Leonrick quickly walked up. He invited Angor to take a seat while he introduced himself.
Angor looked around the table. Cyndia nodded politely and accepted Angor’s inquiring gaze, while Margot blushed and lowered her head.
Leonrick pointed to the middle-aged lady to his right. “This is my wife, Cyndia.”
Next, he moved his finger to Margot and sighed a little. “What are you doing, Margot? Come and apologize to sir.”
Margot stood up and did a curtsy, bashfully. “Sir, last time I-”
Angor looked away from her and addressed Leonrick. “No need. I’ve already punished her, so let’s settle it there.”
Margot froze in the middle of her gesture.
She had prepared passionate speeches and confessions, but at this moment, she only managed to blush. She couldn’t get any of them out of her lips.
Because of Angor’s disregard toward her.
Skillfully, Angor sat down on the first “guest of honor” seat.
“How may I address you, sir?” Leonrick also sat down and spoke carefully, taking great caution with every word.
Angor thought about how he used a fake name in front of Magician and decided to keep it that way.
“Call me ‘Mask’.”
Using one’s codename instead of a real name in such a situation was very rude. However, Leonrick didn’t show any discontent. “Mister Mask it is. It’s so kind of you to forgive Margot’s mishap the other day. As her father, I still feel regretful about it, so I want to apologize to you properly this time.”
Leonrick downed a glass of wine.
Angor did not stop Leonrick’s attempt this time, and Margot felt really bad about it.
When Leonrick put down his glass, Angor finally put up a fake smile. “I accept your apology.”
Everyone else was a bit surprised. Didn’t this young man just say “the matter was settled”?
Leonrick considered a while and realized that Angor was referring to his own fault as a father, which was failing to teach proper manners to his daughter. Angor had forgiven Margot’s behavior, but he just accepted Leonrick’s words of atonement.
Everyone on the scene was quick enough to register Angor’s hint. Margot felt her eyes swelling and tried to speak, but her mother quickly pressed her legs down and gave her a warning glance before smiling at Angor again.
“I’m really sorry, sir,” Cyndia said. “Margot is my only child, and I have been too easy on her. From now on, I’ll ask the harshest etiquette instructor to lecture her until she changes her way completely.”
It basically meant being grounded, which was disastrous for Margot who loved being free.
Cyndia had been keeping her restrained by pressing her legs down below the table, and so, Margot could only nod helplessly.
“Let’s stop it here. You didn’t invite me here just to talk about this, right?” Angor didn’t intend to waste his time by watching the family drama.
When Angor held up his glass, Leonrick quickly winked at the butler.
But Angor raised a hand to stop him. With a simple cantrip, the glass was filled with water.
“Alcohol disrupts one’s mind. I prefer… water.”
He was going to say “tea”, but he feared that Leonrick would present him tea for real, which wasn’t actually his favorite. He only enjoyed milk tea and not the strange fermented stuff loved by ordinary nobles.
His little trick which created water out of thin air shocked everyone.
Leonrick spent some time to regain his composure. “By inviting you, sir, I do have another matter that I wish to ask.”
Angor simply looked at Leonrick while the latter continued to speak.
Leonrick asked Cyndia to take Margot away first. He then ordered all the other people away as well. In the end, only the butler was left in the room with them.
“Is Mister Mask a… wizard, as told in legends?”
Angor considered his words. He planned to ask Leonrick about wizard-related information, and he didn’t expect Leonrick to mention such a thing first.
“Of course, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t wish to. I’m just curious.” Leonrick was terrified that he might have just bothered Angor.
Angor smiled. “Actually, I can tell you. But first, I want to know where you learned about wizards, Count Leonrick?”
Leonrick didn’t hesitate this time. “This family has existed for nearly 900 years, and we have many secret records which contain information about wizardry. But… I have been regarding them as mere rumors.”
“Can I see those records?”
Leonrick struggled with a decision. His family records documented many things that he didn’t wish to share with an outsider, such as dirty business and unpublished deeds done by the court.
“I’m indeed a wizard,” Angor said.
He didn’t tell Leonrick about the difference between wizards and apprentices. After all, they were all the same in the views of mortals.
Leonrick nodded slightly and revealed some of his fear. “I… never believed before. So wizards really exist.”
“Wizards don’t usually interact with the mortal world, nor will they affect your lives so easily.”
Angor didn’t really wish to break down Leonrick’s senses by explaining how wizards didn’t offend mortals because they considered mortals as ants. Even the most wicked wizard would find it a waste of time to intervene with mortal folks.
“Mister Mask, I keep the family record of Griffin. According to the rules, I shouldn’t show them to a stranger. But if you do wish to read them, I can bring them to you,” Leonrick said as he tried his best to arrange his next words. “Meanwhile, can I ask a favor, Mister Mask?”
Leonrick believed that using his family records as payment to ask a wizard for a favor wasn’t a really good deal. This mighty wizard could simply take anything he wanted by force.
Leonrick felt his heart beating faster as Angor remained silent. He almost decided to give up and present the files to Angor as an apology.
“You may express yourself, and I’ll listen,” Angor suddenly said.
Leonrick’s attempt reminded Angor of how he negotiated with Lotus, and at that time, he was in such an absolute disadvantage too.
But still, there was no reason for him to agree right away.
Leonrick found this to be a great and pleasant surprise, and he quickly explained what was on his mind.
“I’m not going to ask for my own gain, sir,” Leonrick said with a sigh. “On the outside, Water Grasse is a bright and prosperous city. Yet as the true manager of it, I know there are too many things that are hidden in the dark, which I have no control over. I’m hoping to ask you for help, to deal with these unreachable troubles.”
“You mean underground offenders? Baal?”
“No, sir. Every city and village should and must have its own dark side. Baal isn’t my concern at all.”
“Then… Magician?”
Leonrick shook his head. “I do not have the courage to ask you to go after another wizard. I’m talking about something we mortals cannot solve, which might be easy for you.”
“Something mortals cannot solve? Do tell.”
“It all started a year ago…”
One year ago, a citizen of Water Grasse suddenly encountered a strange disease and was sent to the Golden Cross Academy of Medicine. He showed no particular symptoms at the beginning. But as time passed on, he grew weaker. First, it was his muscles. Then, he slowly lost the ability to talk. His eyes gradually lost the luster of emotion. In the end, he was only “alive”. But that was about it—none of his other body functions worked, apart from basic reactions.
Today, there were over a hundred patients that were hospitalized in the facility.
“All researchers in Golden Cross are searching for a cure. A family even offered their patient to us as a test subject. But a dissection test yielded no results—everything on him looked healthy. Can you help us with this, sir?”
Angor didn’t expect such a request. If there wasn’t any fishy business, then this Leonrick man was a really decent leader and an uncommon nobleman, especially after one considered how nobles usually treated their people.
Angor basically knew nothing about curing diseases. He did learn some western and eastern medical theories, but he mostly had to rely on guesses to actually treat a patient. He did not back out though. After all, he hadn’t even agreed to it yet.
“How can you tell if it’s the special disease and not some other common conditions?”
“Good point, sir. You noticed it so soon. We can tell because all of the patients share a common symptom—they’ve all lost their shadows.”
