Muggle.
Do the Muggles know about the Magic Realm?
Lupin also heard the greeting from the front desk. He had just been wondering why William would bring him to such a clearly Muggle hotel. After all, when Wizards travel, they usually choose Wizard-run inns for convenience. The simplest reason is that the cleaning tools in Wizard Taverns are pre-enchanted—
Not everyone is skilled in household magic.
Now he seemed to understand that this hotel was clearly not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
"...Isn't there more to say?"
William was slightly confused. He remembered that in the United Kingdom a century ago, such passcodes were always roundabout. Only after a series of bizarre questions and answers would the hotel front desk trust your identity. After all, these Poachers knew they were breaking the law and, of course, took adequate security measures.
"Ahem, sir, from the big city? This place is small, and you two are the only new people to ask me this month..."
Very well, it makes sense. After all, besides that accidental encounter with a Poacher in the Forbidden Forest, the later Poacher circuses were all caught by him during summer vacation in Edinburgh or London—those cities' population density definitely couldn't be matched by Innsbruck.
"Here, take this—"
Seeing that William had nothing else to say, the man hurriedly bent down and rummaged through a pile of miscellaneous items, eventually finding a thick stack of travel brochures—well, this has changed too. William clearly remembered that they used to be parchment maps.
"... ..."
"Every Friday, at eight-thirty in the evening, there's a performance—today is Wednesday."
Seeing William lift his head as if to check the clock, the front desk immediately added.
"Then help me with this..."
"This is your room. Upstairs, at the end of the left corridor, it's specifically prepared for Wizards—"
Before William could finish, a key that had been ready for some time was handed to him.
"... ..."
Oh, it seems they are really short on audience. In London, there wasn't such a situation where you didn't even have to say a word...
There's just so few performances scheduled.
Realizing he had nothing to ask, William handed the key and map to Lupin behind him, and the two quickly headed towards the staircase in the direction indicated.
"Click—"
"Is this where those Poachers put on their performances?"
Locking the door behind him, Lupin quickly scanned the room, eventually focusing again on the map in his hand, "It's in the mountains, some distance from the city center."
"Typical, these bastards like to appear in all sorts of obscure places. I've even seen abandoned factories—it's not a challenge for Wizards."
William spoke as he placed his suitcase on the ground, then stepped on the ladder attached to the edge and began to descend into the pitch-black interior.
"...Can I go inside?"
Watching William disappear into the suitcase, Lupin hesitated for a moment but couldn't resist asking—in the past half month, they had been on the road almost constantly. Every time William entered this suitcase, he had to drive. Although he roughly knew what was inside, he felt overwhelmingly curious—
"—Remember to lock the door."
A moment later, William's distant voice seemed to echo from far away.
"Click—"
After checking that the lock was secure, Lupin eagerly approached the suitcase, stepped onto the section of the ladder extending out, and carefully climbed down. The darkness gradually enveloped him, and after an unknown period, Lupin finally felt himself standing on solid ground.
It was a narrow space, with protruding wooden cabinets on the walls. Below them, on a desk, were bottles of differently styled Magic Potions. Lupin recognized at a glance the improved Wolf Poison Potion among them—this bottle seemed to be pineapple-flavored?
It resembled a cramped bedroom. In the corner, there was even a single bed crammed in. Lupin quickly glanced around before fixing his gaze on a wooden door tucked away beside the cabinet.
"Creak—"
The old wooden door emitted a similarly aged sound. Then, as if a seal had been broken, countless noises rushed in from behind the door, catching Lupin unprepared. He instinctively covered his ears.
"Eek—"
In the next moment, Lupin suddenly felt a weight on his head. Instinctively, he reached up to touch it—ah, a familiar sensation. It was Kabuda.
"Eek!"
Perched on Lupin's head, Kabuda pointed forward energetically, signaling Lupin to proceed. But unlike William, Lupin couldn't communicate seamlessly with these creatures as he hadn't switched to druiding. So, he awkwardly removed Kabuda from his head.
"Where's your master?"
Lupin began to look around. The space behind the door was an apparently endless wooden corridor, with identical wooden doors on either side. Each door's only distinguishing feature was an abstract sketch hanging on it.
"Eek—"
In Lupin's palm, Kabuda circled around, then sniffed the air before pointing to one of the doors.
Following Kabuda's lead, Lupin opened the door before him. Instantly, the humid air of a rainforest filled his lungs. "Neigh—" a somewhat startled sound emerged next. William, who was carrying a food bucket, walked out from behind a tree in the room. "You startled it. Remember to knock next time."
"Oh…"
Lupin instinctively nodded and then curiously glanced behind the tree not far away. The moment he entered, he noticed a pure white figure hiding there.
A moment later, the mysterious white figure slowly emerged from behind the tree…
"Unicorn—"
"Neigh!!"
"Tsk, don't be so jumpy. You'll scare it."
William waved his hand, and Lupin's lips seemed to be sealed shut. Only after repeatedly promising not to act startled did Lupin regain the ability to speak. "Unicorn? Where did this come from…"
Staring at the little Unicorn busy burying its head in William's embrace, Lupin instinctively lowered his voice.
"Ahem, from the Forbidden Forest—the Centaurs told me its parents were killed, apparently by a Black Wizard for its blood."
Pressed against his chest by the Unicorn's horn, William helplessly exhaled.
"Unicorn's blood—it's the curse that kills Unicorns..."
"Duh, when do those Black Wizards ever think straight?"
"…That's so true."