A sleigh glided across the snow.
"Big Brother Matthew is amazing! You fixed the broken sleigh in one go!"
The little girl excitedly gestured with her small hands, tracing the shape of the sleigh in the air.
Matthew smiled and said gently, "Once Tina turns ten, she'll be able to attend the United Wizarding Academy of the North."
Along the way, Matthew learned quite a bit from Chris.
The United Wizarding Academy of the North had been jointly established by the wizarding organizations of the northern region. From among the academy's graduates, those organizations would select wizard apprentices.
The academy accepted magically gifted children around the age of ten, where they would study the foundations of magic.
It was the easiest path into the world of magic.
Matthew could not help feeling a little regretful. He was already fourteen and had missed the academy's admission age. If he wanted to join a wizarding organization in the North, he would have to find another route.
He looked toward Chris, who was driving the sleigh, and asked, "Chris, besides the United Wizarding Academy of the North, are there any other ways to join one of the northern wizarding organizations?"
Chris kept driving, turning his head slightly as he replied, "If you have a letter of recommendation from a member of a wizarding organization, you can apply to join."
"Or, if you pass the formal wizard's examination, you can also apply."
Fully qualified wizards were still relatively rare. As long as your ideals aligned with theirs, most wizarding organizations would not turn you away.
Neither option sounded easy. After a moment's thought, Matthew asked, "Is there any other way besides those?"
He had only just arrived in this world. He had no way of obtaining a recommendation letter, and he had yet to come into contact with this world's magic, so passing a formal wizard's examination was out of the question.
Chris thought for a moment, then said, "The kingdoms of the northern region all recruit court wizards. My great-uncle was a court wizard of the Kingdom of Blizzard.
"But he passed away. He left behind an empty house in White Stone Town, and we can stay there for now."
Matthew immediately followed up, "What are the requirements for becoming a kingdom court wizard?"
Chris explained, "The bar isn't that high. They recruit quite a few unofficial members to handle day-to-day affairs.
"As long as you have the talent to become a wizard and aren't a dark wizard, you can join the kingdom's court wizards.
"But if you want to become a formal member, you have to pass a much harder examination."
Matthew nodded in understanding. Court wizards were burdened with all kinds of routine duties, which meant far less time for true magical research.
Still, Chris was an ordinary man. What he knew was only his own understanding of the matter, and it might not be entirely accurate. Later, Matthew would still need to ask a real wizard for the full picture.
Suddenly, Matthew's expression shifted.
He noticed that a hazy mist had begun to gather around them, and the forest had fallen deathly silent.
To his senses, the mist contained magic. Since he was new here, he had no way of knowing whether that was simply a natural phenomenon in this world.
But the fog rapidly grew thicker, and the magic within it became increasingly active.
Then, all at once, he felt as though countless ants were crawling down his spine.
He spun around sharply.
A lifeless face was pressed right up behind him.
Its skin was deathly pale, like that of a corpse. It was completely hairless, its expression mournful, its mouth hanging slightly open. Black ichor dripped from the corners of its lips as it stared fixedly at Matthew.
Matthew's face changed. With a flick of his right hand, the wand hidden in his sleeve slid into his grasp.
"Diffindo!"
A sharp tearing sound split the air as a transparent crescent blade sliced across the creature's lifeless face.
But it was not torn apart.
Instead, the corners of its mouth stretched grotesquely all the way to its ears. More black slime spilled from its mouth, yet its brows and eyes still held that same sorrowful expression. With a bizarre grin, it dissolved into the air.
Matthew frowned. "An illusion?"
Chris had heard the commotion as well. When he turned and saw what had happened, he cried out, "A Phantom Wraith!"
"A Phantom Wraith?"
"Phantom Wraiths are magical creatures that only appear in the Winter Forest. Why would they show up here?" Chris could not help but curse under his breath. "Damn it, when did this road become so dangerous? It was still safe a few months ago!
"Beyond this mountain range lies the Winter Forest. Hardly anyone ever goes there—it's a paradise for magical creatures, and it's extremely dangerous.
"By rights, the forest should be cut off by a grove of Drake-Serpent Trees. Those trees feed on magic, so the magical creatures in the Winter Forest normally can't get out."
