Oh, So I Didn't Need to Pretend

What did it take to create a miracle?

Ian answered that question with a pen and dozens of hours.

The Potions textbooks for all seven years contained an astonishing amount of text, but thanks to the proficiency from his compulsory education that he had yet to forget, he still managed to copy every word without error.

He even had time to check for typos.

"My skills are still sharp!"

Ian shook out his slightly sore arm, set down the quill whose tip had nearly split apart, and looked up. The sun outside had not even begun to set.

There was still plenty of time before that evening's next trip into the Misty Illusion.

Potions Mastery (Level 2): 23/200

The intense hard work had not only allowed Ian to finish his goal ahead of time, but had also brought him considerable gains in ability. He had now accumulated a decent foundation in potion theory.

At the very least, he was better than most Young Wizards in their first and Second Years. His only weakness was probably his lack of practical experience. If he actually started brewing potions, he would definitely be clumsy for a while.

"I hope I can practice brewing potions in the Misty Dream too."

Ian was full of anticipation for this dream visit, but he was also somewhat worried about his two friends who had gone out exploring—surely souls that had already died could not die a second time?

"Crunch, crunch, crunch~"

After writing intensely for so long, Ian was a little hungry. He casually grabbed a few pieces of bread left over from yesterday and wolfed them down as though they were biscuits.

The taste was indescribable.

The Great Ying Empire was famously a culinary wasteland, and the Wizarding World had not escaped the same harsh fate. Fortunately, Ian was not particularly picky about food.

Young people had strong teeth.

Chewing on hard bricks could count as teething.

"By my calculations, Hogwarts should start in another four or five days."

With a mouthful of brick-like bread and a gulp of mountain spring water that had yet to be irradiated, Ian sat outside the Small Wooden House and gazed at the Vaguely Visible castle in the distance. He even felt that life held plenty to look forward to.

As the sun gradually sank westward.

Its golden radiance became gentler and deeper.

"Lumos!"

Since the Lumos Charm was also on the verge of leveling up, Ian did not waste this time before bed. He lit his wand and began grinding skill proficiency.

Lumos Charm (Level 2): 3/200

Compared to more unusual magic and the improvement of Potions Mastery, White Magic such as the Lumos Charm advanced somewhat more slowly.

Of course.

That was only compared to Ian himself. As his skill level rose, Ian could clearly feel a kind of Epiphany. His understanding of the Lumos Charm immediately deepened considerably.

"So it can be done like this!"

Drawing on his newfound understanding, Ian waved the Lumos in his hand, its light already much brighter than before. The glow at the tip of his wand actually began changing color.

Red.

Blue.

Cyan.

And an eerie green... If he could further master the techniques of Nonverbal Spellcasting, perhaps this most basic Lumos Charm could be used to impersonate the Killing Curse and scare people?

Hmm.

Not a bad idea.

"But I already know the Killing Curse. That makes this effect rather useless..." Ian controlled the flow of magical power, attempting to create a Light Source that could at least briefly detach from the tip of his wand.

As expected.

He failed.

The instant the Light Source left the tip of his wand, even though the magical circuit within it was still running, it collapsed due to the lack of the wand's stability.

"My proficiency is still too low. Maybe I can try imprinting this circuit onto something similar to a wand. That should improve the stability somewhat."

Ian froze slightly as the thought occurred to him.

This idea felt familiar.

After considering it carefully.

He suddenly realized—wasn't this how alchemy worked?

"This hurts! I almost founded a school of thought!!"

Ian realized he had lost an opportunity to appear on a Chocolate Frog card.

Unwilling to accept it, he ran back inside and flipped through his books.

Sure enough.

No miracle occurred.

The earliest origins of alchemy really had followed a similar line of thought. Moreover, the Wizarding World had already invented Alchemy Tools capable of providing long-term illumination several centuries ago.

Even today.

The family that invented those Alchemy Tools still monopolized the Wizarding World's lighting equipment market, much like how all the shampoo sold in the Wizarding World came from the Potter Family.

"Damn patent monopolies!"

Compared to missing the opportunity to invent alchemy, being unable to make a fortune off the flashes of inspiration that came after his skills leveled up was perhaps what distressed Ian the most.

So many Galleons.

All lost to him simply because he had been born several centuries too late!

Was there anything more infuriating for a poor man?

No!

"If I can learn some lost potion formulas or magic from Teacher Mara, I'll register patents too, then lie in a Gringotts vault and count money every day!"

Back inside.

Before falling deeply asleep while clutching a pile of notebooks.

Ian realized that he was still an ordinary man after all.

He did not merely love money.

And.

He did not truly hate patent monopolies. He only hated that he was not the one monopolizing the patents.

"I'm so self-aware!"

When he opened his eyes again.

The magnificent golden hall was no different from when he had last entered the Misty Illusion.

The Witch seemed to have been waiting for him early on.

As cold and proud as ever, she sat upright upon that unchanging bench, watching Ian with an indescribably strange gaze... or rather, the enormous pile of notebooks in his arms.

"You truly haven't disappointed me."

There was a hint of amazement in the Witch's voice.

"Ha, they really came in with me."

This was actually Ian's first attempt at bringing so many things into the Misty Illusion. Fortunately, nothing went wrong. Every notebook he held had entered the Misty Illusion with him.

"Teacher Mara, look how amazing I am!"

Ian grinned as he placed all the notebooks on the long table. This time, the tables and chairs in the hall had not run away. Only a few teacups had opened their eyes and were curiously examining Ian.

"Yes, very amazing."

The Witch did not hold back her praise.

However.

She had clearly misunderstood what Ian wanted to show off. She thought he was boasting about his talent for carrying so many objects across the boundary between life and death, rather than his ability to copy so much text.

Therefore.

"However, you can clearly do something even more remarkable. You may simply not have realized it yet." The Witch offered Ian an ambiguous reminder.

"Huh?"

Ian paused, then quickly understood.

"What kind of more remarkable thing are you talking about?"

Ian asked curiously.

"You need to discover that for yourself."

The Witch became cryptic again.

"If you could just tell me directly, I could still consider it my own discovery."

Ian blinked.

"..."

The Witch fell silent for a moment.

Perhaps she felt somewhat awkward under Ian's fixed gaze.

She sighed.

"I have only glimpsed certain possibilities. I am not truly omniscient... As for what you should do, that is your path. Only you are the one walking it."

The Witch's quiet words made Ian thoughtful.

He looked at the books on the long table.

Some... bold ideas gradually began to rise in his heart.