Chapter 345. Some things left unresolved

"Hmm..."

Inside the hut, Theo raised a hand to his head and scratched it. He could feel a dull, throbbing headache pulsing behind his forehead.

Then everything that had happened came rushing back to him.

And the realization made his eyes widen, and he dropped heavily on his butt.

He looked down at himself, only to find that he was wearing normal clothes and no armor.

His breathing hitched as his trembling hand moved toward the hem of his shirt and slowly pulled it up.

’There’s no way...’

Where there should have been a gaping hole in his abdomen, there was only a scar instead.

"I am alive..." Theo’s voice wavered; he couldn’t help but feel a little too emotional at the simple realization that he had even woken up at all.

"Did you really think you would die on my watch, son?"

Theo turned his head. His father sat quietly in the corner of the hut, with no one in the hut apart from the two.

Studying his father’s face, Theo couldn’t help but feel curious and asked, "Are you alright, Father?"

Upon hearing his son’s very first words upon waking up, a vein twitched on the baron’s face. "Shouldn’t it be me who asks you that?"

Theo let out a small chuckle at that thought, but his gaze drifted back to his abdomen. There was no pain, not even a slight lingering sensation.

"I used the best potion on you," the baron said. "Even if you have had your heart punctured, I would have saved you... probably."

Even as the baron spoke, he felt along the way that he was selling the potion a little too much.

"I am still surprised, though. That beast..." When the beast’s memory resurfaced, Theo gritted his teeth.

The baron seemed to have noticed the change in his expression but chose to remain silent.

"...Its nails dug in a little too deep, Father," Theo said quietly, resting a hand over the scar again, just as he had during the fight, when he had tried to stop the bleeding.

As if trying to steer the topic of their conversation elsewhere, the baron spoke again. "You awakened your aura, son."

Theo heard that and nodded. He opened his status window and focused on the ’Skill’ part. There were two skills now.

*****

Hive link (Ability) (level 3, 53%):

Establishes a weak but direct symbiotic connection between the user and a single Hive-type existence, allowing the user to have a secondary node within the hive network. This ability is incomplete and shouldn’t normally manifest in a Human-type existence.

Lesser Sword Aura (level 0, 24%):

A weak and unstable manifestation of blade aura that lightly coats with the wielder’s intent rather than raw power.

*****

The moment Theo read that ability’s name, it was as if all the lingering bitterness from the fight had faded from his mind for a moment, and he calmed down.

The baron immediately noticed the shift in Theo’s expression, from frustration to relief.

"YOUNG MASTER!"

Just then, a shout rang out from the hut’s entrance.

Clara rushed inside hurriedly and wrapped her arms around Theo right away, tears already spilling down her eyes.

"I knew you were awake when I heard the mutterings in here!" she exclaimed, her words filled with excitement, but anyone could tell she had already started crying.

Theo placed a hand on her head and gently stroked her hair, a warm smile forming on his face. Where else would he find such affectionate people outside his family?

"I am alright now, Clara," he said softly. "My wounds are completely healed."

Though his voice was calm, the two before him could trace the restlessness in his tone.

"Can I get my sword for a moment, please? I want to check something," Theo asked in the most innocent way he could. It was a tactic to get Clara to do it, or he was sure he wasn’t going to get anything at all.

Clara broke the hug and looked at Theo with a cold expression, and Theo understood her answer right away.

"You’re not getting anything until you rest and I am sure you are better. Got it?" she said, the sternness in her eyes leaving no room for argument.

Theo could only nod with an awkward chuckle.

"I will get you some food. It’s been two days since you have been living on soup, young master."

"??"

Theo’s eyes widened in shock for a moment before nostalgia washed over him. This had happened before too.

Just as Clara was about to leave to get some food, Theo grabbed her arm in time, making her look back.

"Thank you, Clara."

She only nodded with a warm smile and seemed to want to hug him again but restrained herself before walking away.

"Mantis, how long are you planning to tap my head?" Theo asked, trying to look up, only to see the mantis’s head bob into his view and look at him with those familiar eyes.

It climbed down and tapped his forehead in its own staring way of showing affection, which made Theo gently tap its head in return.

"How are you feeling now?" the baron asked.

Theo looked at him.

’Hmm... there is no mistaking it... Something happened,’ Theo thought, seeing the expression on the baron’s face while he looked at him.

It was as if a heavy burden rested on his shoulder, guilt weighing down his eyes. Theo didn’t like seeing him like that, so he pushed himself up from the mattress.

"As you can see, fit as a boar," Theo spoke with a grin.

The baron nodded and got up only to step closer to Theo and place his big hand on his son’s head.

Silence followed, and soon, the baron turned to leave the hut without saying anything more than a nod.

But Theo couldn’t let it end like that.

"You know you can tell me what’s going on in your mind, right... father?" he said from the same spot, prompting the baron to stop and look back.

"...I am just glad you’re okay now. But you still need at least a day to heal with the potion still in your body. I need to get something to eat now too," he said before leaving the hut.

Once he was gone, Theo quickly sank back down on the ground, clutching his abdomen with a pained expression.

He lay flat on the mattress.

The mantis hopped onto his chest and stayed there for a while before falling asleep, making Theo realize it probably hadn’t slept at all during the past two days, given their bond.

When he was sure the visits were over, Theo noticed a line of ants scurrying into the hut.

He then saw the ants carrying large chunks of flesh toward him, tossing them in front of him before marching away as if their mission was completed.

Theo stared at the ’meat’ gifts before him and laughed softly. It was the Ant Queen’s way of saying it was happy seeing him well now.

’Thanks, Ant Queen.’