Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1258: Section 1259: Greya’s Disappearance

“`

At the dining table, Angel and Sanders silently had their meal.

According to the traditional customs of nobility, it was considered proper to eat without speaking while consuming knife-cut food and soup dishes, to avoid the risk of spilling and causing embarrassment.

And the main course of this meal was soup. They ate mostly in silence.

Angel ate to his heart’s content. Although there were no magical dishes, Butler Good knew his preferences all too well, from appetizers to main dishes, from thick soups to pastries, each one made his mouth water. What mattered more was that everyone stuck to their own business during the meal, and no one paid too much attention to his eating.

It was only when tea and desserts were served that conversations gradually began to arise around the table.

… It was mostly Sanders instructing Butler Good about the affairs of the past period, as well as some future arrangements.

Angel, however, did not interject and continued to gobble down the creamy dessert. As he was enjoying his meal, he suddenly felt a gaze fixated on him.

He lifted his head and saw a little head peeking out from the edge of the dining room door curtain.

Though dressed in a masked robe, Angel recognized the child’s figure at a glance—it was Hebdon.

At that moment, Hebdon was sneakily watching Angel.

Angel gestured “come here” to Hebdon, who hesitated, as it was against the dining etiquette of Illusion Demon Island for him to enter at that time.

But it was Young Master Pat who had beckoned him in… Hebdon recalled what his great-grandfather had told him—that Lord Sanders might not agree to let him stay on Illusion Demon Island, but he could try to find an opening through Young Master Pat.

In the end, Hebdon still shyly entered the dining room.

This commotion caught Sanders’ attention, and he looked over. Butler Good inwardly cursed. He was about to think of a way to signal Hebdon to leave when, the next second, Sanders looked away, continuing to seem indifferent as he discussed matters with Butler Good.

Butler Good watched Hebdon approach Angel and engage in conversation, which appeared to have a harmonious atmosphere, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

On the other hand, Angel casually passed a cup of milk tea, “Why, have you been watching me because you wanted a cup too?”

Angel remembered that Butler Good had once implied, whether intentionally or not, that Hebdon had lower intelligence and emotional quotients, with a psychological age matching his apparent one, including his tastes. Therefore, he also liked dairy-based foods.

The underlying meaning from Butler Good was that Hebdon would not turn Angel’s preference for dairy products into a joke since it was normal for him.

Hebdon quickly waved his hands. It was already against etiquette just to step into the dining room, let alone enjoy the food on the host’s table—that’s even more improper.

“Then, what is it?” Angel asked, puzzled.

Hebdon shook his head, looking somewhat downtrodden, “Young Master Pat, about what I mentioned last time… any news?”

“Last time?” Angel raised an eyebrow: “The story of Peter Pan, the little flying boy?”

“That counts too, but I’m referring to Anada’s matter,” Hebdon said in a voice laden with worry. “Captain Nieboya sent another message; Anada still hasn’t appeared. I wondered, Young Master Pat, if you had encountered her on your trip?”

Previously, when he was assigned to guard the door, he had overheard that Angel and Sanders would be leaving soon. That’s why Hebdon was anxious and had covertly signaled Angel with his eyes.

“Oh, that matter,” Angel recalled that he had indeed promised Hebdon if he saw Anada outside, he would tell him: “Unfortunately, I went to the Abyss this time and did not see her…”

Angel paused mid-sentence.

Because a stroke of insight suddenly flashed in his mind. As Angel was in a moment of contemplation, the figure of a stooped, white-haired old grandmother appeared before him, whom he had seen not long ago in Shepherd City.

Why did he suddenly think of that old grandmother when speaking of Anada?

Angel was somewhat perplexed. Anada, in his memory, was a stunningly sensual beauty, whose attire was even more provocative than Nausicaa’s. However, that old grandmother, with snowy hair and a face full of wrinkles, with slack skin folded into pleats, bore no resemblance to Anada at all.

Yet inexplicably, Angel subconsciously equated these two starkly different individuals.

Remembering the persistent sense of familiarity with the old lady, Angel furrowed his brow and conducted a mental exercise of age-reversal.

In his mind, he envisioned a wheel of time with the white-haired old woman, her hands clasped, standing beneath it.

All of a sudden, the clock began to reverse.

As the ticking of the clock resonated, the old lady swiftly became younger, as if youth was flowing backward. Her hunched figure slowly straightened, the plumpness of her waist receded, and the wrinkled skin tightened and smoothed out, while her white hair turned into sexy, wavy locks.

Once the clock chimed with a “ding.”

“`

Time seemed to have regressed by sixty years, as an old, haggard elder transformed into a beautiful and flourishing young woman.

