Chapter 50: A Little Girl
He turned back, his eyes widening in shock as a little girl stood behind him with a nervous smile. He was not sure how to react. Who was this little girl? Why did she call him master? His eyes looked at where his kids were, noticing that one of them was not there.
He spoke, his voice shaky and unsure. "Wren?" He stepped closer, seeing her eyes light up at the mention of her name.
"Yes, master, it is Wren." She continued to stare at him, smiling as if waiting for something. He let out a soft chuckle and knelt down before her.
"Wow, look at you, my little Wren has evolved. I am so proud of you." He hugged her, and she hugged him back, finding it hard to hold back her tears.
"Yes, master... I did this all for you... I was too weak and had to change, this is for my master." She continued to cling to him, and he did not stop her because he... was happy too.
’So they can evolve without my help? Or is this a special case? Well, it does not matter, Wren is still Wren.’ He picked her up and walked over to Yenna to surprise her.
"Yenna, look who just woke up." Yenna, who was getting ready to meditate, turned around, her eyes slowly widening at the sight of Wren. She began taking steps back while stuttering.
"U-Uh, who is that? Did a kid enter this place without us realizing?"
He chuckled at her confusion. It was not surprising that she did not know who the girl was, no one would. "Nothing like that, this is actually Wren, she evolved again. Is not she the cutest?" He gently pulled her cheek, playing with her like a child.
"F-For real? How is that even possible?" She stared at Wren closely, trying to figure out how she had become human. It should not be possible, at least to her knowledge.
Vell put her down so she could roam around. "My guess is because of my skill, though, I am just as shocked as you are. I may have the ability to evolve beasts, but I did not expect it to go that far. But regardless, she is still Wren, my precious child." Wren smiled at his words while holding his hand.
"Child? Why are you calling her that?" She sounded jealous, her eyes shifting to Wren, who had a smug look on her face.
"I am taming them, they are under my care, which means I am basically their father figure. That is why I call them my kids." He noticed her expression and decided to tease her. "No need to be so jealous, I am still all yours."
"W-What are you talking about, do not go around saying such things, people might get the wrong idea." Her eyes were darting around while her fingers were fidgeting like crazy... she was clearly very embarrassed, and it brought a dumb smile to his face.
’Hehe, teasing her never gets old.’
Wren let go of his hand and approached Yenna, staring up at her. Yenna looked back in surprise and a bit of confusion. "Hey," she said nervously, but Wren just stared at her without saying a word.
Vell found this amusing, so he just watched. Seeing Yenna so nervous was comforting to him, it always suppressed his burning rage.
"It seems you have improved in the little time I was sleeping. Your mana is a lot more stable, which is probably thanks to master. You are too dumb to do it on your own. Hmph, come, let us spar. I want to see how your movements have improved."
’I am dumb?’ Yenna thought, following close behind Wren. Vell sat down, his own training could wait, this was more entertaining. Jia also appeared beside him, wanting to sit down, but her pride was on full blast.
"Who is she? She gives off a beast smell."
"That is my kid, Wren, and yes, she is a beast. I tamed her."
Jia glanced at Vell in fascination. ’Not only is he strong, but he has the ability to tame beasts... hold on, does that mean he can tame me?’ This thought sent a chill down her spine as she took a few steps back. ’He would not... right? My queen would not allow such a thing in the first place... yeah, I am safe... am I really?’
Vell ignored her, even though he could tell what was going through her mind. He observed the spar, noting how fluid Wren’s moves had become. Despite the human form, her feline moves were still the same. Yenna, on the other hand, was still stiff, her movements were not bad, but they seemed forced to an extent.
They were both impressive, especially in their respective tiers. He saw enough, so he got up and walked off to work on his training as well. "Wanna join me?" he asked, walking past Jia, who was still on edge, and the sudden question and how he worded it just made her even more cautious of him.
"J-Join what? If you dare try to ta-"
He quickly cut her off. "Sigh, I meant training. I am going to work on my body, so I asked if you want to join me."
She blinked, her tension slightly easing, though her pride would not let her admit she had overreacted. "Oh... training, huh? I thought you had something more sinister in mind." She crossed her arms, feigning disinterest. "I suppose I could spare some time to see how you handle things. But do not take this as a way to try something you should not."
Vell smirked, sensing her attempt to mask her unease. He walked up, his smirk growing, he just could not help himself. "Oh right, I just remembered... you are pretty strong, I wonder if I can tame a humanoid monster."
Jia toppled over, sweat running down her face. "I-I knew it, humans truly cannot be trusted, s-stay away!"
He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he watched Jia stumble back in panic. "Oh, come on! I am obviously kidding!" He grinned, the mischievous sparkle in his eyes making it clear he was enjoying her flustered reaction far too much. "You are too fun to mess with. You cannot even hide that you are nervous."
She scowled, straightening herself while her tail bristled in irritation. "Hmph! You are insufferable! How dare you joke about something like that!" Her pride was wounded, and she crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Me being tamed by a human—what nonsense!"
"Relax," he said, waving her off as he started stretching. "Even if I could, why would I want to tame someone as prideful as you? It would be exhausting." He shot her a teasing wink.
Her face turned red, and she sputtered, "P-Prideful?! I— I am not prideful! I am just—" She paused, realizing she had no comeback that did not prove his point. With a frustrated huff, she turned away, muttering under her breath.
He chuckled to himself, finding her antics endlessly entertaining. "Alright, enough teasing. Let us actually train. You ready, or are you too busy sulking?"
Jia whipped around, her competitive streak flaring up again. "Sulking? Hmph, just state the training, human. I will crush you!"
"In that case, the training is squats... 500 to be exact."
"Eh?"