward him until he stood right in front of him.
"You..." Rhys said with a dead serious face while everyone continued muttering or shouting about what they had just witnessed.
"You need to focus only on swordsmanship from now on. No beasts whatsoever."
"What..."
"NO ’what’. I am going to speak with the Baron right now." Rhys stepped closer, his eyes fully open now, his gaze intense. "The only thing you need to do from this mont on, or maybe forever, is work on your swordsmanship and nothing else. Do you get it, young master?"
"???"
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