Theo scratched the back of his head with a smile.
’’Sure,’’ he said. ’’I can explain almost everything.’’
Elise nodded once, then turned around and went into her estate.
Without another word, Theo followed right after her, his heart racing.
’Let’s hope this all goes well,’ he thought.
It almost felt embarrassing that he still wasn’t sure whether to trust her after all this time.
But then again, the information about his summoning circle was so far beyond anything in this world...
Theo wasn’t sure what to expect from her after she saw it.
’I can’t let that fear stop me though,’ he thought, stepping inside. ’I need the best of the best to become the best.’
Thud!
The large doors slammed shut behind him.
Elise continued walking further into the mansion’s halls until they arrived in front of a familiar secret passage, though it was already open now.
’’Go inside,’’ she said, nodding down.
Theo listened without hesitation, having been here often over the past few days.
It didn’t take long before they reached the bottom and sat down opposite each other.
The room around them was deathly silent.
Elise’s eyes remained slightly narrowed as they locked onto him.
’’Start from the beginning,’’ she said. ’’I want to know how you got the summoning affinity.’’
Theo cleared his throat lightly.
’’I didn’t get a summoning affinity,’’ he said. ’’Just the ability to have one summon.’’
Elise’s expression shifted slightly.
Her gaze became increasingly strange as she looked at him.
’No affinity, but still capable of summoning?’ she thought, confused. ’How?’
As if reading her mind, Theo smiled slightly.
He reached behind his back and pulled out a thick, ancient-looking book from his system space.
’’It started with this,’’ he said, placing it on the table.
One of Elise’s eyebrows raised slightly.
With a slight gesture of her hand, the book slid across the table toward her.
’’Origin of Summoning?’’ she asked skeptically. ’’How did a book give you the ability to summon?’’
Theo remained silent.
Getting no answer, Elise glanced back at the book.
She opened the book and flipped to the first page without another thought.
Elise slowly began reading through the contents.
But as time passed, the calm look in her eyes slowly started disappearing.
She frantically flipped to the next page, her pupils trembling.
’’What...?’’ she muttered.
A few seconds later, she flipped to the next page.
’’Impossible...’’
Then another.
And another.
The speed at which she turned the pages became faster and faster.
Theo quietly watched from across the table.
’This wasn’t outside my expectations,’ he thought, his palms sweating. ’But it’s a bit scary to see in person.’
It was the first time he’d ever seen Elise truly lose her composure.
Nearly five minutes had gone by when suddenly, she slammed the book onto the table.
’’Do you have the rest of this text?’’ she asked, locking eyes with him.
Theo frowned.
He glanced down at the page she was pointing at, tilting his head slightly.
’’What do you mean?’’ he asked, seeing perfectly fine rows of text where she was pointing.
Elise rapidly tapped on the page.
’’All this text is blurred and mixed together,’’ she replied. ’’So I want to know if there’s something else you have.’’
Theo paused for a moment.
’Blurred and mixed together?’
He reached out his hand and carefully took back the book.
But to him, the pages were all fine.
’What is going on?’
DING!
A loud bell echoed inside his mind.
[Note: You are the only one allowed to see Tiamat’s history regarding the summoning element.]
Theo’s mouth fell open slightly.
’That explains a lot,’ he thought, quickly closing his mouth.
Without another thought, he closed the book and shook his head.
’’Unfortunately, this is all the information I have,’’ he said, glancing back at Elise.
For a moment, the room remained silent.
Elise’s eyes seemed glassy and dazed, completely lost in thought.
’’This is... unbelievable,’’ she muttered.
Theo could only sit in front of her and wait for her to digest the information.
’System,’ he asked internally. ’Did she at least see that the summoning element was one that was created?’
A blue window popped up in front of him.
[Note: Yes.]
Theo nodded once.
’Okay, thank you.’
Theo quietly waited.
Several long seconds passed before Elise finally let out a slow breath.
She rubbed her temples before looking back at him.
’’Theo,’’ she said. ’’Do you understand what you’ve just shown me?’’
He slowly shook his head, acting as ignorant as possible.
’’Not really,’’ he said. ’’I only performed that ritual in there.’’
Elise stared at him in utter disbelief.
’’And that ritual...’’ she started slowly. ’’Did it work?’’
Theo nodded without hesitation.
’’Yup, that’s why I needed your help.’’
She stared at him for another moment before letting out a faint, almost disbelieving laugh.
’’Of course,’’ she said, standing up. ’’That’s not a problem.’’
Elise slowly began pacing through the room.
Her expression had become far more serious than before.
’This could change so much,’ she thought. ’If everyone in the world gained an extra summon, we’d stand a much better chance against the beasts.’
If what the book said indeed worked, even ordinary people would have the chance to own a basic summon.
Not to mention talented hunters.
Even she would be able to gain another summon.
’That could be just what I need,’ she thought, clenching her fists. ’I might actually be able to reach the Obsidian Core stage...’
She came to a stop in the middle of the room as the thought settled in.
Finally, her gaze snapped over to Theo.
’’I’ll help you pick out the best materials,’’ she said seriously. ’’Then we’ll get ready to do the ritual as soon as possible.’’
Theo’s eyes widened slightly.
’That’s it?’ he thought. ’No questions at all for me?’
He’d expected at least one question about the book’s origin.
Instead, it seemed like all she cared about was whether it was real.
Snapping out of his daze, he nodded once.
’’Gladly,’’ he responded as he pulled out the stack of papers the dean had sent him.