Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

Chapter 94 Masochist (8 chapters released after release)

Vova suddenly stood up straight, and despite having a lump in one leg, his posture appeared unusually firm.

He looked at the remaining members of the Fireseed, his voice steady and powerful, no longer the obedient tone of the past, but carrying a new, heartfelt conviction: "Anthony's path is wrong."

His words struck the silent air like a hammer blow.

"Magic should not be a toy used to revive beautiful dreams, much less a weapon for people like Grindelwald to seize power and profit, as he puts it."

Vova's gaze swept over everyone. "It should be like a spark in fertile soil—a source of strength, a tool, something to help all people like us survive in this world, and thrive!"

He picked up Lux's Magic Book 53 and held it high: "We're going to leave here, head inland, and find more of our kind who, like us, have awakened magic but don't know where to go, afraid of being arrested as outsiders. We're not building a pure-blooded Brotherhood hiding in bomb shelters; we'll use this power to repair machines, heal the wounded, grow food, and build something truly useful!"

These words were like a spark falling into a pile of dry wood.

The members, who had previously looked blank, gradually radiated an unprecedented glow on their faces. They had had enough of hiding and Anthony's empty theories. Vova's words, though equally grandiose, truly struck a chord with their desires.

The young man in overalls responded, "I agree! My hometown is in a factory district near Moscow. I've heard before that some of my coworkers can make machines run on their own; maybe they're wizards!"

"If we don't have enough food in winter, I can use magic to ripen potatoes!" Aunt Martha chimed in, her eyes sparkling.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Vova smiled a long-lost smile: "Then let's establish a true Spark! No bloodlines, no politics, just magic to help people and find more companions!"

Everyone nodded vigorously, their previous fear and confusion vanishing without a trace. They gathered around the wooden crate and began discussing their route: who would go to which area, how to use magic to evade the soldiers, and how to contact their companions.

Lux looked at Vova and the wizards behind him who were gradually straightening their backs, and felt a little emotional.

It turns out that magic doesn't necessarily have to be about saving the world; it can also be about something lively and bustling, about working hard for a hot meal.

Although the starting point was a bit low and the members were a bit inexperienced, the goal sounded quite plausible. Perhaps this is what magic should look like on this frozen land.

Lux didn't say anything more, just patted Vova on the shoulder: "Good luck to you guys. By the way, are there any quiet empty houses around here? I need to move this troublesome thing to a different place."

Vova immediately pointed to an abandoned cellar at the end of the village.

With their combined efforts, the group laboriously carried Eve's coffin over. Lux recalled Dumbledore's magic for creating sheds, turning this cellar into a temporary detention center.

The next morning, Vova and his group packed their things and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Vova handed his rifle to Lux, the gun still warm: "Take this. In case Eve wakes up, the gun may not kill her, but it can buy you some time."

Lux took the gun and weighed it in her hand; it was a bit heavy. "Be careful on the road. If you encounter soldiers, avoid them and don't try to fight them head-on."

"Don't worry!" Vova smiled and waved, leading the others away. Lux stood at the door, watching their figures disappear into the snow before turning back.

In the basement, Eve was still asleep, her chest rising and falling slightly, and her complexion was a little better than before.

Lux lifted her petrification spell and then used her wand to cast a reinforcement spell on the door lock, creating a simple barrier.

She asked the system in her mind, "Can I directly extract the runes from her body?"

[The rune is deeply bound to Eve's vital signs; forcibly extracting it will result in Eve's immediate death.]

Lux frowned: "What should we do? We can't just keep her locked up here forever, can we?"

And the biggest problem is: how do we get back?

The fireplace in the wooden cabin we arrived in had been scratched by someone's spell during the chaos, and now half of the wall had collapsed, and the Floo Network connection was definitely broken.

So far away, was she supposed to use her newly learned, barely-warmed Apparition skill to teleport all the way back to England?

Let's not even talk about what to do if it splits up halfway through.

She didn't want to experience having her body parts scattered throughout Siberia and then gradually returning to Hogwarts on her own.

