Chris and Tina

A sleigh traveled across the snow.

"Matthew, you're amazing! You fixed the broken sleigh in no time!"

The little girl excitedly traced the shape of the sleigh with her hands.

Matthew smiled and said warmly, "Once Tina turns ten, she'll be able to study at the Northern United Wizard Academy."

During the journey, Matthew had learned quite a bit from Chris.

The Northern United Wizard Academy had been jointly established by wizarding organizations in the Northern Region. Those organizations selected Wizard Apprentices from among the academy's graduates.

The academy accepted children around the age of ten who had a Wizard Qualification. They would study the fundamentals of magic there.

It was the easiest way to gain access to magic.

Matthew couldn't help feeling a little regretful. He was already fourteen and had missed the academy's admissions age. If he wanted to join a wizarding organization, he would have to find another way.

Matthew asked Chris, who was driving the sleigh, "Chris, apart from the Northern United Wizard Academy, are there other ways to join a wizarding organization in the north?"

Chris kept driving and turned his head slightly. "If you have a recommendation letter from a member of a wizarding organization, you can apply to join."

"Or you can apply to join a wizarding organization by passing the Formal Wizard examination."

Formal Wizards were relatively rare. As long as their beliefs aligned, wizarding organizations generally wouldn't turn them away.

Neither option was easy. Matthew thought for a moment, then asked, "Is there any other way?"

He had only just arrived and had no way of obtaining a recommendation letter. He hadn't yet come into contact with the magic of this world, so passing the Formal Wizard examination was even less likely.

Chris thought for a moment. "Several kingdoms in the northern region recruit Court Wizards. My Great Uncle was a Court Wizard in the Blizzard Kingdom.

"But he's passed away. He had an empty house in Whitestone Town, so we can stay there."

Matthew asked, "What are the requirements for becoming a Kingdom Court Wizard?"

Chris explained:

"The requirements for becoming a Kingdom Court Wizard aren't high. They recruit plenty of non-members to handle everyday affairs.

"As long as you have the talent to become a wizard and aren't a Dark Wizard, you can join the Kingdom Court Wizards.

"But becoming an Official Member requires passing a fairly difficult examination."

Matthew nodded in understanding. Court Wizards were burdened with worldly affairs, leaving them less time to study magic.

Still, Chris was an ordinary person. What he'd said was only his own understanding, and might not be entirely accurate. Matthew would need to speak with a real wizard to learn more.

Matthew's expression suddenly shifted. The air around them was growing misty, and the woods had fallen silent.

He sensed magic in the mist. Since he had only just arrived, he wasn't sure whether this was a natural phenomenon here.

But the mist quickly thickened, and the magic within it grew more active.

Suddenly, it felt as if thousands of ants were crawling across his back. He spun around.

A lifeless face was pressed close behind him. Its deathly pale complexion looked just like a corpse's.

It was deathly pale and hairless, its expression sorrowful and its mouth slightly open. Black pus trickled from the corner of its mouth as it stared at Matthew.

Matthew's expression changed. He flicked his right hand, and the wand hidden in his sleeve slid into his grasp. "Diffindo!"

A sharp whistle split the air as a Transparent Arc Wind Blade swept across the lifeless face.

But the spell didn't tear it apart. Its mouth stretched grotesquely from ear to ear, and more black pus spilled from it. Its expression remained sorrowful, an eerie contrast to its grin. Then it vanished into thin air.

Matthew furrowed his brow. "An illusion?"

Chris had heard the commotion too. He turned and saw what had happened, then cried out, "A Phantom Demon!"

"A Phantom Demon?"

"Phantom Demons are Magic Creatures found only in the Winter Forest. Why would one show up here?" Chris cursed under his breath. "Damn it, why has this road become so dangerous? It was perfectly safe when I traveled it a few months ago!"

Beyond this mountain range lay the Winter Forest. Few people lived there, and it was a dangerous haven for Magic Creatures.

