A Deal with Pride

On Durmstrang's large black ship, Leon Schneider, who had been waiting silently, suddenly stood up.

He narrowed his eyes, a look of keen interest on his face. "That person said there was a slight, minor surprise..."

Reinhardt Nott didn't speak, but simply gave the other person a meaningful look.

The two of them had stayed in their bedroom at the bottom of the ship's cabin the whole time, without ever stepping out. And Leon Schneider hadn't waved his wand or taken out Magical Item. Where did this guy get the information from?

What kind of being is the one he's talking about...?

Leon Schneider stretched and sat up from Reinhardt's bed. "Let's go, my friend, tonight our campsite is the beautiful Hogwarts castle."

Reinhardt followed without a word, and only when the two of them stepped onto the deck did he ask, braving the unusually biting night wind, "What accident? And didn't you say I was to go alone?"

Leon Schneider had somehow produced a pure black mask that covered his mouth and nose, and his eyes began to flash with an eerie red light under the night sky.

"Tsk, when did Mr. Reckless become so fond of asking questions?" The other person's voice came from under the mask, dull and soporific. "Your mission remains the same: go to the Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets and meet our not-so-bright Mr. Wallop —as for any surprises, why do you think I came out with you?"

Reinhardt was about to reply when suddenly his expression tightened, and he turned sharply to look at the shadow at the edge of the deck. Just now, there seemed to be something in there.

Leon Schneider chuckled, "Your perception is better than I thought, Reinhardt—don't worry about it, he's one of ours. Oh, forgive my misuse of words, you're not one of ours yet."

Reinhardt did not reply, but turned to look at Hogwarts Castle standing in the night.

Let's go.

After saying that, Leon Schneider, who was wearing a mask, took the lead and walked away into the distance.

As the two reached the side entrance, a swaying lantern came from the corridor.

It was Filch, the castle caretaker, who was touring the castle with his beloved Mrs. Norris —just as he had done every day for the past few decades.

Reinhardt instinctively pulled out his wand, not to stun the other person, but to hide himself.

Leon Schneider stopped him, then looked with interest at Filch, who was approaching. "A Squib, able to serve as the administrator of a thousand-year-old prestigious school, indeed, wizards are getting more and more backward."

"Meow~" Mrs. Norris sensed their presence first.

Filch first picked up his cat, then looked around.

"Hey! You two! Which college are you from? Why aren't you asleep yet?! I swear I'll hang you upside down in my office and whip you mercilessly with a wet whip!" Filch spotted the two and limped over, roaring viciously.

"Oh, these school rules are quite good?" Leon Schneider smiled and looked at Reinhardt, whose eyes narrowed.

This guy's eyes have turned completely crimson red, it's extremely eerie!

The roaring Filch rounded the corner and then saw the two men.

"Durmstrang?! You're the same!"

As Leon Schneider approached, Mrs. Norris suddenly screamed in terror.

"Go to sleep..."

The cat's meows and the owner's roars stopped abruptly.

The two, a person and a cat, walked forward listlessly, as if they had lost all motivation, their eyes devoid of any spirit.

Reinhardt frowned, his voice tinged with apprehension. "What did you do to them?"

"Oh, let them rest for a bit. Tomorrow will be another beautiful day, won't it?"

Having said that, he led the way into the castle.

Filch's patrol took them by surprise, and they arrived at the girls' restroom on the second floor without encountering anyone.

Since the Basilisk incident years ago, this place has been abandoned and completely sealed off by iron chains. Even Moaning Myrtle no longer stays here.

Now, the iron chains outside have fallen to the ground, clearly indicating that someone has trespassed into this area.

Leon Schneider led Reinhardt inside, casually waving his wand. After the two went inside, the chains were fastened again.

He walked briskly to the second-to-last tap, and under Reinhardt's watchful gaze, Leon Schneider spoke with a calm expression.

"Hiss--"

A strange hissing sound came from his mouth, and suddenly, the dragon head emitted a dazzling white light and began to spin rapidly. Then, the pool also began to move.

Reinhardt watched as the pool slowly disappeared from sight, revealing a very thick water pipe large enough for a person to crawl inside.

He glanced discreetly at Leon Schneider, whose expression remained unchanged, then stretched his neck. "Is Wallerup inside?"

"Of course, if nothing unexpected happens, he should be standing there in the middle of the Chamber of Secrets, buddy. It's time for your performance." Leon Schneider let out a mocking laugh through his mask.

Reinhardt didn't say much, glanced at the other person again, and then nimbly crawled into the water pipe.

"Have a safe journey, don't be afraid, my friend. I'll help you with those unexpected events~" Leon didn't go down. He waved to Reinhardt, who had already slid down, and then his body twisted strangely.

Reinhardt, his face solemn, slid rapidly down the pipe until he landed.

He stomped heavily on the damp ground, making a pattering sound.

In the shadows unseen by anyone, a red glint flashed in Reinhardt Nott's eyes, followed by a maniacal, expectant smile.

"Pride and Sloth... how interesting, haha."

Whispers that no one could hear echoed softly.

——

Heavy, depressed, and drowsy, Sean had never felt his consciousness so [Sloth] before.

Perhaps it was the resistance brought by Pride, or perhaps the magic activated by Sloth through memory wasn't powerful enough, but after floating in the darkness for a while, Sean finally regained some clarity of mind.

However, there was only one thing he could do: aside from engaging in minimal thinking, he couldn't do anything else.

He was filled with confusion. He had been extremely careful, he had checked with magic again and again, and the Divination coin produced by the system had not warned of any danger, yet he still fell victim to it.

