"Sorry to interrupt, but it seems we arrived at just the right time."
"I thought I heard someone outside talking about a duel?"
Rowena and Helga spoke one after the other, forcibly shattering the extremely serious atmosphere in the classroom.
They had done it deliberately.
In fact, they had been the first professors to arrive at the Great Hall after Dumbledore. Once they learned what had happened from the students present, the two of them immediately sensed that something was wrong.
If Godric had been the one at the centre of the incident, the two of them might simply have gone to breakfast.
But the person responsible was Salazar.
Although Salazar's recent behaviour had made them feel as though he had been infected by Gryffindor, both Rowena and Helga knew perfectly well that his fundamental nature had not changed.
He was still that serpent-like wizard.
That made what had just happened extremely unusual.
Helga and Rowena wanted to understand exactly what had made Salazar so furious that he had acted in a way completely inconsistent with his usual behaviour.
Normally, they could only have asked Salazar himself, since the other young wizards knew only the barest details.
Fortunately, Helga noticed Daphne in the Great Hall and immediately went to question the successor Salazar had personally chosen.
That was how she learned the whole story.
When the two of them discovered that Ilvermorny had taken possession of Salazar's wand and regarded it as the school's greatest treasure, they immediately realised how troublesome the situation had become.
Anyone would feel uncomfortable about something like this, let alone Salazar.
Helga and Rowena also understood that there had to be some hidden story behind Salazar's wand ending up at Ilvermorny.
But would someone like Salazar listen to Ilvermorny's explanation?
Of course not!
As far as he was concerned, even if they had ten thousand reasons, treating his wand as a trophy was absolutely intolerable.
If the people from Ilvermorny failed to understand the situation, someone would inevitably pay with their life.
The moment they learned that Dumbledore had taken both Salazar and the Headmistress of Ilvermorny away, neither of them hesitated in the slightest. They immediately turned around and left.
Over the past few days, they had gained a deeper understanding of the modern wizarding world and knew perfectly well the status that the foul-tempered novice witch Seraphina held within the American magical community.
Her political ability was mediocre, and her magical skill was poor, but her status was extremely high. Combined with her long life and position as Headmistress of Ilvermorny, she was practically regarded as a second Dumbledore by American wizards.
The comparison was rather insulting to Dumbledore, but it was true.
Therefore, this woman could not die.
She absolutely could not die at Hogwarts while the World Youth Wizarding Championship was being held there.
Helga and Rowena had hurried over because they feared that the situation might reach an irreversible point.
Fortunately, Seraphina and Rhys had spent all that time arguing, allowing the two of them to arrive in time.
When Dumbledore saw Professor White and Professor Aries enter, he first breathed a sigh of relief.
Then a sharp glint suddenly flashed through his eyes.
Scene after scene surfaced in his mind, gradually connected by a single thread until they formed a complete clue, giving Dumbledore a bold suspicion.
The things Professor White had once told him, the unusual behaviour of the Greengrass sisters, Professor Picquery's blood-dripping palm, and Rhys Lint's calm yet determined gaze...
For Dumbledore, far too much had happened in the brief span of the past dozen minutes.
There had been too much information to process, and he still had an extremely urgent matter to resolve, leaving him unable to calm down and think carefully.
The arrival of the two professors gave Dumbledore's mind a brief chance to breathe, allowing him to sort through everything he had just witnessed.
His mind had not grown sluggish with age. He quickly noticed that something was unusual.
While Dumbledore chose to remain silent, Helga and Rowena racked their brains for a way to calm Rhys, who was repeatedly teetering on the verge of losing control.
"There is absolutely no need for a duel. Everyone understands that the wand belongs to Hogwarts and to Salazar Slytherin. Ilvermorny and the Gaunt family were merely keeping it on his behalf!"
"Salazar's wand is an omen of misfortune. Professor Picquery, please do not remain stubborn. It will bring disaster upon Ilvermorny!"
Rowena was not exaggerating.
If Salazar were truly enraged, he would undoubtedly raze Ilvermorny to the ground.
Rowena had learned about the circumstances surrounding Ilvermorny's founding. Even then, her instincts had told her that the school was somehow destined to clash with Salazar.
If they failed to placate him, then even if Salazar refrained from settling the matter immediately for the sake of the greater good, Ilvermorny would inevitably face his reckoning afterwards.
The fact that he had chosen to confront them publicly was actually a good thing. It meant that he had not yet decided to kill them.
He could easily have remained silent and secretly tampered with the Ilvermorny students. The moment they returned to their school, they might suddenly drop dead, followed by a terrible plague spreading throughout Ilvermorny.
At that thought, Rowena could not help clicking her tongue.
Why was that old Salazar so much like a snake?
When he bared his teeth and hissed, it was merely a warning. When he truly intended to strike, he would remain completely silent and bite without warning.
Rowena's words were barbed, and Seraphina instinctively found them unpleasant. However, just as she was about to say something, Dumbledore gave her a meaningful look.
Out of respect for Dumbledore, she forcibly suppressed her temper and turned towards him, waiting for an explanation.
"It is widely accepted that the wand brings disaster and death," Dumbledore said, playing a little game with words.
Of course, he was not deceiving Seraphina. He was merely stating a fact.
Seraphina: ???
What sort of ridiculous rumour was this?
Why had she never heard of it?
Could Hogwarts, as a school founded by the four great founders, have some unknown secret passed down through the centuries?
That... actually made sense.
Seraphina found the possibility perfectly reasonable.
As for whether Dumbledore was deceiving her, she trusted him. Moreover, she had great confidence in her own intuition and believed that everything Dumbledore had said was true.
"Think about it. The moment it reappeared, it caused all of this..." Dumbledore added.
His words flashed through Seraphina's mind like lightning, and she immediately understood.
That was right.
The wand truly was cursed!
She had nearly entered a duel to the death with Rhys Lint moments ago. Regardless of the outcome, one of them would inevitably have become a sacrifice to that ominous wand!
Seraphina felt that she had finally understood everything.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI