By nightfall, they had already processed half of the python’s massive corpse.

The level of productivity was something Theo had never seen with the group before.

Clara, Elias and Cassian worked as usual, now joined by Kaelor, who seemed to have developed a liking for butchery. Other than that, Lucien had also joined in, eager to learn.

When Theo asked why he hadn’t helped before, despite having spent so much time in the forest, Lucien simply answered, "Cassian handled everything; I didn’t need to."

The answer told Theo enough. This was the norm, and by him working alongside the attendants and others, Theo was slowly breaking those norms.

Lysara was asked to help as well, and to everyone’s surprise, she agreed to join.

She couldn’t handle the actual butchering, as that made her retch more than once, but she managed to carry and place the cut fillets into the smokers, which was also an important task.

Even Garrick, who couldn’t find any reason to stay behind anymore, had no choice but to join. The only way he could hide from working was because Lysara wasn’t doing anything either.

But now with her working together, he had no one to hide behind.

Theo worked through one section, stripping all the flesh clean from the bones before moving on to the organs.

He set them aside and called over the beasts but first made sure the organs were safe enough to be eaten by them.

Once confirmed that the organs were safe, every single beast started devouring the gigantic organs eagerly, as if this were the first time they were eating something like that.

This time, Theo couldn’t leave the mantis out, as it was feeding time.

The moment it appeared, every single beast present backed away instinctively, except for the ape, the panther, the boar and the pup who had already grown accustomed to its presence.

To avoid conflict, Theo tossed another large organ to the side, ensuring that everyone had more than enough to eat.

Even late into the night, the group kept working, fully immersed in their tasks.

They took short breaks here and there, talking about their lives, and thanks to it, the atmosphere in the camp grew unexpectedly warm and comfortable.

But whenever Merek stepped out of the hut, things would become awkward.

He had an expression on his face that was beyond being arrogant.

Theo decided to approach and talk with the fellow, but that went poorly. The guy flew into a rage, and Lucien had to quickly pull Theo away before things could escalate further.

From that moment on, Theo decided he wouldn’t give that guy any more orders.

By the morning, everyone slept like logs. Meanwhile, the mantis and the other beasts devoured the python’s insides before settling down to rest. Their senses were too keen to ignore any danger, and the mantis’ suppression worked on other beasts too, which worked as an additional advantage in situations like this.

By the time everyone woke up, the beasts had already finished everything that was left inside the carcass. It was as if they were all as gluttonous as the mantis.

Theo then decided to feed the beast they had restrained in the corner. To do that, they had to open its mouth, though everyone was warned not to look inside it.

And just as they feared, it happened again. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

A flash of light burst from the beast’s mouth, but this time, no one was affected by it. Theo went and quickly tossed several large chunks of the python’s flesh inside the beast’s mouth. For a moment, the beast kept its mouth open as if it didn’t need the food, but once it started eating, it literally gulped everything down within seconds.

Once it was fed, they tied its mouth shut again. Their only job was to keep it alive.

Theo also noticed Garrick’s two birds gradually getting used to the mantis’s presence. It made him realize that, with just a little effort, even something so unsettling could be grown used to.

At that moment, he recalled the baron’s words, making him smile.

With the python’s hide now stretched over a large tree branch to dry in the sun and wind, the group resumed their journey toward the east.

When they reached the clearing, everyone saw the territory of the beast they had captured. It made them imagine what Merek had done to leave his own beast in such a weakened state.

They passed on. The further they traveled toward the east, the more Theo felt like the spatial energy was intensifying, though it still seemed distant.

When they were about thirty minutes away from the camp, they decided to halt.

_____

"Twenty minutes forward, there’s an area that isn’t quite a clearing. The five wolf-type beasts I mentioned earlier are there as well, young master." Garrick reported, his eyes glowing like usual.

Elias stood nearby with the same glow in his eyes, while Chip and the two birds scouted ahead.

"Twenty minutes forward, huh... to have only one beast territory after traveling this far... we have been lucky," Theo muttered, glancing back at his group.

"What do you all think we should do? Should we avoid them and continue toward our destination or investigate and see if we need to capture or exterminate them?" Theo asked.

Merek stood among the middle supporters, looking off to the side as if sulking. Theo ignored him and instead turned to Lucien and Sir Kaelor, the only ones who most likely had something better to say.

"The instructors did say having one or two pairs of females and males would be a lot better..." Lucien said. "If we were to capture as many females as possible, along with a few males, it could improve the mission’s outcome."

Kaelor spoke right away before Theo could fully nod. "But don’t wolf-type beasts usually mate with only one partner? I have heard about that before."

Theo glanced at Merek, then sighed and turned to Clara, who only shook her head awkwardly.

"It seems we can’t really confirm that fact, so we will try to capture as many males and females as we can, just to not have any problems later," Theo concluded.

But before the discussion could settle, another voice cut in.

"You all are quite dumb. It seems only knight Kaelor has some sense."