HP: Fairy Tale Wizard - 163

Chapter 163: Thames Water Creature (?)

After tossing Lockhart onto the riverbank, Sterling continued searching for the "dark river bed" with Robin.

However, by the time Sterling had fished Lockhart out, it was already dusk. Now, only a faint glow remained at the horizon's edge. The submarine's depth was pitch black; couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

For exploration work, it was both advantageous and disadvantageous. The dark environment made the searchlight's illuminated area more distinct, completely exposed. But correspondingly, they had to search every location, inevitably slowing their pace.

"Should we go to sleep first? I feel so tired, chirp."

"I don't even want to discuss why an alchemical creation would feel tired. We'll rest during daylight tomorrow. I have a premonition that something will happen tonight."

"Okay, chirp. By the way, Sterling, why did you save that Lockhart anyway? He tried to ambush you! And you used that magic you said to use as little as possible, chirp!"

Sterling hadn't told Robin the complete capabilities of The Author's Witness, but since it would constantly be at his side, he told it this was "a magic that can solve most problems," and emphasized this magic shouldn't be used carelessly. It's best not to use it at all, if possible.

Therefore, Robin was quite confused by his actions. Nicolas, that eight-hundred-year-old fossil, followed the creed of revenge for any offense. Robin, having given thought to it, naturally aligned its values accordingly. For Lockhart's behaviour, Robin wouldn't just refuse to help. It would simply toss him away so out of sight, out of mind.

"He said that magic was just an Obliviate, right? Then I could just cast Obliviate back at him."

"He said so, you believed it. Oh, I see. The first time you used that magic was to make him tell the truth. But even so, there's no need to use that magic you said comes with a cost, right? They weren't Terry and the others. Just a stranger or an enemy who harboured ill will toward you, right?"

Sterling pushed the small head away.

"I can't watch a life I'm capable of saving walk toward death with my eyes open. He's certainly not a good person, but since he hasn't taken anyone's life yet, I believe he has the right to live."

"Chirp." Robin's head tilted, examining Sterling with an expression like seeing something rare.

"He has the right to live. Sterling, are you saying that in your eyes, living requires qualification, chirp?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Sterling seemed somewhat puzzled, turning from the viewfinder to look at Robin.

"The most obvious example is Voldemort. Without question, since he lived only to deprive others of life, he shouldn't live. In other words, he lacks the qualification to live."

Robin and Sterling stared at each other for a long time. Seeing it wouldn't speak further, Sterling turned his head back toward the viewfinder.

"So arrogant, chirp."

"Life shouldn't be judged, chirp."

"Sterling, Sterling, I have another question, chirp!"

Robin fluttered its wings and flew to Sterling's shoulder again. It needed to confirm Sterling's thinking further.

"Besides people who deprive others' lives, is there anything else you think doesn't deserve to live, chirp?"

"A strange question. If so, probably those with intent to deprive life, right?"

Robin's feathers on its head stood up slightly.

"Then, I heard from Nicolas that you killed a Dark wizard named Quirrell in the Forbidden Forest. Which category does he fall into, chirp?"

"Intent to deprive life, I'd say. I can't determine whether he's actually taken a life, but I know that since he was parasitized by Voldemort, he would definitely become an evil person in the future. So I feel nothing about killing him."

Now Robin's tail feathers were starting to stand up, too.

"Then, one more question. If there are two train tracks, on one side—"

"I know. The trolley problem. Save the side with more people or the side with fewer people? Save the side with more people."

"Wait, I think the river bed is turning darker over there."

"That side has one child and one young adult, the other side has three old people, chirp?"

"Three old people. Because there are more. Since they're all lives with the qualification to live, everything else is outside my consideration."

"Feels familiar. I think Andrew asked me a similar question before. I vaguely remember he had one more category than you, but specifically, I haven't recalled it yet."

Robin said nothing, merely interpreting Sterling's answers according to the psychological knowledge Nicolas had inputted.

