The mastermind behind Hogwarts

mid-December.

Moriarty and Dumbledore parted ways.

Moriarty and Ishcher embarked on their journey to North America.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald search for Aberforth to settle their old scores.

Gamp and Larbo returned to London to await the arrival of the other members of the Immortal Organization.

Everyone is ready and waiting; this Christmas is destined to be extraordinary.

Beautiful Country, Texas.

The plains in the temperate climate are vast and warm, and the sun does not diminish the temperature with the arrival of winter.

Moriarty, flying in the sky, looked down.

On the fenced-off grasslands, livestock roam freely, with bison and strong horses being the most numerous.

Cowboys were carried on the backs of strong horses, and the bison herds were rampaging across the grasslands. The cowboys on horseback worked hard to drive the herds into the designated breeding area.

"Aha~ That's it!"

Moriarty, with his sharp eyes, noticed that the grass in the breeding area grew in strange patterns, as if it had been deliberately groomed.

The design was a shield, the Hogwarts crest!

Although it didn't have the emblems of the four major houses on it, Moriaz recognized it at a glance.

"Land right here!"

Moriarty gestured to Ishcher as he descended from the sky like a parachutist.

Ishcher raised her delicate eyebrows; the ground below seemed somewhat messy to her, given her preference for simplicity.

Ishcher didn't particularly like cowboys who lived alongside livestock.

"Are the partners here reliable?"

Ishcher landed gracefully on the ground, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

The cowboys were stunned by Ishcher's sudden landing.

Not only humans, but also horses, bison, and other livestock all knelt on the ground, their eyes brimming with fear.

Moriarty smiled helplessly; that's just how Ishcher is—she never hides her true self.

She appeared before the world without hesitation, and what others thought was none of her business.

The wizarding law of secrecy, the fear of the church by werewolves and vampires, and the fear of hunters by dark creatures—none of these apply to Ischel.

In her words, "The fact that I, the Dragon Mother, am here in front of you is already a favor! Don't be ungrateful!"

Just then, the world seemed to suddenly fall silent.

Ishcher standing there is the center of the world.

Moriarty quickened his pace toward a wooden hut ahead. The door opened, and the people inside rushed out.

"Hey~ Moriarty!"

Jerry excitedly ran up to Moriarty.

"Now your dream has come true."

Moriarty looked Jericho up and down, then smiled and gave him a hug.

Jericho wore a brown leather jacket, a wide-brimmed top felt hat, black jeans, a Colt revolver at his waist, and high-top leather boots with spurs.

After not seeing him for more than half a month, Jericho had become very thin and his face was tanned.

But the sharpness in his eyes couldn't be hidden even if he tried to.

When their eyes met, a smile appeared on his face, a playful grin spreading across his cheeks.

"No way, no way, you brought back another stunning beauty after just a few weeks?"

Jericho gestured toward Ishcher behind Moriarty, but he dared not look, for he could not look away from Ishcher's Muggles and animals.

Jericho wasn't confident enough to use magic to fight off a dragon mother.

Moriarty also only just discovered that Ishcher had this bug-level passive ability.

He quickly patted Jericho on the shoulder: "Don't joke around. This dragon lady is of extremely high seniority and has a terrifying background. However, she has agreed to help us deal with the Immortal Organization, so for now, she can be considered an ally."

Jericho nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face as he listened to the end.

It's okay. Even if they're just companions now, I believe Moriarty will sleep with her... and persuade her!

Speaking of this, Jericho recalled something else.

Did the young lady confess her feelings to you when you parted ways that day?

Jericho's eyes held a mixture of smugness and mischief: "In that atmosphere, I guess she couldn't resist. After all, when we parted, she didn't know when she'd see him again..."

Moriarty licked his lips as he recalled what Lilith had said and done that night.

Rather than saying Lilith kissed herself, it's more accurate to say that Lilith bit herself.

That's so rude!

Lilith, you'll get what's coming to you later. Let me teach you how to pronounce words separately!

A wicked smile appeared in Moriarty's eyes, and Jericho knew immediately that things were going well, so he didn't ask any more questions.

