Warlock Apprentice

Sunders and Rein disappeared around the end of the hallway.

Angor wondered what was the matter.

He did not feel any mana ripple or strong emotions from the old man called Rein. It seemed to be an old gentleman with strict self-discipline. However, considering how everyone in the manor including Sunders paid him great respect, the old man had to be someone really special.

"Would you like to have a meal, Mister Padt?" Goode sent the other servants away and walked to Angor.

"Butler… Goode. Huh?"

When Goode talked to him, Angor thought that the silencing spell was removed. However, he just realized he could only talk in a really small voice. He sounded quieter than a meowing kitten.

Angor tried to clear his throat in a loud way, but his voice sounded even weaker.

What the heck?

Angor widened his eyes in disbelief. Unlike before, he could talk now. However, his voice was miserable.

"Speak gently, Mister Padt. Mister Rein dislikes noises. You'll sound quieter if you try to raise your voice," Butler Goode suggested.

"You mean the old gentleman just now?" Angor tried. As Goode said, he sounded a lot better when he lowered his volume. Still, his words came out quieter than usual.

"Indeed. The meal is ready. How about eating something while waiting?"

Angor complied while trying to ask Goode about the visitor in the meantime.

And he was shocked when he finally learned who the old man was. It was only the first time Angor saw him in person, but he had read about the character many times.

Rein Mute the Silencer.

That was one of the figures in control of Brute Cavern, and one of the few level-3 formal wizards in the south who were expected to become legendary wizards.

Every apprentice in Brute Cavern more or less heard about Rein's great stories. That man had mastered the "power of silence" to an extreme and had almost made it into a type of natural law. Even the world's consciousness would be affected, and it would remain quiet around him.

He carried an aura of silence around without the need to use mana, which was also the reason why Phantom Island seemed so quiet.

Normally, Rein stayed inside the Cloud Tower on top of the Tree of Eternity. The tower could be seen from anywhere in the mirror world.

From the records Angor read before, Rein had been staying in the Cloud Tower for many decades. Why did he suddenly decide to come looking for Sunders?

While curious, Angor still knew that such a matter was not something he should interfere with. The business of a wizard was already beyond his reach, let alone something related to a really powerful wizard.

Angor tried to forget his curiosity and finish his meal. Next, he went to the garden for some fresh air. Rein's power only lowered his voice, but it still made him feel restricted.

The garden outside the manor was just as quiet. However, the sound of the breeze and the smell of nature soothed his mind a little.

Angor sat down on the bank of a river stream and closed his eyes to meditate.

Sunders' energy helped him cast the improved cantrip, but he still used up all his mana. He had to wait for Sunders anyway, so he might as well use the chance to recover.

Time slowly elapsed.

When Angor quitted his meditation state, the sky was already curtained under stars.

And his mana was fully recovered.

Angor stayed in his mind space for a while and realized that his mana pool was now used to the speed of drawing raw energy. The energy flow was now stable than ever.

He decided to work on further spirit power tunnels.

His spirit model now looked like a sea urchin, where a singular point in the center was covered by many spirit tunnels that stretched into all directions. Each tunnel helped him contain primal mana, making his meditation and mana flow efficient.

He got the feeling that several more tunnels would further expand his mana pool, which meant he would have enough mana to cast the improved cantrip on himself.

Something suddenly clicked beside his ears, and he could clearly register the sounds of nature again, including the creatures in the woods, the water flow in the river, and the wind blowing past.

Angor looked up and saw a figure flying away from Phantom Island toward the Cloud Tower on top of the Tree of Eternity.

"Mister Rein has left." He watched the old man disappear into the night sky.

Soon, he heard Sunders calling, "To my study, Angor."

…

Angor stood up quickly and walked toward the manor.

Before reaching the door, he saw someone else approaching from another path in the garden.

Under the gentle moonlight, Angor could see the individual covered under a black wizard robe. But that was about it.

Also, the figure was walking on elegant steps that suited a nobleman. Some details in his movements showed the man's proud and distant temperament.

Angor felt something familiar from the unknown visitor. Something unbelievably familiar.

