The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 235, Section 234: Ruthless Old Deng! The Mystery of Merlin!

Chapter 235, Section 234: Ruthless Old Deng! The Mystery of Merlin!

The morning mist condensed into tiny water droplets on the stained glass, slowly falling down the pointed arch of the Red Song I am. Ian stood under the chandelier in the corridor, watching the starlight flowing on Merlin's robes gradually dim.

"Waaaaah~"

It wasn't crying.

Merlin was pinned to the ground by Ian, with a Gatling gun barrel stuffed in his mouth, unable to speak. He could only raise his hands to indicate his surrender.

Ian pretended not to see it and kept pushing the Gatling gun barrel into Merlin's throat. Dumbledore couldn't bear to watch this horrific scene any longer and quickly intervened to stop him.

"Alright, Ian, Mr. Ambrose has clearly conceded defeat." The old headmaster hoped Ian would show some dueling spirit and believed that he should at least show some respect for Merlin.

Although Merlin wanted to attack him and Nicolas Flamel for some unknown reason, he was still a true sage. Without Merlin, the wizarding world would not have achieved its current level of development.

This is no exaggeration.

Merlin made outstanding contributions to the improvement of magic learning. It can be said that he laid the foundation for spells that would allow more wizards with magical abilities to learn magic safely.

Of course, now it seems that Merlin's reason for studying this was not simply a whim to simplify magic; perhaps at some point he witnessed magic in the form of spells.

But no matter what.

Merlin's contributions to wizarding cannot be erased—Ian's current approach, which seems to be forcibly training Merlin in the English tradition, is something Dumbledore finds hard to watch.

"Yes, Principal, as long as you're satisfied." Ian didn't really hate Merlin; he had just studied self-help and knew he needed to make his superiors see him as someone who worked hard.

Seeing that Dumbledore had already spoken, Ian immediately stopped what he was doing, not only putting away the Gatling gun, but also reaching out to help Merlin get up from the cold ground.

"..."

Merlin initially didn't want to shake Ian's hand or accept his help, but after weighing the options, he didn't refuse. He was mainly afraid that if he refused, Ian would kick him to the ground and scold him for not giving him face—Merlin was convinced that the guy in front of him was absolutely capable of doing such a thing.

Please!

He's Merlin, after all!

He has his pride too, you know!

"I've beaten you again, Archmage."

Ian couldn't help but think that beating Merlin was even easier than beating Voldemort. If his system didn't lack a title function, he would really like to give himself the title of "Merlin Buster".

"Yeah, you won again."

Merlin was completely numb, even losing the desire to refute. He knew he was naturally at odds with Ian; it had been so before, and now, unable to cast complex spells, he was even more helpless against him.

If not.

Why would he use that method of revenge against a little wizard? It's because even ignoring the magic immunity of the opponent's Animagus form, there's absolutely no hope of him casting any magic in his current crippled state!

"Mr. Ambrose, I think you still owe us an explanation." Even though Dumbledore was the one who was attacked, he still maintained the proper politeness. On the other hand, Nick Flamel kept his head down, seemingly lost in thought, perhaps already studying how to use alchemy to punish Merlin.

Nicolas Lemaître is actually quite cunning.

but.

Love turning into hate is something that those who understand it all understand.

Some fans might be able to empathize with this.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I don't harbor any ill will towards you." Merlin sighed and finally spoke, his tone tinged with helplessness and sincerity.

"The fewer people who know I exist, the safer everyone will be." With that, he opened his hand, and the Elder Wand he had been holding flew back into Dumbledore's hand.

Dumbledore didn't seem too concerned about acquiring the Deathly Hallows again. He simply looked down at the Elder Wand in his hand, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He then glanced briefly at Ian, who was standing next to Merlin. He looked at Merlin, then at Ian, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded slightly.

"Why is that?"

While patiently continuing his questioning, Dumbledore put away the Deathly Hallows in his hand.

"Well, it's related to some trouble I got into." Merlin shook his head, his expression revealing a hint of helplessness and sadness, as if he were recalling something he didn't want to remember.

A barely perceptible hint of pain flashed in his eyes.

