vncnus Chapter 156 Departure and Return, Different Paths, Same Destination!
Chapter 156 Departure and Return, Different Paths, Same Destination!
Aragog had mixed feelings.
On the one hand, it desperately wants to help its children eat human flesh so that its tribe can survive happily;
On the other hand, it also hates the spiders and their offspring who abandon and disobey it when it gets old and weak, and wants to get rid of these troublemakers.
It doesn't care about the lives of a few offspring; it cares about the entire population.
Therefore, Aragog did not react much to the fact that Eckeris was stained with the blood of the juvenile giant spider.
But if Eckeris were to be alone and it were to encounter her, it wouldn't hesitate to retaliate against her.
With that thought in mind, Aragog also ventured into the maze, following the route Dumbledore had led him, and returned to the deepest cave within the maze.
……
The labyrinth-building team, guided by Hagrid and Toothpick, ventures into the Forbidden Forest.
As they were about to leave the territory of the eight-eyed giant spider, Snape, who was walking at the back of the group, suddenly spoke up:
"Dumbledore, I need to gather some ingredients for brewing potions in the Forbidden Forest. You all go back first! I can get back by myself."
“Go, Severus,” Dumbledore agreed without hesitation.
He was confident in Snape's abilities.
The conversation between the two was extremely rapid. Before anyone else in the group could offer their opinion, Snape turned around and quickly walked away in a certain direction.
The specially made long robe fluttered along its sides, much like a large bat walking close to the ground.
Once Snape's figure was obscured by the trees in the Forbidden Forest and could no longer be seen, Ecclesia, pretending to have just snapped out of her daze, hurriedly said:
"I'm going to gather potion ingredients too, don't worry about me!"
With that, Ecclesia, enduring the pain in her body, took off running and sprinted in the direction Snape had gone.
This time, she learned from her previous failures and Snape's success, and without waiting for anyone to stop her, she left quickly and decisively.
Her departure in the direction Snape had gone was undoubtedly an attempt to explain the rationale behind her actions to everyone.
The persona she had cultivated for so long, portraying herself as someone obsessed with love, came in handy once again.
"Oh dear! Professor Eckeris has really been blinded by love! She still has the lingering curse of the unicorn ray attack on her! How could she act alone in the perilous Forbidden Forest? Foolish!"
Professor McGonagall, realizing what was happening, said anxiously.
She glanced at Eckeris, whose figure was also being obscured by the trees in the distance, and then suggested, "I'll go after her and protect her!"
"Professor McGonagall, no need, let me do it!"
Dudley stopped the kind-hearted Professor McGonagall once again. He watched as Ecclesia's figure gradually disappeared into the trees before slowly taking off to catch up with her.
The professor who remained was about to say something when Dumbledore interrupted him:
"Everyone, don't worry! The two professors and Assistant Professor Dursley are all exceptionally capable. Even if Professor Ecclesia is unwell, the three of them will be fine traveling together."
Let's go back to the castle for dinner first!
Since Dumbledore had already said that, the professors couldn't say anything more.
They then continued their journey back to the castle.
On the other side...
Snape, Ecclesiastes, and Dudley, however, all turned away from the group and made the same choice.
That is, return to the Trial Labyrinth, which is also the Giant Spider's Nest.
Snape's goal was to obtain the venom of the eight-eyed spider. The reason he was slower than the other professors was because he had set up several traps in the maze specifically for catching the eight-eyed spider.
Ecclesia's motive was to steal the Philosopher's Stone, that goes without saying. Snape and collecting potion ingredients were just a pretext.
Dudley wanted to ensure that Ecclesia's injuries worsened, as tracking her in the Forbidden Forest would be too troublesome, so he decided to go to the maze first and wait for her to come to him.
Anyway, unless Ecclesia is seriously injured and on the verge of death, she will definitely return to the labyrinth to steal the 'Philosopher's Stone'.
Of the three, Dudley was the best runner, and with the power-enhancing spell, his movement speed far surpassed that of Snape and Ecclesia.
So Dudley was the first to return to the maze, cast the Disillusionment Charm, and hid near the maze entrance, observing silently.
He not only observed the movements of things around him, but also took out a transparent, round glass bottle from his personal space to watch Eckeris's personal surveillance.
This glass bottle contains Dumbledore's specially made meditation water, which can be directly connected to Peeves' eyes to show him what Peeves sees.
Meanwhile, Peeves remained invisible, constantly following Ecclesia.
Therefore, Dudley can access and view Eckeris's personal surveillance footage anytime, anywhere.
The image in the bottle shows Ecclesia being hunted by three adult eight-eyed giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest.
In desperation, Ecclesia pulled out her wand and cast the 'Spiders Begone' spell, sending the three giant spiders flying far away.
The magic was so powerful that it even knocked the three eight-eyed giant spiders unconscious.
This shows that this mysterious new Voldemort lackey has indeed reached the professor level in terms of strength, which is quite impressive.
Then, Eckeris finally realized her weakness and used a cleansing spell to remove all the blue spider blood stains from her body, as well as the strange smell that had clung to her.
Dudley was thoroughly enjoying all of this; it seemed he was about to face some trouble.
However, isn't it more interesting to frame a powerful enemy?
As Dudley was thinking this, he suddenly realized something was amiss. It turned out that Snape was heading towards the maze entrance.
He didn't move, nor did he concern himself with Snape's affairs.
His goal today is to focus on the main souls of Ecclesia and Voldemort.
Snape, with a sullen, expressionless face, went straight into the maze.
Dudley continued watching the monitor, waiting for Eckeris.
They also ambushed two adult eight-eyed giant spiders that had returned from their outings, cast a soul-stealing spell on them, and controlled them to enter the maze. They then lay in wait at a fork in the road in the corridor that was the only way to reach the final cave.
After some time, Eckeris, her face pale, finally arrived at the entrance to the maze.
Dudley had already seen the scene, put away the glass bottle containing the meditation water, entered the maze, and maintained a safe tracking distance from Ecclesia.
Ecclesia, unaware of all this, cast a disillusionment spell and entered the labyrinth without a care.
Following the route I remembered, I proceeded cautiously and slowly towards the deepest cave in the maze.
At this moment, the eight-eyed giant spiders have already moved into this unfinished training maze.
Eccles gripped her wand tightly, ready to fight at any moment.
In order to get her hands on the Philosopher's Stone as soon as possible, and to revive Voldemort's soul and remove it from her beautiful belly, she was going all out this time!