Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 506 Caramelized Onion Crumbs (First Update)

Wanda yawned sleepily, then sat up from the hard prison bed, still wrapped in a blanket. She jumped down barefoot, the icy chill shooting from her feet to her head like an ice pick piercing her brain, instantly waking her. Wanda Maximov slowly walked to the observation window of her transparent tempered glass cell, waiting for the patrol to arrive that day.

Although her teacher hadn't appeared for some time, Wanda Maximov was still working on her assignments. Today was the day Hydra scientists were taking her and her siblings for a medical checkup, and Wanda needed to control the minds of several people to find out in advance what the checkup would involve—not all tests were safe, especially in Hydra, an organization with extensive experience in human experimentation, where high-risk tests were commonplace.

Especially since the Hydra scientists had no idea what the true nature of the two siblings' abilities was, some extremely extreme and barbaric testing methods were proposed. Fortunately, the Maximov siblings were the only two successful experimental subjects, and the Hydra scientists were reluctant to harm them. Wanda also used Professor Salomon's abilities to ensure that no overly dangerous tests were conducted.

And get some really delicious, hearty breakfasts.

Wanda's mouth watered at the taste of Iberian black pork sausage. She had only learned of its existence while watching a cooking show with Salomon, and her teacher would often bring them dishes she'd only seen on television. Her favorite show was "Aisley's BBQ Bible," though it was old and the picture quality was blurry, it was still the show she watched most often in her spare time. Whenever the black chef, Aisley Harriott, laughed, she couldn't help but laugh along.

Her teacher was quite dedicated in teaching her how to use herbs and informing her which herbs could be used in food. She had now learned how to use sage and rosemary in magic and food, and Salomon assured her that she would truly become a great witch in the future, able to use potions to maintain her youth, just like the witches in fairy tales who lived in the forest.

Wanda swore she would never use bat wings and lizard claws to make potions in her lifetime.

"Lazybones, get up!" Wanda tapped the wall with her knuckles, the sound penetrating the thick concrete structure and reaching her brother Pietro's ears, startling him. Pietro jumped off the bed and couldn't help but grumble a few words; the siblings' playful bickering continued as usual. For a moment, Wanda felt as if she weren't in a prison, but in a spacious living room, where her rebellious brother was making a scene in his room, trying to turn on the stereo and play rock music in the early morning, while she, as his older sister, was busy in the kitchen, trying to stop his inappropriate behavior.

The two got into an argument, and the older sister brandished a shovel, intending to hit her younger brother on the head.

Like a heartwarming family comedy, like the TV shows she and Pietro watched on their father's unsold videotapes when they were children. The blurry television images gradually became clearer over the years, and she could even smell the aroma of bread, caramelized onions, and sizzling bacon in a frying pan. The delicious and comforting smells of food enveloped her like a light, warm blanket, carrying her upwards and floating her to the sky.

She realized the aroma wasn't from her imagination. Wanda quickly turned around and saw her teacher staggering out of the portal, carrying two lidded frying pans stacked together. She rushed over, took the pan from the top, and lifted the lid. One half of the pan contained sizzling bacon, and the other half held cute, browned sausages—this was the delicious meal she had been dreaming of.

"Caramelized butter and chopped onions, rye country bread, and bacon and sausage," Salomon, dressed in a deep red hominid robe, asked softly. "Do you like this breakfast?"

"I smell it, more coffee, please." Wanda smiled, her eyes reddening. It seemed that with the arrival of her teacher, the cold castle had warmed up, warm tendrils wafting from the dark corners along with the aroma of food. Silent, yet within reach. "I think magic should be able to do these things, right?"

"As you wish, madam." Salomon put down his frying pan and began setting out the tablecloth and cutlery. "Let Pietro get up and have breakfast!"

Salomon explained to the Maximov siblings why he had been gone for so long, and especially when he mentioned that he was also a university student, the estrangement between them melted away as quickly as the snow outside the castle. Although Salomon omitted a lot of key information, the atmosphere of the conversation remained lively, and the vivacious Pietro even dared to make fun of Salomon.

"I don't have much time. I just came to see you all today." Salomon glanced at the Hydra agent who had been standing at the cell door. He didn't know the man's name, but from the deep red light emanating from the unfortunate fellow's eyes, he could tell that Wanda Maximov had indeed been studying hard.

"You've done a great job," he said. "I haven't been able to come often lately, so I've prepared a lot of books that you'll need later."

"What are those?" Pietro glanced fearfully at the books piled in the corner, as if they were dazzling stars that could burn his corneas with just a glance. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, a visible look of despair immediately settled on Pietro's face. Only Wanda nodded in approval of Salomon's actions, believing that as the older sister, it was her duty to care about her brother's studies.

Salomon has genuinely had no time to look after the Maximov siblings lately. After reaching some unspoken understanding with Nick Fury, he arranged for the surrendered Hydra special operations teams to use Quinjet fighters to wipe out the remaining Nazi Hydra forces, while Stephanie, before Congress could finalize its list of Nazi Hydra assets, amassed a fortune in those businesses. Some Hydra members—including the castle's owner, Wolfgang von Strucker—also sought a new patron, and the conservative leader, Gideon Malik, received numerous offers of allegiance from various Hydra leaders, large and small.

However, after screening, only a select few Hydra leaders were allowed to join the cooperation. Some Hydra members became pawns, used to draw the attention of secular governments, since Salomon didn't want to step into the limelight and become a target just yet. Even with the Holy Sword in his hand, not everything could be resolved by force; now was the time for development and operation, not for war.

“Wanda, I need your help with an experiment,” Salomon said, pointing to the psychic board beside him. “Try contacting me with this,” he said. “I may or may not respond.” It was a mundane experiment, but Salomon didn’t want the Kamar-Taj mages involved, and His Holiness also opposed their assistance—this was a conversation between His Holiness and Salomon about the nature of the Stigmata, which endowed Salomon’s soul with a unique quality, and now Salomon wanted to verify what that quality truly was.

While Hasbro's psychic board may seem whimsical, on a magical level, belief and symbolism are themselves a form of power. This is fundamental knowledge Salomon has been learning since childhood; even within the Vishanti lineage of Kamar-Taj magic, many symbolic elements are used as spellcasting tools. Furthermore, considering the differences between the Asgardian gods and other Earth pantheons mentioned by the Venerable One, and Salomon's own experiments in stealing the power of Thor's hammer, he was certain that when Wanda believed she could connect with Salomon through the psychic board, she could help Salomon glimpse his true nature.

Wanda Maximov has the talent, and she is the most suitable candidate.

If the experiment is feasible, her own problem will no longer be a problem.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)