Chapter 88: Healing, The Half-Blood Prince, Anticipation

Before Snape could react to what Ciel meant, in the next moment, Ciel bit his fingertip. A drop of bright red blood flowed from his finger. Snape's pupils suddenly contracted. He looked at Ciel with a mixture of shock and amusement. In the depths of his eyes, a hint of emotion and warmth emerged. Having spent half his life walking on the edge of darkness, accustomed to betrayal and slaughter, Snape never dreamed that Ciel would actually want to use his life force to help him wear down the dark magic on his wound. "What a... fool," Snape squeezed out through his teeth. "Get away. I don't need your help. A little wizard like you couldn't do anything even if you bled yourself dry..." But the next second, the drop of blood from Ciel's finger landed on Snape's injured leg. At that instant, a foul-smelling black smoke billowed up. Snape was suddenly shocked to find that the dark magic shrouding his wound, which had been causing him excruciating pain, had dissipated by nearly half in an instant. His mind went blank. What kind of joke is this? He had spent so much effort to stabilize the wound from the three-headed dog's bite, only for it to be less effective than a single drop of Ciel's blood? No, what kind of constitution did this little badger have? "You... you really are a half-giant?" Snape asked with a mixture of shock and doubt. Ciel shook his head. "No. But as you know, Professor, I grew up planting trees on a Muggle farm. Perhaps the long-term physical labor has strengthened my physique, making my constitution slightly different from ordinary people." Snape's cheek twitched. Long-term work strengthening his physique, my foot. Who gets this kind of physique from working? Then the oxen and horses at the mill would be able to kick a giant to death. But soon, Snape's attention was drawn away from this matter. Ciel dripped a few more drops of blood onto his wound. The black smoke billowed even more intensely. Snape immediately felt that the dark magic on his wound had mostly dissipated. What was left, even after applying a bit of Dittany, looked like it had been healing for days. Although there was still pain, it no longer affected his movement. Most importantly, the dark magic would finally stop interfering with his spellcasting. Snape felt as if a huge stone had been lifted from his entire body. His previously gloomy and pale complexion relaxed considerably. But at this moment, Snape started to feel a headache. He seemed to owe Ciel a rather large favor. How was he supposed to repay it? Usually accustomed to sneering at students and being sarcastic with colleagues, Snape really didn't know how to express his gratitude to Ciel. Until he suddenly remembered. Ciel seemed to have learned from the notes he had left in the textbook back then. An idea then emerged. He knew how to repay Ciel's favor. "Ahem." Snape cleared his throat. He suddenly asked Ciel, "Did you happen to find something in the Potions classroom? For example... an old textbook. With some extremely profound, exquisite magical insights that ordinary people couldn't imagine. Even... a devastatingly powerful dark magic?" Ciel blinked, his heart slightly startled. Has my study of the Half-Blood Prince's textbook been exposed? But after a moment, Ciel calmed down. He wasn't too surprised that Snape could figure it out. After all, Snape was the creator of these spells; it was normal for him to see the clues. But Ciel just didn't want Dumbledore and Professor Sprout to know. The former was too suspicious. If he found out, he might start having doubts. As for the latter, Ciel didn't want Professor Sprout to worry. And if she knew, she would definitely not let Ciel continue learning Sectumsempra. Snape probably wouldn't tell anyone. Therefore, after a moment's hesitation, Ciel nodded and admitted, "Yes, Professor. I did find a copy of Advanced Potion-Making. It was left by a wizard who called himself the Half-Blood Prince. It recorded the spells Levicorpus and Sectumsempra, along with many other brilliant ideas." At this point, Ciel didn't forget to add a compliment. "This Half-Blood Prince is an absolute genius among geniuses. I have never seen such a talented wizard. He is simply a master of both spells and potions. I wonder which era he belongs to. If I were lucky enough to talk to him, it would be the highest honor." Hearing Ciel's words, Snape felt a wave of comfort. He tried hard to suppress the curve of his lips and nodded repeatedly. "Yes. That's right. That book contains extremely valuable treasures. You have some discernment to be able to see its extraordinary nature." At this point, Ciel asked, "Professor, how did you know I found this book? Could it be that you, you are..." Ciel made an exaggerated expression. He thought to himself, The stage is set for you. Come on, Professor, reveal the truth. Say what you said to Harry in the original story... 