Her voice was soft, like a mountain spring, echoing through the silent valley.

As she spoke.

Ariana's gaze swept over the surroundings.

And at the same time.

"Your family's ancestor shouldn't look like this, right?" Ian had meant to use this to prove to Leonard that there was no way their ancestor could have such a unique and famous face, but when he turned his head, he was shocked to find Leonard staring in utter disbelief at Ariana's curiously observant face.

Leonard's reaction said more than words ever could; reality really was sometimes more fantastical than a novel.

"Gulp~" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Little Wizard felt as if a boulder had crashed into his heart.

The words he'd meant to say instantly stuck in his throat.

"Th-this… this is…" Leonard's voice trembled a little, with a trace of uncertainty and shock, as if he were seeing something impossible. His finger was shaking slightly, and the Phoenix on his shoulder seemed to sense its master's emotions, letting out a low call.

"Ah? A Phoenix!"

It was only now that Ariana seemed to belatedly notice the Phoenix's presence; whether because her nerves were thick or for some other reason, she covered her mouth in genuine surprise.

At this moment.

Noticing Ariana's gaze on it, Leonard's Phoenix suddenly brightened its already lively eyes. With a crisp, melodious cry that shattered the valley's stillness, it gently flapped its wings and lifted off from Leonard's shoulder, stirring the air around them and sending Leonard's hair and robes billowing.

The Phoenix's posture was lithe as it began to circle slowly around Ariana. Its feathers were like flowing flames, and with every beat of its wings, it seemed to respond to the dazzling starlight shimmering on Ariana's body.

Ariana still wore a gentle smile as she quietly watched the Phoenix flying around her. She curiously raised her hand, and the Phoenix landed directly on the back of it.

Such an extraordinary Phoenix Affinity—maybe this could also be considered proof of the Dumbledore family's pure bloodline? Didn't this indirectly confirm that utterly ridiculous possibility again! Ian's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end no sound came out. He was genuinely starting to feel that his brain just wasn't big enough for how his Magic World kept unfolding.

"Is this Phoenix yours?"

Ariana's eyes kept flicking back and forth between the Phoenix and Leonard.

"Could it be… you're an ancestor of the Dumbledore Clan…? An ancestor!?"

She seemed to realize something.

Her eyes flew wide in shock.

And in the next second.

Something that made her eyes go even wider happened.

"No! Ancestor Ariana Dumbledore! You're the ancestor!" Leonard hurried to correct her, his voice full of disbelief. He had actually met, in the flesh, the person from the portrait.

Was this a soul?

Or something else?

Leonard couldn't help the storm surging in his heart.

"Huh?"

Ariana, on the other hand, was completely baffled. She felt like Leonard had stolen her line; Ian had said this was the Middle Ages—wasn't she the one who was supposed to be shouting "ancestor" right now?

And how did the other party even know her name?

Just as Ariana was still stuck in a slight mental blue-screen, Leonard suddenly seemed to realize something and smacked himself on the back of the head.

"I get it!"

Leonard looked at Ian with eyes full of astonishment and shock.

"You… you are also my ancestor! Ancestor Ariana's husband!" He seemed unable to remember how he ought to address Ian, but this particular leap of imagination was honestly getting more and more outrageous.

Of course, from Leonard's perspective, this guess might actually seem reasonable enough. After all, stories about some long-lived husband carrying his wife's soul by his side were a common theme in Minstrels' tales.

He felt he'd deduced the truth.

However.

"..."

The Little Wizard's neck stiffened at his words; he went completely numb.

"What the hell are you even talking about!"

He couldn't help complaining.

Ariana also couldn't quite keep up with Leonard's train of thought. In fact, Ariana hadn't even figured out what exactly was going on right now, or why she was being mistaken for an ancestor by an ancestor.

"Ian? What's going on?" Ariana looked blankly at the Little Wizard beside her. But all the Little Wizard could do was give a helpless shrug.

"I'm not too sure either… This probably involves a very complicated issue. I'll need to go back and ask Headmaster Dumbledore. Maybe then we'll be able to make sense of what's happening now."

"Of course, I'll leave out Mr. Leonard Dumbledore's absurd remarks, or Headmaster Dumbledore will definitely kill me." Ian swallowed and muttered under his breath.

He did, of course, already have a few guesses in mind. Combined with some of the secret moves Headmaster Dumbledore was currently making, he felt that Ariana really might be Reviving in the future.

It was just that.

Why this paradoxical situation had cropped up now still left Ian completely at a loss. When it came to anything involving time, things were always incredibly confusing.

"I think this… this Mr. Dumbledore must have mistaken me for someone else." Ariana's thinking was relatively simple, and she made the most straightforward judgment with some embarrassment.

It really wasn't very likely she'd start pondering "chicken and egg" type questions. After all, as a girl whose mind was still that of a young maiden, Ariana really couldn't accept the idea of suddenly being an ancestor.