The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: A New Companion

Morning came quietly to the D’Averon estate.

Ares was still asleep when something gently tugged at his hair.

He ignored it.

A moment later, the same tug came again.

"...Mmm."

Ares turned away.

"Kyuu..."

The soft sound came from beside his pillow.

Ares slowly opened his eyes.

A small white fox was sitting beside him, watching him with curious eyes. The fifteen tails were curled loosely around the little body, their strange colors barely visible beneath the morning light.

Ares stared for a moment.

"Kyuu."

"What are you doing?"

Astra tilted the head.

"Kyuu... kyuu."

Ares rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Are you hungry?"

Astra’s ears immediately perked up.

"Kyuu!"

Ares sighed.

"All right. I understand."

He picked Astra up and placed the little fox in his arms.

"Come on. Let’s get you something to eat."

Astra settled comfortably against him as Ares left the room.

---

By the time Ares entered the dining hall, breakfast had already been prepared.

Mara was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her, quietly enjoying the morning. She looked up when Ares entered.

Then her eyes stopped on the creature in his arms.

She blinked.

"Ares?"

"Good morning, Mother."

Mara looked at Astra again.

"What is that?"

Ares glanced down.

"This?"

"Yes."

Mara’s expression gradually softened.

"That little thing is adorable."

Astra looked toward Mara.

"Kyuu."

Mara smiled.

"Even the voice is cute."

Ares walked over and took a seat.

"We found it yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

"Near the forest."

Mara leaned forward slightly.

"Near the forest? Where exactly?"

"We were passing through the area when we came across Astra alone."

Mara looked at the fox again.

"Was Astra injured?"

"A little. Nothing serious."

Mara seemed relieved.

"That’s good."

She hesitated before extending a hand.

"May I?"

Ares lowered Astra slightly.

"Of course."

Mara gently stroked the fox’s head.

Astra remained perfectly still, apparently accepting the attention.

Mara’s smile widened.

"How cute."

Ares couldn’t help smiling.

"You seem to like it."

"Of course."

Mara continued stroking the soft fur.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a spirit beast this close."

Ares looked at her.

"Spirit beast?"

"Didn’t you say it was one?"

"Yes."

Mara’s attention shifted toward the fifteen tails.

"Although I’ve never seen one with this many tails."

Ares paused briefly.

"Spirit beasts can be unusual."

Mara gave him a thoughtful look.

"I suppose they can."

Fortunately, she didn’t pursue the matter.

Instead, she asked,

"What’s the name?"

"Astra."

"Astra..."

Mara repeated it with a smile.

"That’s a lovely name."

Ares nodded.

"I thought it suited the little fox."

Mara continued petting Astra for a moment before suddenly remembering something.

"You know, your father once brought home a spirit beast."

Ares looked at her.

"Really?"

"Yes. It was about fifteen years ago."

"What kind?"

"It looked somewhat like a cat."

Mara’s expression became nostalgic.

"Unlike Astra, that one was very timid. It also possessed healing magic, which was rather unusual."

"Where is it now?"

Mara’s smile faded slightly.

"It didn’t live very long."

She placed her cup back on the table.

"Spirit beasts aren’t always accustomed to living around humans. We tried to take care of it, but eventually its health deteriorated."

"I see."

Ares looked down at Astra.

Mara soon continued.

"Some of my classmates also had spirit beasts when I was younger. They weren’t common, but certain noble families kept them as companions."

"Does the academy allow them?"

"I’m not certain about the current rules."

Mara smiled.

"But I doubt a harmless-looking little fox like Astra would cause much trouble."

Astra suddenly leaned toward the table.

Mara noticed.

"Is Astra hungry?"

"I think so."

Ares sighed.

"I was actually on my way here because Astra woke me up."

Mara laughed softly.

"Then we shouldn’t keep breakfast waiting."

She turned toward one of the servants.

"Please prepare something suitable for Astra."

"Yes, Madam."

The servant immediately left.

Ares placed Astra beside him.

The little fox remained focused on the dining table, clearly waiting for the food.

Mara watched with amusement.

"You’ve only been back for a short time, and you’ve already brought something new into the household."

"Apparently."

Ares smiled.

"I wasn’t exactly planning on it."

"Perhaps that’s how these things usually happen."

Before Ares could respond, footsteps approached from the entrance.

Frederick entered the dining hall.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Father."

Frederick nodded before taking his seat.

His attention then shifted toward Astra.

He stopped.

"...Ares."

"Yes?"

"What is that?"

Mara smiled.

