Seeing Anna act so rashly, Captain Watson slapped his forehead. He felt a headache coming on; rookies were truly difficult to manage.
The moment Anna raised her hand, Damian quickly condensed the runic scripts through the model in his sea of spirit.
A translucent circular barrier flared to life in front of Damian, violently deflecting the incoming vines.
Damian was using the Shield Charm!
Or rather, he was disguising the Shield Charm as Runic Magic. He had no intention of exposing his otherworldly magic to these two native wizards. Instead, he used the runic scripts condensed from his magic power to feign a local spellcasting sequence, while silently casting Protego underneath the visual cover.
The magic he had mastered at Hogwarts operated in a completely different way from Runic Magic. Using it openly would instantly expose him as an anomaly.
Thanks to the meditation method, condensing runic scripts no longer took much time. He was now able to project the scripts while simultaneously casting his own magic using silent spellcasting techniques.
However, he couldn't cast every spell silently just yet. For advanced magic, like the Killing Curse or Fiendfyre, he still needed to speak the incantations.
As for the wand in his hand, he wasn't afraid of it drawing suspicion. He had seen in Chris's memories that the weapons used by wizards in this world were varied and strange; a simple wooden stick wouldn't attract any unwanted attention.
After being deflected, the thorny vines relentlessly whipped around the outer layer of the Shield Charm, attempting to constrict and shatter the barrier.
Damian reacted instantly. A sharp, transparent, arc-shaped blade of wind shot from the tip of his wand, cleanly severing the writhing vines.
Having finished her initial attack, Anna was already preparing her next spell. Twenty-two runic scripts condensed rapidly between her hands; she intended to use a strong petrification spell to lock Damian down.
But Damian didn't give her the chance. The moment the vines were cut, he silently cast a Transfiguration spell, aiming directly at the ground beneath Anna's feet.
At that moment, they were both standing on the frozen surface of the river.
The thick ice beneath Anna instantly liquefied back into rushing water. With a yelp, she plunged straight into the freezing river.
Captain Watson's eyes narrowed dangerously. Anna was a Second-Level Wizard Apprentice, and he had not expected her to be completely suppressed so quickly.
The wizard before him had an extremely fast casting speed and razor-sharp combat awareness. His timing was impeccable. There was no way this boy was just a First-Level Wizard Apprentice; he must have practiced a specialized technique to disguise the true depth of his sea of spirit.
Watson drew the longsword from his waist. He possessed the strength of a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice and had already undergone two physical bloodline modifications. He was a melee-type wizard, and he was ready to fight.
"Link! Stop!" a panicked voice shouted from the riverbank. "Why are you fighting Lord Damian?!" Link Watson froze, his sword half-raised. He looked toward the riverbank in shock. "Chris? When did you get to White Stone Town?"
Chris was his cousin. Link's grandfather, Old Watson, was Chris's great-uncle.
"Just yesterday," Chris said, hurrying over to the river. "Lord Damian traveled to White Stone Town with us. We were attacked on the road; Lord Damian is the only reason Tina and I are still alive. Is there some misunderstanding here?"
Anna, who had just managed to haul herself out of the freezing river, collapsed onto the unbroken ice in a disheveled heap. She was soaked to the bone, her lips turning purple as violent shivers wracked her body.
"Is that so? Then we made a terrible mistake," Link said, immediately sheathing his longsword. He stripped off his heavy coat and draped it tightly over Anna's trembling shoulders.
"The Night Watchman went missing last night, and we were just about to invite Lord Damian back to the station for questioning". Link reached into his pocket and pulled out a brilliant, glowing sapphire.
"Lord Damian, I am incredibly sorry. We made a grave error. Anna is a new Investigator, and I apologize for her impulsiveness". He offered the sapphire to Damian, his expression deeply sincere. "Please accept this as an apology. This sapphire stores a Mage Armor spell. Once activated, it can entirely block one attack from anything below the level of a Formal Wizard".
Seeing that Link's attitude was genuine—and deciding that he could use the Captain to make further contact with the local wizarding circle—Damian accepted the gem.
Chris looked at his cousin in confusion. "Since you've returned to White Stone Town, why aren't you staying at our great-uncle's house?" "I'm staying at Anna's place," Link explained. Anna was a local; she and Link were fellow townsfolk, and he had taken great care of her when they were training in the Royal Capital.
"We actually came back to investigate our grandfather's disappearance," Link continued, his tone turning grim. "The situation is complicated. After leaving behind a will, our grandfather left the Royal Capital. We tracked his movements to White Stone Town; his ultimate goal was the Winter Forest".
Link sighed. "He was very old, and his magical strength had declined significantly over the last two years. He wasn't the wizard he used to be. So, after arriving in White Stone Town, he hired a few local helpers for the expedition. They ventured into the Winter Forest... but in the end, only one of the helpers returned".
Chris's face paled in shock. "Missing? But the letters you sent said that our great-uncle had passed away!" "That was how he arranged it in his will," Link said softly. "He specifically instructed that the house in White Stone Town should be left to you".
Chris's eyes reddened. His grandfather was Old Watson's elder brother. Ever since Chris's father and grandfather passed, Old Watson had always looked out for him. And now, the old man had even left him a house.
"Did you find any clues?" Chris asked thickly.
"Not long after the expedition, the sole survivor also vanished. They disappeared right from their own home, leaving absolutely no traces behind," Link said, his frustration evident. "The disappearance of the Night Watchman last night is highly suspicious. Again, no traces were left at the scene. I suspect these incidents are connected".
Chris felt a heavy weight settle in his chest. When he had said goodbye to the Night Watchman last night, the man had happily talked about getting a warm drink at the tavern. He hadn't expected to hear he was missing the very next morning.
Ordinary people in this world truly had no security. Fortunately, little Tina had the aptitude for magic. Old Watson had previously promised that once Tina turned ten, he would send her to the Northland United Wizard Academy in the Royal Capital to study.
Thinking of this made Chris even sadder. Now, even a Formal Wizard like Old Watson had vanished without a trace, his fate entirely unknown.
"If you notice any suspicious clues, come find me at the Town Hall. We need to head back now so Anna can warm up". Seeing his partner shivering violently beside him, Link decided to cut the conversation short.
As Court Wizards on a patrol mission, Link and Anna were currently quartered at the Town Hall in the center of town.
After the two investigators hurried away, Damian turned to Chris. "White Stone Town doesn't seem very safe either. You and Tina need to be extremely careful".
Chris nodded grimly. He bid Damian farewell, explaining he needed to go to the market to buy ingredients for dinner.
With the interruption finally over, Damian turned his attention back to the freezing river.
Before wading into the icy depths, he tapped himself with his wand, casting an Impervius Charm to repel the water and a Bubble-Head Charm to secure his breathing. Finally, he downed a vial of Pepperup Potion to ward off the freezing chill.
Once submerged, he quickly located the Blue Water Flowers. They were a common underwater weed, growing in thick clusters in the silt at the bottom of the riverbed. According to the texts, they would quickly wither if removed from their natural environment, so they needed to be stored in water to stay fresh.
The harvesting process went smoothly. He quickly gathered a massive bundle of the vibrant blue flowers, stuffing them all into his magically expanded pocket for storage.
To avoid a wardrobe malfunction like the last time he transmigrated, Damian had permanently sewn his Undetectable Extension pouch into the lining of his Western-style vest. He wore the vest at all times now. Whenever necessary, he could simply use a Transfiguration spell to change its outward style, keeping his inventory secure and incredibly convenient.
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