Insect Tamer's Ascension
Chapter 139 - 139: Farewell (6/7)- The boar and the pup

Theo sat there patiently and learned from Bernard about the types of healing he could use to fix Mantis.

"Having the knowledge of healing your own beast is very important in serious situations, you don't know what will happen to you in the future," Bernard said tactfully, and Theo just nodded, making the old man smile.

"Mostly all the nobles do not have the gut of realizing this, they become so arrogant. Anyway, let's resume," he stated with somewhat nostalgia, and Theo didn't feel like commenting on it.

"There are two options with you. You can either make your beast drink a very high-grade potion—the better the materials used to make the potion, the better and speedier the recovery of your beast will be."

"You may already know, but I would still like to address the basics. We will take a small example to understand this, imagine your level 4 Mantis is now injured. Now, you have access to all the resources available in the Barony, so you brought in a high-grade potion and made the Mantis drink it," Bernard explained, and Theo listened intently.

"Let's assume that the potion you used was made by the heart of a very high-level beast, let's take a level 9 one. When your Mantis drinks something related to that beast, its recovery speed will increase exponentially. That is why high-level potions are so good and so expensive at the same time, young master."

Bernard stopped for a second to see if Theo was still on the same page or not.

"But… why is this a thing? What does eating a higher-level beast have to do with faster recovery?" Theo asked innocently. He already knew the answer to some extent, some from the books he read, others he could think of on his own.

"I was getting to that point," Bernard spoke with a chuckle. "This is not what I specialize in, so I will be as discreet as possible. Try to understand."

"When beasts level up, their bodies change very differently from ours. Each level-up either makes their hide sturdier, their digestive system better, or even makes their bones stronger. There are many other ways they grow, you can learn about it in the academy. They sometimes, but rarely, get some additional features too, such as growths on the body that could help in fights, extra sets of canines, and whatnot."

"So if we come to the main point again—in the wild, we have been seeing stuff like this for centuries. A lot of tests were conducted too, and it was finally proved that when a lower-level beast eats a higher-level beast, the better the gap between them, the more the lower-level beast would recover quickly and even get some benefits."

He finally stopped, and Theo looked at him with a happy, light smile as if he understood and was satisfied with the explanation too.

"That was the first option. For the next one, it's a lot more similar to the first one but different altogether."

"What is it?"

"It's simple. You only have to procure medicines. They can be natural or artificially made. But with the right measurement in a bath the size of your beast and a controlled temperature, you can keep your beast in it for a while to rest, and it will soak in all the medicine from its skin. This makes recovery faster for some reason."

Theo thought about it for a few seconds, yet there was still confusion on his face.

"But… how will I know what medicine to put in it? I have next to no knowledge about them," he asked while looking at him.

"That's where the potions come in, young master. Mix water and the potions in an equal mixture. And place your beast in it for some while, and you will start seeing the results," he stated and continued with a confident smile, "In your case, it's better as your beast is a lot smaller than the average, so it doesn't need as many potions and as much water to sit in."

"That makes a lot of sense, but… knowing my Mantis, I will have to brace for the fact that he will absorb everything instantly or just drink it. It is a glutton."

Bernard wanted to laugh, and he chuckled too, "These are the only options you have for now. My responsibility was to tell you as I did to all the other Merrick heirs. It is your choice to go to the infirmary and let them fix your beast."

When Bernard spoke about teaching the heirs, there was this exhaustion on his face, and Theo could understand him without asking for anything.

"Do you understand now?"

"Yes, thank you for the detailed explanation, old man Bernard. I will go and try them right now."

"Go, go, now let me rest a bit," Bernard spoke and took the pipe and puffed a smoke again.

When Theo was just leaving, Bernard spoke again, but only a little, "Oh, and young master—don't forget that no matter which method you choose, patience is key. Healing isn't instant, even with the best potions."

Theo stopped before leaving the academy to look back, "I will keep that in mind, although, knowing my Mantis, if I force it too much, it will try fighting the water itself," he said with a light chuckle.

Bernard cracked too, "A stubborn beast for a stubborn tamer, I see."

Theo just smiled and left the library. He had two options now, and both of them needed him to get some high-level potions.

His mind went to how he would have told Clara to help him get it, and Theo felt a little bittersweet about it.

He knew Clara was not someone who would have succumbed to danger in the outskirts. It was a surprise attack, and even from it, Clara was able to protect her spine.

The situation was the one that was bad, and he could just tell his parents about it and have her join him again.

But… in Theo's heart, after seeing Clara fly off with that attack, Theo couldn't bear to take her with him again. His heart didn't allow him.

He thought a lot and went inside his room while his eyes dazed.

"Good afternoon, young master Theo."

"!!!"

Theo shadow stepped to the side almost instantly, a habit that was built while training himself to be protected from the guards' attacks.

In his own room, there was a man standing on the side. His hands were clasped together, and his posture was upright.

"The Baroness has assigned me as your new attendant, young master Theo."

"My name is Elias. I took the Merrick Barony's attendant training a few months ago and passed it successfully," Elias spoke in a calm tone, devoid of any emotional instability.

__________

Elias Veyne

Level 8

Type – Human

__________

Theo took a small breather to calm himself. It was just an attendant. He looked at the man—or the boy—again, who had a somewhat muscular figure as if he had been training.

His hair was brownish in color, and his face was a lot better than average. His clothes were a lot similar to Clara's, only they were made for men.

"…Nice to meet you, Elias. You may already know me—my name is Theo Merrick, the 9th heir to the Barony," Theo spoke with a light smile.

Elias smiled too, "The Baroness told me all about you, young master. And I am very excited to serve you from now on," he stated with a deep bow.

"Do you know about the attendant that took care of me before?" Theo asked in seriousness, not knowing why he did that.

"Yes, every attendant knows her, young master. Clara Owen—the one who still has the records of the highest marks in all the attendant exams. Nobody has been able to beat her for the last four years." Elias spoke, Theo saw excitement in his voice and eyes when he talking about her making him surprised.

Theo felt shocked. Highest marks? Clara? Were they talking about the same person?

"And I am really sorry for what happened to her just a few hours ago. They say she will recover fully in a few weeks. Her beasts are very loyal too—they haven't left her side at all."

"Boar and the pup?" Theo's eyes widened. They both were all alone with the unconscious Clara.

"I… take me to the infirmary where Clara is, Elias. We will bring some beast food on our way there."

Elias looked at him in sudden surprise, yet seeing the determined gaze of Theo, he quickly backed down from any restrictions he had. "Let us go, young master. It's not that far from here."

"Good."

Theo opened the room's door again and got out, and Elias came running back. Before closing the door, Theo saw the glimpse of the Mantis, who was still seated at the same spot on the bed.

'I will come back soon,' Theo gave a mental command just in case and briskly moved forward.

It was about time he started repaying for how much Clara had done for him. Her beasts needed him right now, and Theo was all for taking care of them.

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