Warlock Apprentice

“At a place very far away lives a special clan of creatures that love staying in people’s attics. They are the Krakoks. Although people there also called them tiny folks or fairies in the attics.”

When Angor explained, Kumomo saluted everyone somewhat awkwardly.

“She’s Kumomo, the current manager of her clan of 76 more individuals. For some special reasons, I promised to take them to a new home and away from the dangerous wizarding world. This is why I’m here today.”

“There are more of them?” said Leon.

Angor simply summoned the “skyscraper” from his bracelet, causing all the working or playing Krakoks to freeze up in their actions.

While moving the building, Angor also removed the mist barrier he placed around the Krakoks, thus allowing them to see the main hall as well as three other humans currently gazing at them.

The Krakoks didn’t panic too much once they saw Angor with them. They soon calmed down and began looking around the room curiously.

“May I ask where are we, Mister Padt?” an old Krakok woman asked while stepping away from a standalone cottage built beside the skyscraper.

“Hello, ma’am. This is Padt Manor, about which I once mentioned to you,” said Angor.

Hearing his words, the Krakoks visibly grew excited when they realized they were finally at their new homeland.

Without anyone taking the lead, they began celebrating in their own ways. A young Krakok began playing their traditional instrument under a tree, while more Krakoks joined him in a dance party. They were followed by more singers who started a perfect chorus from their apartment, who soon took everyone into their jolly music festival. Even some of the farm animals began squealing with the rhythm.

“Shh…” Angor moved a finger over his lips to quiet them.

The joyful ambiance remained even though all the Krakoks stopped singing.

Meanwhile, Auri, Mana, and Leon all wondered why Angor interrupted the pleasant show.

“Don’t count your chicken yet. I’m responsible for taking you here but not accepting you.” Angor pointed to Leon, and all the Krakoks looked at that way. “He’s my elder brother and the owner of the place we’re currently in. Call him Viscount Padt. He’ll be the one to make the final decision.”

Leon wanted to say yes immediately when looking at those pairs of pleading eyes, but he suddenly received a private voice transmission from Angor that told him to wait.

“Can we, Mister Viscount?” Kumomo asked, and all the Krakoks stepped up to look at Leon. They felt uneasy when seeing Leon spending so much time making the judgment.

Auri and Mana also wondered what Leon was worried about. They quite enjoyed the brief performance of the lively creatures earlier. Besides, the 77 Krakoks added together wouldn’t take up much space at all.

Auri wished to provide her opinion, but she was quickly dragged back by Head Maid Mana.

“Krakoks are hard-working and natural crafters. They can provide many ingenious trinkets. People who have them in their homes will quickly find their lives turning merrier. There’s a saying in Fairy World that the Krakoks have this magic that creates happiness.”

Angor’s explanation only made Leon want to take the Krakoks in sooner.

Leon then looked between Angor and Kumomo. He cleared his throat. “Can you work on improving people’s homes?”

“We certainly can, if you task us with such a job, mister,” said Kumomo.

“I’ll make you official residents of Grue Town. Just like the others, you must accept the responsibility that comes with your privilege, such as paying taxes and rents for your land. Of course, you can pay us by working for Padt Manor and trading your handicrafts. What do you say?”

The Krakoks agreed without a problem since Leon wasn’t treating them as slaves.

“We accept.” Kumomo nodded, after consulting with her people.

After Leon made the final decision to admit the Krakoks, their music and dances started again, and Auri and Mana gladly watched their ceremony.

Later, some of the Krakoks even hopped onto Leon’s shoulder and began chanting an aria to praise their new human companions.

This was when Angor’s family realized that the tiny creatures were faster and more flexible than they thought. In fact, they could barely see the Krakoks moving when these tiny figures started running at their best speed, so they didn’t have to worry about accidentally stepping on them at all.

As the entire hall was basked in the jubilant spirit of the Krakoks, they suddenly sensed a pleasant smell reaching their noses. They then saw the Moonlily Fairy, who was only a little bigger than the Krakoks, slowly flying out of the cottage of Papaya’s grandmother while holding a small bottle in its hands.

The Krakoks didn’t stop their performance. Rather, they grew even more excited for some reason.

Once again, Auri, Mana, and Leon were greatly surprised to see yet another amazing creature taken straight out of children’s fantasies.

“This is the Moonlily Fairy, a supernatural life form born from a flower. But it’s not intelligent enough to speak yet,” explained Angor.

Toby hopped off Angor’s shoulder and joined the fairy happily.

“As you see, they are good friends. That bottle is an amazing treasure. Auri, can you get someone to carry us some water?”

Auri seemed a bit disappointed because she had to leave the “party”, but she still complied while carrying two Krakoks on her shoulder away.

Soon, the other servants in the manor also witnessed the tiny creatures as Auri introduced the new residents of Grue Town to them.

She then found several servants to bring a large water tank to the main hall.

There were more servants who were curious to see the dancing Krakoks, but none of them entered the main hall without permission. They only stayed at the door to listen to the cheerful music coming from inside.

The music was not all. They all smelled the fragrance of good wine at the door.

Those inside the room watched in amazement as the Moonlily Fairy poured the yellow content of her bottle into the water tank, which slowly turned all the water into the same, bright color.

Then there was the mild smell of alcohol sided with the sweetness of morning blossoms.

“One drop of wine brewed by the fairy can create a full tank of it. It contains a lot of nutrients too. You can all try some later.”

Everybody widened their eyes upon hearing the unbelievable, especially Leon, who considered good wine as the most important invention in his life. It wasn’t easy to find high-quality wine, so he usually used common moonshine to sate his thirst. Of course he was overjoyed to have the fairy at home.

Leon’s passionate gaze somewhat scared the Moonlily Fairy, who quickly hid behind Toby.

“Oh right, brother, the fairy is gender-neutral. Are you planning to have a romantic date with our tiny friend?” Angor joked.

“Not funny, Angor!” Leon gave him a side-glance. “Never mind. Let’s get some drinking done!”

Leon simply couldn’t wait and rushed straight to the water tank, but before he could pick up the ladle, Angor used a Hand of Spell to carry the tank away.

“Wine must be accompanied by good food.” Angor looked around the room. “Let me see… It’s almost time for dinner. We’ll hold a welcome feast in the garden and introduce our new members to everyone. I also prepared some more surprises for all of you. Just you wait!”

Auri, Mana, and the Krakoks readily accepted the plan, while Leon watched Angor stow the delicious wine away with a sad face.