Drake-Serpent Trees...
Matthew immediately thought of the bizarre forest he had encountered when he first arrived.
"Chris, how much do you know about Phantom Wraiths?" Matthew asked.
Chris continued driving the sleigh and answered over his shoulder, "Not much. Phantom Wraiths are basically a legend in these parts—the kind adults use to scare children.
"But I once saw a book called Illustrated Guide to Magical Creatures in my great-uncle's study.
"It described Phantom Wraiths as masters of illusion magic. They like to confuse and toy with their prey using illusions. They can also use magic to turn their bodies into something like a spirit form, which makes most attacks ineffective against them.
"Their kind lives in the Winter Forest."
The sleigh fell quiet.
The forest shrouded in thick mist had become completely silent. The faint outlines of the tree canopies looked like clawing monsters, watching the sleigh with predatory intent.
Tina clapped both hands tightly over her mouth, nervously staring out at the silent woods, as though even the slightest sound might draw the monsters closer.
She had grown up hearing stories about Phantom Wraiths—disobedient children, people said, would be snatched away by them.
"Protego Totalum!"
"Salvio Hexia!"
Matthew swept his wand through the air, casting two protective enchantments around the sleigh. An invisible barrier spread outward and enclosed the area.
But without a steady supply of magic, such protective spells could not withstand especially powerful attacks. At most, they would serve as a warning.
Matthew felt a disturbance strike the rear edge of the barrier.
Yet when he looked, there was nothing there.
"Specialis Revelio!"
A transparent ripple spread through the air, and beyond the barrier two pallid Phantom Wraiths appeared.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A streak of blue light shot through one of the Wraiths—but it remained completely unharmed.
At that moment, Matthew sensed magical fluctuations behind him. When he turned, Chris and Tina had vanished. Four Phantom Wraiths were lunging toward him!
"Illusions?" Matthew's expression sharpened. All four Wraiths were exactly the same size and shape. Chris and Tina might be hidden among them.
He pointed his wand at the ground. The snow rose into a tall platform, instantly widening the distance between himself and the creatures.
Then he spun his wand sharply.
"Muggle-Repelling Charm!"
What he used was, in fact, the Muggle-Repelling Charm.
The effect was extraordinary.
Two of the Phantom Wraiths halted, then turned and drifted away.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Once Matthew had distinguished Chris and Tina from the illusions, he cast the Killing Curse twice in quick succession. Two green bolts struck the remaining Phantom Wraiths.
They could not withstand a curse that directly attacked the soul.
The surrounding mist burst apart like bubbles pricked by needles and rapidly dispersed, leaving only the two Phantom Wraith corpses on the ground.
Matthew rubbed his temples.
The battle had been brief, but the Killing Curse required extremely powerful, extreme emotion to cast. Using it twice in succession left him mentally drained.
The forest by the roadside was no longer silent. From time to time, the wind rustled through the trees.
Chris and Tina, who had not gone far, also came to their senses as the illusions broke.
Chris pulled Tina tightly into his arms, a wave of fear washing over him. Without Matthew, they likely would have been toyed with by the Phantom Wraiths' illusion magic until they died.
"Sir Matthew, thank you for saving us again!" he said gratefully.
Matthew nodded, then glanced toward the thinner stretches of woodland on both sides of the road.
"How much farther to White Stone Town?"
"Not far now," Chris replied. "Just over this slope and around two more bends."
Matthew studied the two Phantom Wraith corpses.
Their illusion magic was the first true spellcraft of this world he had encountered.
Magical creatures, like many magical beasts, possessed supernatural abilities.
Matthew found himself deeply curious about the distinction between magical creatures and magical beasts in this world.
He transfigured the snow on the ground into a bundle and wrapped one of the Phantom Wraith corpses inside it.
Once dead, the creature could be touched normally.
As Matthew laid a hand on the corpse, the metal disc in his mind glimmered faintly.
A strand of red light drifted out of the body and was absorbed by the disc.
He could immediately sense the crystal filling with power.
It was full.
From this moment on, he could return to his original world at any time.
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