Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 87 This is Hell

"Hornets?"

Selica didn't understand.

"It's a kind of dark magic item. That thing makes people very difficult to kill. I suspect Joachim made a Horcrux."

Joachim's state reminded Murphy of Tom Riddle's diary. In the original story, it was used to describe Ginny's resurrected state, which was not a complete entity but rather a hazy, ghostly figure.

Although it's uncertain whether the resurrected Tom possesses any of the ghost's characteristics, this is the only possibility Murphy can think of for now.

"If we find that Horcrux and destroy it, Joachim should be able to be defeated."

"But where should we look?"

"Let's go to his house and look for clues first," Murphy said. "Maybe they're just in his house."

"Alright, you go to Joachim's house to find the Horcrux, and I'll distract him," Murphy said.

"Remember, a Horcrux could be anything—a diary, a ring, a gem, a necklace, or something like that. It probably has special significance for him personally, since it concerns his life. It's unlikely that anyone would just take a random roadside stone to make one."

"It might be unremarkable, but it usually contains very powerful dark magic. You should be able to detect it once you get close. But be careful, he might set some kind of trap for his Horcrux."

Murphy finished giving his orders in one breath, but Selica was still a little confused. So many possibilities, most likely, maybe, perhaps...

She felt the plan was completely unreliable.

"Are you in danger?" Celica asked.

"Nonsense! Of course there is! So you have to find the Horcrux or something else that can kill him as soon as possible. If you drag this out too long, I'm definitely doomed."

"Okay, okay..." Selica felt a great responsibility.

"Are you ready?"

"Huh? Leaving now?"

"Your symptoms can't be delayed any longer," Murphy said, then grabbed Celica's hand. "Close your eyes and just focus on following me."

"Apparition".

The next instant, the two suddenly appeared on a rooftop. Murphy glanced into the distance and found the house under the oak tree that Selica had mentioned. He then Apparated again and arrived at Joachim's cottage.

"Ring ring..." A piercing ringing sound suddenly rang out.

Murphy glanced at the bells on the small wooden stakes around the cabin, then shattered them with a flick of his wand.

"The intrusion warning spell is coming soon. Hide inside and don't let it see you." After Murphy finished speaking, he flew directly into the sky.

Sure enough, a transparent figure suddenly flashed in the distance and appeared in front of Murphy.

Murphy didn't hold back either, "Disarm you!"

This is the only spell Murphy has tried that might work on the ghost of Joachim.

The disarming spell was blocked, and Murphy didn't linger. He transformed into black smoke and ran away.

He can't use Apparition; to keep the other person's attention on him, he needs to make himself visible.

The ghost seemed to be enraged and suddenly let out a roar, unleashing a barrage of spells that chased after Murphy.

Moreover, as a ghost, he is able to float. Although he is slow, with the help of Apparition, his mobility is not much worse than Murphy's flight.

The two chased and fled, quickly getting away from the cabin.

Meanwhile, Selica cracked a magical trap at the entrance and used Prototype to search for possible clues in the hut.

Soon, she found a hidden door.

Behind the hidden door was a cellar, from which a terrible stench emanated.

Selica threw in two glowing orbs, but they still couldn't light up the cellar, so she had to muster her courage and go down the stairs.

The cellar seemed to have been enchanted with a seamless stretching spell, making it appear very spacious.

The ground was wet and covered with cobwebs. Selica walked in and soon saw something unusual.

Those were iron cages, which had been there for who knows how many years, covered in rust.

In several cages, Celica also saw human skeletons.

As you move forward, you see more and more cages, and occasionally you'll see one or two hospital beds covered in blood.

Everywhere there were blood-stained bandages, unidentified filth, and occasionally skulls, some intact, some scattered, and some even smashed to pieces.

Further ahead, Serica suddenly heard a sound, which seemed to be someone crying or struggling.

Selica was trembling all over, but the thought of Murphy still fighting that terrifying ghost outside forced her to keep going.

Soon, she arrived at the back of the cellar, where a wall was scrawled with many symbols and words, and two hospital beds were placed next to it.

On each hospital bed, a half-decomposed person was strapped in.

They were still moving, struggling to get up from their sickbeds. Their translucent, ghostly bodies could be seen in their almost completely rotten chests and limbs.

This cellar was so terrifying that Celica couldn't even begin to imagine what it had been used for.

But she was certain that it was something that would give her nightmares for a whole month.

She didn't want to know at all.

But between the two hospital beds was a medicine table piled with various instruments and bottles, and a notebook was placed on it.

notebook!

However, there was no sense of the horror of black magic in it. She hesitated before opening the notebook and found that it was Joachim Hel's medical notes, which recorded some of his attempts to treat the Black Death.

She turned to a page.

"On July 3, someone died in the village. Many people died outside, and I knew that the plague had finally reached here. I persuaded the villagers not to go out and tried to treat them with licorice root, stimulants, and other things, but it didn't seem to be very effective."

"On July 7th, two more people died; simply cutting away the rotten flesh didn't help. The villagers began to fear, but the Black Death outside was even more terrifying. Where could they go?"

"July 9th. People have started to go crazy, and once people become desperate, they can become uncontrollable. I have to give them some hope. I have to make them believe that they can be healed. Perhaps, it's time to use that spell."

She turned to the next page.

"July 13th. After treatment, people are in much better spirits. They believe I will overcome the disease, and people are returning to a stable life."

"July 15th. People are still dying. I lied to them; I can't cure them at all!"

"Ganari is dead. She was only four years old, so lovely. She...she's dead. I can't do anything about it. Maybe Father was right, I shouldn't have gotten so close to Muggles. I cared too much about them..."

"Gaoran died on July 17."

"On July 18, Antoné and Farrugia died."

"On July 20, the bodies of the Ferdo family were discovered."

Selica turned another page.

There was only one line of text on it, crooked and illegible, like the ramblings of a drunkard.

"This is hell."

……

"August 10th. I locked myself in my room and didn't go out for a month. More people were dying. Some people cried and begged me for help, but what could I do? What else could I do?"

……

"Don't push me! Don't push me anymore!"

……

"On September 2nd, I have to pull myself together; they still need me."

"I will persevere; I have decided to use the Seed of the Mind on myself."

(End of this chapter)