Dark Arts and Unicorns

For the early part of the afternoon, Cypher practiced using the compass in Dumbledore's office.

It was not until teatime that he finally mastered this ancient magical artifact.

Nicolas said that over his long years,

he had accidentally discovered that House-elves could use it when he wanted his House-elf to give it a try.

That was why Dumbledore had summoned Cypher.

After all, not long ago, Cypher had learned House-elves' magic right in front of him.

After becoming proficient, Cypher tested it several more times.

He told Dumbledore what he had learned from using it.

Simply pouring his own magic into it produced no reaction at all. Only by communicating with the power of nature as when casting Elven Magic, mixing that natural power with his own magic, and pouring them into the compass would it function properly.

Dumbledore thought for a moment before offering a rather clumsy opinion.

"I think the compass needs the 'scent' of its surroundings in order to locate things and function correctly. What do you think?"

Cypher thought about it. It made sense, but he could tell that, just as when he had learned Elven Magic, Dumbledore was hiding something from him.

Still, he trusted that Dumbledore would not harm him, so he turned a blind eye and let it pass.

"Professor, this compass can only help us find invisible spirits, but we have no way to deal with them!"

At that, Dumbledore let out a long sigh. Originally, he had not wanted Cypher to come into contact with this kind of Dark Arts so soon.

Cypher had stopped raising the matter himself, but since he had asked, Dumbledore had to answer.

So be it...

"Cypher! Any magic that can harm a soul is Dark Arts!"

Dumbledore placed particular emphasis on the words "Dark Arts."

"I understand, Professor. I'll be careful."

"No... you don't understand. I mean, all of it is Dark Arts!"

Cypher froze. All of it... Could that mean...

Without saying anything, Cypher pointed at Dumbledore's wand.

Dumbledore nodded gently.

Cypher sucked in a breath. This was a massive trap. Any soul-harming magic woven through a wand was Dark Arts and was not recognized by the Ministry of Magic.

"Still, there's no need to worry too much. Many desperate criminals use them, so knowing this kind of magic is nothing particularly unusual."

Dumbledore reassured him, then called the silent Cypher over to the desk.

He demonstrated a powerful piece of Dark Arts for him.

Soulfire Incineration

It was an extremely domineering Dark Arts spell aimed at souls.

However, it had been developed to make it easier for wizards to deal with spirits in places thick with yin energy.

Depending on the force used, it could inflict anything from minor injuries to complete annihilation upon spiritual entities.

This spell was far more difficult than the incantations in textbooks.

If textbooks were elementary school, then this was middle-school knowledge.

Before dinner, Cypher finally became proficient at casting this pale-blue spell.

"After dinner, come patrol the castle with me."

After reaching an agreement with Dumbledore, Cypher got up and took his leave.

After dinner, he headed outside and watched others enter the Great Hall in groups.

Cypher could not help feeling that the space around him was empty.

He wondered how Iris and Luna were doing in the Forbidden Forest.

A trace of longing and worry flickered in Cypher's eyes.

The perspective shifted to Luna and Iris.

After lunch, the two girls had said goodbye to Cypher at the entrance to the Great Hall.

Cypher returned to his dormitory to continue reading, while they were going to treat the unicorn's injuries.

They left the castle and headed toward the Forbidden Forest beneath the noonday sun.

The two girls walked hand in hand.

"Did Cypher make this little path?" At the edge of the woods, Iris asked Luna in astonishment. Luna hurriedly nodded.

Looking at the neat, arched garden tunnel before her, Iris clicked her tongue in wonder.

They went straight ahead until they reached the end, where Iris saw a small wooden cabin.

"Is this the place?" Iris asked eagerly. She could not wait to see the unicorn.

"Yes. Last time, Cypher and I reached this point, and there was no road beyond it."

Luna pointed to the small path beside them, complaining that the pebble road had been built only this far and then abandoned.

"Who knows what he was thinking? Maybe he ran out of pebbles and was too lazy to pick up more."

Before Luna could reply, Iris grabbed her and ran toward the cabin.

