[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-insect-tamer-s-ascension":3,"chapter-insect-tamer-s-ascension-insect-tamer-s-ascension-chapter-477":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Insect Tamer's Ascension",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},512329,771,"Chapter 473. I am happy without an academy","insect-tamer-s-ascension-chapter-477",477,"\u003Cp>\"What would you like to ask about it, my lord?\" Theo asked, curiosity edging his voice, making the man smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have received information that you tame insects rather than conventional beasts. Is that correct, Theo Merrick?\" asked Vaelmont, the one in the middle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo met the man’s gaze. While he felt like he understood the man’s line of thought, he still couldn’t pinpoint the exact thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I do study and tame insects, my lord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm... quite an unconventional take... I can’t help but almost think of it as a child’s creative imagination,\" the man spoke in a thoughtful manner before continuing, \"but the rumors have been very accurate in terms of your achievements.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo couldn’t help but revise his impression; the man was more perceptive than he had taken him to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you show me your beast?\" Vaelmont asked, then looked at the head butler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The butler shook his head. \"My apologies, but Master Theo’s beast possesses a suppression ability that affects weaker minds. I cannot allow it to be summoned within the castle grounds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm...\" Vaelmont looked like his interest had only deepened, and he couldn’t help but speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case, I would like to invite you to my residence, Theo Merrick.\" The man then turned to Lucien, who had a calm expression on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can come along too, Lucien Merrick. The more Merricks, the merrier,\" he joked, at which only the other two laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo and Lucien followed with a polite, somewhat forceful chuckle, as it would be rude not to laugh at an old man’s joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s gaze briefly passed over Merek before moving on, as though there was nothing he needed to say to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which, in truth, was normal. Vaelmont had nothing to say to him, the same with all the others who were just staring at the conversation in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The older nobles soon bid farewell and took their leave; only then did Theo take a deep breath of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head butler escorted them out of the castle, leaving them at the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he was outside, Theo clenched and unclenched his fists several times, trying to ease his nerves and the tension in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So... this mission brought us closer to becoming nobles?\" Kaelor asked, disbelief evident in his voice and face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And allowed the nobles to raise their rank, yes,\" Lucien answered right away. He stepped forward, facing the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now that we are officially done with the mission, let’s have a feast to celebrate it,\" Lucien said with a clap, a rare grin forming across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all the time everyone had been with him, none of them had seen Lucien smile like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo chuckled, taking a deep, steadying breath before moving to his brother, the attendants following closely behind. Then, he glanced back at the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you all waiting for? Let’s go have that feast already.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lysara’s eyes lit up with excitement, and Kaelor merely smiled. Garrick was still in shock, while Merek just clicked his tongue and started making his way toward the castle gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They watched the man pass through, get inside a carriage, and disappear as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaelor had some things to say about him until he remembered who he was with right now. Nobles, all of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He is finally gone,\" Theo said with a sigh of relief, drawing a chuckle from Clara and Elias.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Kaelor noticed, just as he had countless times before, how casual Theo was with his attendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They made their way forward and boarded a carriage to return to the inn. Since the Merricks’ carriage could only hold five, they had to hire another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the inn owner saw Theo and Lucien return, this time with a group in tow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Theo explained the situation, the man happily accommodated them, arranging for everyone to dine in the private room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once everyone was inside, Theo noticed the flabbergasted look on the trio, as if they had never seen so much food in one place before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lysara, in particular, looked utterly shocked. Theo couldn’t quite tell whether she came from a wealthy family or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until, in the middle of the feast, Theo finally asked her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Miss Lysara, what family do you belong to?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lysara froze mid-bite, then looked at Theo with a surprised expression; she quickly chewed and gulped it down before answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You likely wouldn’t know my family, young master. We are a small merchant group in the southern part of the kingdom—the Venth Merchants,\" she said with a polite smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo returned the smile and nodded. \"That’s fascinating. Your family must have been proud when you awakened a healer affinity, Miss Lysara.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words made her smile even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, they were very happy about it. My studies in the academy were all focused on healing affinity, which helped me get into this mission,\" she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more questions Theo asked, the more comfortable she grew with him—until she asked a question of her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there a break going on in your academy, young master? A summer break?\" she asked, curious as to how he had been selected for the mission when there were classes to attend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theo awkwardly smiled at her question. \"I left the academy a few months ago, Miss Lysara. I am not attending any at the moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Kaelor, who had already been watching their conversation and had wanted to facepalm himself, felt even more embarrassed for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way anyone in the kingdom hadn’t heard about the Merricks’ youngest and his conflict with the academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She fell silent for a moment before taking a sip of a drink from the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I-I see,\" she said, with nothing else to add.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her expression, Theo couldn’t help but laugh out loud. There was no way she was this cute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry about it. I left because my interests didn’t align at the time. I am quite happy at the moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1015,"2026-05-30T12:48:09.310Z","2026-06-01T04:31:15.240Z",1,"novelbin.me","0f5531d654d746d68b9d5dbe7e9623054b37b82bba2d164867830f727d1887c1","insect-tamer-s-ascension-chapter-478","insect-tamer-s-ascension-chapter-476",505,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finsect-tamer-s-ascension-cover.jpg"]