More importantly, Angor was sure he knew the particular creature standing on the robed figure's shoulder—a seabird with gray feathers who was wearing a beast-skin costume and a plumed tribal headdress.

Angor frowned. "Toby?"

The tribesman—no, tribesbird, heard him and tweeted in response. It quickly fluttered his way.

Angor lifted an arm to catch the bird.

Yes, it was Toby, since no other bird would lift its tiny head high in the air proudly in such a way.

Toby tweeted and chirped while waving its wings around. Angor quickly realized that it was asking for a reward because of something.

The robed figure also approached. Angor got a better look of him and… wait. It looked just like himself!

"Good evening, Mister Padt."

The cold and indifferent tone of the figure also sounded familiar. Angor always pretended such a character in front of everyone when he was "Baron Milk".

"Who is it?" Angor tried to ask.

"Baron Milk" removed his robe to reveal—wait, no. There was a second robe on him, and his face was hidden behind a mask.

"Phantom Servant?" Angor quickly recognized the patterns on the mask.

"Yes. I'm Number 233. You may call me by that number, Mister Padt," said the servant. His voice slowly changed along with his physique.

In a matter of seconds, "Number 233" grew taller under Angor's gaze. His voice sounded sharper now compared to the hoarse tone of "Baron Milk".

"Did you just, mimic me?"

Number 233 bowed his head. "When Mister Padt was unconscious on the bed, Mister Toby asked me to take on your look and compete in the Sky Tower in your place."

"You fought matches for me in these two days??" Angor asked in disbelief.

Number 233 shook his head. "My expertise is form-shifting and imitating. I'm not adept at combat. I joined a total of 17 matches in three days. They were all managed by Mister Toby himself."

Toby raised its head high and waited for Angor's praise.

"Seventeen?! You won them all?"

"Yes, Mister. You're now at the 14th level. And you're quite famous among the other fighters."

"But I don't need fame! Are you alright, Toby?" Angor placed Toby in his palm carefully and checked if the bird was wounded.

"Mister Toby defeated every enemy with only one hit. Some of the audiences are beginning to call you the 'One-Hit Man'," Number 233 commented.

Angor made sure Toby was unharmed and frowned at 233's words. "One-Hit Man, huh? Toby was the one who defeated the fighters. Shouldn't they use a name like 'One-Hit Bird'?"

"No one called Mister Toby that way. But I did hear someone referring to Baron Milk as the 'One-Hit Birdy Man'. Still, most people prefer the shorter version."

Angor walked toward the Manor with Toby while 233 followed.

Number 233 told Angor about the details of the matches.

And the details only gave Angor a big headache. He had earned quite a name for killing the champion of level 13. A bad one.

The following matches were all taken care of by Toby while "Baron Milk" simply stayed aside and watched, which caused his name to worsen further. People now considered him a fool who only knew how to rely on a familiar.

The situation grew worse when people looked at his previous matches. They exaggerated the power of his alchemy weapon and completely ignored the fact that Angor could also use spells.

Since he killed the "princess charm" of many audiences, all these foul comments were totally expected. And usually, Angor would keep low-profile for some time to avoid too much trouble.

But Toby did not know what "low-profile" was.

Without Angor, Toby grew more and more violent in front of people who kept badmouthing Angor. The bird finally lost patience and began killing everyone in the matches. He helped "Baron Milk" reach the 14th level, leaving a pile of corpses behind.

In just three days, the "distant and cold character" of Baron Milk, which Angor spent so much effort to establish, became a "Weakling", a "One-Hit Man", and a "Shameless Rogue".

By "One-Hit Man", people were actually being sarcastic.

Also, he was known as "someone who kills women mercilessly".

Angor simply gave up on worrying about it. He already had enough bad names. Some extra ones would no longer hurt.

"However, there are a number of females that support you," Number 233 suddenly spoke.

"Oh yeah? Paranoias, I guess. You know, there are always those who love to be 'unique'. If something is hated by the public, they act in the opposite way."

Number 233 shook his head. "No. I think it's because Mister Padt accidentally exposed a part of your face in front of everyone during the match against Parasite Queen. Those women are all attracted by your handsomeness."

"… So I'm a 'Handsome A*shole' now? Damn. That sounds even worse."