Chapter 520 - Ava
Chapter 520 – Ava
After coming out, Theo found Avarice next to the woods, staring at him. He quickly leaped off the treehouse and landed next to her.
"Are you done?"
"Yes. Sorry for making you wait." Theo apologized with a calm tone.
However, Avarice could hear his rough breathing and shaking voice, knowing that Theo was on the emotional roller coaster.
"For now, I will let you meet Ava first, and you should take a rest for today. You can go back tomorrow." Avarice sighed. "If she wishes to follow you, I will bring her again to your house. If she wants to stay here, I hope you don't ask her to come."
"Don't worry. I respect her decision. Besides, even if she follows me, I need to know the rules about the other country first, ensuring her security." Theo sighed.
"Well, the only thing I can promise you is that my daughter won't be your burden for the time being. The Mythical Rank Expert's ashes she received was a blessing to her, so yeah." Avarice rolled her eyes. "Anyway, follow me. I shall lead you to my home."
"Okay." Theo nodded with a serious expression as the duo headed into the canyon.
Without Theo noticing, Avarice glanced back, staring at the treehouse. Her ears could hear everything, including their conversation and Edward's regret.
She muttered inwardly, 'Sorry. I was wrong about you. Maybe we can share something in common in the future as neighbors…'
After that, they continued their journey, taking another three hours to return to the canyon.
She led Theo inside the canyon. To his surprise, she didn't need to hide her presence like the Shadow Fox.
Every single monster that met her panicked and ran away as if they were scared of her. Hence, the journey inside the canyon ended in an instant.
They arrived at the center of the canyon, which was another cliff.
"That is my house." Avarice pointed at a hole in the cliff. It was similar to the Shadow Fox, except this one was almost vertical.
As if understanding what he thought, Avarice added, "That sly fox tried to imitate me."
"…" Theo's eyebrows twitched, but he remained silent as if he accepted whatever she said.
The two entered the hill, which turned out to be brighter than he imagined. There were a few crystals attached to the wall. These crystals lit up, brightening the cave.
"Hmm?" Theo raised his eyebrows, looking at this 100×100 feet hole hidden inside the cliff.
Because there was no wall separating one room from another, he soon found Ava in her humanoid form.
She was sitting peacefully with her eyes closed. There were no stars or white light behind her. Instead, lightning kept sparking all over her body as if it was going to attack whoever tried to touch her.
"This is the power achieved from becoming a General Class Monster." Avarice explained while looking at her daughter.
"Is that so?" Theo muttered while observing Ava.
"You should—" Before she finished, Avarice suddenly leaped into the air and turned into her human form.
Suddenly, Ava's body discharged the lightning that surrounded her body in all directions.
Avarice hurriedly clapped her hands together as the stars behind her shone brightly. They produced a light that formed a half-sphere, becoming the barrier that protected her and Theo.
"Awakening, huh. She is going to wake up soon…" Avarice narrowed her eyes.
Theo squinted his eyes and looked around him. He was surprised when he saw scratches all over the room, and they were identical to the ones Ava made.
In other words, Ava was the culprit of all these scratches.
This piqued his interest as he couldn't help but ask, "If you don't mind answering, can I know what kind of impact you made back when you evolved to General Class Monster?"
Avarice's eyebrows twitched as she shook her head. "I think you shouldn't know. Well, Ava and I have a similar result, so you can imagine it just by replacing her lightning with moonlight."
"Then the result will be far more horrible when you reach King Class Monster?"
"Yeah. At that time, just bring her back here to finish the evolution process… If you can't, you can bring her to an open area. That's all."
"Noted." Theo nodded in understanding.
After that shock, there was no more lightning around her body and Ava gradually opened her eyes.
Her consciousness was still fuzzy, but Ava could still discern her mother and Theo.
"!!!" Ava widened her eyes in surprise. "Kyu!"
Ava thought for a moment, recalling that a General Class Monster should be able to talk. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do it.
"No need to think that hard. It will come naturally after settling down with everything. You need to learn a bit as well, so it will take a bit of time. That's why I invite him here so that he can hear your answer." Avarice explained with a calm tone.
"!!!" Ava gasped and rose from the ground.
"So, you want to follow him?" Avarice squinted her eyes.
"Kyu!" Ava looked down, feeling a bit sad. On the one hand, she wished to stay with her mother here. On the other hand, adventuring together with Theo sounded exciting.
She didn't know what to choose.
Knowing this, Avarice approached her and patted her head. "It's alright. If you wish to go, I won't lock you here. Be free and explore the world. This is going to be a dangerous journey, but I want to make sure it's the choice you won't regret. That's why I want to ask you again… Do you want to come with him?"
Ava's eyes glazed as if she was about to cry. She hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding her head.
"Alright. This is your choice. If you feel tired or anything, just return. I will always be waiting for you."
"Kyu!" Ava jumped toward her mother and hugged her.
"Haha…" Avarice chuckled and turned to Theo, "Well, it's not like she is going with you right now, but let me say this in advance… Please take care of my daughter well."
"Don't worry. Ava has been helping me the whole time, so I will do my best to protect her.." Theo smiled.