Harry Potter: Transmigrated Detective Link

What now appeared before Link and Mrs. Flamel was a Mr. Kane whose outward appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to the plague doctors from Link's memory, those bird-beaked physicians.

This peculiar style of medical attire had been devised in Europe during the Middle Ages when the Black Death was rampant, but by modern times it had completely lost any real practical use.

In terms of actual protection, those hollow beak masks, stuffed with herbs to "filter" the air, were not even as effective as an ordinary KN95 mask.

The oilcloth protective suits they wore were also far less comfortable or effective than modern medical protective gear and gloves.

So Link couldn't quite figure out if the man simply wanted to borrow the image of the plague doctor to give himself an air of mystery and menace, or if there were other unspeakable reasons forcing him to dress this way.

Either way, it did nothing to lessen the deep respect and wariness Link felt toward this Dr. Kane.

Because, through his heightened senses spell, Link could clearly feel the dense, pungent scent of blood wafting from Kane's body.

This wasn't the ordinary "smell of blood" one might expect.

After all, at the same time, Kane's body also carried faint scents of vinegar and alcohol, showing he had recently disinfected his gear.

This blood scent was something else entirely, a spiritual, almost mystical aura, terrifying and akin to a palpable killing intent.

Link didn't know how Kane had acquired such an aura.

But one thing he was certain of, this man had killed many creatures.

And in close combat, no less.

After briefly sizing them up, Kane finally spoke.

"Leonie von Beckman?" He stared at Mrs. Flamel and spoke slowly.

His voice was bizarre, somewhat like a child's babble, but even sharper and more piercing.

The contrast with his plague doctor appearance was stark.

Normally, hearing such a voice from such a figure would make most people burst out laughing.

But Mrs. Flamel shivered in fear when she heard it, then forced herself to nod stiffly.

Kane gave no sign of reaction. He turned to glance at Link and asked, "This is the child?"

Mrs. Flamel's gaze also shifted toward Link. His presence seemed to give her some courage.

She managed to say, "Y-yes!"

Her tone was firm, even forceful, as though trying to encourage herself.

"Follow me."

Kane retreated inside. Mrs. Flamel took a deep breath, then pulled Link along after him.

The interior of the small chapel was not what Link had expected.

It was well-maintained, cleaned spotlessly.

The marble floor was polished enough to reflect a person's image.

The hall was packed with rows of benches covered with white dust cloths, as though unused for a long time.

Link and Mrs. Flamel followed Kane through the nave and a side chamber, then he opened a trapdoor and descended a long stone staircase into a basement.

From the moment the door opened until now, Link hadn't spoken a word. He knew the only thing he could do in this situation was go with the flow.

Any unnecessary action could cause unpredictable consequences for what was to come.

Most importantly, that bloody aura from Kane put him deeply on edge.

But as they went further down, Link began to feel the urge to either bolt or fight.

Because the deeper they went, the thicker the bloody stench became.

And this time it wasn't some mystical "spiritual" aura, it was the real, physical smell of blood.

'Could there be a pile of corpses at the bottom of these stairs?'

Still trusting Mrs. Flamel, Link forced himself to keep going.

The basement scene was not too different from his worst guesses.

The round chamber was lined with massive wooden display cases, each filled neatly with countless preserved specimens.

In terms of horror and scope of collection, Snape's office couldn't hold a candle to this place.

Humans, ordinary animals, magical creatures, vampires, werewolves…

The variety was staggering. Link even spotted what looked like the tattered cloak of a Dementor.

This shocked him greatly.

Because when a Dementor dies, everything, including its cloak, turns to black dust.

This cloak, then, must have been stripped off a still-living Dementor by some special means. And if so, that Dementor was probably still alive even now.

"Wait here. I need to prepare." Kane's voice came again in the dim basement.

Looking over, Link saw that in the center of the room there was a metal dissection table, with a bizarre monster's corpse lying on it. Underneath was a bucket, steadily catching drops of fresh blood from the body.

'So that was the source of the smell!:

Kane shoved the corpse into an oilcloth body bag, then began scrubbing the bloody tabletop with an alcohol-soaked rag and brush.

He cleaned meticulously, not missing even the tiniest corners.

But seeing this made the hairs on Link's neck stand on end.

"Hey, hey! You, you're not planning to put me up there, are you?" Link stammered.

Images of a deranged doctor cutting him open flashed through his mind.

Someone with a collection like this was certainly no "normal" doctor.

Mrs. Flamel also panicked and quickly called out, "Dr. Kane!"

At her words, Kane glanced at the body bag, then seemed to realize the misunderstanding.

Turning back, he said calmly, "I'm just cleaning up."

"I know what you're worried about, it's unnecessary. My mind is perfectly sound. Everyone who's had deep academic exchanges with me thinks so."

