Chapter 108. Map.
After reading the contract Oliver had handed over, Severus had to admit it was written competently, with the kind of careful phrasing lawyers loved. It made passing the map to third parties almost impossible, banned resale and copying for anyone else's use, and even included separate clauses for what would happen if he died, was captured, or if someone tried to force the map out of him.
"Not bad. Then I will duplicate it." He pulled out several A4 sheets, copied the contents of the parchment onto them, and handed them back to Oliver. "All three of you sign here, in blood. If you break it, you will simply boil from the inside, nothing more." He said it so casually that everyone in the tent got goosebumps. The pages looked completely ordinary and radiated no magic at all, no glow, no warmth, not even a trace of a charm, but no one dared laugh it off. Severus had already proved his strength in practice, and every wizard there knew that the truly dangerous things often looked the simplest. Every one of them had their own secrets.
Naturally, they reread the text three times before signing anything, line by line and letter by letter, making sure both contracts were identical. Only then did they sign, all at once, pricking their fingers and letting a few drops of blood soak into the paper.
When Severus's sheets burned up, black flame marks appeared on each of their palms, like brands that sank beneath the skin and refused to fade. To his mild surprise, Oliver, who knew more about this sort of thing than the others, could not figure out how it functioned. The moment he tried to study the seal, his own magic flared and started burning him from the inside, as if someone had poured molten metal through his veins. His face twisted, and he stopped immediately.
"Do not try that again. My seal is not easy to remove, and if you attempt it twice, it will activate and you will find out firsthand what boiling from the inside feels like," Severus said with a smirk, having noticed.
"You should have said that earlier, and... when are you going to remove this damned sword?!" the bearded man muttered, glaring, as Oliver went red and had to be steadied by the man in glasses. Then the bearded man looked down at the blade still pressed to his throat.
"I am a very cautious person." Severus finally slid the sword into its sheath and caught the parchment, already rolled into a scroll.
"Clearly."
"But before I go, one more question." He did not bother checking the scroll. The contract specified exactly which map he needed, so there was no opportunity for deception. "Compared to other groups..."
"We have one of the most complete," the bearded man said proudly, rubbing his neck. Only now did he actually look at the uninvited guest and snort at the mask. Even without it, he could imagine what Severus looked like.
"I see. That saves me from visiting anyone else. Thank you. I will not say goodbye."
Without another word, Severus walked out through the main entrance. No one tried to stop him. He left the tent and vanished without any trouble.
For a few seconds, the room was deathly quiet, the kind of silence where you could hear your own pulse. Then the man in glasses let out a tired sigh. The whole business had been far too nerve-wracking. If Severus had had even slightly darker intentions, they would not have had time to comprehend what was happening, or even to raise their wands.
The man who had been the hostage poured himself a glass of strong liquor and downed it in one swallow without flinching.
"Never has death been so close, damn it!" Nicholas threw the glass at the wall. It shattered into hundreds of shards. He took another, filled it, and drank it just as fast. "We have grown too relaxed if some boy can take me, Nicholas, hostage that easily!" He could acknowledge Severus's skill, but the shame still burned. Nicholas was one of the strongest wizards in the second safe zone, and being neutralized so simply was a disgrace. "Mark! Tomorrow we go into the jungle to hunt!"
"As you say, Boss," Mark drawled, not too happily. He had no desire to go anywhere. Even for them, that place was dangerous. It was not called the forbidden part of the forest for nothing.
"Oliver, you too."
"Yes." Oliver nodded weakly, his attention still fixed on the seal.
"Do you think he can survive there alone?"
"I would rather he died there!" Nicholas snorted, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. "But people like that do not die easily."
"Hard to argue with. Should we dig up information about him?"
"Forget it. Do you think that is his real face? That cunning bastard." Nicholas grimaced, mimicking Severus, then added indifferently, "Send people to look if you want, but do not expect much."
"I trust your instincts," Mark said with a flattering smile, pouring another drink from the bottle.
