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Ian's reply made Merlin's heart pound wildly.
He couldn't help but perform thorough checks on himself repeatedly. Once again, he became acutely aware of just how ruthless Ian before him was. For one punch, this brat wanted to change his entire species?!
"You really are a downright dark wizard!" Merlin muttered bitterly. Ian, however, didn't care. He took out his mirror to check his injuries.
They weren't too bad.
Only the left side of his cheek was purplish-red.
After pouring a little potion on it, his skin was smooth again soon. It was a mixture based on the Half-Blood Prince's potion formulas. Perhaps it wasn't as valuable as a healing potion, but as a cosmetic potion, it was priceless.
"Good old me still doesn't know how to make money!" Ian muttered, swirling what was left in the vial. Since the vial was already open, he poured the entire contents over his face and let it run down.
The beautifying effect was remarkable; even the small freckles disappeared.
"What is that?" Merlin hadn't been paying attention to the potion in Ian's hand. His gaze had been caught by Ian's mirror. It was the Mirror of Erised, which he had taken from Professor Dumbledore. Since Professor Morgan hadn't accepted it, Ian had simply been carrying it around and using it as a dressing mirror.
"Such a unique alchemical item. Is it your creation or the work of another master?" Merlin's eyes lit up as he stared at the mirror. Despite the lingering pain on his face, a spark of curiosity escaped him. He took a few steps forward, eager to investigate this mysterious alchemical item.
"Research it? In your dreams."
Sensing Merlin's intent, Ian sneered and quickly stowed the Mirror of Erised away, not giving Merlin the slightest chance to touch it.
"Hey!"
A helpless look flashed across Merlin's face.
"That magic mirror of yours...it's hiding something..." Perhaps his vision was different from that of ordinary people because he had noticed secrets that Ian himself hadn't realized with just a glance.
"Hiding something?"
Ian was taken aback. He shot Merlin a suspicious look, convinced that the old wizard was trying to trick him into taking out the mirror again. If it were him, that's exactly the kind of trick he would use on someone else.
"I don't know. All I know is that there's a hidden space inside, and something is stored in that space." Merlin shrugged. His words only made Ian feel more suspicious.
"Then I'll research it myself when I get back." Ian had no intention of giving Merlin another chance. Now that he knew, the secret inside the Mirror of Erised was something he would eventually unravel. After all, he might not yet be a true master of alchemy, but calling himself an alchemical expert was no exaggeration.
"Oh, thank heavens, you two finally finished fighting." At that moment, Leonard came back out, still looking shaken. The Phoenix in his arms immediately burrowed into his robes. Maybe it was afraid Ian would get annoyed and punch it, too.
"This guy can't beat me in magic or boxing. He's a total loser. I'm the real all-around wizard." Ian sighed, feeling invincible.
"Uh..."
Merlin didn't know how to refute that.
Leonard couldn't chime in either. After all, he still had to follow Ian, the so-called "conqueror" of Merlin, to learn magic. Even if "the Ancestor" himself were present, Leonard couldn't belittle his future teacher.
Leonard thought silence was safest, but Ian clearly had no intention of dropping the subject.
"Remember, this incident must be recorded in the future genealogies of the Dumbledore family. Use bold font in a large size, and make plenty of backups. It's best if every descendant of House Dumbledore memorizes this story!" Ian solemnly instructed Leonard.
"Ah? Why?" Leonard asked, looking stunned.
Ian blinked.
"How should I put it? Let's just say it'll be useful someday. Mark my words."
He brushed it off vaguely.
Seeing Ian's demeanor, the corners of Merlin's eyes twitched. He didn't need to think about it; he knew Ian had no good intentions.
But what could he do?
He simply couldn't win. That was that. For the second time, Merlin felt a deep sense of helplessness. The last time this happened was when he was a child. Clearly, the brat before him was his natural nemesis.
"Oh, right. Give me back that eyeball." The more Merlin thought about it, the more depressed he felt. Finally, he asked Ian to return the alchemical item he had handed over earlier.
"You're dreaming if you think I'll hand that back."
Ian pinched his pocket. As the saying goes, 'what's in your pocket is yours to keep. Once something landed in his pocket, it was under his protection, meaning it would always be "safe."
What?
Are you calling me shameless?
