Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

Armand Rozier knelt on one knee, and his words, "I will offer you my loyalty," echoed in the empty, secret room.

Lux was a little stunned by this sudden declaration of loyalty.

"Uh... Shall we talk while we're up?" Lux scratched her head, her blonde hair a mess from being ruffled.

"Loyalty or not... get up first, the ground is cold."

Armand looked up at Lux with a complicated expression, seemingly not expecting her to react this way.

He stood up as instructed, his movements slightly stiff, but his back remained straight. However, the expression of heroic sacrifice on his face softened considerably, turning into pure bewilderment and embarrassment.

Lux shook the potion bottle in her hand. "You've made such a huge mess. Now all the wizards in Paris know that there's discord within the Rozier family, and that it's even connected to Grindelwald."

Armand took a deep breath, seemingly regaining some of his thoughts: "You... the Pale Witch's order is to retrieve the rune potions, so that's naturally up to you. As for me..."

He gave a wry smile. "I will explain the situation to my father... to the head of the Augustin family, and bear all the consequences. The orders of the adults are above all else."

"Explain the situation?" Lux raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to say? 'Dad, I killed Lady Iris and stole the potion because I discovered our whole family had been brainwashed, and now I'm handing the potion over to this blondie?'"

Armand's face turned pale instantly.

"Alright, alright," Lux waved her hand, feeling a headache coming on. "How about this, I'll have Marlena go and tell your father... the head of the Augustin family, that the potion is with me. The Pale Witch asked me to put it there. Tell him to send an owl to confirm it as soon as possible."

"You just stay here quietly."

She pointed to the doorway to the secret room. "Marlena still cares about you quite a bit, otherwise she wouldn't have let me in."

Armand hesitated for a moment, then nodded, turned and walked back to the column to sit down.

Not long after, Augustin Rozier himself came to the secret chamber.

The patriarch's expression was incredibly complex, a mixture of shock, confusion, awe, and a hint of relief.

Behind him followed Malena, whose expression was equally complex. The look in her eyes as she looked at Lux had changed from wary scrutiny to a subtle joy.

"Miss Laksana," Augustine already understood most of the situation and accepted Armand and Laksana's explanation.

"Armand has already informed me of some of the situation. Your will is the will of the Pale Witch, and our Rozier family will obey it unconditionally. I will then send a letter to the Pale Witch."

At the dinner, Augustine presented a roll of parchment tied with a black ribbon, which still exuded a faint scent of violets.

Lux took the letter and unfolded it.

LeBlanc's elegant and flowing handwriting came into view:

My Shadow:

The runes are entrusted to you for safekeeping. Armand Rozier made the right choice after recognizing reality. The Rozier family's alignment with Grindelwald was a plan I initiated. It was a crucial step in infiltrating the core of the Masonic Party and gaining Grindelwald's trust. The sacrifice of the clone Iris was within the plan, and her mission has been completed.

Armand's loyalty is known to me; he will remain as another of my hidden pawns, continuing to lie in wait and coordinate with Augustine's actions.

The pale rose never fades.

The letter ended with an elegant signature composed of intertwined violets and thorns.

After reading it, Lux silently thought to herself: LeBlanc played this move really well! So Iris was a pawn you had arranged all along, Rozier's whole family were your pawns, and you even planted spies on Grindelwald's side... This is definitely villainous behavior.

A small flame flickered at her fingertips, igniting the parchment. Watching it turn to ashes, she looked up at Augustine and said, "Lady LeBlanc has made all the arrangements. Armand is one of us from now on. You can go about your business as usual. Keep the runes you've collected with me; don't worry."

Augustine visibly relaxed, forcing a respectful smile: "Yes, as the Pale Witch wills. Miss Laksana, please feel free to ask for anything you need while you are at the manor."

In the days that followed, Lux lived a life of absolute privilege at Rozier Manor.

The two little elves, Pap and Lop, became increasingly attentive to her needs, providing her with a different French feast every day, and even replacing Lumi's wicker basket with a luxurious version trimmed with silver and covered in velvet.

Malena's attitude towards her also underwent a subtle change. Although she still didn't smile much, the scrutiny and hostility disappeared, replaced by a strange emotion.

Lux guessed it was probably because Armand wouldn't have to die. The Rosier family valued their members highly, and Malena had previously been worried that Armand would be executed by the Pale Witch.

Armand became unusually low-key, rarely appearing in public. When he occasionally encountered Lux, he would only nod slightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions and a resigned respect.

Lux was happy to have some free time, spending her days eating, drinking, playing with Lumi, and studying the system panel.

Professor Slughorn also sent an owl, excitedly announcing that the Gobalot Prize money had been deposited into Gringotts, and strongly recommending that Lux take his Potions Advanced course next semester.

"Finally saved enough!" That afternoon, Lux lay on a deck chair in the garden, basking in the rare Parisian sunshine, and excitedly slapped her thigh as she looked at the number [Gold Coins: 3200] on the system panel.

Startled, Lumi tumbled out of the luxurious wicker basket: "Hey! Sis! What's with the jump scare? You scared my cheese off!"

"Buy, buy, buy!" Lux clicked frantically, selecting the icon that radiated a heavy metallic sheen without hesitation.

【Steel Heart】

[Giant Devour: When there is an enemy hero within 5 meters, it will continuously charge up a powerful attack on that hero over 3 seconds. The charged attack will deal bonus physical damage based on the target's maximum health and grant you permanent maximum health equal to 8% of that damage (24-hour cooldown per target)]

[Goliath: Gain 3% size bonus for every 1000 maximum health, up to a maximum of 30%]

[3200 Gold Coins Consumed! Heart Steel Equipped!]

[Current Equipment: Explorer's Bracers, Heartsteel, Boots, Reusable Potion, Control Ward]

An indescribable sense of power, as heavy and solid as the earth, instantly surged into Lux's body, flowing through her limbs and bones.

Lux felt as if her bones had been forged into steel, her muscle fibers had become denser and stronger, and a metallic sheen was faintly visible beneath her skin.

She clenched her fist subconsciously, and the air seemed to crackle slightly as she squeezed it in her palm.

"Wow! That feels great!" Lux felt like she could punch the troll's head off.

Lux believes it's self-evident why she bought Heartsteel.

Most wizards are fragile, especially after Lux took a Cruciatus Curse last time. She discovered that as long as her health bar is thick enough, there is no damage she can't withstand. With an Ironclad Curse, she is basically immune to most damaging spells.

Moreover, stacking steel is awesome!

Lux was itching to fight, but after looking around, she discovered a major problem.

There are no enemy hero-level units in the manor; they are all friendly units.

Lux was slightly disappointed; it seemed she would have to wait a while longer before her first steel attack.

Lux then pulled up the system panel again and came to the mission interface. At this point, with 10 points of Light, she could use Ornn's equipment.

I didn't use it before because the system prompted that I needed to have the complete set to use it.

[Host's Light Points have reached 10. You can exchange for one Ornn equipment. Do you wish to exchange?]

"Change it! We have to change it!" Lux's eyes lit up. Ornn's equipment! That's a legendary item!

[Exchange successful! Connecting the host to a special scene...]

Lux's vision blurred, and the luxurious French garden around her distorted and shattered violently, like water ripped with stones.

The next second, a suffocating heat wave hit us, and the air was filled with the strong smell of sulfur and lava.

The deafening roar came from the depths of the earth beneath our feet, the furious roar of the surging lava river, and the resounding clang of a giant iron hammer striking metal.