34

Sherlock had more or less finished studying the Marauder's Map using only his spare time after class. That evening, when he returned to the Slytherin common room, he called Lupo, Fimiya, Dandeni, and Kirk together.

At present, these four were the people Sherlock was closest to. The other Slytherin students envied them immensely, including even the older students.

Some Slytherin girls had tried asking Fimiya to help them join Sherlock's little circle, but how could Fimiya possibly let those flamboyantly dressed women come even a step closer to Sherlock? If they kept pestering her, Fimiya would probably pull out her wand and start casting spells.

As Sherlock explained the entire structure of the Marauder's Map to them, Kirk wore an expression of sudden realization, while Dandeni could only barely understand it. Fimiya and Lupo's learning abilities, meanwhile, were simply abysmal.

With no other choice, Sherlock could only keep Kirk and Dandeni behind and have the two of them help.

"First, we'll make a copy of the map. Then we'll return the original to George and Fred. As long as we understand the map's exact structure, it will be easier for us to make these going forward."

Sherlock took out a small booklet he had written in advance.

"The Hogwarts anniversary celebration is coming up soon. Honestly, if this were a Muggle school, an anniversary celebration would be a very lively occasion. But at Hogwarts, an ancient institution over a thousand years old, students still have to attend class on that day and strictly follow all the school rules. It's simply unreasonable."

(It seemed that the Harry Potter series really did not contain any specific description of Hogwarts' anniversary celebration. We do not even know the exact date it was founded, so I can only make guesses. Corrections are welcome.)

"Are we going out to have fun during the anniversary celebration?"

Kirk and Dandeni exchanged glances, unable to understand what Sherlock had in mind.

"Of course not... The anniversary celebration should still be celebrated, but what would be the point if the school merely gave the students a day off? So, we need to come up with an innovative game—preferably a large-scale game that can attract every student."

Sherlock had the two of them look at the booklet on the table. It was packed with dense writing, and after giving it a rough read, they realized it contained the rules for a game.

"Hogwarts Honor Tournament!"

Sherlock said, "Yes. Originally, I planned to call it the Sherlock Honor Tournament or the Mephisto Honor Tournament, but then I thought that name would probably be rejected outright by the person in the headmaster's office and fail the review. So I simply named it the Hogwarts Honor Tournament."

The Hogwarts Honor Tournament required each of the four Houses to select fifteen outstanding students. The selection mechanism and tool would be the Honor Box, which would choose them at random. Students wishing to participate could place their names into the Honor Box, and at midnight on the day of the anniversary celebration, the Honor Box would select fifteen outstanding students from each House.

Since the submitted names would be linked to a magical contract with the Honor Box, the fifteen students selected at midnight would gain a "Glory Identity" through a magical mark that suddenly appeared on their wrists.

There were six types of Glory Identities:

Vanguard, Archer, Healer, Thief, Strategist, Commander.

There would be eight Vanguards, two Archers, two Healers, one Thief, one Strategist, and one Commander.

Upon entering the game, Vanguards would receive a magic shield and magic sword through the magical mark on their wrists. The mark on a Vanguard's wrist would also consist of a shield and sword.

The shield could block attacks from magic swords, but if someone was struck in the body by a magic sword, they would suffer damage and lose health depending on the situation. Once their health dropped to its lowest point, they would die. Of course, death would not mean actual death; paralysis would be used instead, and being struck by a magic sword would not cause real injury.

Vanguards were the core force of the competition, capable of both offense and defense. They had many uses and could kill all six types of roles.

An Archer's magical mark consisted of an eye and an arrow. The weapon Archers received was a magic arrow that could launch long-range attacks. The only defense against it was a Vanguard's magic shield. However, Archers could see invisible Thieves, and if a Thief was hit by a magic arrow, they would certainly die.

Healers had no offensive power. Their symbol was a cross, but Healers could bring dead roles back to life. Their role was extremely important, yet they were the only ones with neither offensive nor defensive ability.

Thieves were invisible units. Only the Commander they belonged to and the Archers of each faction could see them. Vanguards, Strategists, and Healers could not see this hidden unit at all. A Thief's magical mark consisted of black mist and a dagger. They could kill a role with a single strike, but Archers were their nemesis.

Strategists possessed no offensive or defensive power, but they could use Strategist Cards. There were two hundred Strategist Cards in total, hidden throughout Hogwarts. As long as a Strategist obtained a Strategist Card, they could unleash its powerful effects and potentially turn the tide. Their magical mark consisted of a card and a spellbook.

A Commander's magical mark consisted of a command token and a map. Each of the four Commanders would hold a map that showed the entirety of Hogwarts, including themselves and the other fourteen members of their faction. Commanders could use their magical marks to issue orders to allies who could not see the map.

At the same time, if an allied role, such as a Vanguard, encountered an enemy, the Commander's map would display the location where they encountered that enemy and the enemy's movements. If an Archer spotted a Thief, it would also immediately appear on the map.

Commanders had the same abilities as Vanguards, but once a Commander died, their entire faction would be wiped out at once. Therefore, it was best not to send the Commander out whenever possible.

Fifteen people from each of the four Houses made a total of sixty participants. As for the other students who did not take part in the Hogwarts Honor Tournament, they could watch the real-time battles of all the contestants through a massive map hanging in the Great Hall, like a movie screen, while cheering for the faction they supported.

Naturally, the map in the Great Hall, which could show the status of all sixty people, would not have the limited view of the maps held by the Commanders.

After reading Sherlock's handbook, Dandeni and Kirk both sucked in a cold breath.

"I have to say, this is thrilling, Mr. Sherlock. I mean, this tournament is highly competitive, and teamwork, coordination, and unity are equally indispensable. If it is played well, I think it could be even more interesting than a Quidditch match," Kirk said.

Dandeni immediately agreed. "I could never come up with game rules this complex. I truly don't understand how Mr. Sherlock thought of it. These rules are far more complicated than those of Quidditch."