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Ian wore a serious expression on his face.
With the knowledge he gained at Hogwarts and his keen perception of magic, he was certain that these patients were suffering from an extremely ancient and powerful curse.
The power of this curse was something he had never felt in reality; he had only heard of it in ancient magic books and records. It was said that only legendary wizards could cast such a terrifying curse.
Yes.
This was a meme curse spread by a legend.
Undoubtedly.
It was structurally identical to what Ian had seen in the Restricted Section of the library, specifically in Slytherin's notes, at least in terms of its manifestation and characteristics.
Of course, Ian found it difficult to explain this to the priests here; after two thousand years, their cognition, thoughts, and understanding of knowledge had all diverged. It wouldn't be accurate to say that these priests were completely wrong; after all, legendary methods truly belonged to a realm beyond that of mortals.
Legendary.
That was the status closest to that of a god.
The magic and power possessed by such individuals were beyond the reach of ordinary wizards. Perhaps it could indeed break through the protection of divine favor, as the protection offered by deities to their believers was never without reservation.
Countering weak Divine Power.
Legends could likely achieve that. Ian wasn't entirely sure about this, as he had not yet truly become a legend; for a long time, he could only be considered a half-step legend.
In the realm of fantasy novels, he would be regarded as a half-step powerhouse, yet in essence, Ian still could only be considered at the peak of wizardry. He had not yet been able to glimpse the means possessed by legends.
"How can I make the images in my mind clearer…" Ian often pondered this question in his spare time. He understood that the images in his mind were closely related to his path to becoming a legend.
Now, having witnessed the handiwork of a legend in this ancient time, it inevitably made Ian more concerned about the path to legend. He certainly didn't think he could contend with a legend at this moment.
Just as Ian's thoughts were racing.
"Have you discovered anything?" Priest Ryan couldn't help but ask, watching Ian move back and forth among the patients, his eyes deep with the weight of years.
"Your expression tells me you've found something." Ryan still covered Cassandra's eyes with his hand, preventing any possibility of her glimpsing the unseen shadows.
"You are being targeted by a very powerful presence. I believe it definitely wants more than just to curse these people." Ian's deerskin boots crunched over the broken pottery scattered on the ground.
He glanced around.
Here, the scent of disinfectant potions mixed with the rotting aroma of laurel flowers. The flickering torches on the stone walls of the examination room cast long shadows, and the patients on the twenty-seven beds also had shadows.
However.
All of them appeared in the shadows as eerie serpentine shapes. If there was anyone Ian knew who liked snakes, it would undoubtedly be the Dark Lord Voldemort and his ancestor, Slytherin.
Could this be the handiwork of Slytherin?
Unlikely.
Although Slytherin was indeed a legend, he was separated from this era by a thousand years. It was hard to believe that Slytherin had such a powerful time machine.
"We are already aware of this, but our god has not given us any enlightenment. He is too busy." Priest Ryan sighed, not forgetting to defend the god he worshipped.
This might also be a significant characteristic of the current era: the gods reside in the clouds, and even wizards must follow these gods. Ironically, the most fervent believers among them are those who also wield magical power.
"Too busy?"
Ian picked up some information from Priest Ryan's words. This priest might possess the ability to communicate with the gods, just like many stories in ancient texts described.
"Child, it's not just us who must face the hardships of life; the gods also have their troubles and matters to deal with. All we can rely on now is ourselves." Priest Ryan's tone was heavy, but he didn't reveal much information, as to him, Ian was merely an outsider.
"This style aligns closely with the person I'm looking for, but… he shouldn't possess such powerful abilities and means." Confusion filled Ian's eyes.
He had pursued Riddle to this era, and it wasn't impossible for Riddle to have arrived a few months earlier. After all, a span of two thousand years was quite long, and a difference of a few months wouldn't create significant ripples in a time frame longer than Hogwarts' entire history.
However, even so, Ian believed that Riddle, as just a fragment of a soul, could not possibly gain such immense power to step into the legendary realm that still troubled him.
"Who are you searching for?" Priest Ryan suddenly looked at Ian with a hint of wariness.
"A fragment of a dark soul."
Ian didn't hide it.
He honestly answered Priest Ryan, causing the wariness in Ryan's eyes to dissipate. This clearly indicated that Ryan had confirmed Ian was not lying and ruled out the possibility of Ian bringing disaster along with him.
How strong could the remnant soul of a child be?
Moreover.
"No dark soul could achieve this." As the high priest of a temple, Ryan was also an excellent wizard with profound knowledge of magic.
While his power might not be particularly strong, he was backed by a temple with a long-standing heritage, thus possessing knowledge that ordinary wizards could hardly reach.
"Yes, he cannot do it. The question is, if it's not him, then who? Who has their sights set on your city, which is destined… destined for calamity?"
Ian's youthful face furrowed in concentration, almost resembling a little old man as he struggled to find any clues. From the history he was familiar with, he had not found any information related to this type of curse.
This was the most bizarre aspect.
It made Ian doubt whether his knowledge of magic history was lacking. He hadn't bothered to review his books much before the end of the term, leading to some insecurity about his historical knowledge.
"If only William were here."
Ian couldn't help but reminisce about his roommate, the green-hatted boy who always helped him with his magic history assignments, the know-it-all from Ravenclaw House.
To be honest.
If it was indeed a problem with Ian's own knowledge, it wouldn't be a big deal. What was frightening was that if the information he understood was correct, it would mean that similar curses were likely buried in history.
This was the most chilling question.
Voldemort was clever.
He could conceive a way to strengthen himself through disaster without interfering with history, but he might not be the smartest dark wizard. Perhaps someone had already been doing this before him.
"You seem to have no leads; perhaps we can take you to see Patient Zero." The female priest, who had been fiddling with the holy oil, suddenly looked up and spoke.
Her words caused Priest Ryan to pause slightly.
"That's too dangerous! The source of the curse's contagion possesses a darker power than these infected individuals! Don't forget why our friends and companions sacrificed themselves!"
Priest Ryan frowned, countering the female priest's suggestion. He didn't want to hide any secrets; he simply felt that a little wizard shouldn't be exposed to such danger.
Although Ian was an outsider to him, he was, after all, a priest of the Temple of Asclepius, a follower of the god of medicine who was skilled in healing and had a kind heart.
"That's because at the time, no one knew how the curse was spreading. Patient Zero's eyes have been covered now; he is even safer than the patients we are taking care of, isn't he?"
The female priest still insisted on her viewpoint.
Watching the two people argue, Ian's gaze lingered on the female priest's face for a moment.
He was momentarily taken aback.
But he quickly regained his composure and raised his hand, saying, "I think this is a good idea. I mentioned to you that my teacher is also very knowledgeable about dark magic… about the research and methods to break dark magic, right?"
Ian promptly corrected his wording; he didn't want to be mistaken for some dark wizard's apprentice. Dark wizards in this era were even less well-regarded than in the future.
"He is telling the truth; he really understands the knowledge we lack in this area." The female priest supported Ian, though it was unclear how she discerned the truth in Ian's words.
"I am indeed telling the truth; I love to speak the truth." Ian was quite curious about Patient Zero. Perhaps he could trace back the origin of the curse from this patient who had experienced the initial event.
"This…"
Seeing his priest and Ian harmonizing, Priest Ryan hesitated. Perhaps it was because he had great faith in the female priest's ability to judge the truth of others' words.
She was a natural Legilimens.
"You must believe him! He is my god!" Cassandra, whose eyes were covered, suddenly spoke up, her youthful voice filled with determination and trust in Ian.
"…"
Ryan's expression was quite strange.
(To Be Continued…)