"Your son brought home a spirit beast."

Frederick looked at Astra carefully.

"A spirit beast?"

He leaned forward slightly.

"At first glance, I thought it was some sort of cat."

Mara laughed.

"I thought the same thing."

Frederick’s eyes moved toward the tails.

"But those..."

He counted them silently.

"...There are quite a few."

Ares tried not to laugh.

"Fifteen."

"Fifteen?"

Frederick looked genuinely surprised.

"I’ve never heard of a spirit beast with that many tails."

"Neither have I," Mara said.

Frederick looked toward Ares.

"Where did you find such a spirit beast?"

"Near the forest."

"You encountered Astra there?"

"Yes."

Frederick examined the fox again.

"You’re fortunate."

"Is that so?"

"Spirit beasts rarely allow themselves to be approached by humans, much less follow them willingly. Finding one in the wild is already unusual."

He paused.

"And bringing one home safely is another matter entirely."

Ares glanced at Astra.

"It didn’t seem to mind."

As if understanding the conversation, Astra looked toward Frederick.

"Kyuu."

Frederick smiled.

"Apparently not."

Mara reached over and gently touched one of the fox’s tails.

"Such beautiful colors."

Frederick nodded.

"I’ve seen spirit beasts with unusual appearances before, but this is certainly something I’ve never encountered."

Ares quietly watched his parents.

Neither of them suspected anything.

To them, Astra was simply an unusually rare and remarkably cute spirit beast that their son had happened to find near the forest.

That was perfectly fine with Ares.

There was no reason to explain anything else.

The servant soon returned with a small plate of food and placed it beside Astra.

The fox immediately focused on the meal.

Ares smiled.

"Go ahead."

Astra began eating almost immediately.

Mara watched with amusement.

Ares took a sip of his drink.

Frederick shook his head with a faint smile.

"Well, I suppose another member of the household isn’t necessarily a bad thing."

Ares looked toward Astra.

"I don’t think Astra will cause any problems."

Frederick chuckled.

"Let’s hope not."

Astra continued eating peacefully, completely unconcerned with the conversation around the table.

Frederick took another sip of his coffee before looking toward Ares again.

"By the way, where are Draven and Cedric?"

"They’re still sleeping."

Ares glanced toward the doorway.

"They were probably more tired than they let on after yesterday."

Frederick gave a quiet laugh.

"I suppose I can understand that. The two of them were quite helpful when the knights returned."

His expression became more serious as he remembered what had happened.

"Without their healing abilities, several of my men might not have survived the night."

Ares nodded.

"They did what they could."

"They did considerably more than that."

Frederick leaned back in his chair.

"I’ve seen experienced priests struggle to stabilize wounds like those. Yet the two of them managed to restore the knights as though the injuries were nothing."

Mara looked toward Ares.

"It seems you’ve made some rather remarkable friends."

Ares smiled faintly.

"I suppose I have."

Mara glanced toward the corridor leading to the guest rooms.

"But I have been wondering about something."

"What is it?"

"Where are their parents?"

Ares paused.

He knew there was no reasonable way to explain that Draven was a primordial dragon who had existed for thousands of years and that Cedric was an ancient Holy Knight who had already lived through an era that most people considered history.

If I told them that the two of them were already thousands of years old, would they actually believe me?

Ares nearly laughed at the thought.

"They don’t have parents with them anymore."

Mara’s expression softened.

"Oh..."

"They’ve been traveling with me for about a months now."

"I see."

Mara looked toward Frederick before turning back to Ares.

"So you took them in?"

Ares hesitated.

"Something like that."

Mara smiled.

"That’s very like you."

Frederick, however, seemed more interested in the two boys’ abilities.

"With talent like theirs, I imagine they would have no trouble finding a place among a powerful noble household."

He paused.

"Or perhaps even within the royal family, if their abilities became known."

"That’s probably true."

Ares looked down at his breakfast.

"But they wouldn’t like that."

Frederick raised an eyebrow.

"They wouldn’t?"

"No."

Ares shrugged.

"I don’t think either of them has much interest in becoming involved with noble families."

"Do you know why?"

"Not really."

Ares gave a small, helpless smile.

"Perhaps they simply don’t want the attention."

Frederick nodded thoughtfully.

"That is understandable. Talent often attracts more trouble than people expect."

Mara smiled.

"Then perhaps it’s better that they remain with you for now."

Ares glanced toward her.

"Probably."

A brief silence settled over the table.

Astra continued eating beside him, apparently completely uninterested in the conversation.

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