Chapter 828 - Sealed Off
Surprised, George gazed at the middle-aged man in front of him who didn’t seem much younger than him.
“Who yer callin’ a mister? I don’t remember anyone yer age who’d pay me a visit at these times!” George moved his sword closer to Angor.
“Glad to see you as spirited as before, Mister George,” said Angor.
George’s expression changed greatly when he heard Angor talking in a completely different voice that belonged to a growing teenager rather than a lazy-looking middle-aged man with an unkempt look.
More importantly, he recognized this voice. Several years ago, a certain shortie who loved to buy milk used to speak to him in the same way.
“Who… da heck?” George frowned.
Angor grinned as his body suddenly gained several hard cracks like a broken mirror, before the fragments moved around and reassembled into someone with a completely different look.
George, Jordan, and Tulu all widened their eyes when they saw a young gentleman with an elegant black suit and a similar-colored cape with red inner linings standing in the room in place of the common-looking traveler they saw a moment ago.
“Are you sure they’re still the usual servants you know before? Do they appear to be any different than before?”
“What do you mean? They are the same people, ‘lest they also learned that magic trick of yours. They don’t come out shopping as often as before, but everything else is the same. The only problem is that, as soon as someone mentions Padt Manor, they all become hush-hush and won’t talk to us. Since nothing’s wrong with them or us otherwise, people just stopped asking them.”
“Are you sure? They don’t look ill or something?”
“Dead sure.”
“What about my brother? Did he show up in town?”
“Yes. But not much. He comes out like, once in several months, to check if the town’s in order or if anyone got any serious troubles. You see, it’s all thanks to Viscount Padt that Grue Town’s peaceful.”
“Nothing is wrong with my brother, either?”
George frowned. “Not that I can think of. If there’s something, I’d say he looks hella more strict than before. But that’s what happens when he becomes the Viscount. He can’t act like a child anymore.”
“He never had any visitors from other cities?”
“He did, but he won’t see them. Several visitors told the servants to send their regards or ask for an appointment, and you can guess, none of them got to meet with him. That’s why Jordan meant to send you away.”
Angor was glad that his family didn’t seem to be in any danger, but most of his questions still remained.
Why would Padt Manor go into isolation? More importantly, who was there releasing that aura?
George said that it all began three years ago at the Month of Resuscitation, which was just after Angor boarded The Redbud and traveled away.
Something happened to Padt Manor as soon as I left?
“You’re not worried that Grue Town’s in trouble?” he asked George.
George showed the look of hesitation and moaned. “‘course everyone’s worried. But there’s nothing we can do. Nobody talks about the Padt Family anymore, and they just do their own business. At least the viscount didn’t give us any irrational tax we have to pay. People are happy with their lives.”
Angor took another moment to consider and stood up.
“I’ll leave this guy here for the moment, Mister George,” Angor pointed to Tulu and said, “I’m going to the manor to check on everything.”
“But—”
“Surely I’m not an ‘outsider’ to my family, right?”
George sat back and nodded. He just forgot that he was talking to the young master of Padt Family, who was also Leon’s younger brother. The manor had absolutely no reason to deny Angor’s entrance.
When Angor left, George looked at Tulu, who had been staring at the floor as if there were something very interesting down there.
“You call him ‘Mister Padt’, aye, young man? Are yer friends or somethin’? What’s that… ‘magic trick’? Where’s he been to?”
Tulu showed a bitter smile since he could answer none of those questions.
“These are secrets. Without Mister Padt giving me the nod, I can’t tell you.”
George noticed Tulu’s serious look and decided not to push.
But this didn’t mean Tulu couldn’t talk about other matters.
“Mister Padt looked pretty young back there. I wonder how old is he?”
George scratched his ear as he tried to remember Angor’s age. “When the boy left Grue Town, he was only fourteen or so. I guess he just reached eighteen.”
“He’s eighteen?!” Tulu’s mouth dropped open. We’re so close in age? I never know!