Regulus: I'm Coming In

Hermes straightened up in front of the Training Dummy, tugged at his askew collar, and looked directly at Regulus: "Teach me."

Regulus, of course, would not agree.

For Magic of the Fiendfyre level, the problem isn't whether you know how to do it, but whether the conditions are right.

To possess Magic Power reserves at the level of an adult wizard, one must be proficient in the principles of Dark Arts and understand the binding mechanism between curses and elements.

One must have sufficient mental strength, controllable emotions, and the ability to separate and switch between rationality and sensibility.

In the middle, it is also necessary to use willpower to control the self-destructive tendency of the Fiendfyre; this step alone can burn the vast majority of those who have tried it.

Letting it out is difficult, but taking it back is even more difficult; one wrong move and it could lead to a major accident.

If wizards are just consumables, you can just teach them directly, set them on fire, burn the enemy and burn yourself, and everyone will perish together.

But Hermes was clearly not a consumable.

The Mulciber family has practiced Dark Arts for generations, Fiendfyre and his group certainly do, and Abros can probably both cast and retract spells; if they were going to teach him, they would have done so already.

He didn't teach, for a simple reason: Hermes's conditions weren't met.

Asking a young man still fascinated by Dark Arts to tame a cursed creation is something even the most reckless person wouldn't do, unless it wasn't their own child.

Regulus looked at Hermes and slowly shook his head. "Fiendfyre, you're too early."

Hermes neither refuted nor expressed any dissatisfaction.

He certainly wouldn't ask how Regulus could do that; nothing would surprise him.

He simply nodded, which was taken as agreement.

"Your spell itself is not bad."

Regulus continued, "Your Magic Power output, Spellcasting speed, and mastery of Dark Arts are top-tier among junior wizards. What limits you is something fundamental, not any particular spell."

Hermes listened with a frown.

"Hogwarts teaches how to Spellcasting, wave a wand, use hand gestures, pronounce spells, and control Magic Power."

These are the technical aspects, which all young wizards are learning; the only difference lies in their talent and the amount of practice they do.

But what truly distinguishes ordinary wizards from skilled wizards is not technical skill, but rather mental strength, emotional control, willpower concentration, and the precise manipulation of Magic Power.

Regulus looked at him, his tone flat. "Among Pureblood families, those that truly value the essence of Magic will begin training young wizards in these skills once they reach a certain age, but not every family does."

He took two steps forward. "Some families only teach social skills and bloodline theory, some only teach how to get by in the Ministry of Ministry of Magic, and some families don't even have these things, so naturally they can't teach them."

Hermes' eyes darted around, unusually thoughtful. He thought for a moment, then frowned, then relaxed. "My father mentioned it." Regulus looked at him but didn't reply.

There was a moment of silence.

Hermes felt a little uncomfortable under Regulus's gaze. His eyes darted to the wall beside him, then back to him, finding Regulus still watching him, waiting for him to continue.

He had to add himself, "But I haven't practiced it."

"Mr. Mulciber won't teach?"

Hermes lowered his head and remained silent.

A soft slur came from the corner. Avery covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling, and Baruk bobbed on his head.

Alex pursed his lips and turned his head away, pretending to look at the Rune on the wall.

Hermes ignored them, staring only at the floor.

Regulus knew exactly what was going on.

The Mulciber family has practiced Dark Arts for generations, so it's impossible that Abros doesn't know Legilimency.

A family that specializes in Dark Arts, and has managed to keep it from going mad for generations, knows how to get married and have children, and even manages to raise and send those children to Hogwarts —that speaks volumes.

If you don't want to go mad and want to be a proper Dark Wizard, Legilimency, Abros couldn't possibly not know it.

But he understood his son.

Hermes was gifted with spells; he could learn them quickly, master them after seeing them once, and become proficient after practicing twice. He was very skilled in using Dark Arts.

However, their mental orientations differed; Hermes lacked patience for things that required quiet contemplation.

The Legilimency requires sitting down, quietly sensing the boundaries of one's consciousness, distinguishing the sources of emotions, and building inner defenses. This requires patience, introspection, repeated feeling and adjustment, and patiently grinding it down little by little, wrestling with oneself in one's mind. Hermes couldn't sit still.

All young wizards at this age are the same; they yearn for powerful spells, dazzling Magic, and anything that can make other young wizards widen their eyes and gasp in amazement.

The things you create in your head are invisible and intangible; you can't use them to fight or show off. Practicing them is slow and boring, so who would be interested? Even if someone were interested, interest alone isn't enough. The threshold for mental Magic is much higher than for ordinary spells. You have to know what your Mental Space looks like before you can start building a defense.

Most twelve- or thirteen-year-old wizards don't even understand the concept of Mental Space.

So Abros probably taught it, Hermes probably listened, tried it out, found it didn't have any immediate effect, and then gave up.

Moreover, it's the same in any family when a father tries to teach his son but the son doesn't listen.

The relationship between the father and son in the Mulciber family may be somewhat unique.

Hermes carried out Abros's instructions to his son very thoroughly. He stopped when told to stop Dark Arts, and came to train with Regulus without hesitation.

But execution and understanding are two different things.

Hermes ' method of execution was simply to paraphrase his father's words verbatim, without changing a single word or even bothering to process them. He obeyed, but he didn't think things through.

Abros told him to watch how Regulus trained, probably not expecting Regulus to teach him step by step.

He only knew that Hermes would take things more seriously after being outshone by his peers than after being nagged by his father a hundred times.

It's only natural for a son to disobey his father, but he obeys Regulus.

Regulus didn't care about any of that.

Hermes' role here is different from Avery and Alex; he is the one responsible for the physical combat.