With a sweeping gesture towards the vast grasslands ahead, he shouted with pride, "This entire grassland is mine! Tonight, I'll show you the wonders of Texas!"

"Here you'll find epic tales of territorial expansion, fearless acts of upholding justice, legendary tales of chivalry and tenderness, and romantic encounters with love..."

Moriarty chuckled: "Alright, alright, you're writing poetry."

"You know what, I really want to leave something behind here. Writing it down might be the only thing I can do right now," Jericho said earnestly.

It's clear that he truly loves his hometown.

Moriarty shook his head and chuckled: "Speaking of poetry, I really don't want to read any poems or stories lately."

Do you remember a storybook called "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"?

"Oh ho? You're not telling me you've been searching for the Deathly Hallows with Headmaster Dumbledore these past few days, are you?"

As Jericho spoke, he led Moriarty and Ishcher toward the cabin.

"Even worse than that! That's a long story..."

Moriarty tells Jericho about the recent events.

As the sun set, Moriarty finished telling the story: the purification of Swabia.

Jericho, holding a glass of whiskey, roared, "We absolutely cannot let Gump and his gang become gods! If they're already wreaking havoc on the world like this even before becoming gods, what will the world be like after they become gods—a veritable hell on earth!"

"Click."

Moriarty lightly clinked his glass against his. "I second that. The Immortal Organization is full of weirdos; who knows what changes will occur when they become gods?"

"Ishcher, if, I mean if—"

Moriarty suddenly looked at Ishcher: "In the end, we defeated the Immortal Organization and obtained all the relics. Will you choose to become a god?"

"Hmm..." Ishcher pondered, holding the bottle. Moriarty was also drinking while telling his story, but unlike them, Ishcher drank straight from the bottle.

You could tell how much Ishcher drank by looking at the small table next to her, which was covered with bottles of liquor.

But Ishcher showed no signs of intoxication; her pale cheeks had no alluring blush, only a calm and collected demeanor.

"God holds no temptation for me."

"After I finish this with you all, I'll go home, Black Forest."

Ishcher put the bottle on the table and downed another one.

"And what about you?" Jericho slurred, looking at Moriarty.

"Me?" Moriarty swirled his wine glass, his eyes gleaming. "Let me think, let me think..."

He himself had neither the desire nor the aversion to becoming a god—Salazar told him that the four great gods had forged their own magical paths, and even a powerful being like Ishcher said that he would not become a god.

It was the mastermind behind the scenes who attracted Moriarty more.

"Perhaps I'll... return to a mundane life?"

"Playing Quidditch, teasing the young magical creatures, tinkering with inventions, reading books and newspapers..."

"Hmm, sounds just like the life of an ordinary Muggle, haha."

Moriarty had finished his whiskey and slammed the glass down on the table with a click.

"And you, Jericho?"

"Me?" Jericho looked out the window, where the herbs shimmered red and yellow in the setting sun. "I'll shout into the sun and gallop wildly on my horse!"

As he spoke, he stood up, rushed into the inner room as if he were drunk, and then rushed out like a gust of wind, carrying a large object in his arms.

"Look, this is a magical item I invented."

Jericho put the thing on the ground.

It's a flying broom, but with four extra legs.

"I call it Pegasus!"

"Gibberish, blah blah..."

Jericho slurred a lot, the gist of which was that combining a sturdy horse and a flying broom would require alchemy and Muggle space technology.

Moriarty and Ishcher looked at each other in bewilderment.

After Jericho finished speaking, he tilted his head to the side and fell asleep while holding the pegasi prototype.

Moriarty and Ischl exchanged a smile, and Ischl said, "Your friend is quite nice."

"Want to go out for a meal?" Moriarty suddenly invited Ishcher, since Jericho was asleep and eating at home was out of the question.

Ishcher readily agreed, and after downing dozens of bottles of whiskey, even with her high magic resistance, she felt a surge of heat.

After the two men left, Jericho, who had been fast asleep, opened one eye and said, "They've succeeded. Moriarty has to give me a big bonus, okay?"

What Jericho didn't know was that Ishcher, with his keen senses, already knew he wasn't asleep; he simply saw through everything but didn't say anything.