Return to the Apocalypse

Chapter 43 Return to the Apocalypse

……

Monday morning was sunny.

While his two roommates were fast asleep, Ian quietly lowered his bed curtains to ensure that he was alone in the space for a short period of time.

Looking at the countdown in my mind: 00:00:03...

After a moment of disorientation, Ian returned to that familiar environment. Although it was only a second different, it still felt like a different world to him.

Green mountains are green mountains, and white clouds are white clouds.

The beautiful figure was still busy in the vegetable garden, though Ian often had no idea what she was doing...

Sometimes Ian really wanted to go up to him and say, "Growing vegetables isn't like taking care of cubs; you don't need to be so careful."

But when he thought of her sensitive pride, he dismissed the idea. Let her be; as long as she's happy.

Ian was still reclining on the deck chair by the door, his designated spot. Here, he could peacefully enjoy the warm afternoon sun while keeping a clear view of the entire courtyard. He could always respond immediately to any disturbances or unexpected events.

Of course, this was just Ian's wishful thinking. The structure was five meters high and several tens of centimeters thick, with wooden stakes buried two meters deep underneath.

With such a sturdy wooden wall, let alone a human parasite, even a brown bear parasite would probably have to put in some effort to get in.

With his eyes half-closed, Ian slumped in a comfortable recliner, staring blankly at the distant clouds. For the first two days after returning to the apocalypse, he didn't plan to do anything; he just wanted to take good care of his laziness.

In a half-asleep, half-awake state, time slipped by second by second.

As dusk fell, a west wind began to blow, bringing a touch of coolness from afar, which finally woke up the languid Ian.

"The weather has changed! I wonder how many people won't make it through this winter."

Ian gazed at the dense clouds in the northwest sky and muttered to himself.

Although it was around mid-October, the geographical location here was clearly equivalent to the Nordic region of my previous life, so the temperature difference between day and night was still quite large after sunset.

Ian slowly got up, called out to Eileen in the distance, and went into his room to prepare dinner.

He said he was preparing dinner, but he was really just taking out ready-made food from his backpack. Since it was the first day and there was no need to worry about the food spoiling, he simply asked for a lot of cooked dishes from the Hogwarts kitchen.

Although these dishes are very ordinary at Hogwarts, they are exceptionally plentiful in the apocalyptic world where food is scarce.

A whole roasted chicken, sliced ​​veal steaks, a vegetable salad platter, fluffy strawberry pudding, and various fruit pastries were all placed on the newly purchased oval dining table by Ian.

"You can think of today as a special day. So, stop daydreaming, wash your hands, and get ready to enjoy dinner."

Ian glanced at Eileen, who was staring blankly at the dining table after entering the room, and couldn't help but remind her.

……

After washing up and sitting down, Eileen said softly:

"Is today your birthday? I'm sorry, I didn't know, and I didn't prepare a special birthday present for you, but this is a birthday gift for you."

As she spoke, she reached into her collar and, from the towering height, took out a teardrop-shaped emerald pendant, holding it in her palm.

The clear, gentle voice continued, "It comes from my father's hometown, in the far east. When I was eight years old, my father and I returned to his hometown, and my grandmother gave it to me as a gift. It is said to be a gem that brings good luck."

Against the backdrop of the emerald green jade, her slender little hands appeared even more white and delicate. Ian stared at the unexpected gift, momentarily stunned.

Eileen glanced at Ian and then said, "I'm not stupid. I know you've been taking care of me for the past month. Take it. I have nothing left, really, this is all I have..."

Even if Ian was slow to notice, he could tell that something was wrong with her mood.

She quickly took the pendant from the other person, held it in her hand, feeling the warmth and fragrance emanating from the jade, and without a word, put it around her neck. Then she said:

"Thank you for the gift, you know? This is the first gift I've received since my mother passed away, and I will cherish it."

Ian didn't know what to say. Although it wasn't his birthday, it was clearly inappropriate to say such things at this moment.

However, he didn't have much of a connection or sense of belonging to this world, so he couldn't truly empathize with Eileen's sadness and couldn't bring himself to offer words of comfort.

Ian thought to himself, "I might as well let her misunderstand and think it's my birthday today."