The Dark Arts of the Mulciber family, combined with his pure pursuit of power and his own Magical Talent, gave him a much higher ceiling than the other two. Abros threw him at him, and he did it his way.

Regulus's voice rang out. "You have two choices."

Hermes raised his head.

"Continue practicing Dark Arts. You have the talent; you can reach a considerable level before graduation. When you reach your later years, you can even try your luck with the Auror." Hermes' eyes lit up slightly.

"Or you could stop for now and practice the basics, Legilimency and Magic Manipulation. They're slow to work, not very visually appealing, and boring to practice. But once you've mastered them, you'll look into Hermes ' eyes and say, 'You'll be even more powerful.'"

Hermes, of course, believed Regulus; if he said it would be more powerful, then it would be more powerful.

But he still tried to think about it for a moment, then stopped thinking and asked directly, "Is this how you train?"

Regulus thought about it for a moment.

There's nothing wrong with this arrangement; that's how he really trained, but it's not just that.

He nodded. "That's how I practice."

Hermes no longer hesitated. "I'll do as you say."

Then he thought about it again, and this time he seemed to have an idea. His tone was hesitant as he asked, "Patronus?"

Regulus glanced at him sideways. "Are you happy?"

Hermes ' mouth closed.

A short, sharp "pfft" came from the corner. Avery couldn't hold it in and let out a spit. Baruk shook his head, tightened his front legs around Avery's hair, and smacked twice in dissatisfaction.

Alex pursed his lips, turned his head, and his shoulders trembled.

Hermes glared at Avery, but didn't refute.

That's undeniable.

The Patronus needs happy memories—happy memories that are intense and pure enough.

The Mulciber family's environment was gloomy, harsh, and involved in Dark Arts.

He probably wondered if he had enough happy memories to sustain his Patronus, but no one ever asked him directly.

Regulus asked the question, Hermes could not answer it.

Regulus didn't linger on that. "We'll talk about the Patronus later, let's practice Legilimency first."

He briefly described the three stages.

"Recognize your own emotions, know what you are thinking and feeling right now, distinguish which are your own and which are instilled from the outside. Push emotions aside, let them retreat to the edge of consciousness. You know they are still there, but they cannot interfere with your judgment."

Finally, establish a barrier so that when the will of others encounters your spirit, they cannot find an entry point.

He looked at Hermes: "Once you've done these three steps, you can figure out the rest on your own."

Hermes frowned slightly, listening attentively.

"These three steps are consistent with the underlying logic of Magic Manipulation; they all involve making your own will take the lead. Magic Manipulation is about making Magic Power obey you, Legilimency is about making your mind obey you."

He added, "It also has an additional use for you. Dark Arts amplifies the user's negative emotions. The stronger the emotions, the more powerful the spell, and the easier it is to lose control. So this is a required course."

Hermes listened, and his expression became much more serious than before.

It wasn't that Regulus spoke particularly well; he simply admired Regulus and knew how capable Regulus was, so whatever Regulus said was naturally correct.

Regulus raised his wand. "Let me show you just how fragile your mental defenses are."

Actually, he doesn't need this. He can already break down the structure and use the Legilimency step by step; a single glance is enough.

The direction the wand points is a form of psychological suggestion, letting Hermes know what is about to happen and making him nervous.

Nervousness exposes weaknesses.

Hermes was indeed nervous.

"I won't delve into your memories, nor will I touch your privacy," Regulus said calmly. "I'll just go in and let you experience what it feels like to be invaded." Hermes nodded.

"Legilimens."

Regulus's spiritual power pushed forward, slowly and firmly.

Hermes felt something push in his head from the outside.

His instinct was to hold on, but he found he couldn't find anything to hold on to.

He imagined there should be a door, a wall, and a barrier, but none of these things were there.

He possessed only a loose edge of consciousness that had never been tested, like a thin mist that would dissipate with a gust of wind.

Regulus's will penetrated deep into the core of his Mental Space.

The oppressive feeling surged in from all directions, immense and inescapable.

It harbored no malice, nor was it aggressive; only a will far stronger than his stood within his mind, filling the entire space, watching him. Hermes felt extremely uncomfortable; at this moment, he felt as if he were naked, completely seen through, unable to hide anything.

Regulus went inside, but didn't move around, didn't rummage through his memories, and didn't touch any specific thoughts.

He simply stood there, his very existence telling Hermes that her defenses were meaningless.

Then he withdrew; the whole process took less than two seconds.

Hermes broke out in a thin layer of sweat, his eyes glazed over, and his body swayed slightly.

He shook his head, blinked several times, and wiped his face with his hand, as if trying to erase the lingering feeling of being invaded from his mind. Regulus asked calmly, "You felt it?"

Hermes took a deep breath and nodded.

"Your mental defenses are thinner than parchment; they'll break at the slightest touch."

Regulus put away his wand.

"If it weren't me standing in front of you today, but any other person capable of Legilimency, all your memories, intentions, and weaknesses would be laid bare before them."

Hermes looked displeased.

Regulus is right; he really hadn't thought about that.

His mind was filled with thoughts of how to attack, how to unleash even more powerful Dark Arts, and how to bring down his opponent.

Defense was almost entirely absent from his training.

"I'll help you practice Legilimency. I'll use Legilimency, and you'll learn to build a barrier while under external intrusion." Regulus looked at him and explained the training plan clearly.

"Magic Manipulation yourself, starting with your fingertips. No wand, no spells, just let the Magic Power flow from your fingertips. First, learn to control the flow and intensity of Magic Power. Ask me if you have any questions."

Hermes nodded.

Regulus turned to Avery and Alex.

"You two should give it a try too."