Chapter 1: The Young Angell

Grulu Town, Yamei Province.

When the Month of Frozen Earth arrived, this remote little town, far from the center of the Golden Sparrow Empire, suddenly welcomed a troop of silver-armored knights flying banners emblazoned with a family crest.

Old Parsia, a pedant in Grulu Town, saw the pattern on the banners and his eyes went wide, breaking out in a cold sweat.

—A fierce tiger stepping on a python, the python coiling around a full moon.

Parsia’s neighbor was Tim, the only blacksmith in town. Seeing his old neighbor’s expression, Tim puffed on his hookah and asked curiously, "Eh, old friend, what’s with that look... Could it be that you know the origin of these knights?"

Parsia took a deep breath and whispered to Tim, "If I’m not mistaken, the pattern on those banners appears to be the crest of the Mone family."

The Mone family?! Upon hearing this, Tim stared blankly back at old man Parsia.

"Are you sure you didn't misread it?"

Before Parsia could answer, Tim seemed to realize something. His whole body shuddered, and he turned and scurried into his narrow, cramped smithy, bolting the door behind him, looking utterly terrified.

Watching Tim’s cowardly display through the smithy’s glass window, Parsia couldn't help but shake his head. In normal times, these two old friends would surely have mocked each other, but today, with the Mone family inexplicably arriving in Grulu Town—and considering the Mone family’s role in the Empire—Tim’s cowardice was understandable.

Parsia recalled rumors he had heard at the hunter’s tavern in the city.

The Mone family was known as the backbone of the Golden Sparrow Empire. Over the past few centuries, they had produced at least six great military generals, earning illustrious merits time and again while defending against enemy invasions. Moreover, in every war, the members of the Mone family did not hide in safe shelters barking orders; every member of this family was a soldier in the vanguard on the front lines, fearless in battle and possessing both courage and strategy. Such a hands-on family with such a prominent background naturally held the military lifeline of the Empire.

Recently, the Golden Sparrow Empire and the neighboring Hailan Dynasty had been on the brink of war. The border of the Hailan Dynasty was not far from Grulu Town, and the arrival of the Mone family knights at this time... perhaps, this was the reason.

Parsia guessed there were two purposes: conscription or defensive deployment, or perhaps both.

Regardless of the purpose, it was fatal for Tim the blacksmith. The Golden Sparrow Empire’s conscription laws clearly stated that in towns designated as conscription zones during wartime, every household must provide one able-bodied young man, or pay one hundred gold coins to obtain an exemption token. Tim was the only male in his household, and he happened to be of conscription age. If he were drafted, there would be absolutely no security for his wife and daughter’s future. As for paying gold coins? In the entire Grulu Town, perhaps only the Pat family had one hundred gold coins in savings. One had to know that a single gold coin was enough to cover his family’s living expenses for half a year.

Parsia, having moved past his initial shock, quickly returned to his normal state. As an old bachelor nearing the twilight of his years, he was not within the conscription range, so he wasn't worried. He even had the leisure to observe the movements of the Mone family.

*Eh? They aren't looking for the mayor of Grulu Town. Could it not be for conscription?*

Parsia continued to watch. Instead, the iron-hoofed cavalry troop headed toward another location.

—That mansion, which remained full of fragrant, lush flowers even in the Month of Frozen Earth: the Viscount Pat estate!

...

Pat Manor.

Two maids wearing beige linen headscarves were whispering to each other while they worked.

The subject of their gossip was the two young masters of the Pat family.

"The master and mistress have been dead for two years. According to the Empire’s laws, after this year’s Month of Frozen Earth, the Month of Frostfall will be when the eldest young master inherits the title," the young maid with the apple-shaped face said with a hint of worry. "I wonder if the second young master’s situation will change after the eldest inherits the title."

"Oli, it’s better for us servants to talk less about the masters' affairs. However, I don't think you need to fret over this worry. Although you work in the second young master’s tea garden, the garden is quite far from the main house, so you might not know—the relationship between the eldest and second young masters is excellent! Don't worry, those noble feuds you see in opera scripts won't happen in our manor," the middle-aged maid with the pockmarked face said with a smile.

Just then, the *da-da-da* sound of horse hooves rang out from the path outside the tea garden.

