The stone sphere was roughly the size of a human head.
Its surface was uneven, covered in fine, shallow grooves that seemed naturally weathered. Dull in color and utterly inconspicuous, it looked exactly like an ordinary pebble by the riverbank, worn smooth by flowing water over countless years.
If it had not been lying so conspicuously amid a pile of ashes, Hermione would not have thought to bring it back.
Yet under the abundant Magic Power and light of the hall, the stone sphere that had seemed so unremarkable in the cave now revealed a few unusual traits. Faintly visible across its surface were interwoven, spreading magical patterns, like those on a real dragon egg.
Hearing Hermione's uneasy question,
Jiang Yu withdrew her gaze from the stone sphere and gave a slight shake of her head.
"—I don't know either."
She looked honestly at the girl before her. The severity had vanished from her expression, replaced by a faint smile, and there was comfort in her tone. "But I do know that nothing in this world is more important than your safety... Being able to respond decisively in such a sudden and dangerous situation, protect yourself, and return safely was already the greatest success... As long as you came back unharmed, then no matter what the outcome was, it could not be the worst one."
Warmth stirred faintly in Hermione's heart.
Her tense shoulders relaxed a little.
Since coming to this world, this was the first time she had carried out a mission on her own, free of her teacher's arrangements, so she cared deeply about what others thought of her.
"As for this thing..."
The witch seated behind the stone table lightly brushed the spellbook at her side. Several vines immediately extended from the void, elegantly coiling beneath the