Insect Tamer's Ascension-Chapter 362. They are ants, your majesty the Emperor

Chapter 362: 362. They are ants, your majesty the Emperor

"Is the emperor in my barony?" the baron asked in that same authoritative tone.

The white-robed man accepted help from his attendants to step down from the carriage and looked at the Baron apologetically.

The baron only humped in response and began walking forward.

The Merrick knights were already trembling with excitement upon seeing their master ascending the stairs.

"My lord!" one of them shouted, bowing a full ninety degrees. The others quickly followed.

"Be normal; I was only gone for a short time," the baron said as he moved past them, though a faint smile remained on his face.

Theo hurried behind him. When the knights saw Theo, they froze and stared at him in disbelief.

Theo simply smiled at them and continued forward. Only then did the knights notice the insects covering his body. A shiver ran down one of the knight’s spines upon seeing him.

Theo moved right behind his father when someone suddenly appeared before them.

"Welcome back, my lord," Alfred said, his head bowed low. His voice carried the steady professionalism as usual.

But then he slightly raised his head to look at Theo, who smiled back.

"...Welcome back, young master Theo."

Alfred’s eyes remained on the ants covering Theo’s body, and so did the other knights’ after greeting the baron.

"I will explain things later," the baron said before continuing forward.

No one paid attention to the attendants. At the moment, there was a far bigger elephant in the room.

As Theo walked ahead, he glanced back and noticed Alfred’s eyes flickering toward what he was carrying.

It seemed Alfred wanted to ask about it, but Theo quickly moved forward to be just behind the baron, not giving him the chance.

"The Emperor is in your study, Master," Alfred informed, earning a nod from the baron.

Silence followed them the whole way down the corridor. Soon, Theo could see the study doors to the side.

’The barony feels very homely... but a little cold too,’ Theo thought.

He couldn’t quite understand why. But one thing was clear: the atmosphere in the entire barony didn’t seem very good.

The knights around weren’t just shocked by their sudden return. Even before they had fully recognized them, Theo had noticed something unnatural in their expressions. It wasn’t the usual disciplined calmness; it was stress.

Just when they reached the gate of the study, Alfred knocked, as if the owner of the room hadn’t already arrived.

The Baron’s eyebrow twitched. Without waiting, he pushed the gate open.

Alfred’s face still remained perfectly professional, though Theo could see the faintest hint of a smile beneath his perfectly shaved face.

When Theo stepped inside, he halted for a moment.

While the room was large, as it had always been, it somehow felt smaller than when Theo had visited before.

The sheer number of people inside made it cramped and look smaller.

Multiple golden and gem-embedded seatings had been arranged throughout the room. Theo immediately recognized that they were from the barony’s storage.

Noble men and women all turned toward the doorway in surprise.

Theo could tell there were about thirty nobles inside the study, with many more tamers and Merrick knights standing along the sides with serious, unreadable faces.

Near the prestigious seat where the baron’s table and chair once stood, Theo spotted the familiar sleepy face of Sir Rhys.

"You fool!" one of the nobles stood up, fury twisting his face.

"How dare you barge in here like that!" He spoke again, making the baron just casually look at him.

And just when Theo expected the baron to lash out with a sharp retort, he did something a lot more horrendous.

He ignored the noble completely.

Then, without a word, the baron stepped forward and dropped to one knee before the only person in the room who truly needed his attention.

Theo followed immediately and kneeled before the emperor.

Now that he finally stood in front of the masses and people actually looked at him and not the baron, the atmosphere changed. Many gazes started to go crazy.

"What is that abominable armor the boy is wearing?" a man whispered.

Many similar murmurs followed, but nothing seemed to make sense, as they weren’t ordinary men; they were high nobles, who sat at the emperor’s own high table.

’I swear I saw a lot of the famous crests here... Many of them are Dukes,’ Theo thought but didn’t let it faze him.

"I am honoured to be in the presence of the one and only Emperor," Theo said, his voice calm and steady, surprising many.

Murmurs followed again.

Then the emperor, who had maintained a faint poker smile on his face since their entrance, raised his hand.

The room went silent.

Dead silent.

A noble gulped nervously, the sound loud enough for everyone to hear and turn toward him. That was the level of silence the room currently had.

The baron, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered to offer any greeting. He simply lifted his gaze up and made sharp eye contact with the emperor.

"Theo Merrick," the emperor spoke in a very calm tone. Theo could sense a faint reassuring feeling from that voice.

"And my old friend," the emperor added, his knowing gaze shifting to the baron.

The pressure in the room thickened. No one dared to interrupt, as the two most important individuals interacted with each other.

"Theo Merrick. Raise your head." The emperor commanded.

Theo obeyed.

’He’s just another man, Theo. Nothing more,’ he thought in his mind.

The number of negotiations he would need to do right now would be insane. And to execute them, he knew he needed to be confident.

The emperor’s gaze drifted down at his armour, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

"What exactly is it that you have on your armour, Theo Merrick?"

Everyone in the chamber was already looking at the number of beasts clinging to him.

"They are ants, Your Majesty," Theo answered, hitting the last nail in the coffin.

The whole chamber erupted.

Yet Theo did not look away. His gaze remained fixed on the emperor, steady and determined.

He wasn’t going to back down.

No matter what.