I founded this school

In the end, Lily still couldn't find out how Manus actually saw those scenes. Moreover, she no longer felt that she had to have actually seen the scene in the photograph to draw it.

Because Manus produced another stack of photographs, this time the landscapes in the photos had an even greater impact on her.

An endless primeval forest, a glacial sea almost entirely composed of pure white and blue-black hues, a desert ravaged by a sandstorm sweeping across the land... and even an underground world flowing with lava!

This is clearly not a scene one would witness firsthand.

While marveling at how Manus's versatility was becoming increasingly impressive, Lily flipped through the photos in her hand again:

Can I keep these?

"Certainly."

Lily chuckled:

"If someone sees these photos in the future, they might become some kind of unsolved mystery—it would be even better if they were black and white, but black and white photos can't capture that feeling."

Especially the picture of lava; if it were a black and white photo, people might mistake it for a riverbank.

Manus shook his head:

"Anyway, remember this well. Oh, and there's a part about Petunia in it; remember to go over it with her when you get back."

What if the two sisters' stories don't match up at all... although it's not impossible for a similar situation to occur in reality.

Lily nodded and began looking at the school's information:

"Hmm... there really is such a school? It's probably made up, right? Anyway, I doubt anyone would actually bother to check if this school even exists..."

"It's not made up, this school really exists, so you should go there during your holidays to familiarize yourself with the environment."

"Ah?"

Lily hesitated for a moment:

"Will they let us in? Or can we just get familiar with the area around there? Will you take us with you then?"

"I'm going to France for vacation this year. You can just go there directly; someone will take care of you."

Manus pointed to the envelope:

"As for whether or not you'll be allowed in—you don't actually think this acceptance letter is forged, do you?"

"Huh? So I really have to go to another university?"

Lily's face turned pale.

Look at what's written in that school's admissions brochure. It's clearly the kind of school that's packed with valuable information. Plus, it was a school Manus recommended they attend, so you can imagine they might skip classes, but they absolutely have to pass the exams.

They couldn't possibly drop out of Hogwarts to attend this university, which meant they would have to take extra self-study courses at a Muggle university that didn't overlap with their Wizard classes!

...?

Manus slowly typed out a question mark.

"This is just an identity that can be openly displayed in the Muggle world. This university doesn't offer regular professional courses; instead, it directly teaches the knowledge required for specific professions. Therefore, even if you don't actually attend classes, it won't give you away—besides, you've already taken some of the courses."

Manus paused here, and after Lily breathed a sigh of relief, added:

"Of course, if you're interested, I certainly won't stop you from studying university courses on your own. I can guarantee that everything taught at this university will be practical knowledge."

"Ahem! Then no need. It wasn't the course you chose, so I don't think its value is as high..."

"I picked it."

Lily's excuses were thwarted by Manus midway through. Lily a two-second brainstorming session, Lily finally realized something was wrong and went over the previous conversation again, piecing it all together...

"Um, I don't know if I'm being too sensitive, but what's your relationship with this school...?"

"Strictly speaking, I own this school."

???

Lily had a thousand words she wanted to say, but once she opened her mouth, she found that none of them seemed quite right. In the end, she could only sum it up in one very concise sentence—

Why?

"The reasons are actually quite complicated. This school, along with the company behind it, represents some of my strategic plans for the Muggle world. Developing solely within the Wizarding World can sometimes be limiting, whether it's resources or something else."

Manus didn't rush to share his ideas about changing the world in the future. It wasn't that he didn't believe Lily, but mainly because it was still far off, and talking about it too early would just be empty talk.

There's no need to say so much, just do it step by step.

Lily: What do you mean the company is yours too?!

The next day, the results came out, and that night was also Manus and his classmates' last dinner of the school year at Hogwarts.

"Boom--"

The sudden burst of discussion from Gryffindor startled Ravenclaw.

"What are those people doing? Are they trying to steal the House Cup?"

Although Gryffindor suffered a shock defeat in Quidditch this year, Gryffindor, with four classes a day and at least eight points deducted, clearly cannot overpower Ravenclaw in the House Cup.

In previous years, Gryffindor often couldn't even catch up with Slytherin. However, Slytherin's high scores were mainly due to their underhanded methods, so no one felt that this showed Gryffindor inferior to Slytherin.

This year was an exception, because of the incident involving the siege of Manus, the Slytherin were not only sent to the Hospital Wing, but also had a large number of House Points deducted, which they could not recover afterward.

After factoring in the Quidditch champion's points, Gryffindor is currently ranked second in the House Cup. If you have any thoughts on the House Cup...

"It doesn't seem that way. Look at them, they seem quite surprised, and I don't know what they're saying."

"Never mind, it's none of our business. By the way, have you finished the jobs you took on before? I'm afraid you won't be able to do them after you go home."

"It's alright, the commission I accepted only needs to go through the observation phase, no spellcasting is required."

"..."

Unlike his classmates who were unaware of what was happening, Manus could hear the commotion from Gryffindor. Potter was excitedly telling everyone about Pettigrew's exceptionally good exam results...

Well, her grades were even higher than Potter's own, since Pettigrew didn't have a single elective course she wasn't good at that dragged her down.

Manus was very pleased to hear the news. It was another day of helping others find a better path. He figured he could remain the protagonist for a long time to come.

"Eh... it's still far from good enough."

Pettigrew sighed deeply:

"I thought I'd finally passed."

"The exam content is all from the textbooks. If you listen attentively in class, learn the material, and can apply it, you'll do well. But joining the Wizard Sage Party requires more than just textbook knowledge..."