Theo looked at them, unsure of what to say. To him, simply being allowed inside the gate already felt like a big enough reward.

He had just proven what he could do and also gained valuable experience in the process.

"But even so, we still don’t have a proper explanation as to why the gate disappeared," Mae said thoughtfully, prompting all the instructors to fall into deep thought.

Theo suppressed a sigh.

It felt like all these scholars were the same; once they sank into their thoughts, then there was no way they could concentrate on anything else. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He had seen it before with the spatial affinity scholar he had met before.

When the instructors finally felt like they were done thinking and noticed Theo still standing in front of them for who knew how long, they dismissed him and turned their attention to collecting all the samples.

That was when Theo noticed a group of robed men standing in a circle. Curious, he tried to see what they were surrounding. The moment he caught sight of it, he couldn’t help but instinctively move toward them.

"Excuse me," he said in a steady but deep voice, making one of the robed men shriek before quickly stepping aside.

ARF!

The paralyzed pup struggled to move forward using its two forelegs, its attention fixed entirely on Theo, the only one it was familiar with among the people around it.

Theo immediately crouched and gently scooped the pup into his arms.

Murmurs spread among the robed men as they watched him with mixed expressions. He had just touched an untamed gate beast.

The three instructors stood nearby. Theo gave the robed men a brief nod before approaching the instructors.

Corven was the first one to notice him approaching them, then his gaze dropped to the pup in Theo’s hands.

"Why do you have that in your hands, Young Theo?" he asked politely. His demeanor had changed a lot since Theo returned from the gate.

Theo met their eyes. "Dear instructors... may I keep this beast with me?"

The request made the instructors frown.

"You can’t do that. This beast is the kingdom’s property," Corven spoke right away.

Theo nodded, though he felt a vein popping in his head when the man said that, but he could not show it. But what the man said wasn’t wrong. Anything that came out of the gate was considered the kingdom’s property as long as Theo hadn’t tamed it.

Still, he pressed on.

"This one was gravely injured because of me. I only took this one out because I wanted to repent and take care of this thing while it’s still alive," Theo spoke and crouched down, gently placing the pup down and moving back, only for the pup to whine and drag itself toward him with its forelegs.

As the instructors noticed its useless hind legs, one shook his head while the others looked on with faint pity.

"Poor soul," Oric muttered, stepping closer to it. He studied it briefly before glancing at Theo. "Should I help you with its pain?"

"Did the healer who accompanied you try to heal this one?" Oric asked, making Theo nod.

"Hm... if it’s like this even after the healing, then it holds little practical value to us, Young Theo," the playful man spoke. "But that ’little’ use is still very important."

"This is a male, and if its breeding organ remains functional after maturity despite the paralysis, it could still be used to produce many more pups like it."

He paused, then added calmly. "I hope you understand."

Theo looked at the man and, for once, didn’t bother hiding his real emotions.

Oric noticed the sadness on his face and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You need to let go of this guilt, Young Theo. Whether you did this to the beast or not, it doesn’t matter. As long as it is able to serve our purpose, we will mark it off as ’useful’ in your report," he said with a broad smile.

Theo slowly put his poker face back on and nodded. His gaze drifted to the pup that was staring back at him with those small, beady green eyes filled with innocence that made his chest ache with pain while simply looking at it.

’Achieve our purpose, huh... so they really see the beasts as nothing more than tools...’

Theo didn’t know why or whan it started, but a feeling had started to settle in his heart. The idea of killing beasts senselessly no longer sat right with him.

And now that he had learned how to handle them without killing... it felt like that was the only ’right’ way to handle things forward.

"I guess I will have a talk with the emperor about this pup, instructors," Theo said as he stood up.

"As you can see, I am feeling quite guilty about it, and I ’need’ to take care of it, for my own peace of mind," Theo added, his tone carrrying the refined edge of a noble.

The three instructors looked at him, their expressions unreadable.

’If they don’t write a good report about me, so be it. I will do what I believe is right to do,’ he spoke in his heart but let it be known in his eyes.

Oric could recognize that gaze from any angle.

A moment later, all three instructors looked at each other and chuckled.

"Good luck with that, Young Theo," Mae said with that same warm smile, as if unconcerned by his shift in attitude.

"If you think we are being stingy about it, wait till you get in contact with our emperor," she added with a chuckle, making the others try to stifle their own.

Theo blinked, surprised by their reactions. It was as if none of them had even an ounce of ego.

"But my statement still stands true," Oric spoke with a smile. "You truly are like your family, especially Baron Aldric Merrick."

"Baron Aldric is what you call a ’real’ man. You got that?" Corven spoke with a sharp ’hmph!’ sound, earning nods from the others.

At that moment, Theo realized just how far his father’s feats had spread, and he couldn’t help but nod too.

Before long, everything was wrapped up, and everyone in the mission group was instructed to board the carriages and prepare to depart to the royal capital to have some rest.

As Theo moved, his mind lingered on the smaller reptiles beyond the gate, those that had fled without anyone noticing.

He understood then that he would likely never be able to see those beasts again, and that thought stirred something he had never felt before.

To want something... and not have it...

That was a feeling he had never experienced, not in either of his lives.