The next day. Thersland was turned into an uproar.
All media were covering their team that advanced to the main competition, becoming the first team in history to do that.
The school became the center of attention because they thought they had been wrong this whole time. In the past, they had been mixing all powerful students among the seven schools, but none of them succeeded.
When Radvils took over and chose only one particular school, it created an immediate success. All people, especially those working in the education field, were perplexed and questioned whether their way was wrong this whole time.
Even the principal made a speech for this joyous news.
It was a sight to behold when they all heard Theo became the center of attention as the biggest dark horse. They all felt ashamed to ever doubt him without getting all the information about him first.
Of course, not all of them insulted him. Some of them admired him and didn't doubt his ability. Those people banded together and created Theo's fan club as Theo might become a prominent figure in the future.
With just a little digging, they realized Theo was bullied in the school. His fan club dramatized his unwillingness to be bullied and chose to fight back and show the world that it wasn't over for him yet.
As a result, all those bullies were exposed. And one person was hit the hardest. It was none other than Hontar's first partner, Scott.
Everyone quickly shunned and mocked him openly. They felt it wasn't enough because Theo wasn't only verbally bullied but physically as well. However, they believed Theo would be the one delivering the punishment later, so they only mocked him without touching him.
Scott's reputation turned worst to the point he didn't come to school anymore to avoid the angry fans. Even then, they kept mocking him, telling him what he endured was only a few days while Theo needed to face that harsh situation without any family to support him for almost a decade. If Theo were here, he would have laughed out loud. This was the laugh he talked about when he and Alea defeated Scott and Hontar.
Theo's mental fortitude became an inspiration for many people and his reputation soared through the roof, surpassing that of Alea. They all realized Theo's face seemed to be handsome, but because he didn't take care of his appearance, he was only above average. They believed if Theo took his time to take a bit more care of his appearance, he would become an idol like Phyrill, Laust, or Sihan.
Even Thersland's President conveyed his happiness in their success, hoping the citizens could pray for their continuous success.
And this was what Theo had envisioned in mind. That was why when he participated in the school's competition, he did everything and stopped hiding his ability to get the spot.
As long as he did something great, his reputation would soar and open many connections inside the country. After that, he would aim a bit bigger. Thersland didn't have the necessary resources to reach Mythical Rank, so he planned to go to another country in the future.
This competition would become the bud of his connection when he reached that step, thus this Grand Gaia was the turning point in his life.
On the other side, above a mountain stood tall a small treehouse. A blue-haired man walked outside the house with a smile on his face. He had just gotten the information from his friend about Theo, so he obviously felt happy.
He looked at the sky and said, "It seems we will meet soon, Theo."
…
Meanwhile, Nart Eilric decided to close his shop for a day and returned to the family.
As one would expect, his son, James Eilric, visited him in Nart's study room with a grin on his face.
"Father. Have you heard the news?"
Nart smiled as he kept reading the news on his chair. However, the news wasn't about Alea or Thersland. Instead, it was about Theo.
"Yeah, I heard it earlier."
"Why are you so uninterested? Alea, Alea has gone to the main stage, you know."
"Of course, I am happy. But that's only to be expected…" Nart shrugged.
"Huh?" James tilted his head in confusion and saw Theo's article. "Normally, you would have gotten all the news about Alea, but why are you so fixated on him, Father?"
"Ah, I haven't told you anything about this…" He looked at James while scratching the back of his head. "Do you remember the reason we are staying in this country?"
"Father was expelled from the family and settled down in this country forty years ago."
"Indeed. But that's not the real reason."
"Huh? So, Father has lied to me this whole time?" James was bewildered.
"No, but actually yes. You should know the Eilric Family is not from here, right?"
"Obviously."
"Actually, I wasn't expelled. I was young and unruly at that time, even though I didn't have any talent. Because of various reasons, I decided to settle down in this country. However, that's also for a reason." Nart showed Theo's picture and asked, "Recently, I received a task from the family to care for a young man."
"And he is Theodore Griffith?"
"Yes. That's the reason why I made a deal with him for the Artificial Nest and some information. I also took special care of his skills and weapons since he's a regular of mine."
"Why do the main family want you to…"
"It's simple. I was curious about him and searched for his information, only to find nothing about it. His information wasn't erased but manipulated as if it was blank paper. After doing my job for a while, I happened to receive some knowledge about him, especially his background."
"His background? It's not a simple poor boy?"
"No, not at all. His family is something I don't like, but they certainly have enough strength… That's why the main family wants me to protect him."
"That's why you investigated the horde that seemed to be connected to him?"
"Yes." Nart nodded.
"I still can't understand. Why do you care about him that much? If all you need is to protect him, why don't you take him here and send a few bodyguards?" James asked with a grave expression. "Father… What is the relationship between our families?"
"Do you want to know?" Nart sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a bit troubled. He then pointed at the chair. "Grab the chair and sit down. It's going to be a long story."