In this regard.

"You make it sound so easy, but how do I know you're not just trying to fool us?" The little wizard wasn't buying it. He raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with suspicion.

"Anyone who knows I am still alive is in danger. I am not exaggerating, it is true... My existence can be considered a poison in some way."

"The more you know, the more you are poisoned."

Merlin spoke earnestly and in a low voice to Ian, because he knew that he couldn't persuade Ian, and he also couldn't cast the Oblivion Charm on Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel.

"Is that even a saying?"

Ian's gaze still held a hint of suspicion.

Faced with Ian's strange gaze, Merlin hesitated for a moment, then, as if he had made a decision, he slowly closed his eyes and opened a part of his heart.

"This is the best way to verify it. Come and sense me, and see if I am lying." Merlin knew that Ian and Dumbledore were both top masters of the Legilimency spell.

However, under normal circumstances, his mind is still unexplored, but now that part of his mind has been opened, even Nicolas Flamel can perceive his mind and thoughts.

Well, how should I put it?

This is something most wizards couldn't do even if Merlin went easy on them, so don't underestimate Nick Flamel's magical skills. How could someone who can hang out with Dumbledore not be a master of magic?

"There is indeed a need for me to conceal the dangers that my existence may pose. That's because even I can't fully understand some of the issues involved, and I can't determine a boundary that won't have any impact... Two legends have already died because of me, and I don't want anyone to become the third."

Merlin's voice was deep and sincere.

Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel exchanged a glance, reading the same message in each other's eyes—they sensed Merlin's sincerity and helplessness.

"Um?"

The little wizard's expression gradually turned to surprise.

Because of his extraordinary characteristics, he could perceive things even more clearly.

Merlin's mind was like a deep lake, without any ripples or waves, without any lies or deceptions, simply stating what Merlin believed.

"It seems Mr. Ambrose was right, that just knowing something can be dangerous," Dumbledore said softly, a hint of emotion in his voice.

"There are still so many areas in the world of magic that we have not yet explored." Clearly, after becoming a legend, Dumbledore showed signs of rekindling his pursuit of magic.

"I've never heard of such a thing before." Nicolas Flamel nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He added, "Of course, that's assuming Merlin hasn't even deceived himself."

This alchemy master was more cautious, and he was the same kind of person as Ian. After confirming Merlin's words, Ian still spoke with a slight frown.

"You're always so mysterious... According to you, does that mean I also have to take a forgetting spell from you?" Ian genuinely didn't want his memories erased, and a sense of resistance instinctively rose within him. Philosophically speaking, if he lost a part of his memories, would he still be the same person?

But we must not forget this.

What if the calamity Merlin spoke of, the one that could kill a legend, comes knocking and he can't withstand it?

hiss!

Damn Merlin!

This has put me in a dilemma!

Perhaps Merlin wasn't wrong, but that didn't stop Ian from cursing Merlin in his heart again. After all, when you don't like someone, you find even their blinking annoying.

Not to mention that Merlin was now making Ian slightly uneasy. And just as the young wizard was weighing the pros and cons, wondering if killing Merlin would eliminate the so-called crisis...

Merlin's eyelids twitched violently.

"You don't need to." He didn't know why he was so quick to explain, he just trusted his intuition. "Then... that strange thing shouldn't affect you, you even more strange thing."

"Is it mixed with personal agendas?"

After hearing this, Ian felt a little less troubled, but he still rolled his eyes at Merlin several times, unable to tell whether Merlin was praising him or insulting him.

"Just being realistic, I love being realistic." Merlin shrugged and smiled slightly. He must have learned the essence of Ian's teachings. He never expected that the Wizarding King would also like to steal others' skills.

At this moment, Dumbledore took a step forward, looked at Merlin, and slowly said, "Although I know you must have used the Confusion Charm, I have checked and Hogwarts is indeed willing to accept you as its student. Therefore, I am willing to give you a degree of trust, but this trust is not unlimited."

Merlin was taken aback at first, then seemed to understand something, nodded knowingly and spoke to Dumbledore, accompanied by a heartfelt slight bow.

"Thank you for your trust."

He breathed a long sigh of relief.

