Just as the spell was about to hit him, Wade's figure abruptly vanished from the spot!
"Where did he go?!"
A shout rang out angrily from within the trees.
Wade reappeared on the other side of the forest.
He peeked out from behind a large tree, then immediately turned and ran.
"Over here!"
"Don't use the Killing Curse! We need him alive!"
Two wizards in black cloaks burst out of the forest, chasing after him!
However, just as they reached the tree where Wade had been standing moments ago—Swoosh!
A red spell shot out from behind them. The beam split into two and struck both wizards hard in the back!
Thud!
Thud!
The two wizards collapsed to the ground without making a sound.
Wade's figure appeared behind them, slowly walking toward where they had fallen.
He lightly raised his wand.
The two wizards, who had been lying face down, were suddenly lifted off the ground and flipped onto their backs.
Only then did the two of them clearly see Wade's figure.
As Wade approached, their eyes were filled with fear and confusion.
They couldn't understand—Wade had clearly run off ahead of them, so how had he ended up behind them?
They hadn't heard the sound of Apparition at all!
"Well, well, well.. now, who might you two be?"
Wade looked at them as if he were looking at two corpses.
If he hadn't been using nightmare magic to stay alert while wandering the Forbidden Forest, he would've almost been killed just now.
Wade didn't waste another word. He raised his wand and pointed it at one of the wizards' heads.
"Legilimens~"
Empowered by ancient magic, the spell's force was overwhelming. The wizard immediately lost all resistance, allowing Wade to freely probe the secrets in his mind.
The other wizard, seeing this, felt his scalp go numb. But Wade's enhanced Petrificus Totalus kept him completely frozen, unable to utter a single word.
A moment later, Wade, his expression dark, shifted his wand to the second man.
Still without a single unnecessary word—another Legilimens.
"Oh? Grindelwald's Party again, huh…"
Wade now understood what was going on.
Because of the disappearance of the previous squad, Grindelwald had dispatched an even more elite team to the Forbidden Forest to search for clues.
As a result, two members of this team just happened to run into Wade—and had immediately launched an attack…
Wade pondered for a moment, then suddenly grinned with a chilling smile. "Don't worry. I won't kill you…"
The moment they heard those words, a strong sense of foreboding rose in the hearts of the two men!
And… why did this person's voice sound so young? Could it be…
Before the two Alliance members could think further, Wade cast two enhanced Stunning Spells directly at them—!!
…
By the time Wade returned to the dormitory, it was already four in the morning.
Without wasting time, he climbed into bed and immediately used nightmare magic to enter the dream realm.
And just as Wade drifted into sleep,
Tom, in the bed beside him, suddenly opened his eyes.
In fact, ever since the incident where he stopped trusting Wade, Wade's whereabouts had become increasingly mysterious.
He was still present during classes, but the moment they ended, he would vanish from everyone's sight.
With so many people around, not a single one could tell when or how he disappeared.
At night, Wade also frequently went out.
Tom had also tried to follow Wade again, but each time, he would eventually lose track of him.
Only now did Tom realize that the time he had successfully followed Wade was probably because Wade had allowed it to happen...
Tom furrowed his brows tightly. It seemed Wade no longer had any interest in keeping him in check, which on the surface might seem like a good thing.
But… for some reason, Tom felt that things couldn't go on like this any longer!
He decided that first thing in the morning, he would have a serious talk with Wade.
…
Wade, unaware of Tom's thoughts.. "Hello, senior." Was currently meeting with the Senior in a dream.
"You're a bit late tonight..." she said calmly. "Still, your ancient magic is progressing at a decent pace."
"Heh~ sorry about that. I was attacked in the Forbidden Forest," Wade said.
"By whom? Was it that Grindelwald's people again?"
"Yes. That day, a whole team of 6 Alliance members disappeared for no reason.. they couldn't possibly ignore that."
Upon hearing this, the Senior closed her eyes, as if sensing something.
A moment later, she opened them and said, "There are still some Alliance members in the Forbidden Forest... but it seems they're looking for someone. Are they searching for the ones who attacked you just now?"
"Yes."
"Hmm.. Did you clean up the traces properly? Transfiguration has its flaws when used for covering traces… I can teach you the Fiendfyre Curse. It's much more efficient and effective for disposing of bodies. With your current magical ability, you should be able to control it."
Even though she was talking about something as grim as destroying corpses, her tone was as calm as if she were discussing dinner plans.
"I didn't kill them."
"Oh? Why not? Weren't they trying to kill you?" she asked curiously.
"My laboratory was recently completed… so I need some test subjects," Wade paused, then added, "Two adult wizards are just right..."
"Oh? Heheh~ What do you plan to study?" Her interest was piqued.
"Back when I first encountered magic—before I even knew I had a gift for ancient magic—I had a question. Where does a wizard's magical power come from? Does this magical strength have a limit? And if it does… can that limit be broken?"
"After discovering my talent for ancient magic, I became curious about something else—how do those 'residues' enhance magical power? And why are they so addictive..."
"I believe this area of study is extremely important—for both you and me."
Although "residue" could enhance a person's magical power, it also had obvious side effects, such as amplifying one's desire for power…
Senior's current condition was caused by the "residue."
So, before Wade could absorb those residues and rescue her, he needed to find a way to eliminate any potential side effects they might cause.
From within the obscuring black mist, Senior raised her eyebrows. "Looks like you're planning to conduct some devious human experiments?"
Wade nodded. "Yes. They're going to die sooner or later anyway—contributing a little experimental data before that, isn't that ideal?"
The Senior asked, "So, how did you restrain them? Those Alliance members are pretty powerful. If you only used Stunning Spells, they wouldn't stay down for long."
"I used nightmare magic… they're still trapped in their own dreamscapes. Theoretically, as long as I don't allow it, they won't wake up. But to prevent any accidents, I'd like to ask for your help in reinforcing the spell," Wade said.
"That's no problem. With me around, they won't escape the dream."
Since the matter concerned residue research, Senior naturally wouldn't refuse.
"You've locked them in that wizard tower belonging to the Somnolen family?"
"Yes, they're in the ground-floor lab. That's why I absolutely can't let them wake up," Wade said seriously.
"Don't worry... and if you still feel uneasy, I can also teach you a few magical binding spells. That way, even if they manage to escape the dream, they won't be able to take a single step out of the cage..."
_______
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