Chapter 829: The Watcher
Angor was currently standing at the entrance of Padt Manor, smelling the flowers of a cherry tree on the other side of the fence.
He didnât get to enjoy the scent of his home for very long because he sensed someone watching him.
He looked up and saw a pair of glimmering eyes hidden behind the flowers of the tree.
With a simple flicker of mind, he created a small gust of wind and unleashed it at the cherry tree.
A chunky-looking owl hopped into his view and escaped further into the manor using a pair of small wings that didnât seem enough to support its weight.
âWas that bird wearing a monocle?â
What he feared had come true. Since neither common owls nor monster owls would wear glasses, the owl he saw was probably someoneâs familiar.
There was an apprentice or wizard in Padt Manor.
He couldnât help but assume the worst, that whoever had been staying here already discovered Jonâs mysteries.
âShut off my home like that⊠Iâm going to find you no matter what.â
Without waiting any longer, he opened the fence gate and walked inside.
Just beyond the gate was a patch of wheat field where a servant was working. The servant thought someone returned from the markets and was going to help carry the goods. But when he saw it was a stranger, he quickly made a âshooâ sign.
âWhereâs Old George? He let a wanderer slip!â The servant checked the cherry tree nearby anxiously and showed a relaxed look when he didnât find the owl watching him. âQuickly, go back, young friend. Leave before the Watcher sees you!â
âYou⊠donât know who I am?â Angor checked the servant and failed to recognize this man.
The servant wanted to push Angor out of the gate, but Angor moved aside to avoid him.
âWhoâs this âWatcherâ? Is it an owl?â asked Angor.
âYou saw it?!â The servant showed a terrified look. âThere-thereâs no saving you now, Iâm afraid. Goddammit. What is George doing?!â
He then gave Angor a sympathetic look and returned to his work.
âWhereâs Viscount Padt?â Angor asked another question.
âYou know the viscount? Sigh, that wonât help now. Even the viscount canât get you out of trouble. You broke the rulesâŠâ the servant muttered and stepped further away.
Angor didnât wish to waste time on this uninformative farmer and walked ahead.
He suddenly heard a sharp bird call and saw the escaping owl gazing at him from above.
âWhoâs controlling you?â Angor saw the owlâs eyes and could immediately tell that the creature was not an alchemy pet. It was someoneâs summoned familiar.
The owl didnât respond. Instead, it puffed up its feathers as its monocled eye shined brightly. A fireball was suddenly unleashed from the strange ornament, and it was aiming at Angorâs position.
A giant hand materialized in the sky and slapped the attack away before it could get to its target.
âUsing elemental attacks at Old Earth? Youâre either too confident or stupid,â Angor said as he controlled his Hand of Spell to capture the owl.
The owl tried to get away again by flying higher, but it was suddenly stopped by a suppressing aura.
Another small, gray-feathered bird was right above its position, gazing at it with a pair of crimson eyes that showed a glint of mockery.
Angorâs Hand of Spell reached the owl and pulled it down to the ground before it could run.
He listened to the owlâs panicked yelp and showed a cruel look. âI know you can understand human speech. Tell me where you came from and who your master is. Or Iâll just kill you and go find out the answers myself.â
The farming servant from earlier heard the ruckus and thought the âWatcherâ came and disposed of the young visitor. But when he didnât hear anyone screaming in a long time, he took a peek and was terrified to see that the visitor was somehow holding the powerful Watcher in his hand.
He didnât see Angor âholdingâ the owl. It was as if the bird was shackled by something in the air he couldnât see.
The servant knew the situation was definitely not something he could meddle with, so he lowered his stance to hide in the wheat field better.
âItâs repeating âdeath to the intruderâ and nothing else?â Angor looked at Toby, who was working as his translator. âI have no other choice then.â
He used a Nightmare Fear to put the owl into complete disarray before he walked toward the manor building. Despite his words earlier, he didnât plan to kill the owl for real yet. At least not now.
The castle-like manor was well in his view when he moved past the cultivated fields. Apart from the strange aura in the air, which was still troubling his sensations, nothing changed much in the place.
There was another level of protective fence outside the castle building. Angor walked to it and saw more servants moving back and forth, including someone he recognized, such as Auri, who used to take care of his daily necessaries.
It seemed Auri was going to tend to the tea garden at this hour. Since the tea garden was somewhere near the farming area, she needed to walk through the inner gate protecting the castle. This was when she saw someone standing there.
She didnât recognize Angorâs taller image at first, but as she moved closer, her old memories quickly came back.
For a moment, she remained silent and wasnât sure whether she should call that name, as if doing so would wake her up from the sweet dream she was witnessing.
âAre youâŠâ After waiting for a long time, she finally decided to say something.
âHow are you, Auri?â Angor showed a big smile to her. âWhy is your face still swollen?â
Auri teared up upon hearing the familiar speech she used to hear a lot four years ago. âHow many times do I have to tell you this, young master? I just have round cheeks. This is not swelling!â
âDoesnât look much different to me.â Angor shrugged.
More servants heard their conversation and looked their way as they all showed similar excitement when they saw who had come.
The gathering crowd soon attracted another figure, Head Maid Mana, who also approached Angor while covering her mouth in disbelief.
Mana wished to present her warm greeting to Angor as well, but before she could do so, she saw two birds above themâa small gray bird and a fat owl caught in the first birdâs talons.
âQuickly, go and summon the viscount here. Tell him Master Angor has returned!â Mana ordered one of the bystanders before she stepped up. âMaster Anââ
Angor pushed her away forcefully.
As soon as he did, the other servants nearby screamed in horror when they heard the sharp sound of something slashing past the air.
Auri quickly went to Mana and helped her up. There was a small crater right beside Manaâs feet as if something just dug a hole in the ground.
âChief Mana! I-I think Master Angor is fighting the Watcher,â Auri explained in a trembling voice.
The owl, which had been hypnotized by Angorâs cantrip, somehow woke up with a completely different look than before. Its feathers were now shiny and golden, and they grew sharper like knives.
Angor avoided several feather attacks by sidestepping.
The owl suddenly unleashed a larger swarm of golden feathers at Angor, which successfully found their mark this time. But instead of leaving some bloody marks on Angorâs body, the feathers slowly fell to the ground as Angorâs âbodyâ vanished from view.
âYou just took control of the creature, right? Who are you?â
The owl heard Angorâs voice coming from directly behind it and quickly jerked its head 180-degree. When it saw Angor floating right next to it, it spat a stream of fire at Angor.
Again, the attack only hit an illusion.
The owl repeated several more fruitless attacks and slowly grew irritated, which caused it to chase after Angorâs illusions more madly.
Meanwhile, Angor quietly left the dangerous area and moved to Manaâs side.
âWhat-whatâs going on with the Watcher, Master Angor?â Mana saw Angor coming to her and asked.
âJust a small trick. Whoâs that thing? Are my brother and my teacher alright?â
âYour brotherâs fine. I already asked someone to get him. As for Mister Jon⊠I donât know. I never saw him again ever since you put him in an ice coffin. As for the Watcher, I canât tell you either. Please ask Viscount Leon when he comes. He can explain better than any of us.â
The rampaging owl suddenly stopped moving as someoneâs cold voice was heard from its position.
âIllusions, huh? Who are you?â
Angor quickly looked at the creature again and noticed that the owl could now see through the illusions he deployed.
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