The Wizard of Dimension - Walking

Chapter 2 : Mentor, Jone

More than twenty years ago, the father of two brothers, Viscount Noah Pat, saved Jone when he was on the brink of death outside the estate. After nursing Jone back to health, Viscount Noah, feeling sympathetic to Jone's homelessness, decided to take him in and also offered him a lucrative job as a fruit farmer.

Why Jone was lying injured outside the estate and the details of his background remain a mystery to this day. He has never disclosed the country or planet he claims to be from.

Jone is a charismatic individual with impressive skills in farming and construction. When the two brothers were children, they both enjoyed coming to Jone to listen to his captivating stories. In these stories, there were towering buildings that reached the sky, flying metal contraptions in the skies, and even gardens built on the moon.

As a child, Lyon listened with great joy, looking forward to growing up and exploring the fantastical worlds Jone described. However, as time passed, Lyon gradually realized that Jone's stories were nothing more than his imagination. This shattered his childhood dreams, making it difficult for Lyon to accept, and since then, he has harbored a disdainful and resentful attitude toward Jone.

Lyon is actually quite resentful of Angell's unquestioning trust in Jone, to the point of becoming Jone's disciple. However, no matter how much Lyon tries to dissuade Angell, his response is always a relaxed smile, neither rejecting nor arguing.

Angell's approach to dealing with people is very similar to Jone's. They both appear calm and gentle but are unyielding underneath.

...

Lyon picked up the parchment on Angell's desk and looked at the densely written text. His eyes instantly turned into slits.

"Why do you have to use the characters that old man taught you instead of the common script of the continent? The purpose of writing is for people to read it. Unless... it's some kind of secret you can't tell others." Lyon was muttering initially, but suddenly remembered something and mischievously raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at Angell. "Dear little brother, won't you explain to me? Could it be that you're recording... the trivial troubles of your adolescence? You could tell me, and big brother can provide some guidance."

Angell sighed in resignation and pointed to a corner of the paper. "These are Latin characters, taught to me by Master Jone. They're the common script from Master Jone's homeland, and the content I'm recording is the meaning of several physical constants that Master Jone has calculated."

He then pointed to several symbols resembling tadpoles. "These are Arabic numerals, similar to the measurement units in our Golden Sparrow Empire. However, this recording method is simpler and more intuitive. These numbers correspond to the physical constants mentioned above and can be used to record many things."

Angell's lengthy chatter left Lyon completely baffled. He didn't mind, though, attributing it to Jone's increased ability to spin tales. In his view, his adorable and naive little brother had just been further brainwashed.

Lyon had once felt sympathy and concern for Jone's deteriorating health, but now those feelings had evaporated. He waved his hand dismissively, interrupting Angell's endless monologue. From his armored suit, Lyon retrieved a beautifully packaged envelope.

"Alright, alright, you don't need to go on. I can't understand half of what you're saying, and I don't want to. Here, take this. It's an invitation from the Lord. I'm inheriting father's title this time, and it requires the Lord's and Marquis Merlin's endorsement. We'll set off in half a month. Haven't you always wanted to hear Maestro Mejef's solo concert? When we get to Watford, after we're done with official business, I'll take you to the Ocean Theater, and you can enjoy it to your heart's content!"

Angell accepted the invitation with a slightly elated expression. He had long heard of the renowned Empire musician in Watford, known for both his compositions and recitations. Finally, he had the chance to listen to him. How could he not be thrilled?

Seeing Angell trying to contain his excitement and maintain a composed demeanor, Lyon couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his golden head of hair.

Unsurprisingly, this action elicited a glare from Angell.

"I told you, no touching my hair! It's a matter of a man's dignity, and I won't compromise!"

Lyon burst into laughter, his deep laughter echoing through the room. After a good half-minute, he finally stopped and said, "You've just turned fourteen, you're not even in the realm of men yet, just an adolescent."

The two brothers engaged in a playful scuffle, but Angell, still in his developmental stage, couldn't compete with Lyon, who was already strong and robust like a tiger. In the end, Angell could only glare at Lyon with resentment before burying his head in his studies and tasks assigned by Jone, their mentor.

Lyon couldn't do much about his little brother's moodiness and simply shrugged it off, heading elsewhere.

About half an hour after Lyon left, Angell finally emerged from the sea of numbers.

Seeing the empty room, he realized that Lyon had probably been gone for quite a while. Glancing at the time, he figured it was almost lunchtime. He opened the door, and sure enough, he found two lunchboxes on the stone table in the courtyard. Marna, the head maid, was carefully placing dishes from the boxes onto plates.

Seeing that it was another serving of vegetable soup with bread and fruit, Angell couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He missed the meals Jone used to prepare, even simple fried rice, which seemed to contain a touch of magical power that made them incredibly delicious. Since Jone's health had declined, he hadn't tasted such delectable food.

The last time Angell had asked Jone to teach the cook his culinary skills, the result had been nothing short of disastrous.

Sighing, Angell reminisced about the time when Jone's condition wasn't as critical. He was aware that in the future, he might never taste Jone's cooking again.

Marna carried the soup upstairs to feed Jone, and Angell, lost in his melancholic thoughts, finally decided to go upstairs as well.

"Marna, has mentor awakened?"

"Master Angell, Mr. Jone has already woken up today," Marna replied. "He had a good appetite today, finishing all the soup."

"That's great. I'll go upstairs to see mentor."

As Angell rushed upstairs, brimming with energy, Marna watched with a fond smile. The Pat Manor was now under the stewardship of the two young masters. While the elder master projected a cold and proud exterior to the world, the younger master appeared gentle and calm. Yet, little did others know that these two young masters were still children at heart. They only revealed their true, lively selves in front of their trusted servants.

"Mentor!"

Angell pushed open the attic door and spotted an old man reclining on a sun lounger on the balcony. A mute servant stood respectfully behind him.

The old man had a waxy, pallid complexion, and his skin appeared parched. His appearance was strikingly different from the locals, exuding a strong exotic aura. His eyes were somewhat cloudy, but one could still discern the blue irises.

This old man was the most respected elder for Angell, his lifelong mentor and guide, Jone.