"Hmm. You are still coming with me tomorrow. Flattery will not get you out of it."
"What are you talking about, Boss? I will gladly go with you. How could I let you go there alone?!"
Nicholas glanced at Mark without interest, took another sip, and sank into his thoughts.
At the same time, Severus returned to his tent, where Nagini and Nelly, wearing Severus's guise, were already waiting. He did not visit any other groups for maps. He had seen no lie in Mark's answer.
His own seal was easy to remove, just a matter of seconds. But that black parchment was another story entirely. It wasn't just a seal; it was an actual curse anchored in the magical core itself, persistent and malicious. If the contract was broken, it would activate instantly and do the worst thing possible to a wizard: destroy the core. The violator wouldn't just lose their magic; their lifespan would be cut in half, followed by constant weakness, trembling hands, and a body that never truly recovered.
In his past life, Severus couldn't let something like that latch onto his core. If it did, tearing it off later would be impossible. So the first thing he did after returning was destroy the curse. Only then did he sit down to study the map.
Compared with the one Brew had given him, this map was far more detailed. It marked several interesting places, including the territory of those snakes, deep in the forest and highlighted in red. He assumed red meant especially dangerous areas. In addition to the snakes, there were two more similar zones: one belonging to giant stone creatures covered in crystals, the other to enormous plants with red blossoms and sharp internal spikes. There were also territories marked in green, yellow, and blue.
The map was easy to read because it was enchanted. When he touched a specific section, it transmitted all the relevant information straight into his mind: distances, hazards, common routes, even little notes left by whoever had mapped it. In just over an hour he had fully studied it, and by comparing it with Brew's map, he pinpointed the exact location of the flower. It was the second-to-last ingredient for the potion that would restore Nagini's human form.
The plant grew in chimera territory. Chimeras were strange creatures with no single standard shape. Each one was different, stitched together from completely different beasts. One example on the map showed a monster with a lion's body, front paws, and head; a snake for a tail; hooves instead of hind legs; wings on its back; and dragon horns on its head. It could breathe fire and fly, and carried terrifying venom. On top of that, it had razor-sharp claws, a powerful jaw, and was a little over twelve meters long.
That territory was colored blue only because there weren't many chimeras, and they often left to hunt.
There was one more interesting place, also blue. It belonged to creatures labeled Werewolves: three-meter humanoid wolves that looked very much like real werewolves. There was even a note that you could be infected with lycanthropy, meaning you could become a real werewolf, like Lupin. This gave Severus an idea of how the first werewolf might have appeared in the outside world.
Still, he did not dwell on it. He began plotting a route that would take him through the chimera zone, then the half-snake, half-dragon territory, and finally into the black area labeled unexplored. From there he would begin looking for traces of those creatures, unless the appearance of the hellworms was coincidence, which he sincerely hoped it was not.
The night passed quietly. No one bothered them. The sign on the tent kept most trouble away. So the next morning, after tucking it back into his pouch, they headed for the exit of the safe zone. Along the way, Severus glanced at the goods in the shops. He saw nothing interesting among the consumables, except for the fact that his own potions were being sold at three times the outside price, labeled as exclusive goods you could not find elsewhere.
From what he could tell, the local stalls mostly carried what helped people survive in the forbidden jungle: potions, artifacts, and cheap consumables like ropes, hooks, and charms meant to last a day. Anything truly valuable was either hoarded by factions or carried outside and sold there for real money.
That was not surprising. In the second safe zone it was mostly groups that hunted. Lone hunters were rare, so there was simply not much loot to sell. And if something did appear, factions snapped it up quickly. He saw it happen with his own eyes when a wizard put a crystal up for sale and it was bought within a minute by people wearing a symbol on their chests: a sword and wand crossed. They did not even haggle, just tossed gold down and walked off as if they owned the street.
So Severus did not waste time browsing or bargaining. A few minutes later he left the village, letting the noise of traders and the wary stares fade behind him.
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