Lysara only nodded, and the conversation became distant. Many were just trying to eat to their best. There were dishes there that no one had tried before.

Theo had a realization at that moment. With time, they all were able to get used to each other and work together.

But there was no bond he could feel with them, even though he wanted to make one. There were some exceptional people too.

Especially Garrick—his scouting ability had never been seen by someone like Theo, who had just stepped out into the real world.

On the other hand, there was Kaelor. He was the first knight Theo had interacted with outside of his family, and his level of strength was in between that of a normal knight of Merrick and the greater ones like Rhys.

And in the end came Lysara. Theo had seen her ability, and out of all of them—except him—hers was the most unique and the most useful one.

A healer could heal wounds, be it internal or external, in a matter of minutes if their level was high enough.

Theo had seen that her ability was not that high-level yet, but his eyes were fixed on her.

’She is growing right now... And when she does, she might become an extremely good asset,’ Theo thought while looking at Lysara, who was speaking with Clara on the side.

She laughed a little, and Theo saw how dazzling it was—the way her eyes smiled, the way she didn’t care that Clara was just an attendant.

The more Theo watched from a distance, the more he felt a feeling in his heart.

"Your gaze is so fierce right now, you might just kill her with it."

Theo looked to the side and saw Lucien with a plate full of food in his hand.

He was glancing at Theo with his face forward from above.

’This puberty brain...’ Theo shook his head internally. There was no way he was having feelings for a girl.

"Do yourself a favor and try not liking her too much. The age gap isn’t acceptable," Lucien spoke with a smile.

"Though I must say, little brother, you have good taste in women." His grin widened, as if proud of his brother but also teasing him at the same time.

Theo just smiled. "I have seen a healer for the first time. Her abilities are too good to let her go," Theo spoke. "Even our Merrick Barony doesn’t have a healer like her on duty all the time."

Lucien listened to him and nodded with a sigh.

"Healers are a weird bunch. They are arrogant beyond most nobles. They value their healing over anything in the world, and some even see themselves as helpers sent by the benevolent artifact to save the world," he spoke and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"But she here is a little more weird than the normal ones," Lucien continued, making Theo curious.

"Why is that?"

Lucien looked at him this time and smiled. "Because she seems normal," he spoke and made his way to the side to get more food. Theo realized just how much he had eaten in that single moment he was standing beside him.

His gaze went to her again, and this time, he looked at her in a new light.

’My body and brain won’t listen to me... so I can only block them off,’ he thought and took a deep breath.

The age gap was wrong, not because she was older, but because Theo was the one too old in mind for her. He knew this world was accepting of this.

The humans who leveled up too much, the top few percent, lived for hundreds of years, and in those hundreds of years, it didn’t matter that a female was 20 and a male was 30, as they were going to live for a long time.

But Theo wasn’t going to use that excuse to try his hand on someone underage. His previous world’s hidden rules and mindset made the feelings of affection lessen the more he thought about the age.

He smiled, proud of himself that he was able to win over his heart.

But then Lysara looked at Theo with that dazzling smile, and his heart started pumping faster again. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Theo wanted to smack his forehead, but he smiled and moved toward the food to eat instead.

Time passed, and the party was soon over. They were at the entrance of the inn, and Kaelor already had all his packed bags with him.

"I will be leaving now to fulfill my duties," he spoke and looked at everyone before his gaze fell on Theo.

There was pride in his eyes for what had happened till now, but at the same time, he bowed his head deeply in front of Theo, surprising him.

"I thank you for the honor I received from this mission, Young Master Theo. I will never forget this favor," he spoke with his head still down.

"If you ever think that I may be of use to you, please don’t hesitate in contacting me. I will get the family’s permission and come to help you no matter what," he spoke and finally raised his head.

Theo looked at him and laughed lightly. He didn’t say anything but moved a step forward.

His arm moved up into position, making Kaelor realize right away.

A prideful gaze entered his eyes again, and he tapped Theo’s elbow with his. The ones on the side looked at the scene with smiles, while Lucien was only lightly smiling.

When Kaelor was done with Theo, he moved his gaze toward Lucien and bowed.

"I expect that you will be a noble the next time I see you, right, Sir Kaelor?" Lucien asked, making the man feel a shiver in his spine.

To be expected to reach nobility as a commoner—and to have these expectations from another noble—was something nobody in that area had experienced before.

"I won’t disappoint," he said, and after giving everyone a nod of affirmation, he went out to get a carriage.

Soon, he was gone, leaving the healer and the scout behind.

"I will have to leave soon too."