"Sigh—" Lux sighed deeply, poking at the fire with a worried expression.

Lumi poked her head out of the basket, licked her fingers, and mumbled indistinctly, "Pop-lo—little sister, cheer up, at least we're still alive, and we get steel every day—"

These words reminded Lux.

Yeah, Eve has a lot of health, and she's an enemy unit.

Lux looked at Eve's pale face and felt a little awkward, but she still walked to the coffin. After a few seconds, a red dot appeared, and Lux ​​took a deep breath and punched Eve in the stomach.

With a muffled thud, Eve's body swayed, but she didn't wake up.

However, a system notification popped up: "[Giant Devouring Triggered, Permanent Health +120]"

Lux breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered the need for sustainable development, so she bit her finger and dripped the blood onto Eve's lips.

The moment the blood touched her, Eve's throat moved as if she were swallowing.

For the next few days, Lux lived an extremely regular life.

After studying the Floo fireplace every day, she would go to the cellar to "clock in" every afternoon.

Give Eve a heart-steel punch filled with gratitude on her rock-hard belly while she's unconscious.

Watching Eve's horrific wounds slowly heal under her vampire body, Lux would resignedly cut her own finger, squeeze out a few drops of blood, and smear it on Eve's lips.

This guy must be really dead; we haven't even gotten the runes yet.

At first, Lux felt incredibly awkward doing this.

Every day, he beats up a white-haired, cold beauty who is nailed to the ground and cannot move, and after beating her, he has to feed her blood.

The plot seemed like some kind of strange, unspeakable play. She didn't even dare to look into Eve's eyes, which she felt might be filled with humiliation and hatred.

But a few days later, Lux realized something was wrong.

Eve's waking hours became longer and longer. She no longer screamed and struggled as she did at first, trying to break free of the silver nails.

The rage and emptiness in those blood-red eyes gradually faded, though they remained cold, a hint of bewilderment appeared. Occasionally, when Lux offered her her finger, she seemed to lean in very slightly and proactively, and the act of sucking blood was no longer biting, but more like sucking.

What made Lux even more uneasy was that once, after she had finished her "Daily Steel" and was preparing to feed her blood as usual, Eve let out a very faint, almost inaudible sigh that sounded like satisfaction.

Lux: "???"

Does this vampire have some kind of peculiar fetish? Did LeBlanc accidentally select the wrong talent tree during her remodel?

The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became, and the psychological burden of going to the cellar grew heavier each time.

Just as Lux was about to quickly petrify Eve and stuff her back into the coffin after feeding her blood, Eve suddenly spoke with great difficulty and in a hoarse voice, her voice dry like rusty gears turning: "————Thank you————your blood————it's————warm————it lets me————be quiet for a moment————".

Lux's hand froze in mid-air.

She looked sharply at Eve and saw that although there was still no obvious emotion in Eve's bloodshot eyes, the hysterical madness was indeed gone.

She seems to be serious?

"You...you don't hate me for beating you up every day?" Lux couldn't help but blurt out the question that was on her mind.

Eve blinked slowly, as if it took her a moment to understand the question.

"----pain----

"It reminds me—I am still alive—not—a monster that kills on instinct alone—"

She spoke haltingly, her gaze even straining to look down at the silver nails piercing her palm, "—These—are—also—necessary—restraints—."

Lux was completely stunned.

Wow, so you're using this as training to fight your instincts and stay rational? Your self-management skills are that strong?!

Alright, it's a win-win situation, and they even get to work together. This kind of cooperation is healthy—or should be.

For the next few days, Lux would still punch Eve every day, and Eve would obediently take it. Sometimes she would even say, "Today's training was intense. I feel more awake than yesterday."

Lux felt incredibly awkward. Every time she finished fighting, she would quickly heal herself and then slip away under the pretext of "going to repair the Floo Network."

Lumi noticed something was wrong with Eve and crouched on Lux's shoulder, whispering, "Sis, is she a masochist?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lux slapped it. "They just misunderstood! Besides, she's not killing people now, and she can even help me stack steel, which is pretty good."

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