When Theo returned to the Barony, the mantis had already finished eating the entire snake from the inside, leaving behind only the scaly skin and a small purple-colored sack that it had discarded.
Theo went back to his room and started training the mantis on the dummy. There wasn't much he had to do anyway. As an 8-year-old ninth son of the Merrick Barony, not many tasks were on his shoulders other than playing and having fun.
His days passed like that, training the mantis, and Theo managed to gain another 10% proficiency during that time. It seemed that simply using the skill was not good enough anymore; the mantis had to execute effective attacks during ability use to increase its proficiency.
The next day, Theo didn't go to the forest and continued making the mantis train. There were plenty of new kinds of fodder insects he had bought for the mantis to hunt and eat, and it had become quite the motivation for the little fellow.
During that time, Theo discussed everything about evolution with Clara, who was the only one available to help him.
Theo told her all sorts of things that wouldn't go against him—everything except the reincarnation stuff and the curse.
After the whole explanation, what Theo realized made him very happy—Clara was very proactive in the discussion.
In the conversation about the ten cores the mantis needed to eat to evolve, Theo had a realization after Clara said something random.
Her intervention made him have a theory about the affinity after a long time.
The moss slime cores were a random evolutionary factor and didn't directly relate to the metallic nature of the mantis, other than how hard the core was.
That made Theo consider something: what if he could feed the mantis metallic ores? Would it eat something like that, or was it incapable of digesting ores?
That was the second day of the five remaining before the noble gathering he had to attend.
Theo ended the second day with more training, gaining another 9% in proficiency before going to sleep.
——
On the morning of the third day,
Theo sat in his room with two other people.
They were none other than Clara and Alfred.
"So, Young Master Theo, what I understand is that you are trying to buy precious ores from the market?" Alfred asked after completing his formal greeting with Theo.
"That's right. But you didn't need to concern yourself with this—Clara can take care of it, old man Alfred," Theo said, confused. He didn't know why the head butler had come all the way here for a request he hadn't even made to him.
"Well, I just came to notify you that you can get better ores from our own inventory rather than from merchants."
"Our own inventory?"
"We have a lot of ores on hand that I believe can help you with anything you're looking for, Young Master Theo," Alfred said with a warm smile.
"What is the best ore you have that I can get right now?" Theo asked, his excitement increasing. He knew he could procure better ores from the Barony rather than the market.
"I believe the Obsidian Steel Ore is the best we have at the moment. Anything better would take days to arrive. We mostly acquire it from the Northern Kingdoms," Alfred stated while adjusting his glasses.
"Then can you get me some of this ore today?"
"I can have it delivered within an hour. Will a kilo be sufficient for you?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Thank you, old man Alfred."
"It's my duty, Young Master," Alfred bowed slightly. When he straightened up, he continued, "Although I was going to come meet you in a day or two anyway, Young Master. The Baron has instructed me to personally oversee all your needs. There are also a few things I need to inform you about regarding the upcoming noble gathering."
Theo nodded and waited for him to explain further. He noticed Clara standing stiffly like a statue in the presence of the head butler, making him want to chuckle.
"Your etiquette training was completed before, but every younger heir is required to take a refresher class in two days. Your attendant will be notified about the timing soon," Alfred explained, and Theo nodded in understanding.
"Additionally, you are not to disclose any information about your tamed beast or its evolutionary affinity. If someone asks, you are to say that it is the Baron's order to keep it a surprise until the academy," he continued.
"Wait, won't that draw a lot of attention to me?" Theo asked, confused.
"I asked the same thing to the master, but he stated that you are a Merrick, and all the attention will already be on you. He also stated that you are to handle it as a Merrick is supposed to," Alfred stated, letting out a sigh.
Theo felt the same. His father seemed to want him to grow from this situation.
"I will do as Father says, old man Alfred," Theo said, and Alfred bowed again.
"I will have the ores delivered within an hour. Farewell, Young Master."
With that, Alfred left the room, and Theo finally sighed in relief.
"Don't worry, Young Master. The gathering will be nothing for you. It's also a great place to make connections with those who will likely join you in the academy."
"Yeah, I'm not worried about it, Clara. Just a little tired." Theo lay back on the bed, yawning.
Clara was perplexed—Theo had only been awake for a few hours, and he already seemed exhausted.
"Young Master, can you please take it lightly? Doing everything so quickly may take a toll on your body," she said with concern.
"I'm alright, Clara. I do nothing but train the mantis and occasionally level it up. Nothing more than that," he said in a half-asleep state.
"All tamers are supposed to train and level their beasts, Young Master. But it must be done with discretion. Sometimes, overexertion can lead to burnout, especially at a young age."