Fixed Brooch +1

After sending the four little ones away, Kayson felt completely unburdened. After that... at least for the time being, his only task was taking the fourth-year little wizards to receive their awards.

In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived. When he woke up that morning, he noticed a Portkey set beside his bed, along with a letter from the European Alchemy Exchange Association.

The wording of this letter was even friendlier than the last one. Clearly, the big names at the Exchange Association had taken quite a liking to Kayson, who handed out dissertations as freely as spending money.

By evening, Kayson once again had the little wizards line up before him, personally inspecting their appearances.

Before long, Kayson arrived at the Ministry of Magic's banquet hall once more. He first swept his gaze over the reporters present. Good, Rita Skeeter was not there.

Or rather, since being dealt a blow by him, the only time she had appeared in public was in a brief notice in the Daily Prophet.

It said that she had taken an indefinite leave of absence.

"That's wonderful... I really don't like her. Really." Kayson said, leaning against a massive Roman load-bearing pillar beside Ollivander.

Well, as the head of England's only wandmaking family, it would have been stranger if he had not been here.

"Yes. Oh, and besides this award ceremony, there's also your investiture ceremony today. We all tacitly agreed not to tell you. It's supposed to be a surprise." Ollivander said with a smile.

"Does that mean I get another title?"

"No, two more. One is Recipient of the Order of Hermes. You know Hermes, right? Legend says he was the founder of alchemy. It's the highest honor in the alchemical world. The other is the Order of Merlin, but I didn't ask too much about it. Ever since a Black bought himself a First Class Order with money, the Order of Merlin's prestige has plummeted."

"Some people are even ashamed to receive an Order of Merlin. Of course, it isn't entirely Black's fault. A much larger share of the blame should go to the Ministry of Magic." Ollivander slowly explained the whole story to Kayson.

"Got it, got it..."

Soon, after a brief and mercifully concise award ceremony, Ollivander pushed Kayson up onto the stage.

"You know I'm not good with words."

"Then don't talk... There aren't many alchemists who can talk anyway."

"...That's true..."

Early the next morning, Kayson wore the dark red wizarding robe Neville had given him. It was light and soft, and wearing it felt like wearing nothing at all... of course... that was only the feeling.

Not how it looked.

Pinned to his chest was the Order of Hermes. It had no fixed color. At first glance, it looked like slowly flowing gold dust, gleaming with a restrained light.

Fixed Brooch +1

Feeling rather pleased with himself again, he left his office and headed for the classroom.

Today's class was for the third-years. He had already taught them the basics of alchemy, so it was time to give them a small assignment, such as how to use basic alchemy to create a Totem of Undying.

Of course, he was not that insane. It was merely an exaggerated comparison.

In the classroom.

Kayson stood on the podium. "Now that you understand the basic rules of alchemy, I've found a short assignment for you. Don't worry, it's very simple."

As he spoke, Kayson clapped his hands. A glowing blue cube abruptly appeared on the podium. Beneath it was an Obsidian base, with a deep blue luminous body at its center, wrapped in a layer of crystal.

"Let me show you what this big fellow can do." He gestured to the little wizards. The students immediately understood, clutching their desks and kicking their chairs as they shuffled to the edges of the classroom.

An Iron Block appeared in Kayson's hand. Soon, a small iron pyramid stood in the center of the classroom. He placed the beacon on it, then took out an Emerald Block and shoved it inside.

In an instant, the beacon released a milky-white pillar of light.

"Can you feel any power?"

The little wizards looked utterly bewildered, and Kayson awkwardly rubbed his chin.

"You can try jumping."

No sooner said than done. The Weasley twins, for instance, crouched down and sprang upward with all their strength. Then their heads made intimate contact with the ceiling.

Wait, where had he put that picture?

Oh, found it. This one. ↓

A little blurry.

"Mm, thank you, Messrs. Weasley, for the demonstration. So, I've named this thing a beacon. Within a certain range, it can provide people with enhancements, such as making you jump higher and run faster."

"Of course, it has other, more powerful effects as well, such as restoring your magic faster, strengthening your spells, and making your vitality more tenacious."

After Kayson finished speaking, one of the Weasley twins raised his hand.

"Go ahead."

"Then why not switch it to another enhancement effect, Professor?"

"Because that requires a more precious base, such as Gold Blocks, Diamond Blocks, Emerald Blocks, Alloy Blocks, and so on. But I have to consider Hogwarts's load-bearing capacity..."

"You might really want my alchemical creation to crash through the floor and crush Professor Snape, who's teaching downstairs, to death."

"Hahahahaha!!!"

For a moment, the classroom was filled with joyful laughter.

"But I don't think that's necessary. Though old Snape usually wears a miserable face, he really doesn't deserve to die."

"Oh..."

It was a strange sound of disappointment...

Mm... the Weasley twins were the loudest among them.

"First, I'll explain this object's structure to you... You'll use the remaining half of the term to write me a paper on its principles. As for the paper's grade, I'll enter it directly into your final grade."

"Of course, this thing is extremely complicated. I don't expect you to fully understand it in half a term. As long as your final paper has substance, I'll give you marks."

"Lastly, plagiarism is forbidden. Believe me, I'll carefully check every paper. Of course, if your minds are truly in sync, like the Weasley twins'..."

"I'll call you to my office and have you properly explain your line of reasoning to me."

"Now close your textbooks and come over. I'll let you have a careful look at the beacon's internal structure." As Kayson spoke, a draft suddenly appeared in his hand.

"Wait, Professor, isn't this a little too violent?" one of the little wizards asked.

"Violent? It's not that bad."