The Great Hall fell completely silent.
Everyone stared at Ethan in shock, as if a thousand Trolls were stampeding through their minds!
Surprise? A pleasant surprise?
That had definitely been a scare!!
Merlin's red long johns! W-what in the world had just happened?!
The Weasley Twins stood right up on their chairs and leaned forward to look at Professor Quirrell, who was lying motionless on his back.
Their eyes were shining, as if they were gradually beginning to understand everything.
Elegant. Simply the height of elegance!
At a single word from Ethan, they would rally around him and hail him as "Hogwarts' Prank King"!
If the atmosphere hadn't been so tense, even Headmaster Dumbledore's beard would have been twitching.
They really wanted to fall to their knees before Ethan and cry, "Long live Ethan Vincent"!!
"M-Mr. Vincent, what have you done?!"
Professor McGonagall staggered to her feet. She didn't even notice that she'd knocked over her goblet.
She looked both shocked and confused.
She couldn't understand why Ethan, who had always behaved perfectly well, would do something like this.
Ethan blinked and said innocently:
"I just wanted to give everyone a surprise... I set up an interesting Art Exhibition down the corridor. The last painting has a teleportation effect."
"Um—but I kept some of the scare in it, so everyone would know it was Halloween."
As he spoke, Ethan smiled brightly.
If someone else had come crashing down like that, Ethan would have honestly admitted his mistake. He hadn't cast the Levitation Charm properly, and someone had really gotten hurt.
But the person who'd fallen was Quirrell?
Then there was no problem.
Besides, this was a chance to test the power of his Fusion painting.
Even a Dark Wizard like Quirrell, with an extra brain attached, had been unable to resist it.
[Fusion Painting · A Dream of Spring] [Rank: Tier 1 · Golden Legendary] [Description: In the end, a dream of Southern Branch is bound to awaken; all life is like a dream, and everything is empty*] [Effect: Creates an illusion that makes viewers forget their memories, enjoy wealth and honor, and obtain what they truly desire. But just before everything is about to be achieved, they will fall through a door and return to reality.] [Evaluation: An extremely wicked card. Only someone from the Netherworld would combine these two paintings into one.]
How could anyone call it wicked?
Ethan thought the system's assessment was unfair.
He'd clearly added an anti-addiction measure so people wouldn't lose themselves in an illusion.
It was supposed to be considerate.
Meanwhile, after hearing Ethan's explanation, Professor McGonagall nearly fainted.
In her decades of teaching, she'd dealt with plenty of troublesome students, like the Weasley Twins.
But she'd never seen a "prank" this skillfully executed!
Professor McGonagall had no idea how Ethan Vincent had managed to do this to a respected professor, a fully grown wizard!
Naughty students weren't the problem.
The problem was naughty students who were also clever!!
[Your painting has greatly astonished everyone, leaving them with a deep impression!] [Soul Fusion Degree increased by 4%] [32%→36%]
The Cyan Subtitle appeared, and Ethan immediately felt a surge of power well up inside him!
It was like boiling lava coursing through his veins.
At that moment, Ethan was tempered steel. The power of his bloodline and soul surged again and again, breaking through its restraints and bursting forth!
Hah—this feels great!
Ethan shuddered and curled his lips into a smile.
Suddenly, the wand in Ethan's hand began to tremble violently.
That feeling of resonating with the magic inside him surged up again!
But this time, Ethan knew for certain—he could do it!
His wand could become a paintbrush perfectly suited to him!
A thick drop of red fell from the tip of his wand to the floor.
Like blood, like tears, it gave off a rusty smell.
It corroded the floor, leaving a small dent.
Up on the dais.
Headmaster Dumbledore finally reacted.
His expression grave, he strode down from the platform and crouched beside Professor Quirrell, casting a spell with a wave of his wand.
The Jet-Black Door on the ceiling closed silently, as if it had never appeared.
But it was like having glimpsed a corner of the world's true nature. Even though nothing around them had changed, it was hard to feel normal again.
"I'll never be able to eat chicken legs in this Great Hall without worrying again!"
Ron looked ready to cry.
As if commemorating the moment, he shoved another chicken leg into his mouth.
Under Dumbledore's magic, Quirrell regained some of his senses.
He raised his head in a daze, a streak of blood beneath his nose.
He looked from side to side. Then, as if he finally understood what had happened, his eyes slowly widened, revealing utter terror.
