The dormitory, cleaned by Merlin, didn’t have any strange smells.

However.

Albus Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel were still hesitant to approach—having witnessed the extremely disgusting scene earlier, they couldn’t help but feel some mental resistance.

"What do you think of this combat style, Albus?" Nicolas Flamel broke the silence, his voice deep and gentle, with a hint of a French accent.

"Do you want the truth?" Dumbledore didn’t answer immediately but sighed slightly, his eyes still fixed on the figure of Ian standing at the doorway in the distance.

"It’s hard to evaluate, Nicolas."

"Ian’s combat style... indeed exceeded my expectations. His magic is not only powerful but also... full of unpredictability. And his way of thinking is completely different from others; you could even say, his very existence is an ’anomaly.’" Dumbledore wasn’t just subtly critiquing the means Ian used on Merlin.

At the same time.

His impressive insight also made him realize how much magical sophistication was hidden behind Ian’s ridiculous methods, power beyond what most wizards could imagine.

And in this aspect of insight, Nicolas Flamel was not much weaker than Dumbledore.

"You’re right, Albus." Nicolas Flamel nodded, his brow slightly furrowed. "Yes, his magic... even reminds me of those ancient alchemical legends."

"His Transformation Technique has already broken conventional boundaries, even venturing into areas we never imagined." He paused, a touch of puzzlement creeping into his tone. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

As someone who’s lived for over six hundred years, Nicolas Flamel had a keen sense of "He seems to have a special influence on Merlin... I’m not just talking about how Merlin would do those disgusting things, but that Merlin seems to have some special obsession with him."

"It’s precisely because of this obsession... that Merlin..." Nicolas Flamel didn’t finish his sentence, but it was clear Dumbledore understood his meaning.

It’s nothing more than the reason why someone would hold it in for two thousand years. This situation cannot be explained by just one encounter or duel that would lead Merlin to make such a ridiculous decision.

Regarding this.

Dumbledore shared the same view, but he wasn’t keen to delve too much into it. Dumbledore lightly nodded, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Anyway, Ian is still just a child..." His tone carried a touch of helplessness and leniency, and Hogwarts’ old headmaster was always protective of his students.

And in Ian’s case, this trait was even more obvious.

No choice.

Who could blame him for having a soft spot for Ian?

Regarding this.

Nicolas Flamel felt it was entirely appropriate and even quite approving, "He may be the most gifted student in Hogwarts’ history."

"Still a child, some outlandish behavior is expected. Besides, such talent and creativity might just be the essential qualities for becoming a great alchemist."

Nicolas Flamel smiled slightly, his tone also filled with a fondness for Ian; after all, who doesn’t like an outstanding student? Even putting aside the unique things he saw in the little wizard, just from his magic today, it was enough to make him overlook any shortcomings in Ian.

After all.

That’s the fantasy all alchemists yearn for...

...

The two old wizards were conversing.

Meanwhile, Ian was standing in front of Merlin, lightly tapping his palm with his wand while muttering, "I can’t believe I never noticed you’re an old freak."

Hearing this.

Merlin rolled his eyes.

He wanted to ask who was truly the old freak here, but in the end, he swallowed the words back.

"My Confundus Charm cannot affect you, so you should have guessed by now, shouldn’t you?" Merlin said matter-of-factly, with a hint of questioning Ian’s intelligence.

The little wizard rolled his eyes too.

"I guess it’s my lack of imagination. I never expected a wizard could live so long." Ian said while raising his wand, giving it a gentle wave in the air. Suddenly, a silvery light burst from the wand’s tip, drifting like threads and slowly condensing into letters in the air.

It was the English spelling of "Ririm."

[N, I, L, R, E, M]

The letters swayed and danced in the air, and as Ian gently tapped his wand again, their sequence rearranged themselves into a new order.

[M-E-R-L-I-N]

This was the English spelling of Merlin’s name.

"This trick of name rearranging really is intriguing. I can only say you’re the true Voldemort." Ian found it hard to comment on such familiar name-ordering methods.

He couldn’t help but make a heart-felt jab.

"Ha."

Merlin only smiled slightly, offering no other response, only watching Ian with a peculiar expression, as if there was something he wanted to say but was hesitating.

"What do I have to do for you to remove the virus you infected my body with?" In comparison to other matters, at this moment, Merlin’s primary concern was his own health.

Memories he couldn’t bear to recall.

He really didn’t want to become a source of plague again. Recalling his past experiences, Merlin couldn’t help but continue using various modified versions of Purification Magic on himself.

However.

He could sense little effectiveness himself.