"Matthew, do you remember what I told you last year?" Merlin said softly from within the portrait. "I can use the Philosopher's Stone to send you further into the past."
Matthew asked in confusion, "What does that have to do with passing through this shield barrier?"
"To return to a more distant past, you need an enormous amount of magic to sustain it. I have a way to use the magic stored within the Castle Core through the Philosopher's Stone and send you further back in time."
Merlin continued,
"We cannot let Herpo keep absorbing magic. If he absorbs all the magic within the Castle Core, his strength will surely swell to a level that neither you nor Dumbledore can handle."
Matthew hesitated. "You mean—use my return to the past to consume the magic within the Castle Core?"
Merlin nodded. "If you have the Philosopher's Stone, you can consume the magic stored in the Castle Core and send yourself to a more distant past."
"And this method can be done without passing through that shield barrier."
"Once the magic within the Castle Core is exhausted, Herpo naturally will have nothing left to absorb."
"However, I cannot precisely control this method. The time you return to will not be exact, and Herpo, who is staying beside the Castle Core, will also be sent back with you. But at this point, there is no better option."
Matthew did not hesitate for long. Having a solution was better than having none. Even if he encountered greater danger in the past, he could hide in another world.
When he returned to the past last year, he had already tested it. The disk in his mind would not be affected. Even in the past, it would not prevent him from activating the disk and traveling