I can tame everything? (1)

"So what you're saying is, the guards didn't let the attendants enter because of the high numbers of nobles?" Theo asked with surprise, he didn't have the time to think something like this could happen during the ceremony.

"Yes… I wasn't able to be of any help to you, young master. Please forgive me…" Clara said, her eyes watering pitifully.

Looking at her, he couldn't help but chuckle a little, seeing how scared she was for no reason.

"No worries, Clara. You're here now, so it's all good," Theo stated. "Now, get up and please get me some cake to eat." Theo's request made Clara get up and briskly leave the room with a nod. He knew the only way to calm her and make her forget about it was to keep her busy.

Theo quickly opened his terrarium room and entered with excitement.

"Finally," he muttered while looking at the praying mantis he had dearly raised all this time. He even thought that the mantis had also warmed up to him.

'Now, let's see…' Theo thought about the system and the strength of the iron mantis, just like how he was told to find his own.

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Iron Mantis (Tamable)

Grade - Ordinary

Type - Insect

Level - 1

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Theo frowned. He looked at the small status of the iron mantis and couldn't help but feel disappointed.

'If I don't see it here, how will I know its affinity?' Theo asked himself, there was no affinity in the status which he had waited for all this time.

Before he could get the tutor from the family or enter the academy, Theo couldn't help but feel some urgency.

'Let's get the basics down first,' Theo thought with closed eyes. 'I can only tame one monster at level 0. The next will be when I reach level 5, which takes a considerable amount of time.'

'Normally, monsters only contract with humans that have an affinity close to their own. Using a fire affinity monster with a frost affinity is not compatible and will not work. What's more…' Theo cleared his mind of unnecessary thoughts and focused on what he had learned so far.

'If the iron mantis shows that it is tamable, then does that mean its affinity is compatible with me?'

Just to check this theory, Theo went to every single insect he had in the room. With each inspection, his frown widened.

'Everything is tamable? That shouldn't be the case at all…' The more he tried to figure it out, the more questions arose.

After inspecting the terrarium and putting the praying mantis back, Theo went to wait for his cake.

'All I can do is wait for the tutor, it seems…' Theo wanted to do more, yet there was so much he still didn't know that it was irksome at best.

"Young master, here is your cheesecake." Clara came into the room with a trolley carrying a big slice of cake.

While Theo thought, she placed the cake on a plate and set it on the table near the bed.

Theo thoughtfully began eating the cake and then looked at Clara, who had a confused expression.

"Do you need something else, young master?" she asked.

"Clara, how much do you know about beast taming?" Theo asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Almost everything basic, but I didn't venture further into it once my duties here started," Clara said with a warm smile.

Theo nodded and went back to eating the cake, only to come up with a solution.

"Can you teach me the basics? I will compensate you properly for it," Theo asked, surprising Clara.

"As much as I want to help you, young master, my expertise don't lie in it, and I will be inefficient in teaching you. Your tutor will be here soon," Clara said in an apologetic tone.

"Clara, I don't care about inefficiencies. All I want is to get my questions answered. That's it. And don't worry, they are all basic at best," Theo stated, eating the cake spoon by spoon until the piece was finished.

He looked at the trolley and saw there was still some cake left. Before he could reach for it, Clara smiled and served another small piece on his plate, as if she knew what he wanted without him saying so.

"I don't care about the compensation, young master. As long as I can help you, it's enough for me. Please ask me anything you'd like to know," Clara spoke, making Theo smile gently.

She had been with him since he had gained his intelligence at the age of four and had served him for four whole years now.

She was like a big sister to Theo, if not for her position as his attendant.

"Compensation is necessary, and I will see to it later. For now, sit down and teach me, please," Theo commanded and pulled a chair to his side.

Clara nodded with a bow, sat in the chair next to him, and from that point, Theo asked every question he had, one after another.

After a prolonged session of asking questions and receiving insightful answers, Theo was satisfied beyond measure.

"What do you think the tutor will teach me that you haven't already?" Theo asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Hmm… There are still things about the academy that you need to know, and that information isn't available elsewhere. The tuition is still important, young master," Clara explained, making Theo nod in approval.

"Thank you, Clara. Your pay will have a 3x increment this month for answering these questions," Theo said and got up.

Before she could say anything and resist—which Theo knew she would—he gave her a resolute gaze that stopped her.

"I would like to have some peace of mind now."

With that, Theo went inside the terrarium and closed the gates behind him. Clara first kept looking at the gate and then smiled while leaving the room.

"That was worth all the time," Theo muttered with a grin and went to check on all his main insects that he had been taking care of.

There were five prospective good insects in his care, and all the others in the room were either there to give a good fight to these five predators or serve as their food, which went hand in hand.

Theo took the leather-covered notebook he kept in the room and wrote down everything he had just learned about taming.

It was the day he finally had all the information he needed, and the time had finally come to tame something.