The Winter Forest was supposed to be cut off by a forest of Dragon Snake Trees. Dragon Snake Trees fed on magic, and the magical animals in the Winter Forest generally couldn't get through.

Dragon Snake Trees... Matthew thought of the strange forest they had encountered earlier.

"Chris, how much do you know about Phantom Demons?" Matthew asked.

Chris kept driving and turned his head. "I don't know much. Phantom Demons are really just a local legend we use to scare children.

"But I once saw a book called Compendium of Magical Creatures in my Great Uncle's study.

"It described Phantom Demons as creatures skilled in Illusion Magic. They liked to confuse and toy with their prey using illusions, and could even use magic to transform their bodies into something like a Spirit Body. Most attacks had no effect on them.

"Their habitat is in the Winter Forest."

The people in the sleigh fell silent. The woods in the thick mist were utterly quiet. The barely visible treetops looked like monsters reaching out with clawed limbs, watching the sleigh hungrily.

Tina covered her mouth tightly with her little hands and stared nervously at the silent woods outside, as if afraid that making a sound would attract the monsters lurking there.

She had grown up hearing the legends of Phantom Demons—that disobedient children would draw them out, and they would carry her away.

"Protego Totalum!"

"Peaceful Guard!"

Matthew waved his wand and cast two protective spells centered on the sleigh. An invisible barrier enveloped the area.

But protective spells without a steady supply of magic couldn't withstand powerful attacks. They could only serve as a warning.

Matthew sensed vibrations beyond the barrier, but when he looked around, there was nothing there!

"Urgent Manifestation!"

A transparent ripple swept across the area. Two deathly pale Phantom Demons appeared beyond the barrier.

"All Petrify!"

A Blue Light passed through the Phantom Demons, but they remained completely unharmed.

Suddenly, he sensed magic behind him. He turned—and Chris and Tina had vanished. Four Phantom Demons lunged at Matthew!

"An illusion?" Matthew's expression shifted. All four Phantom Demons were identical. Chris and Tina might be among them too.

He pointed his wand at the ground. The snow transformed into a raised platform, rapidly carrying Matthew away from the Phantom Demons. Then he swiftly spun his wand.

"Muggle Repelling Charm!"

But the spell he used was the Muggle Repelling Charm!

It worked remarkably well. Two of the Phantom Demons stopped in their tracks, turned around, and left.

"Avada Kedavra!" ×2

After distinguishing Chris and Tina, Matthew cast the Killing Curse twice in succession. Two Green Beams struck two of the Phantom Demons.

The Phantom Demons couldn't resist the Killing Curse, which could attack the soul!

The surrounding mist rapidly dissipated, like bubbles pricked by a needle. Only two Phantom Demons were left lying on the ground.

Matthew rubbed his temples. The battle had been brief, but casting the Killing Curse required intense, extreme emotions. Using it twice in a row had left him mentally drained.

The woods beside the road were no longer silent. From time to time, the wind rustled through the trees.

Chris and Tina, who hadn't gone far, also awoke from the illusion.

Chris held Tina close, unable to shake his fear. Without Matthew, the Phantom Demons might have toyed with them through their Illusion Magic until they died.

He said gratefully, "Lord Matthew, thank you for saving us again!"

Matthew nodded, glanced at the sparse woods on either side, and asked Chris, "How much farther to Whitestone Town?"

"Not far. We'll be there after we cross this slope and take two more turns."

Matthew examined the two Phantom Demon corpses. Their Illusion Magic was the first magic he had encountered in this world.

Like some Magical Creatures, magical animals had magical abilities.

Matthew was curious about the difference between magical creatures and magical animals.

He transformed the snow on the ground into a bundle and placed one of the Phantom Demon corpses inside.

Once dead, Phantom Demons could be touched.

Matthew touched the Phantom Demon's corpse. The Metal Disc in his mind glimmered, and a red light drifted out of the corpse and was absorbed by the disc.

He could sense that the energy in the Crystal was brimming. It was full!

From this moment on, he could return to his original world whenever he wanted.