Return to School

Ian spent three whole days reorganizing all the information after the transaction with "Death" ended.

He did not trust Death, nor did he trust that contract.

In his view, it was merely a facade created by an ancient existence to maintain balance.

At that moment, his goal was crystal clear—to become one of the greatest wizards in the world.

Based on his calculations, the process would not take long.

By then, aside from Death itself, no force would be able to stop him.

After all, Death was the embodiment of "Death," the core manifestation of the entire system of laws. Almost nothing could stand against it.

Therefore, Ian decided to adopt a roundabout strategy.

He would make that existence believe he was merely an obedient tool, a mortal working in its service.

Low-key on the surface, rising in secret.

As for the contract, he had never believed the other party would be bound by it.

How could an incarnation of the laws be constrained by a piece of paper? It was nothing more than a stopgap measure.

"Regardless, I must complete the construction of the World Gate first."

He flipped through his notebook, where densely packed magical runes shimmered in the candlelight.

If he could complete it through his own power, the contract would be meaningless.

If he could not accomplish it for the time being, the contract would become his final insurance—of course, provided that Death would actually honor it.

Besides that, he had prepared other contingency plans.

The most important of them was that legendary Invisibility Cloak.

It was the only holy relic capable of evading Death's gaze.

Ignatus of the Peverell family had relied on it to remain undiscovered by Death throughout his entire life.

"If I can properly activate its core law, I'll be able to briefly escape Death's perception."

Ian muttered to himself.

However, there was one problem—the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore.

He certainly knew that Ian had borrowed the Invisibility Cloak from Harry Potter.

If he failed to return it for too long, he would also have to face the old wizard's suspicions.

"I must create a perfect substitute."

Ian pondered in a low voice.

But deceiving Dumbledore was easier said than done.

Thus, he came up with a bold plan.

—To extract a tiny remnant of Law Force from the Resurrection Stone or the Invisibility Cloak, then inject it into a counterfeit cloak.

As long as the fake cloak bore traces of the Law of Death, even Dumbledore would have difficulty detecting it.

Fortunately, Ian had mastered the ritual for activating the Resurrection Stone long ago.

It was precisely because of this that he had been able to contact Death again and complete that thrilling transaction.

The true difficulty lay in the materials.

"Ordinary fabric cannot withstand the fluctuations of the laws."

He searched through ancient books, looking for a vessel capable of stabilizing Death Force.

"I must find a material capable of opposing the essence of life."

--

Throughout the entire Christmas holiday, he barely left the laboratory.

Magic arrays covered the stone floor, while the air was thick with the smell of ash and herbs.

Steam rose from the crucible, and cold light refracted into countless phantoms.

Several experiments failed, and the Invisibility Cloak shattered into ashes.

But he did not lose heart. Every failure brought him one step closer to the answer.

In the end, using the mane of the semi-spiritual creature Thestral as its core, he fused the disguise fabric with soul runes and created a flawless Invisibility Cloak.

Its appearance was identical to the original, and even the flow of magic was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

"As long as he doesn't compare them personally, even Dumbledore won't notice."

Ian gazed at the finished product, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

--

The Christmas holiday soon came to an end.

Morning mist shrouded the spires of Hogwarts Castle, while the corridors echoed with the uproar of returning students.

Ian pushed open the classroom door, and the familiar aura of magic rushed toward him.

The students in the classroom were excitedly discussing their holiday adventures. When they saw the professor enter, they gradually fell silent.

"Today, we'll be studying Double Enchantment."

Ian's gaze swept across the room, his tone as steady as ever.

"Does anyone know what that is?"

After a brief silence, someone raised a hand.

"Mr. Weasley, answer the question."

"Er, Professor, I actually don't know what Double Enchantment is—but I have a question."

"Is it related to the lesson?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably not, but... it's a good question. Everyone should hear it."

A wave of quiet laughter passed through the classroom. Ian sighed softly. "Go ahead."

"Professor, during the holiday, I read that new Yu-Gi-Oh! manga published by your company. It was amazing!" Fred Weasley said with a grin. "I want to know—are you as good as Yugi Muto?"

The corner of Ian's mouth nearly twitched.

The entire class immediately erupted into commotion, with laughter rising and falling.

"It really is a good question," Lee Jordan interjected. "I heard that after this manga was released, even professional players started imitating the protagonist's deck!"

Ian sighed inwardly.

That was precisely why he had published the manga.

He had adapted the original characters into wizards, turning card duels into magical competitions unique to wizards.

This allowed him to appeal to pure-blood families while avoiding controversy related to Muggles.

As for the real Duel Monsters, he had recreated them long ago in a magic-powered form and designed the genuine Duel Disk.

"Quiet."

Ian tapped the desk, his tone calm. "To answer your question—yes, I am indeed stronger than him. After all, I created the game."

The students erupted in an uproar.

"Professor, can you demonstrate it?"

"That's right! Let us see what you can do!"

"If you really want a challenge," Ian said indifferently, "go find my cousin, Susan Bones. Anyone who defeats her may choose any one card from my collection."

The students cheered. The corners of Ian's lips curved upward, but he turned around and wrote down the first magical formula of the day.

"All right, class resumes."

Candlelight reflected off the blackboard as the runes shimmered.

Everything returned to calm—except in the depths of Ian's heart, where he continued deducing the true price of Death's contract.