"So their real goal is to find Shirley?"
Adam said this to Corinna as he waved his wand. The loose stones and dirt on the ground transformed into chains, securely tying up the two unconscious wizards. The small creature that had been perched on their backs jumped up, its blue-green wings fluttering, and landed on Adam's shoulder, affectionately nuzzling his cheek.
Corinna's eye twitched. She slowly put down her teacup and looked at the black cat that had just returned her wand, then glanced at the creature on Adam's shoulder. If she wasn't mistaken, that vivid color and skeletal-looking wings belonged to a Class 5X magical creature: a Swooping Evil.
This beast was in the same danger category as the dragon behind her, a classification from the Ministry of Magic that meant "known to be the most dangerous creatures, impossible or extremely difficult to tame, and a high threat to both wizards and Muggles." What truly stunned her was that even after her wand had been confiscated, Adam had intentionally kept the Swooping Evil hidden in the trees, creating a two-pronged defense with the dragon. It was a precaution against her getting her wand back and escaping, and also a way to draw the enemies' attention to the dragon in a direct confrontation, allowing the Swooping Evil to launch a surprise attack from the forest.
Corinna stared at Adam's back, a faint shadow of the formidable wizard from Nurmengard seeming to appear.
"Hm?"
Adam, who was directing his black knight, suddenly turned his head. He had the distinct feeling that someone was plotting against him. Corinna naturally looked away, walked over to the two wizards, and pulled back their sleeves. Looking at the markings on their wrists, she said in a low voice, "They're both 'saints' from that family. They've been looking for me since the beginning of last month, and even though I hid here, they still found me."
"Why?" Adam's hand, holding his wand, paused, and he pressed for more information.
"I'm not entirely sure," Corinna's expression darkened as she pondered. "It's probably because of that item. But I distinctly remember helping Shirley hide it away last time..."
Adam thought back to the previous Halloween, when the ring resonated with another artifact in the Forbidden Forest. He had always believed that the person who threw Aiden back out of the Forbidden Forest that night was Hog, as Hog had attended the Halloween feast but hadn't gone with the other professors into the forest.
But now, there seemed to be another possibility. In addition to the Invisibility Cloak that Hog possessed, the Abraham family might also have a second object tainted with divinity.
"You mean this?"
Adam pulled the ring from his pouch. As he imbued it with magic, a soft glow emanated from the silver band. Corinna could no longer maintain her calm facade. She stared at the ring, her voice trembling as she said, "That's..."
Before she could finish, Adam had his answer from her reaction. He put the ring away and pulled a small, delicate knife from his pouch, walking toward the two unconscious wizards on the ground.
"Wait, don't do that, child," Corinna quickly stopped him. "You may not care about blood debts, but this isn't something you should be doing."
Adam gave her a strange look. The Swooping Evil on his shoulder hissed softly, warning her not to come closer. To Corinna's stunned surprise, Adam instructed the black knight to use the small knife to make an incision on the lower back of each wizard, insert two small crystals, and then apply Essence of Dittany.
Next, he took out a crystal vial and had the Swooping Evil squeeze some venom into it, shaking it gently and continuously.
"What are you doing?" Corinna turned to Shirley, who looked just as bewildered.
"This is a replica of the anti-jinx crystal used by American Aurors," Adam said without turning around. "Not only can it detect traces of dark magic or curses, but it also has a remote tracking function."
"And what I'm brewing is a Memory Potion. It's made by diluting Swooping Evil venom at a ratio of 1:2,000, and it can precisely erase memories from a specific period without damaging brain tissue. Sixty years ago, someone used this very potion to erase the memories of all the Muggles in New York City because they nearly exposed the existence of the wizarding world."
Adam then handed the prepared potion to the black knight, who poured it into the wizards' mouths. He didn't want to touch these mysterious figures; he had no idea if they were carrying any curses or dark magical objects.
Corinna watched his every move, her voice dry as she asked, "So you're deliberately letting them go to use this opportunity to find their master?"
Adam didn't reply. He suddenly looked up at the sky. A huge airship etched with complex runes was approaching from a distance. Its spotlight swept through the trees, and upon noticing the group, it slowly descended nearby. A white-haired old man pushed open the cockpit door and walked down the gangplank. He waved at Adam, a smile on his face, and said gently, "Hello, Adam. The Christmas present you gave me was really wonderful."
"It's been a long time since anyone gave me such an interesting gift. If Perenelle hadn't woken me, I'd probably still be lying by the fireplace enjoying the music."
Adam scratched his head sheepishly. He had given Nicolas an enchanted version of a Muggle portable music player, which he had bought from a Muggle store and modified.
"Good evening, Mr. Nicolas Flamel. I'm glad you like it. I was worried you might not have a use for it."
"I told you last time, just call me Nicolas. It makes me feel much younger." Nicolas thought for a moment and added, "I've collected many musical alchemy items, but this is the first time I've seen someone combine a Muggle creation with alchemy."
"It seems like giving you those books back then was the right choice. At least you're not just studying those medieval alchemy texts anymore."
"Alright... Nicolas..." Adam was skeptical, feeling there might be a hidden meaning in Nicolas's words. "But why did you suddenly come to find me?" Adam asked, looking at the airship. "And you seem to know exactly where I am. Was I spotted by Aurors when I crossed the border?"
Nicolas's expression suddenly became strange. He pursed his lips tightly and turned to look at the manor in the distance.
"Of course not. I just received a letter from Newt and Tina, asking me to find you as soon as possible."
Adam felt even more embarrassed. He hadn't realized his little trip had caused them so much worry. "I'll go back right away. I actually left a letter, but Grandma Tina probably didn't open the box with the map in it."
"There's no need for that. I think they're more worried about Paris. Tina's letter said that if there was any kind of unrest, it was a sure sign that you might be there."
Nicolas finally couldn't hold back his laughter. In his six hundred-plus years of life, this was the most amusing thing he had ever encountered.