"While I am indeed very interested in your body, and would like to study it, I promised old Beckman I wouldn't harm your life."

He paused, then added, "Nor will I cripple you or add any extra organs by accident."

His words did nothing to reassure Link, if anything, they made him more tense.

The ebony wand hidden in his combat holster twitched, ready to appear in his hand the moment his magic stirred.

But that would be the last resort. After a moment's calm, Link said seriously, "How are you going to treat me?"

"I need to test and study your blood first. Once I have results, I'll know. For the first test, give me two liters of blood." Kane resumed scrubbing. "Don't worry, I'm a professional. You can trust me."

'Trust you, my ass!' Link thought. 'A human body only has so much blood, and you want two liters at once? You're trying to kill me!'

Nearly two hours later, Kane was contentedly holding a large jar filled with Link's blood.

Link himself felt no discomfort, thanks to the strong blood-replenishing agents Kane had administered throughout the process.

Without any attempt to hide his work, Kane drew a few drops from the jar and began testing them with a magic similar to the Revealing Charm.

He was visibly excited, the slight bobbing of his beaked head gave it away.

His excitement peaked when he dropped a purple-black liquid onto the blood.

Ssszzzz!

The moment they touched, strange noises erupted, and then chunks of flesh began growing from the blood in chaotic patterns, finally forming a twisted "flesh tree."

The sight made Link's eyelids twitch, his fists clenching.

Mrs. Flamel hugged him tightly.

Kane, however, clapped in delight, muttering in German.

After a while, he regained his calm.

Turning to them, he said, "This child is perfect, there's nothing that needs healing!"

"That's because your understanding is wrong!" Mrs. Flamel said tensely. "I don't agree with your definition of 'perfect'!"

Kane tilted his head in puzzlement, then seemed to realize, "I see, you want me to heal the personality-corrupting side effects of a special bloodline. But that's exactly what I don't understand. This child's father…"

"Shut up!"

Mrs. Flamel cut him off hysterically. "You are not to mention that man again!"

Kane obediently fell silent.

But Link's brows furrowed.

This was roughly what he had suspected.

His birth, and the recent anomalies he'd felt, were due to the influence of some kind of bloodline in his body.

But… what kind of creature's bloodline was it?

After a brief hesitation, he asked Kane directly, "This special bloodline you're talking about, what is it?"

Kane didn't seem to care and was about to answer, but Mrs. Flamel covered Link's ears, speaking in a near-pleading tone, "No, Link. Don't dig into this. Don't…"

Her eyes were red, nearly crying.

Seeing her so distraught, Link lost the urge to press further.

Not because he wasn't curious, but because he didn't want to hurt this woman who had given him all her love.

At least for now, he couldn't seek answers from her.

Link fell silent.

Then Kane cut in, "Fine. I think I understand what you want. You want me to seal away the bloodline's side effects without using the simple method, right? It's a stupid, roundabout approach, but I can do it."

"Really?" Mrs. Flamel's expression shifted, excitement flashing in her eyes. "How?"

"Oh, honestly, you wouldn't understand the method. Sorry, Miss Beckman, that's not an insult, just a fact."

Kane said, "What I can tell you is, the whole treatment will take about three to five weeks. You can either stay here with the child, or leave him in my care. So, what's your choice?"

Mrs. Flamel's face grew complicated. She didn't answer, but pulled Link back to the chapel.

From her look, Link could guess her decision. Before she could speak, he calmly asked, "You're leaving?"

"Y-yes." She gritted her teeth. "I need to visit your grandfather, he's an old friend of Dr. Kane, and the reason Kane agreed to treat you. Then I have matters to handle back in Britain."

"Mr. Beckman?"

Link's eyes lit up.

In all his time here, this was the first anyone had mentioned his mother's family.

It was as though they had never existed before now.

What intrigued him most was the surname von Beckman.

That alone wasn't unusual; many pure-blood wizard families in Britain had once gained noble titles from Muggle rulers.

Long ago, it had been almost fashionable.

But after the Statute of Secrecy, most pure-bloods abandoned their titles and denied any Muggle connections.

The Malfoys, for instance, once great landlords and nobles, now denied that history completely.

So for the Beckmans to still keep a noble title was striking.

Licking his lips, Link ventured, "Can I come meet Grandfather too?"

At once, Mrs. Flamel's face twisted in horror.

It was as if she'd imagined something terrible, she hugged Link tightly, trembling violently, but still spoke firmly and clearly into his ear, "Never have any contact with your grandfather! And don't trust anyone on this land, not even Dr. Kane!"

"But..."

Link began, confused. After all, he was about to undergo treatment with Kane, and now she was telling him not to trust the man.

It made no sense.

But Mrs. Flamel cut him off sharply, "No buts! They're all demons! The vilest devils! Apostles of Hell! You must never go with them!"

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