— — — — — —
The last few days of the holiday slipped by in a blink. Tom kept a quiet watch on Sanchez and Isabella, afraid he might miss something important.
But after obtaining the basilisk's flesh and blood, the two didn't return to South America. Instead, they headed back to Hogwarts. According to Dumbledore, Isabella had borrowed a classroom from him and hadn't come out since.
No need to think hard to guess what she was doing in there: brewing potions, preparing for the expedition to the ruins.
That part caught Tom off guard. Isabella and Sanchez had guts. They clearly valued that ruin immensely, yet they were willing to stay at Hogwarts and prepare in peace.
Did Dumbledore's reputation really still hold up that well? Did they actually trust the old Dumbles that much?
Still, it worked in Tom's favor. The longer they delayed, the better. Once Andros and Jeanne were successfully revived, he'd have two powerful allies at his side. Things would be a lot easier after that.
...
..
"Hold on. Morgan, come out here. Is this normal?"
Inside the pocket world, Tom stood staring at a massive glass vessel, brows knitted tight.
The dense network of blood vessels that had once filled the container—along with the faint outline of a human form—was gone. In its place floated a golden-red sphere about half a meter across.
Intricate patterns of gold and red intertwined across its surface, giving off a soft glow. Tiny bubbles formed, rose, and burst again, as if the sphere were quietly breathing.
"Uh… yeah. No problem. This is completely within my expectations."
Morgan sounded a little uncertain herself.
That was how she'd created ingrates like Gawain in the first place. But… the color was wrong.
Shouldn't it be purple, with a sinister black glow? The kind of thing that screamed dark magic at a glance?
"…Wait. What did you add to it?" Morgan suddenly narrowed her eyes and stepped closer, suspicion creeping into her voice. "Did you sneak something extra in again?"
She recalled what Ravenclaw had once said about him, "This boy is a genius you only see once in a thousand years. His mind is quick, too quick sometimes. You never know what idea he'll come up with on a whim or what kind of consequences it'll bring."
Seeing the gold mixed into the blood sphere, Morgan immediately realized the problem wasn't on her end.
Tom had gone and "got creative" again.
"… Well... um..."
The boy looked awkward. With Morgan's reminder, he finally remembered what he'd done.
"I extracted some divine power from the Golden Apple and mixed it in," Tom admitted sheepishly.
Morgan let out a short, incredulous laugh. "So this was your doing, and you still tried to pin it on me? Good thing Rowena warned me about you beforehand."
That shut Tom up. He couldn't argue—this one was entirely on him.
He had taken the Golden Apple in his hand and extracted half of its divine power, dividing it between the two vessels. There were two reasons behind that decision.
First, to enhance the potential and talent of Andros and Jeanne. Anything related to divinity was precious. Even if the divine power in this second-generation Golden Apple wasn't as potent as the original he'd consumed before, giving each of them a quarter was more than enough.
And what mattered wasn't the quantity, but the transformation brought about by introducing higher-tier energy.
Second… he wanted to test something.
Would Andros and Jeanne, infused with divine power, meet the requirements of the Eleventh Trial?
If they did, then things would become much simpler.
He could create a divine creature first and then slay it.
Morgan's expression shifted after hearing that.
"Tom, if your talent in other areas were on par with mine, then when it comes to cutting corners and pulling shady tricks… I, Morgan le Fay, would call you the best there is."
It didn't exactly sound like praise, but Tom didn't bother arguing.
She'd only been summoned for a few months, yet her approval rating had already climbed to seventy. And just now, it ticked up by another two points.
Well, they both knew exactly what kind of people they were. No need to spell it out.
After a quick discussion, the two dark mages decided it should be fine. And even if something went wrong… worst case, Andros dies again. His soul was already locked inside the study space. If anything blew up, he'd just respawn back. No real loss.
That idea wasn't either one's alone. It was the kind of unspoken understanding only two thoroughly unscrupulous minds could share.
Use Andros as the experiment. If it succeeded, they would move on to Jeanne. If it failed, they would tearfully tell Andros they did their best.
The two of them exchanged a glance and smiled. Nothing more needed to be said.
[Ding!]
[Morgan le Fay's favorability has reached 75%]
[Congratulations, host. Talent acquired: Fairy Bloodline]
Seventy-five already?
Tom froze for a moment before it sank in.
Seriously… so as long as I act more unhinged and less human, your approval goes up? Oh Morgan, if I ever screw you over someday, would that push it straight to a hundred?
He didn't claim the reward right away. Instead, he prepared another batch of nutrient solution and refilled the glass vessel.
Wasting materials didn't bother him. As long as the energy supply stayed sufficient, it was worth it.
Only after finishing everything and sending Morgan off did Tom open the system panel to read the details carefully.
Fairy bloodline…
If it was anything like goblins or the elves from the Harry Potter world, he wanted nothing to do with it. Even if it could turn him into a god on the spot, he'd still refuse.
Elves from other worlds might have a chance, but the ones in HP universe? Not a chance
[Fairy Bloodline: Tracing back to the origin, fairies are the planet's extensions, embodiments of nature itself. Born from the world's power, they possess an innate affinity with all things and can more easily influence the magic of the world.]
[Note: The host's bloodline purity is on the same level as Morgan's. Below that of the first-generation fairies, but above ordinary ones.]
Morgan might be of mixed heritage, but her bloodline purity was actually quite high.
Without hesitation, Tom chose to merge with it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heartbeat suddenly slowed, yet each beat grew heavier and more powerful, like a pump running at full load. The force of it made his chest tingle.
New blood, infused with fairy power, was generated continuously, rushing through his veins and spreading across his entire body.
A hazy green glow seeped out from within him, blanketing the entire pocket world. The air turned fresh and lively, and even the grass on the ground stretched its leaves as if waking from a dream.
The phenomenon lasted for nearly an hour before it finally settled.
Tom slowly opened his eyes.
The world looked completely different now.
If he focused, he could see faint, silvery threads weaving through everything, crossing and intertwining into a vast cocoon that wrapped around all things, tangible and intangible alike.
Those threads… were the rules of magic themselves.
The boy's eyes shone as he murmured under his breath, "Legend… just one step away."
.
.
.