What Flowing Blood Brings

In February 1981, when the two had spent a full year at the Flamels' home, Adele suddenly said, "Weiwei, I've transferred your guardianship to the Scamander family."

Evita looked up blankly from the crepe she was eating, a little cream still on the corner of her mouth. "Why?" she asked, sounding a little helpless.

Adele, who did indeed have a legitimate reason, said, "The traces one person, or even two, leaves in the world are extremely complicated. I have to keep making up background stories to make everything plausible."

"So I plan to announce that I'm leaving to explore ruins. That way, I can advance or retreat as needed."

"I'll travel ever farther down the road in search of truth. Even death would be nothing more than an adventure from which there's no turning back," Adele said solemnly. "I'm going to put that line in the book that's about to be published, so it'll keep earning you money."

"Thanks," Evita said dejectedly.

"But..." Adele said, "You can talk to me in your head, and I'll send you animals from time to time. Just think of it as me going on a trip, all right?"

"All right," Evita said. "Then I want to talk to you every day."

"Sure," Adele replied readily. "The first quest has begun. You'll get physical rewards for completing quests, too. Work hard and become a tycoon. You can do it."

A transparent screen appeared before Evita's eyes.

[Ten-year nurturing period complete. System dueling arena feature now has a chance of activation]

[Quest chain, part one: move to Godric's Hollow. A residence has been prepared]

Godric's Hollow... Evita remembered something in a flash. If there was one thing about that place that had left the deepest impression on her, it had to be Lily and James's deaths!

What about the rest? What else was there? She held her head, only to find that she couldn't remember a single thing more. She could only toss her hair regretfully.

The next day, the two said goodbye to the Flamels and returned to Britain, where they also said goodbye to the Scamanders.

After that, Adele took Evita to Godric's Hollow and left as well.

It was a three-story house with a garden. Carrying her suitcase, Evita walked in alone.

The suitcase Adele had given her was blackish brown all over, about the same length and width as a sixteen-inch suitcase, but a little shorter in height. There were two knobs near the handle. The bronze one could change the case's shape and size at any time.

The other knob was silver. Turning it halfway to the left opened a storage room, where various purchased materials could be seen, along with several wands Adele had bought for her to use.

Turning it all the way to the left opened the Fantastic Beasts space, which functioned like a large cat carrier. So far, though, its only occupants were a phoenix and a Basilisk. There was no telling how new animals would move in.

Turning it halfway to the right put it in Muggle mode. Inside were some scattered pounds and other items, such as two hats. Turning it all the way to the right opened another storage room, filled with all sorts of books and study materials.

Evita took the suitcase wherever she went because it was simply too convenient. Not only was it spacious enough to hold a great many things, it also became feather-light once closed, making it easy to carry.

She pushed open the door before her and entered her new home.

Life in her new home was much the same as before. Godric's Hollow was a part-wizarding community, and Evita collected a huge pile of restaurant phone numbers and ordered takeout every day.

Other than that, her daily routine was very simple and regular.

In the morning, when the alarm rang, Evita rolled around in bed for a while before finally opening her eyes with great reluctance, getting up, and washing.

Breakfast was generally sandwiches, bread, oatmeal, and other quick, convenient foods that only needed heating in the microwave. Evita had never known that such appliances were already so widespread in the eighties, but they made things easier for her.

In the morning, Evita first spent an hour writing letters to the older people she knew, then practiced charms or read.

For lunch, she picked a business card at random from a large pile of restaurant cards and called to place an order. After eating, she took a half-hour nap.

In the afternoon, she began taking care of the animals. Through the system, Adele had made a great many animals appear out of nowhere in the suitcase, and their numbers were still growing.

These were all animals Adele had found that had been born in poor health, some of which had almost failed to hatch. Fortunately, Evita had a great deal of talent in this area. She kept herself busy and did manage to keep them alive.

She still relied on restaurant deliveries for dinner. Incidentally, the owners of the restaurants she ordered from most often already knew her... After dinner, she would go out for a walk.

At night, she brewed potions, sleeping at two and getting up at six. Even the King of Hell would praise her health.

Apart from her walks, Evita hardly ever went out. Even so, she met someone.

It was Bathilda Bagshot, who also liked walking. She went out for a stroll every day, and the old woman was so hale and hearty that she looked healthier than some adults.

The old lady was the author of A History of Magic. She was friendly, and despite their difference in age, the two hit it off at once over their similar views on a historical event. Old Bathilda even gave her a copy of A History of Magic with annotations.

As Evita happily accepted the book, she couldn't help letting her thoughts wander. In the ten years since she had transmigrated, how was it that everyone she knew was elderly? And they all liked her very much, too.

First there were Tina, Newt, Tina's sister Queenie and brother-in-law Jacob, Newt's brother Theseus, Perenelle Flamel, and Nicolas Flamel, and now there was old Bathilda.

Could it be... Evita stood before the mirror and pinched her cheeks with a serious expression. Perhaps she really did have a universal charm aura that was especially effective against the elderly?

She gave the mirror a broad smile, and the girl in it smiled back. Her silver hair sparkled even more brightly under the light and floated behind her head despite the absence of wind. Her skin glowed with a soft, pure light like the moon.

In this world, only women who had inherited Veela blood could have such features. As Evita looked in the mirror, her thoughts gradually wandered.

She had asked Adele about it. She was a half-blood, fortunate enough, one might say, to have inherited all the advantages of Veela and humans, as well as most of their disadvantages.

For example, there were Evita's interactions with the employees at the various restaurants, the people she had dealt with most often lately. They were all, without exception, extremely enthusiastic, yet she found it very irritating.

She had even felt upset for a while, wondering why her temper had gotten so bad. Only after reading quite a few books did she gradually come to understand.

What she saw was that they were happy, but that emotion was feigned... After all, who was happy at work? But faking that emotion counted as deception, and she was extremely sensitive to emotions involving deception and found them hard to endure.

A human lie detector? Having discovered this ability, Evita resolved to keep her expressions under control.