"No... This can't be real... How could it possibly have been fake? No, no...!"
In front of everyone, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, the former star student Quirrell, actually burst into tears.
He sobbed in despair, trembling all over, his fingernails scratching painfully and regretfully at the floor.
Just like... a patient going through withdrawal.
A chilling aura emanated from him.
Seeing how terrifying he looked, everyone couldn't help imagining how much torment Ethan had put him through!
How terrifying! How frightening!!
Dumbledore's expression grew serious.
He'd been keeping an eye on Ethan, but he truly hadn't expected Ethan to pull off something this huge!
Dumbledore kept casting spells to calm Quirrell's mind. It took several full minutes before Quirrell slowly settled down.
Yet the deep fear in his eyes never faded.
The master... The master will surely kill him...!!
Quirrell clenched his teeth so hard that he tasted blood.
...Ethan Vincent!!!
He'd actually fallen into that brat's trap and gone straight to Dumbledore!
For a brief moment,
Quirrell had thought Ethan had seen through his true identity and teamed up with Dumbledore to mess with him.
But when he met Dumbledore's concerned, scrutinizing gaze, Quirrell immediately realized that his identity hadn't been exposed.
He breathed a small sigh of relief.
He wouldn't be killed by his master.
...That made sense. Even the Headmaster and the professors hadn't seen through his disguise.
How could a mere first-year have noticed anything?
So.
He'd just had terrible luck?
At that thought, Quirrell's expression darkened further.
He'd never hated anyone so much. He was nearly losing his mind, ready to cast the Cruciatus Curse on that damned brat right in front of Dumbledore!
What kind of bizarre, sinister magic was that...!
It gave someone a dream so real, then suddenly dropped them into the cold, hard truth.
Something he could have had slipped through his fingers. He'd nearly gone mad.
Compared to himself, Quirrell thought Ethan was more suited to becoming a Dark Wizard.
He was too ruthless.
...No, no. That wouldn't do.
He had to make up for his mistake and get things back on track!
"Are you all right, Professor Quirrell? What happened?" Dumbledore asked.
"O-outside. Vincent's painting... Right, right! The Troll!"
Quirrell's eyes lit up. With the last of his strength, he cried out:
"T-the Troll's in the Dungeon Classroom! I-I thought I should let you know..."
His words stirred no reaction in the Great Hall.
The students looked at one another.
They still hadn't gotten over "Professor Quirrell fell down," "Ethan tried to murder a professor," and "Is this part of the Halloween surprise?"
After that enormous shock,
something like a Troll... didn't seem to matter anymore?
Quirrell: "..."
Ethan, you really are dead to me!!!
The plan had failed completely—no, it had been a total disaster.
And he'd made a complete fool of himself in front of everyone.
Fury, combined with Voldemort's brutal punishment, proved too much for Quirrell. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face as white as paper, badly injured.
His head lolled to one side, and he passed out completely.
No matter what, the Troll was dangerous. It still deserved some attention.
Dumbledore first asked a few professors to take Quirrell to the Infirmary.
Then he called out to the bewildered young wizards:
"Prefects, please take the students from your Houses back to your common rooms."
The students rose to their feet amid a rustle of movement.
Once the shock wore off, tonight would probably be the most exciting Halloween they'd ever had.
"First-years, follow me."
Robert Hilliard, the Ravenclaw Prefect, spoke up.
Then he looked toward Ethan in the crowd, his gaze complicated.
He exchanged a look with Penelope Clearwater, the next Prefect in line.
"Well? Do you still think he doesn't measure up, Sean?" Penelope asked with a smile. "I think Ethan's completely qualified to join our society."
Sean Max, the young man who'd always opposed Ethan joining Ravenclaw's internal society, pushed his glasses up with a grim expression and sneered.
"I don't see how he's any different from before."
"He hasn't improved at all. He's still playing those nasty little tricks."
"This time, he even played a professor for a fool—even if it was Professor Quirrell! I think he'll be expelled before he can join the society."
Penelope's eyes widened. "You're just jealous, Sean! Jealous that Ethan's accomplished so much in his first year!"
"His painting magic is one of a kind! It's an entirely new system!"
Called out, Sean grew angry and stubbornly retorted, "That's not magic at all!"
"Anyway, I won't acknowledge him unless he proves his strength—"
Just then,
Sean suddenly had a bright idea.
He grinned maliciously and said:
"If he can beat that Troll, I'll agree to let him join the society. How about that?"
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