Chapter 5 - Settling Down (2)

Nathan saw Theodore's silence and thought he was sad, so Nathan started a new topic for conversation, "What do you want to do in the future?"

Hearing the question, Theodore began to contemplate while thinking about his future self.

From memory, he would be safe until Nathan died. Afterward, he started to travel and did not get involved with his uncle as he was not strong enough.

Theodore did not answer immediately but sent Nathan a confused and questioning gaze to get more information.

"Do you want to go to the Roxarth Academy?" Sensing Theodore's look, Nathan asked further.

This academy belonged to the Goldwyn, an earl family on which the Hale and the Ashford families depended. The nobles loyal to the earl would send their descendant to this academy at the age of five.

Nathan also once joined the academy with his cousin, Edric Ashford. Theodore's parents and Dante Hale also studied at this academy.

The graduation threshold was to reach the second-rank mana user. The primary purpose of the academy was to cultivate loyalty to the earl family and find connections with the noble.

Joining the academy would be an excellent choice for Theodore if he wanted to fight for the baron position of the Hale family with his uncle.

Theodore hesitated but still chose not to attend the academy; he replied softly to Nathan, "Teacher, I want to continue following you."

His previous future self chose to join the academy with the ambition that he could compete with his uncle one day.

His teacher, Nathan, found a way to send him to the Roxarth Academy when he was eight. However, the result was unsatisfactory.

He started late by three years, and with his average talent, his life in the academy was not smooth. The teachers were not optimistic about him, so the support and resources he could get were insufficient.

His mother's family also disdained him and thought he had no value. They did not bother to care about him.

Theodore could barely graduate at the age of twenty-seven with the help of Nathan. Not long after that, Nathan died, and he had no choice but to travel away as he was weaker than his uncle, Dante.

He had no good impression of Roxarth Academy and did not wish to attend the academy.

Theodore concluded from his future experience that joining the academy had few benefits but many disadvantages.

In contrast, his teacher, Nathan, was not simple; Theodore's previous self could not find out about the identity that his teacher had hidden until he died.

Nathan had various treasures, knowledge, and technique; some were unavailable even in the academy.

In this case, Theodore found no reason for him to choose to suffer in the academy when he could rely on his teacher and improve more efficiently.

Nathan, on the other hand, was surprised by Theodore's answer. Although he was slightly happy, he believed Theodore could benefit more by joining the academy.

"Are you sure that you will not join the Roxarth Academy?" Nathan could not help but ask again before telling Theodore the benefits of entering the academy.

Theodore listened, but the advantage Nathan mentioned did not move him. He affirmed again in a low but firm voice, "I am sure, teacher; I want to follow you more than join the academy."

He also started acting pitifully and looked at Nathan miserably, conveying to his teacher not to leave him behind.

"Don't regret it in the future," Nathan added. Seeing Theodore being like this, Nathan sighed again but still accepted Theodore's decision.

"Alright," Theodore replied excitedly, with his eye sparkling.

Nathan could only smile gently, witnessing Theodore's expression.

"We will stay at this house for a long time. Don't worry; your uncle can't spy into this house." Nathan said and reassured Theodore. Although he had injuries, he believed he was strong enough to protect the safety of his disciple.

Moreover, Theodore's father, Farrell, left behind this house for his son; with this cunning man's thoughtfulness, this house should be more complicated than it seems.

Theodore nodded obediently in response; he also wanted to continue staying here. Nathan's thoughts coincide with his.

When Nathan mentioned the house, Theodore remembered that his future self also found many hidden hands that his father left behind.

In his previous life, after graduating from the academy, he returned to this house again. With his knowledge of using mana, he found suspicious places and clues.

Those treasures helped him, who had average talent, improve himself a lot during the travel. Unfortunately, his time at the house was short, so he was unsure if he missed something.

However, this house was one of the conditions that Nathan and his uncle, Dante, negotiated to let him leave the Sorrel kingdom safely in the future. Theodore believed that there was more to know about this house.

Seeing that Theodore did not reject staying here, Nathan brought him to choose the room.

This house seemed plain, but it was big and had many rooms.

There were two floors in the house. The upper floor had four bedrooms, each with its bathroom. The lower floor also had many rooms like the library, the working room, the living room, the kitchen, and the storage.

Theodore selected a bedroom with big windows showing the city's view, and Nathan chose the opposite room.

Nathan then helped Theodore bring his package to his room.

Nathan then noticed that the room already had all the basic utensils prepared. The house was also clean and dust free.

Nathan surprisingly discovered that there were formations that protected the house and kept it spotless.

The formation was a pattern drawn by a specialized mana user in a designated location to manipulate the energy for various purposes.

Although it was a wonder there were formations here, Nathan was not interested in them; he had encountered many more fantastic things in the past. He now cared more about his newly accepted disciple.

Seeing that everything was ready and there was still some time before the sunset, he prepared to bring Theodore to dinner outside.

At this moment, Theodore suddenly stopped Nathan. He looked uncertain but still asked, "Teacher, do you have any news about my parent?"

After saying so, Theodore looked at Nathan with expectation in his eye.