The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 115 The Ruins of the Tower in the Forest

Klin Town.

An old horse-drawn carriage was traveling through the small town.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped by the roadside, and then three young men emerged from the dilapidated carriage.

Ino took a silver coin out of his pocket and handed it to the coachman, then looked around at the strange town in front of him.

Beside him were the Brothers Grimm, who also did not rush in, but stood outside the town observing.

Yesterday, after hearing Kru's description at the tavern, the three packed their things and set off overnight.

Unlike the Brothers Grimm, who sought adventure and profit, Ino simply wanted to see the world and expand his story collection.

As a bard, it would be incredibly interesting to experience the stories alongside the legendary Brothers Grimm.

Similarly, this is the confidence that comes with having strength. If he had encountered such strange things before, his first thought would have been how to escape, and he would never have been curious enough to go over.

……

Outside of Klin Town, smog, like a never-fading curtain, firmly shrouded the sky.

The clouds were thick and low, as if they could crush the crumbling town at any moment.

"There's a problem here!"

Outside the town, William pushed up his glasses and suddenly voiced his opinion.

After he finished speaking, Jacob quickly drew a silver dagger from his boot.

A magical scene unfolded: the seemingly ordinary silver dagger was actually emitting a faint glow. Although the light was weak, it gave people a sense of sacredness and inviolability.

"Show yourself immediately!" Ino held his wand and cast a spell to detect dark magic over the town, but found nothing.

"There's a problem here, but my magic can't detect it!"

"Don't be afraid! I'm here!" Jacob said, holding a short sword.

At this moment, he was no longer the carefree, candy-loving youth in the tavern; he seemed to have been reborn, becoming sharp and brave.

Ino did not let his guard down because of Jacob's words. He knew very well that he was not a legendary protagonist like the Brothers Grimm, and there were some things he could not be careless about.

"Safeguarding the town!"

After casting a spell to defend against the curse, he stood aside, wand in hand.

"Let's go in! Let's find out what's going on first." William looked up at the clouds in the sky, then turned back to Jacob: "Put your weapon away, it's not time to use it yet."

……

The three of them slowly walked into Klin Town.

The town was deserted, even somewhat desolate.

The buildings here are mostly small stone houses, with moss and vines climbing all over the walls, and all the doors and windows are tightly closed.

Occasionally, someone would pass by, and their face was always gloomy and miserable.

"Let's split up and find out what's going on! Ino, you go with Jacob," William said, glancing at the deserted street before turning to the other side.

He was starting to worry about Ino, this boy who looked even younger than his own brother. Although he claimed to be a magician's apprentice, he had only been muttering to himself with a stick the whole way, and hadn't actually used any magic at all.

Just as the group was about to part ways.

The next second, a mournful cry rang out from the other side of the town.

The three exchanged a glance and ran straight toward the source of the sound.

……

On the other side of the town.

Beside the well, a little girl with a missing face was stumbling along, while behind her, a humanoid monster made entirely of mud was hopping and skipping along.

At this moment, a large crowd had gathered around the well, attacking the monster with various farm tools such as sickles and rakes.

However, the monster's body is made of mud, so this attack has no effect whatsoever; its only function is to slow it down.

Although its entire body was covered in putrid mud, upon closer inspection, the monster actually had handsome features. Considering the little girl who lost her face, the answer seemed self-evident.

"They'll all be petrified!"

Just as the monster was about to catch up with the girl, a white light flashed.

The mud monster stopped moving instantly, and then white marble patterns began to appear on its entire body. After a moment, it remained motionless like a stone statue.

Ino lowered the arm holding the wand. Although he didn't understand the situation, he decisively used the petrification spell the moment he saw the monster.

Perhaps a fire spell would be more effective, but considering the little girl who had lost her facial features, he could only imprison the monster for now.

"A magician?"

"An exorcist?"

"Evil magic?"

Seeing that the monster had been brought under control, the residents of the surrounding towns began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Before Ino could explain, Jacob drew a silver dagger from his boot and precisely stabbed it into the heart of the petrified monster.

"Bang!"

The monster shattered into pieces of varying sizes, and the little girl, who had also lost her facial features, regained her original appearance.

"Mom!" The girl, who had been quiet all along, burst into loud sobs.

At the same time, a middle-aged woman holding a sickle rushed over and hugged the crying girl.

……

The girl's home.

Ino and the Brothers Grimm listened quietly to the girl's mother's story. Unlike other peasant women, the girl's mother was clearly a worldly person, and her words revealed a certain level of education.

"What do you think is going on here!" William asked, looking at the girl's mother, a woman named Emily.

"I don't know, but there are rumors that these strange things are related to the ruined tower in the forest." Emily shook her head, still looking frightened.

"This is the ninth strange incident that has happened in the town in the past six months. Each time, the victims are girls around ten years old. I plan to take my daughter away from here. The town is cursed."

"Can you tell us about the ruined tower?" William asked.

"There's nothing to say about it; everyone here knows." Emily suddenly stood up and pulled a yellowed notebook from the corner of the room.

"These are my father's notes. He used to be the priest here! The records of the ruined tower are all in there. It's said that a princess was imprisoned in that tower a hundred years ago..."

William took the notebook and began to read it carefully.

……

Half an hour later.

Ino also figured out the truth of the story, and it was obvious that the problem lay in the ruins of the tower in the forest.

About a hundred years ago, an old witch coveted the beautiful princess's appearance and wanted to possess her. So she commanded crows to capture the princess and imprison her in a high tower.

However, all of this was discovered by a brave soldier, who took advantage of the old witch's absence to secretly climb the tower and meet with the princess.

As a result, after their tryst lasted for some time, the old witch finally discovered them. The soldier killed the old witch, but he also died from his injuries.

Witnessing her lover's death, the beautiful princess went completely mad. She began to study the evil magic left behind by the old witch, attempting to resurrect her lover.

But this unbridled behavior also attracted people's attention, and the church sent a small team of exorcists, one of whom was Emily's father. The exorcists sealed away the evil princess.

I thought everything was settled, but now it seems that the seal from before was the problem.

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(End of this chapter)