"I've heard of him before... Andrews Ivanov," Elena said softly. "Some Aurors from the Ministry of Magic once came to my house as guests, and they talked about him. They said he accepted dirty money and sold out the witness he was supposed to protect..."
"And now... do you still think he's a criminal who accepted bribes?" Wade asked.
"You mean... he was framed?" Elena widened her eyes.
The amount of information in Andrews's reaction and words just now was not actually that great. After thinking about it for a moment, Elena quickly understood.
Before learning the truth, she would never have believed it, but now...
That devil of a father... if he had always been this kind of person, could he really have committed only this one evil act?
Elena clenched her fists tightly. "I... I loved my father very much. But... that was fake... the thing I loved was only an illusion from beginning to end."
Wade calmly said, "You don't necessarily have to involve yourself in this matter. I know you can never return to that home again, but you could also choose to run far away."
"No... I don't want to run away! This matter has to reach a conclusion! Because one thing has already become certain! He killed my mother!" Elena struggled to her feet.
At this moment, Elena's emotions were extremely complicated. Since she refused to run away, then she had to choose between her father and her mother!
And now, she had already made her choice.
Wade nodded. "Since you've made your decision, then as you wish... I'll wait for you at the wooden cabin."
As he spoke, Wade lightly waved his wand before turning and leaving.
The unconscious Andrews slowly floated into the air, following Wade deeper into the forest...
...
Outside the wooden cabin, the teenagers were gathered together discussing what they had just witnessed.
Why had the older man Wade brought back suddenly gone mad?
Where had that extra girl come from?
At that moment, the teenagers' discussion abruptly stopped because they saw Wade walking out from the forest.
The older man who had gone mad earlier was still unconscious, floating behind him under the effects of a Levitation Charm...
"What happened?" Tom frowned and asked. "You can't just bring a bunch of random people into my house without asking me first!"
"Alright, Tom, I won't be staying long... and you don't need to speculate too much. Andrews reacted like that because he only learned today that his enemy did something even more unforgivable to him."
"What unforgivable thing?" Tom asked.
"That is someone else's suffering. Spreading another person's pain around without their permission makes you no better than some gossiping old hag. If he calms down later and wants to talk to you about it himself, then you can ask." After saying that, Wade entered the cabin.
Everyone looked frustrated. Teenagers at this age were naturally the most curious, yet Wade had deliberately explained nothing at all...
"Alright, stop worrying about it and continue practicing! If you still can't master the Flying Charm, he definitely won't teach you a second spell!" Tom shouted while leaning on his crutch.
Only then did everyone disperse again and continue practicing miserably.
But after only a short while, Tom's blood pressure started rising again...
"Ah, damn it, I mastered it after one explanation, and that bastard Wade still mocked me. Then look at all of you... I'm clearly a once-in-a-generation genius!"
...
Andrews had already woken up, but he sat in silence for a full five minutes without saying a single word.
Wade ignored him and continued reading the blueprint notebook his senior had mailed to him.
"I want to go back and tear him apart alive," Andrews said hoarsely.
"Bad idea. Not satisfying enough. If revenge isn't satisfying enough, then it's not even worth taking revenge at all," Wade said.
"I think tearing him apart alive would feel very satisfying!" Andrews raised his voice.
"I think you should learn what true revenge artistry means..." Wade put down the notebook and smiled. "Only by destroying, one by one, the things your enemy values most right in front of him, then making him suffer hellish torment for all eternity, can it truly be called revenge... What does Yuriyev value most?"
"Power," Andrews said coldly.
"Mm, good. Then strip away his power piece by piece... which just so happens to not conflict with our original objective." Wade clapped his hands together.
"Heh, you're just using me..."
"I never once said I wasn't using you. Otherwise, why would I hire you? What, do you think I'm some great philanthropist?"
Wade's words caused Andrews to fall silent once again.
"The choice is yours. The door's over there, and your carriage is still in the woods. You can choose to stay, or you can choose to go back and tear him apart alive... it's entirely up to you." After saying that, Wade stopped speaking and picked up the blueprint notebook again.
Andrews stood up, but after a long while, he still did not take another step forward...
In the end, he slowly sat back down and said in a hoarse voice, "With my abilities... I can't even get close to him. So I'll listen to you."
The moment he finished speaking, Wade tossed a huge stack of books in front of him. They were the same books Wade had given him earlier.
"Then let's begin. Only by enduring the dryness of hatred can you fully enjoy the sweet rain of revenge in the end..."