Before long, a knight clad in armor that shimmered with a bronze luster appeared before them.

The horse neighed and reared, and the knight stopped at the entrance of the tea garden, removing his helmet.

He was a brown-haired youth full of masculine vigor. The backlight made the contours of his face appear even deeper, and his already handsome features seemed all the more extraordinary at this moment.

The youth’s gray-green eyes swept over the two maids. He skipped over Oli and focused his gaze on the middle-aged maid.

"Head Maid Mana, good afternoon."

Mana put down the bamboo basket in her hand and bowed to the young knight: "Good afternoon, Young Master Leon."

Leon glanced at the freshly picked tea leaves in Mana’s basket, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes: "Is my brother off to see that old man again?"

Mana lowered her head and said respectfully, "Young Master Angel is currently studying with Mr. Jon."

Leon curled his lip and muttered to himself: "Studying? That old man doesn't know what kind of madness has taken him; he spouts fallacies every day. My brother goes to him to learn and even has to offer him tea daily. I think he’s just a lunatic. I don't know what kind of spell my brother is under, insisting on learning from him."

Leon pulled the reins irritably: "Alright, I know. You two go back to work; I’m going over to find him now."

After saying this, Leon spurred his horse and galloped away.

A while later, Leon arrived at the edge of the manor’s southeast corner. On a small hill near the woods stood a rather exquisite stilt-house. The architectural style was very peculiar—with upturned eaves and two levels standing side-by-side. Except for one side that leaned against the solid ground and connected to the main room, the other three sides were suspended, supported entirely by pillars.

This stilt-house, whether in its construction method or its shape and style, was completely different from the architectural characteristics of the Golden Sparrow Empire. Even in the other countries Leon had visited, there was no similar style.

"What a miraculous building! Suspended on three sides and yet it stands firm." Although Leon complained in his heart about the old man Jon stealing his brother’s attention, he was quite impressed by Jon’s astonishing craftsmanship in architecture, though he never showed it on his face. Besides, apart from the stilt-house before him, Leon had no other admiration for Jon. Perhaps the construction method of this stilt-house was common in Jon’s "country"? Even though Jon had been at Pat Manor for nearly twenty years, Leon had never learned where Jon’s country was.

Pushing open the fence, the courtyard of the stilt-house was planted with vegetables and melons. A trellis to the side was covered in withered vines; during the Month of Harvest, these vines would bear many "hanging clusters" that Jon called grapes. Leon had eaten them, and they were quite sweet, but at this time of year, the season for grapes had already passed.

As soon as he opened the bamboo door of the stilt-house, he saw a youth with delicate features in the small room, head buried in a parchment scroll, using a quill dipped in ink to record something rapidly.

Leon approached. Even though he had deliberately restrained the force of his steps, his bronze-clad boots still made a loud *thud-thud-thud* sound upon contact with the wooden floor.

"Eh, you’re here?" The youth drew a period on the parchment, looked up at the visitor, his voice clear and bright, carrying a deep sense of intimacy.

"My dear brother, Angel. By the sound of it, could it be that you knew I would come today?" Leon laughed.

Angel shrugged, a smile playing on his lips: "Not necessarily, but answering that way makes it seem like I have a little more initiative."

"Did that old man teach you that?"

Angel shook his head: "Does this need to be taught? Father liked to speak like that when he was alive."

"Then if someone misunderstood that you knew their intentions and didn't speak after entering, how would you start the conversation?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"I would also remain calm and wait for him to speak first."

"What if he never speaks?"

Angel curled his lip: "Then it would be awkward. If it were me, I would turn and leave to avoid making the atmosphere even more awkward. If the other party calls out to me, there will naturally be a follow-up."

Leon nodded with a smile, not commenting on this, but instead looked around the room.

"Where is that old man Jon?"

As soon as Leon mentioned Jon, Angel’s brows furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with a hint of worry: "You know, the mentor’s health is getting worse and worse. Every part of his body is gradually withering. Just the day before yesterday, the mentor’s legs became completely immobile. The mentor just applied his medicine and is resting upstairs now."

Newcomer here, greetings to all the masters. I like Wizard-style stories, but there are too few that suit my taste, so I decided to write one myself~

(End of chapter)