"Wait, Robin. Found it!"

The submarine rapidly adjusted according to Sterling's will, combining the two searchlights on the left and right sides into a single massive light, which shone directly ahead. Robin suspected the intensity would penetrate to the water's surface.

Before them was a vast dark plane.

No wonder Sterling was so certain. This plane was completely isolated from the surrounding riverbed, with no transition at the edges. Like two sheets of paper stacked together.

But these planes weren't completely flat. In the middle were many protruding geometric column shapes. However, the edges of these columns remained sharp and angular. Nothing natural about them whatsoever.

The "clock hands" Sterling had seen were distributed sparsely on the columns, estimated at over a hundred of them.

"Muggles didn't detect anomalies here, chirp?"

Robin estimated the area's approximate range. At least equivalent to a large ship's shadow area.

Based on its knowledge of Muggle technology stored in its head, the existence of something this large and strange in London's Thames without any news leaking was highly abnormal.

Not an unpopulated area, nor too deep to explore.

"Probably Muggle-Repelling Charm? Never mind that now. I'll investigate. You wait in the submarine. After all, your self-defence ability—no, come with me."

Sterling suddenly remembered it was theoretically immortal.

"Are you human, chirp?"

"I'm a Nightmare, actually."

Too bad. Ready to glare it to death!

Robin glared huffily at Sterling, but ultimately obediently stood on Sterling's hand, receiving a Bubble-Head Charm.

There was no helping it. Robin was created with the mission to protect Sterling.

Allowing Sterling to adventure alone would make Robin's heart uneasy regardless.

The cabin door opened, and two bubble-headed figures emerged.

They didn't immediately swim into the water above the black plane. Too dangerous. Sterling was a cautious child.

At the boundary between riverbed and plane, Sterling transformed a small stone into a small fish.

"Can tropical fish swim in the Thames, chirp?"

"Doesn't matter. When I transformed, I was thinking 'fish.' Just gave it a tropical fish appearance. I originally planned to use a Siamese fighting fish, but it was too small, inconvenient to observe."

Sterling watched the tropical fish swim into that area of the water. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes.

Nothing happened.

The tropical fish swam freely, having already swum through the water above the black plane.

Sterling reached out tentatively, but Robin smacked his hand with a wing.

"I'll go first, chirp. If my body breaks down, remember to mail me back to Mr. Nicolas Flamel for repairs, chirp!"

Robin swallowed hard, closed its eyes, and rushed in.

"Huh. Seems fine, chirp?"

Robin even tried tugging at a clock hand. Though it wouldn't budge, no sudden curses or traps appeared either.

Robin waved its wings at Sterling. Sterling also entered the water area.

Cold.

Robin lacked such fine temperature sensitivity, but Sterling felt a chill immediately upon entering the room.

Unlike the temperature in the riverbed area, it was at least five degrees lower here.

And there was an indescribable, uncomfortable feeling.

Sterling tugged at his shirt collar. He felt completely uneasy, with an urge to leave this place.

"Let's grab something and go. I sense a problem."

Sterling opened his magical sight. The first glance at the plane nearly blinded him. Nearly seamless "threads," completely unable to estimate what magnitude could support such a sight. These multicoloured threads gathered, becoming nearly black.

The clock hands were still manageable. However, the "threads" on them differed remarkably from the plane, being remarkably sparse. Only a few had them; most were blank.

Sterling adapted to the light intensity, rapidly scooping up a large handful from the plane, arranging them separately from the "threads" extracted from Lockhart's body.

These dense threads were really indistinguishable. Which were important, which held value. No way around it except the casting-wide-nets strategy.

As for the "threads" on the clock hands—

Sterling snapped his fingers, cancelling the submarine's transformation instead, installing two large propellers on his shoes.

Then he quickly grabbed Robin and stuffed it into his pocket.