"Don't overthink it. At least we're still alive, aren't we? Come on, let's eat. This is dinner I specially brought from a faraway fairytale world. It won't be good if it gets cold."

Ian joked, pushing the prepared cutlery toward Eileen as he spoke.

The house-elves in Hogwarts' kitchens are definitely skilled cooks; their delicious food instantly wins over the palates of their guests.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Ian looked at Eileen, who had a satisfied expression on her face, and said with a smile, "That's right, live each day happily. Speaking of which, I really didn't expect you to eat so much. I don't usually restrict your eating. It feels like I've been starving you for a long time."

Ian only responded with a playful eye roll. A delicious and plentiful meal truly can make one temporarily forget all their troubles. After setting down her utensils, Eileen asked softly:

"I've seen you flying out on that broomstick every day lately. What's the situation outside? We could hear some news on the radio before, but now there's no word at all. Are there no survivors left outside?"

Although her tone still carried some sadness when she asked this question, she seemed much better.

Ian shook his head, his voice equally somber, and said, "I don't know about other places, but there are probably no survivors in this city. But I think the world can't just end like this. There must be people in other cities and other countries who are stubbornly surviving."

Eileen was visibly disappointed upon hearing this, and murmured, "What's wrong with this world? Why did it suddenly become like this?"

"Don't think about it too much. As long as we're alive, we'll always find a way to figure things out. I mean, even if there are only the two of us left in this world, so what? We'll still live on, won't we?"

Ian could only offer this consolation for now, as he himself was also very curious about what was wrong with the world.

It wasn't that he wanted to be a so-called savior, but rather that he wanted to figure out what would happen if parasites continued to evolve, and whether they would pose a threat to him.

Given the current situation, it seems that with his wizarding powers, he is fully capable of ensuring his own safety and survival.

But Ian's approach to things has always been to prevent problems before they arise, rather than just focusing on the present.

While Ian was thinking, he didn't notice that just after he said "the two of us," Eileen's somewhat helpless eyes instantly brightened, as if an old statue had been revitalized.

……

After seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, Ian decisively drew his wand.

"Completely cleaned up!"

The plates, which were previously a little greasy, instantly became spotless. Then, using a levitation spell, they were arranged in a row and obediently floated back to the shelf.

"No matter how many times I watch it, I always find it really amazing," Eileen said with a hint of envy.

Ian never hides his use of magic from others. As mentioned before, there is no such novel as "Harry Potter" in this world, so he has no reason to hold back.

Not to mention that it's just him and Eileen here. Even if the world were intact, Ian wouldn't have much to worry about. As someone who is proficient in Muggle expulsion spells, dealing with a small combat legion would be a piece of cake for him.

Of course, this refers to wizards like Ian, who have gained considerable power after a second awakening of their magic.

The wizarding world is actually mostly comprised of dabblers who only know a few everyday spells; they are the majority. This is perhaps why the Ministry of Magic, fearing repercussions, had to enact the Act of Secrecy.

"Haha. Yes, magic is always fascinating."

Ian chuckled in response, then said seriously:

"Eileen, I still suggest you move here. The world outside is changing dramatically every day. It's hard to notice, but by the time you realize it, it's too late."

Eileen was slightly shaken upon hearing this. After all, she had already accepted and acknowledged Ian after a month of getting to know him, and perhaps she had been a little annoyed by what he had said before.

But for some reason, she felt that Ian had changed a lot today, and when he casually mentioned "the two of us," she felt completely at ease.

Therefore, Eileen only hesitated for a moment before answering affirmatively:

"You're right, we're the only ones left here, so we should cherish every moment. I'll go back and pack now. There's nothing really important, but I still need to bring the food we stored; we can't let it go to waste."

"I'll go with you, it's just this one night. You should know that a lot of unexpected things happen in movies at times like this. By the way, you don't need to bring any personal items, you know we have everything here."

Ian joked as he imitated the male lead's final farewell gesture in the movie.

This funny scene successfully made Eileen laugh. She rolled her eyes at him and said softly, "Then let's go. The sooner we set off, the sooner we can return."

……

Ian returned to his room, slung his infinitely extendable backpack over his shoulder, and then walked out of the wall with Eileen, who was already standing at the door.

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(End of this chapter)