"I was confused about my evolution affinity for some time... until I found out what I can do. And for some reason, it can only happen with insects, father. That was why I chose the mantis as my first beast. It was a risky move, but I was able to be successful," Theo continued to explain, and the Baron listened carefully.
"Just think of it as how a thousand years ago, the artifact changed every normal creature into strong beasts over time, according to history. This can be the same thing, father."
The Baron's eyes widened at this statement.
"No one else knows about this, right?" He looked at Alfred, who nodded.
"Only young master Theo, his attendant, and us both know about it, master."
"Good. Whatever we talked about today should never leave these walls until I say so." There was seriousness on the Baron's face that Theo didn't quite understand.
The Baron looked toward Clara, who nodded vigorously in a sheepish manner.
"And Theo, what you just said could be very threatening if said in front of the wrong people. If your affinity works as you have explained, it seems it could be troublesome in the long run," the Baron spoke, and for some reason, Theo felt a shiver down his spine.
"In order to protect you and the Barony, you need to keep this quiet… understood?"
"Yes… but why do we have to be so secretive, father?" Theo had some theories, yet he used the one advantage he had—being an eight-year-old naive child.
"What you need to know for now is that your affinity is not simple. If the Emperor gets to know this, he will take you away from us. We don't want that." The Baron's voice went cold.
Theo nodded. It seemed the reason was more grave than he had hoped and thought of.
When he was going to speak again, the Baron interjected, "Can you do this change, this 'evolution' thing again?" he asked.
"… I don't know, father. I will have to research and look for things before I can be sure. But it may take some time…"
"Good, take as much time as you want. Your affinity is much more interesting than I had realized before, Theo. Do you realize what you have done? You changed a beast in a way that I have never seen anyone else do. Beasts just grow stronger and get new abilities, they grow out some features with time, but this insect? It's as if it is a completely new being." The Baron ranted, and Theo listened carefully.
What he realized from this conversation was that the Baron was shocked, and at the same time, he was trying to protect the family and him. His confidence in his father came back again, and Theo smiled.
When the Baron saw that smile, a warm yet awkward smile came over his face too.
"What I said before… forget about it, Theo. I must have sounded like a jerk father, right?" he muttered with a saddened face.
Theo took an inner deep sigh. This was who his father really was—a concerned and loving person.
"I know why you said that, father. Please don't worry, I know that the Barony and the family come before anything."
"Gosh, why is he so mature at this age, Alfred? If it were me at his age, I would have already said something to my father that would have gotten me in trouble," the Baron said with nostalgia on his face.
Something told Theo that it wasn't just a saying; he really had said some bad things to his father back then, seeing his wild personality.
"Pft…"
A small laugh left his mouth, and the Baron burst out laughing soon enough too.
They were like this for a few seconds. Theo could see the situation had healed completely. There were still some factors he hadn't realized would come up, but for the short term, the trouble had passed.
When the Baron stopped laughing, he continued, "Listen to me, Theo. While you may have done something extraordinary with this insect, in the end, it's still so weak that I can just stomp on it, and it will be done. If you want to become stronger, you will have to work harder than anyone else in this whole Barony and even the whole world if need be," he said, and Theo nodded.
"Now, Alfred has told me how much time you stayed inside the forest these days. You are already level 2, which is nice. Whatever you need in your journey, I will provide it. Just stay strong like you did in front of me, alright?" he stated and grinned.
"Yes, father. I have decided to stop leveling for some time and improve the mantis's skills first to make it strong. It has also grown a little after this evolution."
"Really?" The Baron tried to see the difference, but when he was unable to, he changed the topic. "Alright, you go and practice now. I have some things to attend to. But make sure this thing doesn't get out. I will tell your mother, and we will have a meeting with all the children soon. They'll need to be in on this."
"I will be careful," Theo said with relief and continued. "Thank you for your time, father. Farewell."
He gave a courteous bow and left through the big gate with Clara, who also bowed to the Baron.
When Alfred finally closed the room, the Baron's shoulders dropped, and he leaned back in his chair with a deep breath.
"Things have become quite interesting, master," Alfred spoke while preparing tea on the side.
"This situation was not expected… it seems my plans for early retirement will have to be postponed, Alfred."
Alfred froze in place and looked at the Baron with widened eyes.
"Are you sure, master?"
"Yes. I was thinking of leaving it to the next leader of this Barony. All my children are promising, but if this affinity of Theo escalates, it will be fast and can get very ugly…"
"You mean…"
"Yes. It's about time I become a Viscount."