"I have a terrible premonition. If I pull this clock hand, something will definitely happen."

Hearing this, Robin obediently tucked its head in, gripping the pocket fabric with its claws.

Others might not know, but Robin and those in Utopia had one hundred percent faith in Sterling's instinct. The only difference from prophesying the future was the name.

Sterling gently, gently pinched a "thread" from a clock hand.

In an instant, the plane "cracked."

The plane, originally seeming one with the protruding column shapes, opened gaps surrounding the columns, releasing a stream of fine bubbles.

Sterling immediately sidestepped those bubbles whilst using Summoning Charm to pull the tropical fish that had swum back into a bubble's path.

A small stone with corroded edges quietly fell onto the plane, then was engulfed by black.

"The bubbles have corrosive properties. Likely also have burning nature. The plane also has devouring capability."

Sterling calmly analysed. At least for now, he didn't need to flee.

But next, the protruding column shapes began changing.

The originally triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal columns suddenly grew taller, their angular forms becoming rounded and conical, with extremely sharp points. Columns with clock hands directly transformed the hands into spikes.

Though honestly, the clock hands corroded by river water weren't as sharp as the self-transformed spikes.

The cones continued elongating. The one Sterling had extracted "threads" from swayed left and right in the water, then locked onto Sterling, rapidly thrusting toward him.

Sterling had no intention of clashing head-on. This thing seemed even more sinister than Vitam's creations.

He casually manifested several iron walls meant to block the cone, then patted his shoe. The two propellers immediately spun powerfully.

Those walls were torn apart like tofu before the cone, though they did achieve an effect beyond Sterling's expectations.

"All chasing me? Does it sense magic? No, I didn't detect anything when I cast spells earlier."

"Swim faster, chirp! Stop analysing, chirp!"

Robin couldn't help but extend its own small propeller to provide additional power. It didn't even dare look at the dense trail of cones chasing them below.

Like a horror film.

Fortunately, the Thames wasn't very deep. Sterling quickly burst through the water's surface. In the moment of leaving water, he dissolved the propeller transformation, instead transforming his arms into a pair of wings.

Normally, this level of transformation would require Sterling considerable time and concentration, but the Nightmare's Animagus transformation accelerated his learning in human Transfiguration by leaps and bounds.

Sterling shot skyward like a bird.

He'd left the water at the black plane's edge. After stabilising in the air, he immediately spotted a bridge ahead.

A green arched bridge with Gothic and Victorian decorative styles. Of course, what most identified its status was the nearby clock tower in the distance.

Gilded Roman numeral clock face, towering spire, and Gothic Revival stone carvings.

"Big Ben. Westminster Bridge."

Sterling saw the considerable traffic on the bridge, immediately drew The Author's Witness, writing at unprecedented speed:

"All vehicles and humans on Westminster Bridge are instantly transferred to both shores."

Golden light flickered across the entire bridge. Wendell Granger, driving on the bridge, saw a flash before suddenly hearing violent shattering sounds.

The sound of twisted, broken steel.

Lockhart, who had been strolling on the north bank seeking inspiration, immediately ducked behind a sign, gaping at the terrifying sight before him. Terrifying conical tentacles twisted together, resembling a drill bit, folding the entire Westminster Bridge in half, the drill pointing high at the sky.

Terror permeated everyone's hearts.

Soon enough, the drill retreated back inside.

Sterling lowered his wand, swallowing hard.

If he hadn't altered reality in time, that single strike would have caused at least hundreds of casualties.

Hidden right under Westminster Bridge. Should have thought of that. Clock hands, Big Ben—

This definitely required consulting Professor Dumbledore together. This was the center of London's city centre. If something uncontrolled happened here—

Sterling didn't want to become someone who indirectly deprived others of life. If so, wouldn't his own standards become empty talk?

Lockhart onshore bit his pen, writing a title in his notebook:

"Dancing With the Thames Water Creature"