Aseria took advantage of Alan's pause before speaking, swiftly drawing her wand from her waist, and with a flick of her wrist, instantly unleashed three powerful Stupefy Spells. These three spells, arranged in a triangular formation, shot toward Alan, clearly indicating that Aseria had employed a multi-casting technique.
At the same time, she knew that as an alchemist, Alan surely had a good amount of defensive equipment on him. Fearing that such an attack wouldn't fully penetrate his defenses and that it would be troublesome if Alan reacted, Aseria moved with agile steps, rapidly closing in on him. She was determined to use close-quarters casting to quickly subdue him.
In Aseria's eyes, Alan was merely a young wizard with some alchemy achievements, not worth worrying about. She held the same conclusion reached during her previous discussion with Thunderbird: how strong could a young man be? So, she acted decisively, and as she closed in, the tip of her wand was already glowing with a pre-prepared Paralysis Spell; she was confident that a close-range touch would instantly incapacitate him.
That was, until her right hand, holding the wand, was firmly gripped by another hand.
Upon seeing Aseria's reaction, Alan didn't even draw his wand; a violent surge of electricity instantly erupted from him, and with a wave of his hand, he annihilated the three incoming spells. Then, as she approached, he agilely sidestepped, dodging the wand pointed at him, and suddenly raised his hand, seizing Aseria's wrist.
"Heh, it's been a long time since anyone chose to fight me up close," Alan's lips curled slightly. "I didn't expect you to make such a decision, Aseria. I must say, you're quite resourceful and exceptionally brave."
This battle began very suddenly and ended just as suddenly. Aseria hadn't even clearly seen Alan's movements before she found herself disarmed, her aspen wand snatched away the moment Alan seized her.
"You!" Aseria looked at Alan in disbelief, realizing she had been instantly subdued. "Was the person who fought Thunderbird you?"
If she still hadn't realized it by now, she would be too foolish. Aseria was well aware of her own strength; the spells she cast were not so easily neutralized. However, the lightning magic Alan used could effortlessly obliterate her spells, a method she had never even heard of.
"It's too late to realize that now," Alan shook his head. "You dared to attack me? Is everyone in Silver Spear a bunch of hotheads? Thunderbird was like that, and so were the four who attacked the Scamander family."
"The Scamander family? You were also the one who dealt with the infiltration team?" Aseria looked at Alan in near despair.
"You don't even know that? It seems the Ministry of Magic's secrecy isn't so bad after all." Alan had thought that Aseria would recognize him after he used his lightning magic, but he hadn't expected her to be unaware of what had happened at the Scamander home, which made him think much better of the Ministry's security.
However, now was not the time to consider such things. Alan tightened his grip on her hand, and Aseria cried out in pain, after which he twisted her arm behind her back. Immediately, a Soul-Binding Serpent emerged from Alan's sleeve and securely bound Aseria's hands.
After completing all of this, Alan took Aseria and Apparated away, vanishing from the spot. When they reappeared, Aseria found herself in a simply furnished room, surrounded by various magical instruments and rows of clear glass cabinets containing all sorts of potions and materials. In the center of the room stood something resembling an upright bed board, to which a vacant-faced man was currently bound, with strange metal wires attached to his body. These wires connected to instruments Aseria didn't recognize at all, a scene that made her feel very eerie.
As they appeared in the room, Alan fixed her onto a bed board similar to the one holding the dazed man next to her, all while Aseria watched in terror.
"Alan! What exactly are you going to do to me? Where is this? You—"
Before Aseria could finish speaking, Alan gave her a sharp look, and her lips sealed tightly together as if glued, allowing her to only emit muffled whimpers. Soon, Aseria was secured. Alan did not question her but instead first took out a syringe and drew a large tube of blood from her arm. Aseria became extremely agitated at this sight, but she could do nothing but let out a few helpless whimpers.
"Magic power is 627 points, huh? Although it's a bit less than Aethonan, her age is a factor, so her strength is still quite good."
Alan muttered to himself, then continued to examine Aseria. Besides her magic power, he also meticulously checked her various physiological indicators and recorded them in detail. He knew he was going to interrogate her, and interrogation would inevitably involve some methods. If Aseria's body wasn't well and Alan accidentally killed her, it would be a huge loss.
Once the examination was complete, Alan began searching Aseria's belongings. He quickly found her spatial equipment, a leather pouch kept close to her body, and from it, he also retrieved her faceless mask. Alan did all of this right in front of her.
Aseria watched as this young man efficiently drew her blood, measured her temperature and heart rate, and even felt her body all over, not missing a single spot. But as she watched Alan do all of this, Aseria felt not anger or shame, but a deep fear. Because Alan showed no change in expression while performing these actions, maintaining absolute indifference, as if the person before him was not a beautiful woman but a corpse, or some alchemy tool about to be researched.
Alan's emotionless demeanor continuously assaulted Aseria's psychological defenses. She couldn't imagine what she was about to face, and at this moment, all that remained in her heart was despair. Her expression, which had initially cycled through fear, confusion, anger, and fear again, finally settled into numbness.