Insect Tamer's Ascension-Chapter 53: Entering the Gathering (2)

Theo and Clara made their way toward the meeting point, which was located in the large lobby just before the main gate of the castle.

He was arriving ten minutes early, as his father was coming too, and punctuality was necessary in his own eyes.

When Clara opened the gate to the large lobby, Theo was surprised. Where there were supposed to be eleven or more people, there seemed to be only two right now.

Theo's eyes widened when he saw the person on the right. Her eyes met his, and after a moment of shock, a warm smile formed on her face.

"Theo…" The Baroness said, holding back tears.

Theo briskly walked toward his mother and gave her a perfect noble bow before going in for a hug. Clara smiled and closed the gate after bowing toward the Baroness once, it seemed the attendants were not supposed to be in the lobby.

"It's been a long time since I saw you, Mother."

The Baroness's face melted completely; Theo could see she was about to cry, so he consoled her. It was not the time to ruin her makeup.

"You look so handsome today, Theo," she said as she caressed his face. Theo smiled and felt a wave of emotions too—it had really been a while since he last saw her.

Theo had been wondering about it for a while now, and it started to make more sense over time. It was as if his mind was fully adjusting to this body of an eight-year-old. Is 28 years 28-year-old previous self and the 8-year-old self seemed to be getting distinct with time.

It might have been due to the hormones of a child coursing through his body or another reason.

"You are looking very beautiful today, Mother. Although, you never stop looking good either," Theo spoke with a wide smile, making Seraphina want to ruffle his hair.

The Baroness was wearing an incredibly beautiful dress, adorned with so much jewelry that Theo couldn't even guess its worth.

If Clara looked good in her dress, the Baroness was breathtaking.

"You've become quite the sweet talker, haven't you?" A voice came from the side.

Theo turned with a smile. It was Elara, the second heir.

She was wearing a beautiful outfit too, though not as extravagant as the Baroness's. Yet, despite having no visible makeup, her face seemed even more striking.

"It's good to see you, big sister Elara. You look very beautiful today," Theo said with a smile.

She was all smiles until, for just a second, Theo noticed a change in her expression. But just as quickly, she returned to normal.

"Well, well, what do we have here… my little brother is already level 2, huh?" she said with a cheeky smile, much like the one she always had in front of the Baron.

Theo's eyebrow twitched for a second before he returned to his usual calm demeanor.

The Baroness also glanced at his status and was visibly surprised.

"Theo... Why didn't you tell me about this? My youngest son is already level 2~" The Baroness said with a warm smile.

'Father didn't tell her till now? What is he doing?' Theo thought.

"Yes, I reached it a day ago, Mother. You know how easily we can level up to 2. The real journey starts now," Theo said, keeping his tone casual.

"Oh? What beast did you contract, Theo? Leveling so easily tells me so many stories already," Elara spoke with genuine curiosity.

'Alright, this is the time.'

"My apologies, elder sister, but Father told me to keep it a surprise until we all have a meeting after this gathering. He seemed very serious," Theo said, keeping his eyes innocent.

Both the Baroness and Elara looked at each other briefly before turning back to Theo.

"If Father said that, then I suppose it's alright to wait. Although" she said, placing a hand on Theo's shoulder, "Congratulations Theo, for reaching level 2. May the artifact grace you with a bright future."

Theo nodded and smiled. It seemed using the Baron's name was a good strategy.

Elara didn't ask any more questions, and the Baroness remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. He wanted to tell them but refrained from bombarding them with information so early in the day.

The gate creaked again, and Theo saw another person enter the lobby.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

It was a boy with very sharp features. Theo felt a slight jolt in his spine upon meeting his gaze.

His white suit contrasted with his overall appearance. He looked good, though not as good as Theo—in Theo's opinion.

"Good morning, Mother, sister Elara, and…" Cedric spoke with a light smile, which surprised everyone until his gaze fell on Theo. His smile disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. "Theo," he finished after a few seconds of staring.

Theo always kept his distance from Cedric because their personalities never seemed to match. Cedric always appeared indifferent.

Curious, Theo scanned Cedric.

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Cedric Merrick

Type - Human

Level - 7

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Now, Theo was genuinely shocked.

'Level 7? That's… high,' he thought, wanting to ask but refraining for now.

Cedric stared at Theo for another second before moving toward the Baroness and making conversation.

Even Elara seemed somewhat distant from Cedric, and only the Baroness spoke with him as naturally as a mother would.

"So, a surprise, huh? I like surprises, Theo," Elara said, stepping closer with her usual smile.

Theo was already exhausted, and he had only met three out of the ten heirs so far.

He engaged in more conversation and learned that Elara had graduated from the academy long ago.

When Theo checked her level, it was 5—the same as Clara's.

Theo figured this was because they were around the same age.

'So far, it seems like only Cedric stands out at such a high level for his age… I'm getting more and more curious about him.'

Not long after, the twins arrived, but Theo didn't interact much with them, though Elara didn't stop talking even once as Celeste kept bringing up more and more topics.

It wasn't until Lucien entered that Theo moved from his spot again.