The journey back to the royal capital was calm and uneventful.

Theo shared a carriage with Lucien, Cassian, Clara, and Elias, while the others were in different ones.

With the quiet atmosphere and the gentle motion of the ride, Theo ended up sleeping like a log for the entire journey.

Even after they entered the royal capital, the carriage windows remained shut so that everyone could continue their rest.

When the carriage finally came to a stop, Theo stepped out of it and stretched his body.

They had arrived at the same inn where they had stayed when they first arrived.

"Young Master Theo, we will meet you later!"

Theo glanced back at the crowd toward the other carriage as it rolled forward.

Lysara leaned out of the window, waving at Theo with a bright smile, which didn’t go unnoticed by Clara, who watched Theo closely for his reaction.

Theo, however, understood exactly what she was thinking, so he simply headed inside the inn.

All this time, Lucien was quiet, and Theo let the situation be like that.

The moment they entered, the inn’s owner stood at the reception, giving instructions to the staff. The moment he noticed their group, his demeanor shifted, and he hurried over to them with a wide smile.

"Young Masters Lucien and Theo, it is great that you have returned from your trip. Please freshen up in your rooms, and we will have your meal ready by then," he spoke, bowing repeatedly.

This time, before Theo could respond, Lucien spoke first. "Thank you, Sir Renner."

Hob Renner, the owner of the inn, blinked in surprise at Lucien’s words before his smile grew even brighter.

As they made their way further, the others kept glancing at Lucien as though he had changed at the gate and this was his doppelganger.

Lucien clearly noticed that gaze but said nothing. Only after they reached the rooms did he finally turn to Theo. "Make sure you write a letter to Father. We will send it as soon as we can," he said before heading inside.

Once he was gone, Theo let out a quiet sigh.

He opened the door and saw Clara and Elias waiting outside.

"Come in, both of you," Theo said before heading to the bed to sit comfortably.

Clara closed the door behind her as Theo stretched, smiling. "It’s been so long since we could talk normally," he muttered with another stretch. "I am happy this group mission is finally over."

When Clara and Elias saw Theo back his usual self, they smiled and took seats nearby.

"You did great as a leader, Young Master. We are proud of you," Clara said, with Elias giving a small, approving ’hm’ sound.

Theo chuckled. "I still messed up with that Merek, though. I shouldn’t have slapped him like that," he admitted, glancing at them.

"Honestly... it was very satisfying to hear that you slapped that man," Elias said bluntly, earning a disapproving shake of her head from Clara.

Theo chuckled softly, but Clara spoke again. "Even so, that slap may bring meaningless trouble for you, Young Master."

Theo nodded to that. "We will see what happens later. But for now, I have a feeling the emperor will summon us as soon as he hears about the core beast blood. We should freshen up quickly," he said before rising and heading toward the bath.

But he suddenly stopped, making both Clara and Elias stare at his back in confusion and curiosity.

"Before I walked out of the gate... I felt a surge of spatial energy suddenly appear in the south, right where we were..." Theo spoke with a confused look.

Both Clara and Elias listened and couldn’t help but start thinking.

"I am not sure whether I should report this to the emperor or keep it to myself," he added, then stepped into the bath, leaving them to ponder over it on their own.

But one thing was certain: Theo’s sensitivity to spatial energy was exceptional. And for him to feel it appear out of nowhere was a mystery to be discussed, definitely not something that could be ignored.

The rest of the day passed as normally as it could. After so long, everyone bathed properly, ate like royalty, and finally went to sleep.

Theo had expected the emperor to summon them immediately, but he was wrong.

Instead, he wrote a letter to his father detailing most of the events. Along with Lucien’s letter, it was sent back to the barony while they remained in the capital.

Still, he wasn’t completely wrong, as the emperor summoned them for an audience the very next morning.

They all got prepared themselves and set out for the royal castle. Along the way, Theo spotted a familiar face.

"Sir Dren, we meet again!" Theo called out upon seeing him in the corridor.

Dren wore the same attire as before, and when he looked back, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"We meet again, Young Master Theo," Dren replied, stepping forward and offering a small bow, one which Theo causally dismissed as if he didn’t like such formalities.

Dren then turned to Lucien and bowed properly, earning a nod in return.

"I have been meaning to ask you this: can you use aura?" Theo asked with a smile, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword.

Dren studied Theo for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I am very close to getting aura, but not quite there yet, Young Master."

Theo raised a brow in surprise; with the man’s presence, he had assumed otherwise.

"Well, if you need any pointers, let me know. I will be in the capital for a while," Theo added.

He lifted his sword’s hilt slightly, just enough to reveal the base of the blade.

For a brief instant, Dren saw a glow appear on the blade before it vanished.

Dren’s eyes widened slightly as Theo walked past him.

Once they were out of the man’s sight, Clara scolded Theo, "Young Master, if you had maintained that aura any longer, the hilt would have been cut in half. Please be more careful about that."

"Yes, yes."

With Dren left behind in quiet shock and the emperor awaiting ahead, Theo only wanted everything to be finished already so that he could return to meet his ants and go back to normal life.

But life had other plans for him.