Theron's return wasn't much later than the two of them had expected.
The next morning, he appeared silently in his own room.
His return was as low-key as his departure, as if he'd simply gone out for a morning stroll and come back.
When Gauss found him, he was sitting coiled on a simple mat in the middle of the room, holding a coiled silver serpent idol. It was a statue of the Lady of the Hidden Scales, whom he worshipped, with its head and tail joined to form a perfect circle.
Gauss didn't interrupt him.
Theron only performed this kind of prayer in the mornings when they were staying in town. When they were out on a job, there was no time or opportunity for it, so Gauss hadn't seen him meditating very often.
A rich, delicate incense, released by burning a special spice, filled the room, calming anyone who breathed it in.
On the small table beside his bed sat several little bottles and a few bundles of herbs left to dry.
Before long, Theron finished his morning prayers, and his pale golden, slit-pupiled eyes slowly opened.
He wasn't surprised to see Gauss in the room. He'd only been praying; he wasn't dead.
With his keen sense of smell, he'd noticed Gauss's arrival as soon as he entered the room.
"Did you advance successfully?"
"Mm. It went smoothly." Theron nodded. His expression was calm, but a closer look at his subtle changes in expression showed that he was in a good mood.
"That's good."
Every level gained was important to an adventurer.
This was especially true when an adventurer was stuck at a bottleneck and unable to make progress. As time passed, their anxiety and self-doubt would deepen, undermining their confidence and shaking the foundations of their beliefs.