The Silent Bookstore Manager at Hogwarts

In truth, Reid had no intention of targeting Hermione. After all, whatever she did in Gryffindor wouldn't really affect Reid, who was in Hufflepuff. However, her act of sitting down without any prior notice did indeed affect her ability to use her soul to roam the restricted section of the Hogwarts Library.

Red didn't think anyone here would notice anything unusual. He didn't disturb any of the books. A soul without a physical body could not possibly leave any trace while roaming the forbidden section without actually touching any of the books. However, Red, who was too focused on the books in the forbidden section, was startled by Hermione.

Of course, Hermione had no idea that Red's first words to her would be so sharp. She instinctively wanted to retort, but in the end, she could only nod sullenly to indicate that she knew she was wrong. She hadn't said anything, or rather, because of her emotional outburst, she had completely forgotten about it.

"Feel sorry......."

"Okay, so what happened today... Whatever happened, you shouldn't be in the library right now. I'm afraid Mrs. Pins will be here soon."

Reid sighed. Hermione had made a bit too much of a commotion. He had a feeling that Mrs. Pince would soon come and drag the two little wizards who had caused such a disturbance in the library out of there. To avoid such an embarrassing scene, Reid felt he should leave the library first.

Hermione covered her mouth and nodded. The two left the library. Mrs. Pince, who came later, simply watched them leave the library quietly and then looked back at the group of busybodies. At least Reid and Hermione knew that they had left.

Hermione didn't know how to bring it up. In fact, she felt like she was about to break down, which was why she ran to Red and did something completely unreasonable. But after she calmed down, she didn't know how to start the conversation. Was she being ostracized? But Red and Harry had already talked about it and even told her what to do, but she just thought she was right and didn't listen.

Red remained lost in thought, and Hermione even felt a little envious of him. He seemed to never pay attention to interpersonal relationships, yet every Hufflepuff student she encountered seemed to have high praise for him.

What I wanted to say was...

Hermione had just opened her mouth when she felt a gust of cold wind pass by, as if something had passed right through her, making her shiver. The words she was about to say were swallowed back. She subconsciously looked around, but found nothing, only Reid looking at Hermione with a puzzled expression.

"Excuse me, I just sensed something was off... Do you feel like there's something wrong here?"

Although it was midday, the chilly Scottish sky made Hermione shiver. She instinctively looked around to see if any ghosts from Hogwarts were playing pranks.

"No, isn't this normal? If there's nothing else, I'll be going now; I have other things to do."

Red shook his head. Hermione probably sensed the soul essence that passed through her body and returned to Red's body. Now Red knew that soul essence was not entirely without effect on people, which was quite a gain.

Of course, Red wasn't just brushing Hermione off when he said he had other things to do; it was something very important to him.

He wanted to present the knowledge of the great arts to the Night's Watch Tree, the tree planted in his mind that seemed to truly exist.

The light representing the great art of [Refinement and Ascension] was now in his hand. At the very center of the Night Watch Tree was his diary, his anchor point, the beginning of everything. And the branch extending from directly above, representing the [Illumination] spell, was the route he was about to deliver.

【Illumination】: Illumination is one of the nine great arts, belonging to the arts of light, and its corresponding principles are blade, casting, and lamp.

The slot for [Illumination LV1] was filled with the power of [Refinement and Enhancement LV1], and the Tree of the Night Watch shone brightly. It rewarded Red with a power that made his soul stronger, as well as a short, intriguing message.

[Sichen]: Never underestimate the Sichen named Arc Moon. Foolish apprentices mock her as a vain Sichen; but who do they think judges all Sichens? Light Refinement; Light Ascension. (Submitted from [Refinement and Ascension] to [Illumination])

Red felt the power he had just gained, a resolute, even domineering, soul essence that would never be changed or become diseased.

[Soul Essence: Fortitude]: Willpower; self-discipline; the part of us that makes the right choices. (Characteristics: 2 Castings, 1 Blade)

Hot, passionate, and dangerous, if Red were to unleash his fortitude, everyone would see a dangerous, beast-like Red. The mere increase in his soul essence caused a small wave of heat to rise in Red's dormitory, but Red suppressed it instantly.

"It seems that some highly destructive spells also have corresponding soul essences to enhance their power..."

Red clenched his fist. His soul essence could move freely within the residence, serving as an extension of his body to perform various tasks. However, after leaving the Silent Bookstore, he could only be like a ghost, completely unable to touch matter. Even so, Red knew that this was already a remarkable achievement.

"Red, want to come to the Halloween party?"

Having completed his submission, Red emerged from his dormitory and ran into the Hufflepuffs who had already begun their journey together. They greeted Red warmly, and Justin even extended an invitation. Red had never refused their reasonable requests for help, and for this reason alone, all the Hufflepuffs genuinely felt that Red was a friend worth making.

"Sure, let's go together. I wonder what delicious food will be served at the Halloween dinner at Hogwarts..."

Reid smiled. Halloween didn't appeal to him as much as the food, but since there was food to eat anyway, Reid didn't care about the Halloween atmosphere that his classmates cared about.

However, Reid quickly felt annoyed, not only because of Professor Quirrell's clumsy acting of suddenly shouting "There's a troll in the basement!" and rushing into the banquet hall only to suddenly faint, but also because...

"Prefects, please lead the students from each college back to their respective dormitories. The teachers will come with me to the underground classrooms."

Red touched his half-full stomach, then looked at Harry, who seemed to be trying to leave the Gryffindor group, and suddenly had a new idea.