Walking inside, the house had a faint smell of dust and old bedding.
The peeling sofa was covered with a canvas mat, a ball of yarn rested in the wicker basket nearby, and a half-knitted sweater, long untouched, lay beside it.
Beneath the cabinet was a pet food bowl, slightly dusty.
And in other places, there was no trace of a young person's life.
Based on these details, Howl had already conjured the image of a lonely old woman, who probably had a dog that had died years ago. And her child, perhaps after being accidentally disabled by the Ministry of Magic, had isolated himself…
Did he study Ancient magic? Or perhaps Dark Arts? Did he go to Athens Academy to find Hippocrates or someone else?
Thinking this, he ascended the stairs to the second floor.
Soon, they found the study.
Just as they were about to step inside, the old woman suddenly stopped them, blocking the doorway.
"No, this… this is my son's private space!" She said, "If you want to search, give me a search warrant."
She once again tried to pressure them by citing regulations.
Howl raised his hand: "Please move aside."
Once again, the old woman, as if possessed, moved aside, watching them step inside with wide eyes.
The entire study immediately came into view. Loreton took the lead, drawing his wand: "Let me do it, I'm a professional."
Saying that, he waved his wand.
"Trace Reveal—"
A golden flash appeared, then fluttered erratically in mid-air. On the surrounding walls and behind the door, several strange runes appeared.
"Ancient Runes version of Confundo? Did he come into contact with this spell when he used to handle affairs for the Ministry of Magic?"
Loreton's face was stiff, like a blackened pot bottom, and he replied dryly: "I don't know."
Howl raised his hand to dispel Loreton's magic, then surveyed the entire study. On the wall above the desk were articles cut and torn from ancient books, and a painting was also hanging there.
"Raphael's—Athens Academy." Howl murmured softly, then looked at the desk.
"See anything?" Howl asked.
Loreton examined it carefully for a moment, then shook his head: "Some fairly old books, a century or two old."
However, no sooner had he spoken than he heard a tender voice, much to his surprise.
The child, whom Jones had inexplicably been carrying, suddenly spoke.
Harry looked at the Athens Academy notes and manuscripts, as well as the torn or cut pages from books on the wall, and calmly whispered:
"Jason Williams has been working on finding Athens Academy for quite some time. The question is, how did he know about Athens Academy?"
"From Mr. Huckleton's expression when he discovered this information in the ancient texts, Athens Academy shouldn't be some urban legend from the streets."
At the same time, he kept observing Uncle Howl's expression.
Speaking as he looked, he quickly noticed several reliefs and distinctly merfolk-featured artifacts on the desk.
"And he was also studying Dark Arts… No, that's not right. These things were pushed to the corner of the desk by various papers and books…"
"He once studied Dark Arts, but eventually gave it up and started researching Athens Academy instead."
Howl nodded slightly, leaning over to look at the desk.
"Not bad." He said, then reached out and gently pressed a gap in the desk.
Then, he showed his fingertip.
"Dust?" Loreton glanced, but then felt it was wrong; the grayish-white embers were unusually glaring.
"Paper… ashes left from burnt paper." Harry reacted instantly.
Loreton also quickly realized, his expression serious: "He burned some important evidence before he left?!"
After saying that, he finally felt a little relieved.
Being constantly outdone by a child, what kind of situation was that!
However, Howl shook his head, saying faintly: "No!"
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"