'I am the Half-Blood Prince!' Then we can be open about it. I can ask you for guidance directly. Snape opened his mouth. "I am..." But just as he said this, he suddenly paused. He felt a bit of regret. The Half-Blood Prince... What kind of taste did my younger self have? Why did I come up with such a nickname? Calling myself a prince... it was so cringy! Snape's lips moved. He found it really hard to say. His toes curled up so tightly he could probably carve a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor. In a flash of inspiration, Snape suddenly had an idea. "I am... just like you, I have also read the Half-Blood Prince's textbook. The Half-Blood Prince left this book to pass on his magical philosophy to later generations. So after I found this book back then, I also left it in the storage cabinet. As for who the Half-Blood Prince is, I can't be sure, but I have a guess." He lowered his voice. "A wizard with such outstanding talent in both potions and spells is rare in magical history. He shouldn't be too far from the present era. He also has a noble heart willing to pass on his knowledge. Most importantly, such a genius wizard has terrible taste in names. Therefore, I have a theory... don't tell anyone." Snape said righteously, "I suspect... Dumbledore is the Half-Blood Prince." Ciel stared at Snape blankly. Huh? No? Snape, why aren't you following the script? "Professor, are you sure?" Snape frowned. He thought of a very strong piece of evidence. "Dumbledore's office password is ironclad proof. What normal person would set their password to something like 'cockroach cluster'? If he can come up with that kind of password, calling himself the Half-Blood Prince in his youth would be quite normal. What? You say Dumbledore doesn't seem to be a half-blood? Stage names and nicknames can be fictional. In short, Dumbledore is the Half-Blood Prince." Ciel's cheek twitched. He nodded. "Alright. Whatever you say." At this point, Snape nodded with satisfaction. "Alright. Seeing as we've both read the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, I can spare another two hours a week to guide you on the magical knowledge inside. Now, it's almost time for the Quidditch match to start. You should go." After Ciel left the office, the corner of Snape's mouth finally couldn't hold back, and he revealed a slight smile. That was close. Good thing I sent Ciel away. Otherwise, I really couldn't have kept a straight face. Coincidentally, Ciel had the same thought. He could probably guess now why Snape was unwilling to admit he was the Half-Blood Prince. Tsk. Why did he have to be so cringy back then? Now the boomerang has come back to hit him. But Ciel saw through it without exposing it. Anyway, as long as it benefited him, it was fine. In the future, he could openly ask Snape for guidance on the knowledge in that textbook. Thinking of this, Ciel felt a burst of anticipation. "The Piranha Algae will mature in about a month. By then, my Underwater Enhancement and Cutting Spell Enhancement can both advance one or even two levels. A little later, during the Christmas holidays, the Marguerites that can increase my magical strength will also mature. Sectumsempra will finally be usable for me. If I can practice Sectumsempra to Silver or even Gold Tier with Snape's help before then... and combined with Underwater Enhancement and Cutting Spell Enhancement..." Just thinking about it made Ciel's heart race. This would enhance his strength so much. If the two-faced man still had his eyes on him, one Sectumsempra, and even he might be defeated! Then, Ciel took a deep breath, slowly calming his racing heart. Calm down. These rewards haven't been obtained yet. I still need to keep a low profile. Starting today, I must continue to work hard. "First, let's watch the Quidditch match. Snape's leg is healed this time. I wonder if that will have any effect." Immediately, Ciel set off, walking towards the Quidditch pitch. [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? Check out my Patreon for: ✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories ✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics ✓ Early access content [email protected]/meowthtl ???? Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter! Thanks for reading and supporting the story