When Clara came back, her panic was on a different level. Theo's knuckles were bloodied and swollen from punching the rough ropes of the training dummy.
It was a lot to see a boy doing this much at such an age.
Yet, when she had first entered the room, she had seen Theo's determined face. She hadn't known an eight-year-old boy could make such a face.
It gave her peace of mind because, in the beast-taming world, trauma was the one thing that had broken many humans.
Even powerful individuals in history had succumbed to it—then what was Theo in front of them? But fortunately, Theo was not defeated in the face of dangerous and fearful situations.
After patching up his hand and showing him better ways to train his body, they had food for the first time in a while.
"Delicious," Theo said, taking a sizeable chunk of spicy meat.
"How is the boar now?"
Clara, who was eating, quickly gulped down her food and answered, "He's alright. Ironback Boars are meant to be this sturdy. The nurse told me it'll only take a night's rest and some medicine to get him back to normal."
Theo nodded in satisfaction, then took a small piece of meat and tossed it toward the mantis, which caught it speedily with its forelegs.
"Can you call the pup out for a bit? I want to reward it for its good work today." Theo wiped his lips with a napkin.
Clara nodded, and a glowing light flashed from her forehead, descending to the ground beside her.
As soon as the pup took in its surroundings, its eyes locked onto the food.
A few whining sounds came from its mouth before it looked at Theo and Clara with a pitiful expression.
Theo chuckled and picked up a piece of meat from the side plate, tossing it toward the pup.
Right in midair, the pup snatched the meat with ease, devouring it as if thousands were trying to steal it away.
"Thank you for feeding him, young master." Clara smiled, a little embarrassed, but Theo just shook his head.
"These are the only things I can do to keep you all happy. It makes me happy too," Theo said.
"You can just make us happy by being safe, young master. That is enough."
Theo didn't respond, simply tossing another chunk of meat to the pup, which ate it instantly and looked around for more.
He wanted to give it another, but Clara stopped him. Eating too much could be bad for a beast, too.
Theo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If that were the case, then his mantis was truly a glutton for eating all day.
"This was just extra, Clara. What I really want to give it is this." Theo had already finished eating, so he stood up and walked over to a small, fancy cupboard in the corner.
He glanced at the mantis, which was still eating leisurely, then quickly opened the cupboard.
Inside was a big sack. Theo opened it and pulled out some small ores.
He shut it just in time before the mantis could notice.
"I want to reward it with this." Theo crouched down, giving Clara a look to summon the pup toward him.
"…Young master, this is too much. Please, the food was enough," Clara said in surprise. She hadn't expected Theo to give such a precious ore to the pup.
"I wasn't asking, Clara. Just tell it to eat the ore," Theo said with a frown.
Clara hesitated but eventually nodded.
"Well, the pup isn't as efficient as the mantis, young master. It can only eat the ore in powdered form," she said, scratching her forehead awkwardly.
"Is that so?" Theo gazed at the ores thoughtfully.
"Then I'll order some powdered ones for the boar and the pup tomorrow," he decided.
As the mantis finished its food, its gaze fell on the ore in Theo's hands.
It hopped off the table and darted toward him at full speed, eyes locked onto the ores.
"Hahhh… You really are a glutton. I can't even put it back now," Theo sighed, placing the ores on the ground.
The mantis wasted no time and began devouring them instantly.
Sacrificing a few pieces was fine, but at least he'd managed to hide the whole stash from it.
"Clara, let's not waste any more time. I have a few hours left before bedtime. Give me some pointers on that knife-throwing skill, please."
Clara looked at Theo in surprise but nodded. She had already sensed the shift in his perspective when she first entered the room.
"Wasn't it too much for you today, young master. It was a matter of death and it is okay if you want to take some time off training." Clara stated with concern yet Theo just looked at her in seriousness.
Just the looked was enough for her to know that Theo won't budge.
"There's still some time before bed, young master. Would you like to visit the training grounds I frequent?" Clara asked, if they were doing the training, it might as well be a good one.
Theo nodded eagerly, his heart pounding with excitement at learning such a skill.
A few minutes later, Clara led Theo to a small training area within the castle grounds—a space she often used to practice. The evening air was cool, and faint lantern glow illuminated the area.
It was just outside the castle's corner gate but still within the main walls.
Theo had left the mantis behind to finish its meal. He knew it would take a while before it ate the entire stash.
The training area was an open space, unfamiliar to Theo, who had done all his training within his room until now.
Small targets stood at various distances, and a row of daggers lined up on a crude wooden table nearby.
"Knife throwing seems like an easy skill to learn, young master," Clara began, picking up a set of small daggers. "But it definitely isn't. It's about precision, focus, and understanding your target." Clara's demeanor changed and Theo nodded in understanding.
Just like that, his journey of self-improvement had truly begun.