"What is this?"
The nimble Nicolas LeMay snatched the black stone away.
He held it up before his eyes and examined it carefully under the bright light of the magical lamp above.
Dumbledore, who had been standing there stiffly like a wooden stick for quite some time, finally came to life as well.
He stepped forward beside Nicolas LeMay and gave the stone a couple of looks.
After pondering for a moment, he said to Cypher,
"I don't recognize this, nor do I sense any unusual magical fluctuations. I've never heard of the Sorting Hat concealing an... inconspicuous stone."
Cypher was somewhat surprised after hearing Dumbledore's words.
But this was an object from thousands of years ago, and there was no proper habit of recording history here. Even some true history had turned into fairy tales.
However!
Cypher and the others all turned their eyes toward Nicolas LeMay.
This was a living historical scroll who had lived for centuries!
"This thing looks somewhat familiar! Let me search for it..."
Sure enough, Nicolas LeMay might actually know what it was.
After muttering to himself, he pressed a finger against his temple.
After a brief pause, a faint white glow appeared at his fingertip. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a thread and slipped into his mind.
It seemed this truly was something ancient and long forgotten.
That thread was an especially obvious sign of memory magic.
No matter how profound Occlumency was, it still required magic to support one's consciousness and remain lucid amid the vast torrent of countless memory fragments.
"Ah! Here it is! I found it!"
After a long while, Nicolas LeMay exclaimed in amazement. Only then did he lower his finger and slowly open his eyes.
Once his eyes were open, he faced everyone's expectant