Andrews closed his eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "Do you still have any Cheering Potions and Calming Draughts left?"
"A very reasonable request."
Just as Wade was about to take out some potions, a little nightingale flew in through the window and landed on the table in front of him.
Wade smiled brightly. "Looks like you've made up your mind as well."
...
"This was driving me crazy."
A strand of black mist floated out from a metal sphere and transformed into an old man standing on the spot.
It was already deep into the night.
Only after Wade closed the door could Slytherin come out to "get some fresh air."
"But you don't even need to breathe." Wade laughed.
"Your words are getting rather sharp-tongued, boy. I know I'm a ghost and can't breathe! But that's merely a figure of speech! Do you understand what a figure of speech is? Have you ever read a book?" Slytherin said irritably.
"So when are you planning to meet Tom? If you do, he might even arrange a large room for you. Then you won't have to stay cooped up all the time." Wade smiled.
This time, Slytherin seriously considered it for a moment. "It really is about time I met that boy... otherwise, I don't even know what you'll end up teaching him!"
"Isn't he doing fine now? Looking at him, he's practically becoming a second Dumbledore already!" Wade laughed.
Slytherin instantly felt irritated. "Fine my ass. He doesn't even want to use Dark Magic anymore!"
"Dark Magic damages the body. Not wanting to use it isn't necessarily a bad thing," Wade casually said.
"Then why aren't you afraid of it damaging your body? You certainly don't hesitate much when using Dark Magic, do you?" Slytherin glanced sideways at Wade.
"I'm very health-conscious these days too. I only use Dark Magic when it's absolutely necessary. It's just that, up until now, there have been very few opponents capable of forcing me to go all out with Dark Magic."
"Dumbledore..."
"That's my professor. How could I use Dark Magic on him?"
"Grindelwald..."
"He's a high-ranking Ministry official! If he didn't attack me first and I used Dark Magic against him, I'd get thrown into Azkaban and become a blood bag for Dementors! I'm a law-abiding citizen!"
Slytherin sighed emotionally. "...That's exactly why I dislike this era. Back in our time, if you didn't like someone, you simply drew your sword and fought!"
"Stop reminiscing about the old days for now. You should think about when to meet Tom instead. I'm going to sleep." Wade put down his book and lay on the bed.
"Then I'll go meet Tom right now." Slytherin glanced at the wall beside him and prepared to pass through it.
"You're wearing the Obscurus robes, so you can't pass through walls... and are you really sure you want to go over there like this?" Wade asked.
"If I go over like this, what's the problem? That child Tom has plenty of courage. Surely he wouldn't get frightened by an old ghost like me?" Slytherin said unhappily. "A descendant of Slytherin wouldn't be that cowardly!"
"Tom has courage? He's also extremely paranoid..." Wade rubbed his nose helplessly. "Fine, if you say he's courageous, then he's courageous..."
Slytherin stuffed the robes formed from the Obscurus back into the goblin metal container he usually hid in, restoring his entire body to its pale white appearance.
Then, with a sudden dive, he charged straight through the wall toward the next room...
Wade stared at the ceiling above his bed and silently began counting down.
"Three, two..."
Bang!
Wade's door was violently slammed open as Tom rushed in like a madman. He was not even limping anymore. "Shit! Wade! You won't believe what I just saw!"
Wade sat up helplessly. "Tom... I didn't even get to count one yet."
"What?" Tom had no idea what Wade was talking about, but that no longer mattered. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Just now! Slytherin! Slytherin's ghost appeared in my room! Damn it! He's been dead for over a thousand years, so how could his ghost suddenly appear now? Someone must be trying to kill me! You have to save me, Wade!"
Wade ignored the panicked Tom and instead looked teasingly toward the doorway. "A descendant of Slytherin couldn't possibly be this cowardly? Hah..."
Tom suddenly felt a chill run down the back of his neck. Slowly turning around, he immediately saw that pale, icy old face.
Slytherin's expression was dark as he stared at his descendant. With a wave of his hand, the Obscurus robes inside the goblin metal container flew back onto his body.
"Where's my wand?" Slytherin asked coldly.
Wade tossed him a wand. "Please."
"What? What do you mean? You know him? Ah! Right! You're behind this, aren't you!" Tom suddenly realized everything.
Wade rubbed his nose. "Go fight outside if you want, but don't hit him too hard. He's your descendant after all. A direct one."
"Understood." Slytherin replied impatiently. "Avada..."
Wade: "..."
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