Aiden woke up the next day with his thoughts still lingering on the previous night's events. Despite his victory, one thing continued to bother him—the true objective of the organization behind the Numbers. He had encountered their operatives, fought against their warriors, but he still had no idea what their endgame was. The mystery gnawed at him, but for now, there was little he could do.
As he sat up in bed, he also remembered the anomaly in his status window. The "?" appearing at his Mana Affinity was strange, but after thinking about it for a while, he figured it might be because he could perform all sorts of magic. If that were the case, it was possible that his affinity was undefined or special in some way. He decided to put those thoughts aside for now, as there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.
Stretching, he glanced down to see Ciara and Lumina sitting at his bedside, watching him intently. Lumina tilted her head and asked, "Master, how are you feeling? Are you okay?"
Aiden smiled and scooped them up onto his shoulders. "I'm fine. Actually, I feel great—as if yesterday's battle was just a dream."
With that, he got out of bed and made his way downstairs for breakfast. As he entered the dining room, he saw Clara and Chloe already seated. Remembering that the Academy's entrance exam was approaching, he asked them, "What do I need to prepare for the entrance exam?"
Clara was the first to respond. "The written exam just covers the theory behind basic initiate-level magic spells, which you already know, so that part shouldn't be a big deal for you."
Chloe nodded and continued, "The real challenge is the practical exam. You'll be scored based on your performance, but the specifics of the test change every year, so we can't tell you exactly what to expect."
Clara added, "Also, if there are more students this year than usual, they might conduct a special exam where the top scorers are grouped together into an advanced class. But that only happens if a certain criterion is met, and it hasn't happened in ten years—not since the war."
Aiden took in their explanations and nodded. It seemed that, at least for the theoretical part, he had nothing to worry about. As for the practical exam, he would simply have to rely on his instincts and combat experience.
The rest of the day was spent with Chloe, Clara, and Greta as they wandered through the village. It was a peaceful day, filled with idle chatter and sightseeing, something that Aiden rarely indulged in. However, as night fell, his mind drifted back to an important matter.
After everyone had gone to sleep, Aiden quietly got out of bed. Ciara and Lumina, who had been resting nearby, immediately perked up.
Lumina looked at him curiously and asked, "Master, where are we going now? Weren't those enemies already dealt with?"
Aiden chuckled softly. "We're not going to fight. We need to start looking for a suitable place to build your nest."
Hearing that, Lumina's eyes sparkled with excitement, but then she hesitated. "Master, if I form my nest here, that means I won't be able to come with you?"
Aiden gave her a wry smile. "You don't have to feel lonely. My parents are here, and you can always come visit whenever you feel like it."
Lumina still looked a bit downtrodden, so Aiden added, "Besides, it's not like I won't be visiting. Even Chloe and Clara got a vacation after their first year at the Academy, so I'll at least come back once a year."
Hearing that, Lumina seemed to brighten up, and Aiden picked both her and Ciara up before leaping out of the house using wind magic, vanishing into the forest.
For hours, they searched for a suitable location. Aiden considered several spots, but Lumina had very specific criteria. "It shouldn't be too far from the village since I need to keep an eye on it," she explained, "but not too close, either, since that could cause problems. It also can't be near a water body, as that would make the nest too damp."
Aiden didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her meticulous requirements, but he accepted them nonetheless. They continued searching until they found a dense forested area with an elevated clearing. It was completely dark, and from this vantage point, they could see the village in the distance—about an hour's journey away.
Lumina's eyes shone as she exclaimed, "This is perfect! The elevation means I won't have to worry about flooding during heavy rains, and I can still see the village from here. There's no water body nearby either. This is exactly what I wanted!"
Aiden smiled. "Now what?"
Lumina jumped from his shoulder onto the clearing and began glowing. The earth beneath her shifted as she used her magic to dig into the ground. Aiden watched in amazement as she tunneled deep, forming intricate chambers. "How are you using earth magic like that?" he asked.
"It's inherent in all ants," Lumina replied. "All of us can tunnel like this."
Aiden was amazed by the efficiency of her excavation. When she showed him the map of the tunnel structure, he was even more impressed by how detailed and organized it was. Soon, she reached the innermost chamber and began forming a glowing ball of light, which she carefully placed at the base of the chamber on a patch of grass she had brought in earlier.
Aiden observed in fascination. "Your egg-laying process doesn't seem biological at all."
Lumina chuckled. "Master, did you think I would lay eggs biologically? Of course not. I store all the food and lifeforms I consume inside my space, and I create offspring from that energy. Don't worry, Master—I can still bear a biological child, so you don't need to worry about not having children."
Aiden's brain short-circuited for a moment. "What... what are you even talking about?" He quickly changed the subject. "So, what kind of ants are you making now?"
Lumina smirked. "I combined five of the felines with five of the humans. The remaining humans will be kept for future combinations."
Aiden's eyes widened with excitement. "How long will it take for them to hatch?"
"They won't be like normal ants," Lumina explained. "Instead of larvae, they'll be born directly as small children—like you, Master."
Aiden was dumbfounded. "Wait... don't tell me you used my blood as a template for them?"
Lumina giggled. "To some extent. I needed a foundation to create them."
She then explained that the ants would take a year to fully form, but the process could be hastened with more life energy. Since she couldn't hunt while she was in the nest, Aiden suggested that they start hunting immediately to fill her energy reserves.
With that decided, they ventured into the forest, hunting tirelessly until the break of dawn. By the time they returned home, Aiden was exhausted, but he knew he had taken another important step forward.