Whether it was the Eye of Peering Magic or the soul-observation magic he had learned from Salazar, both were more focused on examining magical circuits and the soul itself.
With the mask's assistance, his observation of the curse became far more detailed.
Using the mask together with the Eye of Peering Magic produced an effect greater than the sum of its parts.
Hmm.
It seemed to go beyond mere visual enhancement.
Lucien took a deep breath.
The mixture built into the mask gave off a complex herbal scent. At the same time, other smells were amplified as well.
A rusty sweetness and a sewage-like stench entered his nostrils at once, the two odours intertwining so strongly that he almost instinctively wanted to hold his breath.
His intuition told him that this was probably the scent of the blood curse.
After carefully distinguishing the scents, Lucien realised that the smell was coming mainly from Nagini's heart.
As the heart pumped, the intensity of the scent rose and fell with it. It was strongest during contraction and slightly weaker during relaxation, like an engine continuously releasing a cursed aura and spreading contamination throughout the body.
The beaked masks worn by doctors in medieval Europe had been hollow inside and stuffed with vinegar-soaked sponges, camphor, mint, ginger, and various herbs to filter the air and reduce the risk of infection.
So the magical version of the beaked mask also possessed detection abilities through smell.
This mask was even more useful than Lucien had expected.
More comprehensive and detailed observation would clearly be a great help in researching and treating curses. He could see how the curse was distributed, smell its changes, and distinguish different levels of contamination.
Being able to capture those changes in real time meant that every detail could become crucial once treatment began.
That made Lucien even more curious about the effects of the complete set, so he called out to the system in his mind.
"System, can you reveal the effects of the Plague Doctor set in advance?"
The result was the same as when he had applied for the Plague Doctor's Mask loan.
The system didn't respond immediately.
What was wrong with it lately?
It used to answer almost instantly.
Lucien waited two seconds before asking tentatively,
"System, are you... about to break down?"
[Not broken (ʘдʘ╬)]
The familiar emoticon reassured Lucien slightly, but the next line left him stunned.
[Host, this system seems to be... updating.]
Updating?
A system upgrade?
Back when he first came into contact with the wizarding world, the system hadn't updated. It had simply added magic-related loan items.
So why was it upgrading now?
Was it because he had encountered enough magical content?
Or had he triggered some hidden condition?
"You're updating now? Is there anything I need to do?" Lucien asked.
The system had been with him for more than ten years, after all. Lucien still had some attachment to it.
[Not sure. It should happen soon. The update may put the system into a deep sleep. When that happens, the host only needs to make sure not to die (・・.)ゞ]
Well, okay.
The affection that had just welled up immediately vanished.
Forget it. Considering the system wasn't in good condition, he wouldn't hold it against it.
[The host is currently a wizard. According to observations, wizards are a race prone to seeking death, so please cherish your life.]
Lucien: "..."
..
..
After some time..
Inside the sealed room, there were now two identical large green snakes.
Whether one looked at the texture of their scales, the size of their bodies, or their vertical pupils, there wasn't the slightest visible difference between them.
They looked as though they had been copied and pasted, and even the rhythm of their breathing was astonishingly similar.
One was separated behind a pale blue beam barrier, coiled in the corner.
The other lay quietly on a metal table, motionless, allowing Lucien to wave his wand and cast various spells on it.
The snake behind the barrier was the real Nagini.
The one lying on the table had been transformed by the Shape-Shifting Flesh Puppet.
It wasn't only identical on a physical level. Even the magical circuits inside its body were a complete replica of Nagini's, twisted and mutated by the curse.
After being upgraded through a loan, the Shape-Shifting Flesh Puppet could now simulate magical circuits.
By replicating Nagini's existing magical circuits onto the Shape-Shifting Flesh Puppet, Lucien could first simulate how to correct them. Where to cut, where to reconnect, and which parts to preserve could all be tested on the flesh puppet beforehand.
Once the plan was perfected, he could then apply it to the real Nagini.
It was just like medical students practising on cadavers first. Only after becoming proficient could they truly operate on a patient.
"Heh, I really am a doctor."
Lucien raised a hand and tapped the bird-beaked mask on his face.
Although it did look like a medieval antique.
Once he obtained the complete Plague Doctor set and put on the black clothes, black hat, and bird-beaked mask, he would probably scare the patient away before treatment even began.
Lucien had also tried using Transfiguration on the bird-beaked mask, hoping to turn it into something more convenient, such as a pair of glasses, but discovered that he couldn't Transfigure it at all.
The mask seemed to resist any change in form.
Fortunately, it was quite light, so wearing it for long periods didn't make him tired.
The mixture inside the beak continuously released a cool fragrance with a refreshing, invigorating effect, preventing him from becoming sleepy even after working for several hours.
And being able to put it on or take it off instantly through the System Space was convenient enough.
Besides, there was no one here to see him, so it didn't matter if the style was a little strange.
Lucien turned his head toward Nagini behind the barrier.
"Er, there is a snake watching, tho."
Those vertical pupils stared at him coldly, fixed on the strange bird-beaked mask covering his face.
He couldn't tell whether she was merely curious or calculating how to take a bite out of him the moment the barrier disappeared.
Once she returned to human form, he wondered whether she would still remember what was happening now.
________
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