Chapter 459 - Change
Theo's tent.
Theo was lying down with his eyes closed. Ava was with him this whole time, waiting for Theo to wake up.
However, she picked up another sound as a figure stopped in front of the tent.
"Kyu?!" Ava looked around and sneaked inside Theo's bag while peeking through a small gap to see the person.
The person entered with her head down.
"!!!" Ava widened her eyes when she saw Alea entering his tent. Ava had never met Alea since she didn't participate in the previous expedition, so she was wondering what Alea planned to do to him.
She squinted her eyes, observing her expression and action…
Unaware of Ava's presence, Alea bent her knees and sat next to Theo, staring at Theo's mask.
"…" She had heard that the story was just a thing to scare others away so as to protect his identity. However, Alea already knew his identity and gently took off his mask, finding Theo's sleeping face.
She gently reached Theo's right hand and grabbed it with both hands. She closed her eyes and sighed in disappointment. "I saw your last skill that could affect everyone. I guess you're out of my reach now.
"I am disappointed in myself for not realizing everything until now. I almost killed you twice… No wonder you hate me. I can't even fathom why you acted friendly to me all this time, unlike Laust or Sihan. I guess it's because of my ignorance?
"I have been living with my ignorance this whole time. People say ignorance is bliss and I can say it's true." She opened her eyes and stared at Theo's face for a moment before saying in a genuine but sad tone. "Theo. I'm sorry for not realizing it until now. I'm sorry for being annoying. I'm sorry for… everything."
"In that case… We… are even… now." Theo gradually opened his mouth and tried hard to answer Alea. His consciousness was still fuzzy, but he knew who the other party was from the story itself.
"Theo?" Alea's body shook as she almost jumped out.
Theo tiredly opened his eyes and continued, "We are even now. I almost died from the turtle and the bat because of you. However, you saved me from this incident and took care of the Alpha Mutated Wolf. With this, we are even."
"They are not the same. Back then, you had no strength to fight them. Meanwhile, in this incident, I have the power." Alea shook her head and protested.
Theo made a weird expression and said, "So, you first apologized to me. Then, I told you we're good. And now you are telling me they are not the same? So, what do you want?"
"Ah…" Alea flinched and tried to look away while thinking about how to answer that question.
"See?" Theo sighed and took a deep breath. "People change. I have learned it first hand."
Theo couldn't help but remember Laust and himself.
"It's funny how fast people can change. One day, they treat you like you don't even exist. The next day, you mean everything." Theo smiled. "I wonder if I can hate someone who once hurt me and has changed to a better man and help so many people? Will I keep clinging to my past? Or will I see my future?"
"I know that to grow faster, I need to keep moving forward. I am not a psychopath, so yeah, I will still slay my enemies but will let go of my past." Theo glanced at Alea. "After doing that, my heart has been filled with peace. I can focus on my tasks better because I don't feel unnecessary hatred anymore."
Theo's expression looked genuine, but it was also his way to convince himself to avoid getting disappointed by his family anymore. He would keep killing his enemies like Sihan, but he chose to let go of Laust.
He remembered Loki's myth. It might be due to his mischief, but he was indeed abused more than his mischief.
"Anyway, that's all. I won't be someone who will say, 'But you used some curse words a few years ago and need to be held accountable,' when you have apologized and changed for the better." Theo closed his eyes again, wanting to go back to sleep.
Ava was watching him this whole time before she picked some sounds from the outside.
"So, what do we have here?" Nadia glanced at Nart while sitting on crossed legs not far away from Theo's tent. "Since when?"
Nart covered his mouth with his hand and started chuckling.
"Old man, stop laughing. I need to know the answer." Nadia rolled her eyes.
"It's been that way before the Grand Gaia. James knew about it since the school's competition, I guess."
"Why haven't you told me?"
"You were doing your jobs there. No need to think about this small matter." Nart shrugged. "We can only advise her. If it turned out to be good, it would be nice. If it turned out to be a flop, we could only stay by her side. After all, there's no way we can stay with her for the rest of her life. You need to taste the good and bad things in life to grow up."
"I somehow want to punch you, but I don't find the reason either." Nadia let out a long sigh. "Still, he is from the Griffith Family, you know."
"I know. However, he doesn't seem to be fond of the Griffith Family that much."
"Well, give me the kid's information when we are back, okay?"
"Sure, sure. Though, I believe this kid will be fine everywhere. There's no need to worry about them, especially since Alea has grown up." Nart smiled. "Let the youngsters solve it themselves… I will step up if I really need to. Trust me."
"Fine." Nadia looked down, contemplating for a moment. "By the way, who is his father? Who is his mother?"
"I have no idea."
"You sure? Doesn't the Griffith Family rule require the parents to accompany their child until he's an adult?"
"Yeah. That's why I'm perplexed. It feels like they are trying to push him away from the Griffith Family."
"Agreed. I mean, look at his ability, especially the one he used to kill the mummy king. I don't think any of the Griffith Family's younger generations are able to fight him in terms of talent. He is bound to be the family head and seeing him treated this way, they should be trying to push him away from the family. I don't understand."
Nart agreed with her and said, "Yeah. Normally, they want people like Theo to be their family head and if he grew up with his parents, he would have done so much more. It feels like they're hiding him from the Griffith Family's eyes."
Nadia shook her head helplessly. "Either way, I don't really want to associate myself with them."
"You know it's impossible, right?" Nart chuckled, showing a teasing smile on his face.
Nadia only looked away, not wanting to be bothered with him anymore.
