Iron Golem

[Satisfaction from Dumbledore +10]

[Satisfaction from Dumbledore +10]

[Favor from Dumbledore +10]

Kayson walked behind, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

Soon, the two arrived at an empty classroom.

Dumbledore sat in the very center, with Professor McGonagall, whom he'd met once before, beside him, along with a greasy-haired professor—this was Snape, whom he also recognized.

The other two were a short man and a kindly woman; these two he didn't know.

The greasy-haired professor glanced over casually and said, "All this fanfare, I thought you'd brought Ollivander."

Sigh... what a devastating opening.

Kayson swallowed hard and sat down in a seat across from them. On the table lay a form spread flat, along with a quill.

Name...

Kayson Heath.

Gender...

Age...

25.

Education...

University of Manchester, Department of Civil Engineering.

For no reason at all, he felt a wave of embarrassment. What was that about?

Specialized magic...

Alchemy, Transfiguration, Charms.

He'd added that last one reluctantly, following the advice whispered by Dumbledore at his ear...

After handing over the form, he leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the ceiling...

The ceiling of this room didn't match the wall color at all. If he were designing it, he'd use spruce planks—not only would the colors harmonize, but it would also retain an air of elegance and dignity.

Across from him...

"Mr. Heath..." Snape stared at the form in front of him and began to speak.

"...Mr. Heath?"

"Kayson Heath!"

"Ah? What is it?"

Kayson, who had been studying the ceiling, snapped back to attention and looked at the greasy-haired professor addressing him.

"Would you mind demonstrating your alchemy?"

"What do you need me to show? I mean, how should I demonstrate?"

"The basics. How about material transmutation? After all, aside from a certain annual position, I'd rather not have a colleague who's a fool or a fraud."

Kayson nodded in deep agreement. To be honest, he was exactly that kind of fool and fraud. If Dumbledore hadn't called him over, he wouldn't have set foot in this classroom at all.

It wasn't that he didn't want the so-called professor job—it was that he had a clear understanding of his own abilities. When it came to renovations, he was a crushing blow to the competition.

Alchemy? What was that?

The four professors watched his almost-confirming nod, and their strange gazes simultaneously fell on Dumbledore. He could only say awkwardly, "Just show something. Preferably something a bit magical."

"Fine."

The next moment, an Iron Block suddenly appeared in his hand, followed by four thuds as a T-shaped steel frame was set down.

"That's not Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall explained.

"Obviously. And then?" Snape's eyes were still strange. What he was seeing now was supposed to be alchemy, but it felt so... bizarre?

Then another pumpkin cube appeared in Kayson's hand, which he steadily placed on top of the iron T to serve as a head. In an instant, the pumpkin cube in his hand turned into a pair of scissors.

To be honest, this one move alone had already earned Snape's recognition of his skill. After all, Snape hadn't sensed any excess magical fluctuation at that time.

In response to readers' requests, we now offer a VIP member ad-free feature.

Click to view.

He had truly conjured four cubic meters of iron from nothing using magic, then transformed it into a cube of pumpkin, and finally into a rough pair of scissors.

Pure creation from nothing using magic, rather than material Equivalent Exchange—at least, no alchemist he knew had that level of mastery.

Then he witnessed something that nearly made his eyes pop out. Kayson used those scissors to carve a jack-o'-lantern face into the pumpkin, and then the T-shaped iron block and the pumpkin head began to melt, reshaping themselves.

In the blink of an eye, it became an Iron Knight nearly three meters tall—an Iron Golem.

Dumbledore watched everything, the smile in his eyes growing deeper. He nudged Professor McGonagall with his elbow.

"So?"

Professor McGonagall's expression grew even more serious. "You know I'm no expert, but I can sense a life force... using alchemy to create life..."

"Dumbledore, where did you dig him up from? I don't recall Hogwarts ever having a student like this..." Snape also spoke up.

"You'll have to blame the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance for that."

Dumbledore said casually.

None of the others paid much attention to what Dumbledore really meant; they likely assumed the Quill of Acceptance simply hadn't reached beyond England and Scotland, never imagining that this somewhat extraordinary alchemist had lived in the Muggle World until today.

They all quickly drew a circle at the bottom of the form, signifying their agreement—a new colleague joining Hogwarts.

Until Dumbledore pulled out the employment contract he had prepared in advance, and Snape happened to catch a glimpse of it.

Monthly salary: 130 Galleons.

To be honest, this salary was about average for most professors, more or less, but for a technical specialist like an alchemist or potioneer, it was hardly better than tossing a coin to a beggar.

Still, he had no mind to meddle; an alchemist of this caliber wouldn't be short on cash anyway—they could just smelt their own gold if needed, unlike himself brewing potions, earning every drop with hard, blood-sweat labor.

Ah... life isn't easy...

"Do I need to sign?" Kayson asked.

"Oh, right here." Dumbledore cheerfully left his seat and stood behind him, pointing to an empty spot on the corner of the parchment.

"A professor's job—sounds good."

Kayson shrugged, picked up the quill, and wrote his name there.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. You'll like it here. I'm Filius Flitwick—call me whatever you like." Professor Flitwick came up to Kayson's feet and extended his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Professor." He bent down and shook Flitwick's hand.

"Pomona Sprout."

"Professor Sprout."

Kayson introduced himself sincerely and greeted them politely, while Dumbledore tucked away the magical contract as if he had found a treasure.

Watching this, Kayson suddenly had a thought—had he been tricked?

Before he could figure it out, Severus Snape appeared before him in his black robes.

"Severus Snape. I enjoy conversing with talented people. My office is in the dungeons."

"I'll remember that."

As the empty classroom was left with only the three of them and an Iron Golem, Professor McGonagall finally walked over and shook Kayson's hand.

"I'd be happy to show you around Hogwarts. This isn't just your future workplace—I hope it becomes like a second home to you."

"Maybe it'll be my first home." Kayson replied politely.

"That would be even better."

During the day, under Professor McGonagall's pained gaze at what she considered a waste, Kayson dismantled the Iron Golem, then chose a spacious, sunlit office on the third floor. He followed Professor McGonagall to get to know all of Hogwarts and the staff.

Only in the evening did he finally have free time to return to his office.

All in all, the job sounded good, and his colleagues seemed to like him.

Perhaps some of them were a bit tsundere—their faces didn't show it—but the string of satisfaction and trust scores in their minds couldn't lie.

And this series of positive attitudes once again upgraded his MC Blocks.

A new block appeared in his hand.

A dead, desolate aura filled the office as he stared at the floating Wither Skeleton Skull in his palm, lost in thought...

This block looked like it could explode at any moment—what was going on?