Ian raised an eyebrow, as if wanting to say something, but Dumbledore had already looked at Nick Flamel. Nick Flamel nodded in understanding, and then Dumbledore waved his wand, a soft light enveloping Nick Flamel. A moment later, Nick Flamel's eyes became somewhat vacant.

As if he had forgotten something important, Dumbledore took a deep breath and pointed his wand at himself. Ian was startled and his pupils contracted sharply—Dumbledore's body trembled slightly, then his eyes became unfocused before returning to normal after a moment.

"This...this is too ruthless! To be so ruthless to oneself, Voldemort deserves it! I think Grindelwald deserves it too!" Ian was shocked by what he saw. He never expected Dumbledore to cast the Oblivion Curse on him. This ruthless method made him feel the old headmaster's courage once again.

While the little wizard was still swallowing his saliva, wondering if he could be so decisive and ruthless if it were him,

"Mr. Ollivander."

Dumbledore spoke, his tone gentle.

"I have delivered the letter your grandfather asked us to bring to you." His tone was natural, as if nothing had happened.

Nicolas Flamel nodded, his expression softening. "Yes, I hope you can get it done quickly. I'm counting on your grandfather to find me some less common materials."

Both of them talked freely and naturally, without any sense of disharmony or awkwardness.

It's clear that Dumbledore has rationalized his and Nick Flamel's presence here using his memories. Perhaps the real Lockhart's Oblivion Charm, which many people have touted as incredible, is not as powerful as Dumbledore's.

Thinking about this...

The young wizard couldn't help but wonder about Lockhart's current situation. Living in prison with Grindelwald's face and identity, even with Lockhart's vanity, he must feel somewhat awkward and unhappy, right? He hadn't heard any news about "Grindelwald" for quite some time.

At this moment, Dumbledore looked at Ian, his tone gentle. "Later, I'd like to talk to you about what happened earlier."

His voice was thoughtful, and he didn't mention the matter of time travel, clearly having completely forgotten the truth about Merlin, which was why he concealed it from Merlin.

"Yes, Principal." Ian nodded and quickly responded, his expression well-controlled, without showing the kind of slip-up that Ron would make when something happened.

of course.

He also has an impatient side.

After Dumbledore and Nick Flamel left, Ian immediately turned to Merlin, a hint of urgency in his eyes. "Now, should you tell me about the Raven?"

Merlin nodded.

However, a hint of caution remained on his face.

"Let me make sure none of the young wizards have good hearing. You know, Hogwarts students may have a lot of messy bloodlines to their name."

This is truly a comprehensive consideration.

Perhaps Merlin really didn't want to harm others because of himself.

After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, as if he were sensing something.

After a while.

He opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I see you're trying to minimize the number of times you cast spells, so is it that you can't cast complex spells or that you're afraid to?" Ian was also curious about Merlin's situation.

"You're quite curious."

Merlin looked down at his palm, and gently rubbed it. A ring appeared, the same ring Ian had seen on Professor Arthur King's palm before.

obviously.

Arthur King is also Merlin.

However, Ian was not surprised or taken aback by this; he had already confirmed it.

"I guess not, there's also the factor of not daring to... It's very complicated, I'm not too willing to try. Actually, if Dumbledore hadn't become a legend, I could probably influence and change him just by using this ring." Merlin frankly admitted the main method he was currently relying on.

Ian stared at his ring with a thoughtful expression.

He didn't sense any magical aura when Merlin closed his eyes.

Merlin was clearly still using the ring.

"What is it?"

The little wizard asked curiously.

"A poor imitation."

Merlin's words were vague; he was even better at riddles than Dumbledore, which greatly displeased the young wizard. Just then, Merlin shrugged and spoke again.

"Come on, let us... do as you wish." Merlin pressed his hands to his temples and pulled them outwards, pulling thread-like substances out of his brain.

He suddenly flung it around.

Countless threads instantly filled the surrounding area.

The scenery around Ian and Merlin changed instantly.

The familiar transformation.

This is clearly another form of memory magic.

Merlin will lead Ian into his entanglement and... feud with the raven.

(End of this chapter)