Merlin himself said it belonged to the true Creator. Merlin also said that he was the true Creator. So, if Merlin handed it over to him, wasn't he just returning it to its rightful owner?
"It's a good thing I'm not a policeman; otherwise, I'd give you a big red flower for this." Ian kept muttering, making Merlin feel even more certain that this brat gave off the overwhelming vibe of the Raven.
"You keep it. You keep it. Just stop bothering me already." Merlin, feeling a headache coming on, weakly waved his hand. He gave up on trying to reclaim the cybernetic eyeball he had handed over to Ian.
"Oh, right."
At that moment, Ian acted as if he had just remembered something. In a flash, he circled behind Merlin, stood on his tiptoes, and yanked dozens of hairs straight from Merlin's head with lightning speed.
"Hiss!"
Merlin winced in pain.
"What are you doing?"
He clutched the back of his head, and realized that a noticeable patch of hair was gone.
"I have a use of them."
Ian lifted his head and gazed into Merlin's eyes. They felt so familiar to him.
"Archmage...see you in a thousand years."
He carefully tucked Merlin's hair away, lowering his head as he did. Then, for no apparent reason, he suddenly smiled. He turned his gaze and locked eyes with Leonard, who was staring at him in shocked realization.
"Mr. Dumbledore, study magic well."
The words had barely left his lips.
Ian weighed the ancient Time-Turner that Merlin had given him. In the next instant, he apparated away from the Canyon, leaving only Merlin and Leonard behind.
The valley fell silent once again. Only the gentle breeze continued to blow, rustling the leaves.
"A thousand years later...?"
Merlin looked toward the spot where Ian had vanished. At first, he was stunned.
"Hogwarts, then... It seems I've failed."
The King of Wizards' eyes flickered slightly as he murmured, his tone carrying a trace of regret.
From just a few words, he could always discern the hidden meaning.
"Teacher, you can live a thousand years!"
Leonard, too, showed strong powers of interpretation. He stared at the great mage beside him in disbelief. At the same time, he had quietly changed his form of address to something more intimate, acknowledging a bond.
"A thousand years is nothing."
Merlin showed little emotional fluctuation at the thought.
"That fellow just now...he's the real antique." He glanced at the young apprentice beside him, his voice carrying an undertone of emotion.
"He's my ancestor, isn't he?" Leonard still clung firmly to his earlier speculation.
"Who can say for sure? But the probability isn't small."
Merlin shrugged, his eyes shifting to Leonard's Phoenix. It was a species that transcended life and death, and even Merlin could not trace its origins. All he could do was make reasonable guesses.
"So it really is true!"
Leonard nodded firmly. He pulled out a notebook and began scribbling furiously.
"Hm?" Merlin glanced over.
He couldn't help it; his composure cracked. That kid had actually started writing down the so-called family legacy story, just as Ian had instructed.
...
As for what happened next in the Canyon, Ian had no way of knowing. He had already returned to Young Morgan's castle, apparating straight into one of the corridors.
"Riddle!"
Ian had just been about to look for Riddle when, suddenly—
He noticed something strange about his money pouch. At first, he thought Merlin must have left some magic on the metal eyeball. But when he quickly opened the pouch, he realized the source of the anomaly wasn't the eyeball.
"This..."
Ian drew out a chess piece:
A king piece.
It flickered with a glow like a blinking light bulb and vibrated faintly. To his astonishment, he realized it seemed to be resonating with something.
"This way, then."
Following the resonance, Ian made his way forward. The king piece glowed more rapidly, its trembling growing stronger. It led him into the garden at the back of the castle.
Under the dusky, wine-colored twilight, a woman was kneeling among the flowerbeds, carefully tending to the blossoms.
"The Duchess?" Ian suddenly realized what this meant.
He cast a spell to peer at her from afar, and sure enough, the Duchess was already carrying life in her belly. That child would one day become the most legendary king in all of ancient Britain.
"Hiss!"
Ian remembered what had happened earlier that day: King Uther, with Merlin guiding him, had come here and lain with the Duchess. The realization left him utterly shaken!
The Duchess wasn't just already carrying Uther's seed, but even today, while pregnant, she had again been with Uther!
A pregnant woman!
This is absolutely explosive news!
Not even the Hogwarts Restricted Section's wildest forbidden histories would dare record something like this!
(End of Chapter)