HP: The Root of Everything - The Magician

Inside the eerie castle, there was nothing but cold stone walls.

Andrei and his three companions escorted the silver-haired Teach and the crimson dragon Shakhar Karl to pay homage to their ancestor, Marcus McFastie, who sat in a stone chair on the high platform.

Marcus

Marcus glanced casually at Andri and the other three kneeling on one knee, then turned his attention to the silver-haired Teach.

After staring intently at the silver-haired Teach for a while, Marcus felt a strange unease: [Not a wizard, nor some magical product of experiments, just a pure human?]

But what about the golden life energy flowing within her?

[Fine, I'll just taste her blood, and then I'll know everything about her.]

Marcus then asked Andri in a commanding tone, "Is this the girl the target that the elders of the Law Enforcement Clan led you all out to capture?"

"That is, she... drew the Rensei Formation."

After saying that, Marcus took out the stone tablet that the research elder had drawn the alchemy array from his memory on his deathbed and showed it to him.

After looking up, Andri answered without hesitation, "Yes, ancestor."

Marcus asked about 01 again, and after receiving no lies or concealment in his answers, he dismissed Andri and the others, including Shake in her dragon form, leaving only the silver-haired Teach on the scene.

When no one else was present, Marcus moved his fingers, and a blade of blood instantly broke the magical power that had bound Teach.

Silver-haired Teach stood up and stretched, his expression showing surprise at the blood-red blade, but inwardly he felt astonishment and shock.

Because a vampire was now standing right in front of her.

Moreover, this vampire doesn't wield the power of wizarding magic, but rather the power of blood, which can even destroy magic.

In the Harry Potter stories, vampires are the only magical creatures that are transformed from humans while retaining their human appearance and full intelligence.

It is also the only species that can live forever while appearing as a human.

Teach categorizes vampires as magical creatures, but wizards in the magical world consider them as humans, a kind of blood-drinking human.

This categorization of wizards was simply incomprehensible to Teach Carl.

After a moment of surprise, Silver-haired Teach looked directly at the detached, otherworldly figure of the McFastie family's vampire ancestor, seated on the stone throne.

After a long silence between them, Marcus spoke up: "Miss Teach, my name is Marcus."

"Please forgive me, the elder of the McFastie family's law enforcement clan, for arresting you. He had lost his composure under the influence of my research elder's knowledge."

"You stole our family's experimental data, so you should know how important you are to us. No wonder they arrested you without authorization."

"Therefore, please forgive the McFastie family's behavior."

Silver-haired Teach tilted his head, looking at Marcus who was high and mighty yet apologizing, feeling a surge of contempt in his heart. He then waved his hand dismissively and replied, "Alright, since you've sincerely begged me, I'll be magnanimous and forgive you."

Teach's dismissive reply instantly enraged Marcus, but he suppressed his anger and said politely, "In that case, you and our family have become acquainted through a fight."

"I wonder, Miss Teach, which faction do you belong to? Who ordered you to come to my McFastie family to steal our research?"

Teach had no reason to lie about this question, so he said no.

"Did you hear that?" Marcus narrowed his eyes, a smile full of sincerity on his face, and suggested, "Since Miss Teach came to my family without anyone's orders, she must be very interested in our experimental knowledge, right?"

"So, Miss, have you ever thought about joining my family and then freely learning and researching knowledge?"

Marcus continued, "Once Miss Teach joins my McFastie family and contributes your knowledge of transmutation arrays, I will grant you the power of immortal vampires."

After saying that, Marcus used his vampire charm on women, staring intently at the silver-haired Teach.

Little did he know, Teach was a man.

Marcus was initially puzzled by the lack of reaction to the allure, but then he stopped caring and simply waited quietly for Silver-haired Teach's answer. He thought... no one can resist the temptation of immortality.

Indeed, Teach Carr was interested in immortality, but he was interested in achieving godhood as a human being, rather than gaining it through mutation by abandoning his human identity.

So... Silver-haired Teach agreed.

On the surface, they agreed.

Silver-haired Teach, with an expression of obsessive longing for immortality, walked up the steps and stood before Marcus.

Marcus raised his arm and extended his fingers, intending to pierce the forehead of the silver-haired Teach with his sharp nails, inject his vampire blood venom to complete the transformation, and absorb a little of Teach's blood to explore the memories present in the blood.

But then, something unexpected happened that Marcus never expected.

The infatuated expression on Silver Teach's face vanished in an instant. He grabbed Marcus's wrist with tremendous force with his left hand, and then reached for Marcus's chest with his right.

There, Teach’s petrifying eyes saw a mark identical to the Oath Spell on 01’s chest, the very Oath Spell that bound Andri, the four humans, and the four dragons.

The analytical alchemy array of decomposition and recombination was drawn on Marcus's chest in less than a second by the silver-haired Teach's fingertips. Then, before Marcus could react and launch a counterattack, Teach connected the analytical alchemy array with his life magic and then used teleportation magic to get away.

Connected by the magic of life, the silver-haired Teach seized the time to analyze this fundamental oath spell.

The blood-red sky and blood moon over the island, the disappearance of people from the island's residential areas, and the silent dragon roars in the forest—every anomaly made Teach believe that it was all the work of the vampire Marcus standing before him.

Vampires are people who drink blood.

Their immortality comes from their blood.

Human blood is this creature's favorite food.

Marcus was thoroughly enraged after his attempt to seduce and recruit him failed. He was covered in blood as he slashed at the silver-haired Teach with more than a dozen blade-like streaks of blood.

Teach dodged the incoming blood blades with a series of flashes, then took out an enchanted silver spear from his waist and fired it at Marcus on the steps.

Unexpectedly, Marcus took seven enchanted bullets head-on without dodging or flinching, and then automatically repaired his body riddled with bullet holes without using any natural magic.

[What a terrifying self-healing ability!] Silver-haired Teach was horrified after witnessing this scene.

Through the keen observation of the petrifying eye, Teach pulled the trigger again. This time, the bullet wasn't aimed at Marcus's body, but at his feet.

[Oh~ Did you notice? What keen observation skills], Marcus pulled his feet out of the blood seeping from the ground, and then appeared in front of the silver-haired Teach with a speed beyond human vision, and put his feet back on the ground.

After Marcus stood up, blood seeped out of the ground beneath his feet again.

Seeing Marcus closing in so quickly, Silver-haired Teach dared not probe any further and directly took out the Serpent Bone Revolver, smashing Marcus's head apart with a single shot.

But the headless Marcus did not fall; instead, he stood firm and strong.