The few remaining thoughts left Sean feeling somewhat disheartened. He felt he had done his best and been extremely cautious, yet he found himself in the same predicament he had faced with Slytherin in another Chamber of Chamber of Secrets years ago.

That accident stemmed from Sean's recklessness and blind confidence, and he silently remembered it. He had vowed never to make such a basic mistake again—but fate played a cruel trick on him. Even though he had done his best, he was still betrayed by someone else.

A mix of dejection and resentment—that was all the emotion Sean could muster at the moment.

His consciousness was completely trapped in the magic of [Sloth], and he could not think any further or use his abilities.

However, Sean's low mood did not last long, even though a magical voice kept telling him, "Sleep, sleep."

Gather strength... gather strength... escape this swamp...

He didn't know how much time had passed; it felt like a few short minutes, yet also like decades.

Suddenly, Sean's consciousness seemed to float up, and his previously heavy thoughts became light and agile. The wisdom that had been lost quickly returned to his brain.

He landed.

Sean opened his eyes, which he had kept closed for a long time. He saw a Sky Island, his own villa, and a towering, enormous body reaching into the clouds at the edge of the Sky Island.

It is [Pride].

Sean's gaze sharpened as the wand appeared in his hand. He had thought he had broken free from the spell of "Sloth," but he hadn't expected to find himself in his Soul World, his own unique Realm of Illusion.

This has never happened before... Was it [Pride] who did it? Impossible, He shouldn't have awakened such powerful strength.

However, the most urgent thing now is to get back to reality... Sean skillfully closed his eyes, wanting to return to his own body.

A moment later, he frowned.

It's no use. He's the one who controls the Soul World now, but he can't go back.

At that moment, a voice as loud as thunder rang out. "No need to try anymore, mortal."

Sean looked up at the towering Giant, whose head was hidden in the clouds, and even its face was not visible. Moreover, Sean then realized that the form that Pride had manifested this time was even larger than the last time he had seen it!

"What happened?" Sean asked in a deep voice.

He didn't ask the other party "Did you do it?" On the one hand, he needed to maintain control in front of Pride, and on the other hand, his intuition told him that this was not Pride's doing.

As its name suggests, the other party is Pride. If it could completely suppress Sean's soul in the Realm of Illusion, it would not hesitate to awaken and take over Sean's body. That is the style of Pride, not standing here as if waiting for something.

The voice of [Pride] came from the clouds. "Your body and your consciousness have fallen into the magic of [Sloth]. However, as a mortal, you have managed to free your soul in such a short time. You are truly worthy of being my bridge."

"Are you praising me or yourself?" Sean scoffed. This guy's still the same old Sean.

"Hey, big guy, you said Sloth was a traitor, right? But as the one at the top of the Sin, you don't seem to be as powerful as him," Sean said.

The voice of Pride carried a hint of anger, but it wasn't directed at Sean, but at Sloth: "That foolish traitor... Besides, to answer your question, mortal—my power is beyond your comprehension."

"However, you are far too weak to be a bridge, and your courage is not enough to support the use of the power I have given you. Otherwise, a gaze through memory would at most make you yawn."

Sean frowned. "What's the point of talking about this now? As the one at the top of the Sin, didn't you get any passive skill that makes you immune to all magic? Tsk, now that I think about it, that memory seems to have been prepared for me all along. My physical body is currently being controlled by the magic of [Sloth], right?"

[Pride] gave an affirmative answer, "That is one of the traitor's abilities—however, they underestimate you and they underestimate me too much."

"And then? I can't go back yet."

[Pride] finally lowered his body, and his huge head pierced through the clouds to the edge of the Sky Island.

"You can go out anytime you want, as long as you borrow even a little bit of my power."

Sean scoffed. "Stop talking nonsense. No one can let me 'borrow' your power unless I'm willing. Besides, I think it's more in line with the identity of a sealed being if you take the initiative to help me."

[Pride] frowned. "Mortal, you are becoming more and more conceited."

Sean sneered, "I am your host. If I die, you die too. And why haven't you figured out one thing yet?"

He walked to the edge of the Sky Island and stared intently at the other person. "I'm terrified of dying, extremely terrified of dying, but why don't you understand?"

"If I am going to die, then I will die—and take everyone I can with me."

[Pride] fell silent. In the Soul World, He could sense that Sean's words were not a lie—this cowardly mortal, in his moment of despair, had no will to live, only the thought of mutual destruction.

No, he wasn't afraid of death; he just cherished his life very much. He certainly wasn't afraid of death...

After a brief silence, [Pride] spoke, "As a bridge, you have earned my respect. In that case, I will help you."

"But I won't give you anything in return," Sean said calmly.

"No reward is needed. You remain the dominant one in this Soul World. You can sense whether I'm taking over your body and can stop it at any time—but..." [Pride] changed the subject.

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Speak."

"Besides helping you, I have another deal for you that will only benefit you and not harm me, but—" For the first time, a defiant smile appeared on his enormous face, "This will make me happier."

"Tell me about it—" Sean narrowed his eyes.

——

In Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, a figure stands silently atop the circular stone slab —Sean, his eyes closed.

Apart from him, there was no one else here.

Light footsteps came from afar, and a figure walked over easily; it was Reinhardt Nott.

He glanced at Sean from a distance, a strange smile appearing on his face.

Reinhardt stood there quietly, without saying a word.

Time continued to pass, and the two remained motionless like stone statues.

Suddenly, Reinhardt looked at the shadows not far away. "Ha, here they come."

Leon Schneider's disgruntled voice rang out behind him. "What are you doing, Nott— "

In an instant, Sean's eyes snapped open, their color turning crimson!