"Uncle Ogg! Are you there?!!!"

Fortunately, Iris still knew that barging directly into someone else's home was rude.

Standing at the cabin door, she shouted loudly.

"Who is it?!"

Ogg clearly had not recognized Iris's voice. He opened the door with a puzzled expression.

"Oh! It's you! Is this your friend?"

After a round of introductions, Ogg understood that the two had been close friends since childhood. Going together was fine.

And so,

the three passed through thickets, stepped over fallen leaves, and crossed streams...

At last, they arrived at a secluded paradise utterly unlike the Forbidden Forest they had seen before, and the three stopped.

In November, most of the trees in the Forbidden Forest were bare branches and withered leaves, with the occasional evergreen adding a hint of green.

Yet here, lush trees and grass stretched everywhere.

They could even see several fairy-like sprites dancing among the flowers.

"Whoa~"

Iris cried out excitedly. She pulled Luna inside, and the two danced with the sprites among the flowers for a while.

Only then did Ogg finally arrive before them.

"Uncle, why are you so slow?!"

Blunt as ever, Iris asked him directly.

Ogg was not offended. Smiling, he explained that the two were pure maidens and could easily pass through the unicorn's barrier, whereas although he was recognized, he had to follow the proper procedure to open a temporary entrance.

After hearing this, Iris and Luna understood.

Having been praised by Ogg, the two girls happily hummed a tune as they skipped ahead.

Ogg shook his head at the sight and hurried after them.

At the end of the path stood nothing but densely packed trees.

The two girls had no choice but to stop and wait for Ogg to catch up and lead the way.

Ogg stepped forward without making any movement at all.

Instead, he took a deep breath.

"Anderson! Are you there?!"

He shouted loudly toward the empty woodland ahead.

His voice carried far, far through the tranquil forest.

Yet it did not startle a single bird.

Either no birds gathered here, or Ogg came and went so often that the Magical World's birds with magical bloodlines had remembered his voice.

Not long after his voice fell silent,

rustling sounds came from the bushes before the three of them.

Just as it was about to emerge, it stopped, as though identifying its visitors.

Soon, the trees moved aside,

revealing a handsome, powerfully built unicorn.

Unicorns were a class of robust magical creatures listed by the Ministry of Magic as high-risk creatures. Many adult wizards were no match for an adult unicorn.

At the sight of a living unicorn, stars practically sparkled in the two girls' eyes.

"Yes, Anderson, it's me!"

A smile appeared on Ogg's weathered face, though it looked as if the bark of a dead tree had suddenly been scrunched into a ball.

He stepped forward and stroked the unicorn's neck with his callused hands. The latter simply narrowed its eyes in enjoyment, offering not the slightest resistance.

For an adult wizard to earn a unicorn's trust was an astonishing thing.

Only then did the two girls truly admire Ogg and respect his wholehearted devotion to caring for magical creatures.

After all, only young virgins could approach unicorns, and whether one was allowed to touch one still depended on fate.

"Come on, Anderson. They're first-year students this year, not outsiders."

The unicorn Anderson raised a forehoof and hesitated for a moment.

In the end, it stepped forward and touched the girls' foreheads in turn with its horn.

A faint glow lit up around Luna and Iris.

Anderson sensed the aura of the phoenix Fawkes from them.

He understood that the two could be trusted.

Just as he was about to withdraw his magic,

a faint, commanding aura suddenly flashed past.

Startled and uncertain, he carefully sensed again, yet could feel nothing.

Seeing Anderson hesitate, Ogg hurriedly said that the two girls had come to help him.

Though that aura... there had been no hostility...

Thus, the unicorn Anderson nodded, stamped its forehoof, and signaled for the three to follow it.

"Don't take it personally. Anderson's wife is about to give birth. Her lack of vitality has caused a difficult labor... so Anderson is in a bad mood and especially sensitive and vigilant."

Ogg softly apologized to the two girls on Anderson's behalf and explained.

"It's all right. We understand."

Hand in hand, the two girls smiled and nodded to show that they did not mind.