The Vanished Fifth-Year Killing God

The next day, when Roy got up, he found that Cedric was already awake and previewing the day's lessons.

"So this is how much you love studying, huh?"

Roy had no choice. With such a study maniac beside him, he could not even go back to sleep. He could only drag himself up and continue reading the alchemy books he had borrowed from the library.

Cedric was even more helpless. Roy could study magic casually and still be better than Cedric was after diligent practice, not to mention that Roy was fairly hardworking himself.

The soft rustle of turning pages kept Connor and Gabriel awake. Yesterday, Roy and Cedric's early-morning chatter had failed to wake them, yet today's quiet reading made it impossible for them to sleep.

In the end, everyone sat up and began reading. In an unseen corner, Cedric revealed a satisfied smile.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the morning Charms class. Professor Flitwick, who taught Charms, was a short wizard with goblin blood who had to stand on a pile of books to reach the lectern.

Professor Flitwick could be said to be everyone's favorite professor. Students could move about freely in his classes, and he was always happy to talk with them. Much of the school's fresh gossip came from Professor Flitwick.

His teaching was excellent as well, and Charms was a relatively easy subject, so most students could earn fairly good grades in it.

The first lesson covered Lumos. The spell was not difficult, and many young wizards already knew how to cast it at home. Professor Flitwick therefore generously awarded many points to the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students sharing the class.

No one dared underestimate the small and approachable Professor Flitwick. Many students knew that he had been a world-famous dueling champion in his youth. Thinking of the tremendous power contained in Flitwick's small body, Roy wondered just how formidable the strongest wizard, Dumbledore, must be.

Professor Flitwick was perhaps the most tolerant teacher when it came to the troublemaking Fred and George. He seemed quite fond of the two energetic young men and even joked with them.

After the enjoyable Charms class, the next lesson was History of Magic with Ravenclaw. The professor teaching it was Professor Binns, who had become a ghost.

Roy's assessment of his class was that it made excellent sleep music.

Professor Binns did not care about what the students below were doing, as long as they did not interrupt his lecture. There was almost no interaction with the students during class.

Still, Professor Binns should not be underestimated. He had been teaching since Hogwarts was founded, making him an absolute antique. He was practically a living supercomputer.

That did not seem quite accurate. He should have been called a thoroughly dead supercomputer instead.

The Mandelbrick Roy wanted to make was essentially a multidisciplinary "Professor Binns."

Thinking about how Professor Binns had taught for over a thousand years, Roy felt certain that he knew something about Ancient Magic. After all, who was more ancient than Professor Binns?

It was not the sort of thing Roy could ask about during class, but Professor Binns's lessons were unbearably dull. Everyone did their own thing, and Roy found the class far too long. He had finished homework for every subject before the lesson was even halfway over.

He wanted to continue reading the books he had borrowed, but he had left them in the common room. In the end, with nothing else to do, Roy took out the playing cards he carried with him and tried to design the auto-chess game he had envisioned earlier.

Roy planned to base the chess pieces on Hogwarts teachers, students, and historical figures. Students would cost one to three coins, teachers would cost four or five, and exceptionally powerful figures like Dumbledore would be special pieces.

Roy had imagined many functions for the pieces, and implementing them would require extremely complicated alchemical magic patterns. But that did not stump him. He simply took out a pen and began sketching designs on a blank sheet of paper.

With something to occupy himself, time passed much faster. Roy had only just designed the alchemical magic pattern for one functional section when class ended. The students scattered at once, and no one wanted to remain in the classroom any longer. On his way out, Roy stopped Professor Binns in his ghostly form and asked him about Ancient Magic.

"Ancient Magic..."

Faced with the question, Professor Binns seemed to crash as he thought for a long time. Only then did he slowly answer Roy.

"All four founders were users of Ancient Magic. It is said that they built a large Ancient Magic Vault beneath Hogwarts, where they sealed a vast amount of Ancient Magic's power. Later..."

Professor Binns appeared to be struggling to remember.

"Oh, right. Several times afterward, people with ill intentions tried to steal the power within the vault, but none succeeded. The most recent time was during the Goblin Rebellion. I remember that fifth-year student well. He was not very talkative and had transferred in midway through school. He knew Ancient Magic. Do not be fooled by how easygoing he looked; he was truly ruthless. Back then, he wiped out the Fire Serpent Party all by himself. It is said that the goblins' leader made it all the way to the underground vault, only to be killed directly by that fifth-year student."

Hearing about this senior who wielded Ancient Magic and killed like a god, Roy was completely stunned by his exploits. A fifth-year student had actually cut through the entire Goblin Rebellion army alone.

"What happened to the vault?" Roy pressed urgently.

Professor Binns's expression was vacant, and remembering seemed extremely difficult for him.

"I do not know. Perhaps the power inside was absorbed by that student."

Roy suddenly realized a blind spot and noticed the problem with the story.

"No, what was this person's name? Why is his name completely absent from the history books? And why do the history books record a different outcome for the Goblin Rebellion?"

Faced with Roy's questions, the already lagging Professor Binns completely crashed. He floated there silently, unable to say a word.

After waiting for a long while, Professor Binns finally recovered. But when Roy asked again, Professor Binns seemed to have forgotten their earlier conversation.

"It is said that the Ancient Magic Vault lies beneath Hogwarts."

Professor Binns began repeating what he had said before, and Roy impatiently pressed him about the fifth-year student he had mentioned.

"What was that fifth-year student called? Which House was he in? Why is there no record of him in the history books?"

The moment he asked that question, Professor Binns crashed again.

"Damn it, something strange is going on here."

"What fifth-year student? What are you talking about?"

"All right, Professor. You should rest for now."

"Sure."

"..."

With no other option, Roy could only leave with his doubts. As he walked, he continued thinking about the question from before.

This person was only a few years older than Dumbledore, and he sounded even more powerful than Dumbledore. Why was there absolutely no record of such a formidable and ruthless person?

What had happened to this senior? What had happened to the vault? How exactly was Ancient Magic used? Roy knew none of it.

Perhaps Dumbledore knew him. Roy walked while thinking, not watching where he was going, and bumped into a moving suit of armor.

"Watch where you're going, child."

The upright armored knight reminded Roy, who had not been watching his path.

"Right, I can ask them!"

Seeing the armor ahead of him, Roy suddenly thought of something.

Every headmaster had a portrait, and the headmaster from that era had been Phineas Black. His portrait had to be somewhere in Hogwarts. Roy could go look for it in the headmaster's office.