When Angel saw the woman’s appearance clearly, he was instantly stunned. Through his own reversal of aging, the old granny had regained her youthful appearance, bearing a striking ninety percent resemblance to Anada!

Ninety percent was already quite significant because time’s changes inevitably brought about unknowable variables. Considering these variables, he could almost be certain that the old granny was Anada!

No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity when he saw her before.

This sense of familiarity was not strong, unlike that for a close friend.

So, she was Anada!

To Angel, Anada was not someone he had merely met in passing; he had seen her on several occasions. However, she was still more of a familiar stranger, and his impression of her boiled down to three aspects: thief, a beauty, and physically strong.

Upon reflection, Angel thought that Anada’s change in appearance could probably be attributed to a trade for youth with Zithraide in exchange for an opportunity to enter the Wizards’ Realm. He wondered what the final outcome was, whether she succeeded or failed.

While Angel was somewhat bewildered, Hebdon had already cast his gaze down in disappointment, saying, “Then I will take my leave first.”

“Wait,” Angel suddenly called out.

Surprised, Hebdon looked over, and after a moment of contemplation, Angel said, “I haven’t formally met Anada, but I might know where she is.”

Hebdon’s eyes suddenly sparkled with hope.

…

Some time later, Angel left Illusion Demon Island with Sanders. On the way, Sanders asked, “The image you showed him earlier, was it of the old man from Shepherd City?”

Angel relayed the incident simply and ended with a touch of emotion, “I didn’t expect her to be Hebdon’s childhood sweetheart. Mentor, if she really traded for the Frost Night Potion from Lord Zithraide, could she become a Transcendent?”

Sanders replied, “If her Mental Power Value reaches eight points or more, she might have a chance, though it would still be faint. Even if she truly became a Transcendent, without restoring her physical body, her chances of further advancement in this life would be slim.”

To Angel, who wanted to restore his physical losses or even prolong life, making potions or purchasing them was sufficient, thanks to his substantial resources. But in the Wizards’ Realm, most were lower-class beings, just like ordinary people. It was extremely difficult for them to climb higher in status. The class divide was severe, and the allocation and plundering of resources rarely benefited the lowly apprentices.

Therefore, even if Anada really became a Transcendent, obtaining resources to repair her physical body would be an exceedingly challenging task. If she couldn’t replenish it in a short time, her lifespan would swiftly diminish.

“However, if she truly becomes a Transcendent, Zithraide will likely take her under his care,” Sanders paused, “That’s the path she chose; he will be responsible for the subsequent implications.”

The topic of Anada didn’t occupy much of their conversation, after all, she was an outsider. After briefly discussing further, they moved on to another matter.

— The disappearance of Greya.

When Angel returned to Illusion Demon Island last time, he noticed that the Mana Hut by the lake was still there, but Greya had left. According to Butler Good, after Angel’s return to the Old Earth Continent, Greya sequestered herself for a while to stabilize her newly developed magic.

As soon as she came out, she left Illusion Demon Island. Good did not know where she went, although it seemed someone had sent her a magical message that prompted her departure.

Angel had thought that Greya would still need Sanders’ help to regain her physical body and with her current strength, she would not be away for long. He had come back to seek Greya’s help to look into Toby’s condition. Unexpectedly, Greya had not returned.

“Where could Madame Greya have gone?” Angel wondered.

Sanders didn’t respond to Angel’s question but his lips moved slightly, as if he was communicating with someone.

After a while, Sanders spoke, “All messages that enter the Mirror World are generally transferred by the Tree Spirit. I’ve just asked the Tree Spirit, and it’s true somebody sent a message that made Greya leave. The exact content of the message is unknown to the Tree Spirit due to encryption.”

“But according to the Tree Spirit, the message came from a female apprentice at Black Castle.”

Black Castle!

Angel was startled for a moment. After Greya went missing in the Hante world, the first time Angel saw her was at Black Castle. At that time, another Gourmet Sorcerer from Candy House, ‘Madame Butterfly’ Felicia, was also at Black Castle.

It would seem that Candy House has a close relationship with Black Castle.

It was plausible for Greya to go to Black Castle.

However, it was rumored that Isabella had some friction with Greya. The one who could have summoned her to Black Castle was either Felicia or that one.

As Angel speculated, Sanders said, “Let’s put Greya’s matter aside for now. I remember you promised Popota to take him to Black Castle to see his sister. As such, once we’ve dealt with everything at hand, if Greya still hasn’t appeared, we might as well visit Black Castle.”

Sanders paused for a moment, “Also, it would be a proper occasion for me to formally pay a visit to ‘The Twilight King’ Isabella, who has returned to the Southern Domain.”