I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 581 I Gave You the Choice

"Mr. Merlin." Hermione was shocked by the illusory figure that appeared behind her.

She would never forget that look.

"I knew Owen wouldn't come. How should I put it? Is this being tsundere?" Merlin rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.

He's still the same.

She has long, flowing silver hair, tied up in an elegant way.

His eyes were deep and bright, as if they could see into the essence of all things in the world.

They wore magnificent robes, made of a material that looked both light and noble, and embroidered with intricate patterns.

If we disregard his easygoing personality, he could be described as a handsome and charming man.

"Well—it's all the same in the end." He looked at Hermione. "Long time no see. Hmm—it's been years for you, but it's just a blink of an eye for me."

"Sir." Hermione had a million questions in her mind.

But when she actually faced Merlin, she didn't know how to ask these questions.

Or rather, all the problems in her heart seemed to have vanished and become unimportant.

"Well, well—although I usually gloss over troublesome matters like human growth and guidance with lies and silence, today I'll answer your questions honestly. Come on, ask whatever you want. Of course, not asking a single question is also an option. For me, I'd be happy if you could do that."

Merlin's bluntness surprised Hermione. Although she had long known that this famous archmage seemed like an unreliable guy, such directness was not a good idea.

"Hoo—" The little witch took a deep breath, composed herself, and then asked the most important question.

She pointed to the 'corpse' beside her and said, "Is that you? Why did you do that?"

"Oh? You still don't know the reason?" The illusory Merlin was quite surprised by this.

He scrutinized Hermione carefully, paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm sorry, but if you haven't found the reason yourself, then..."

"You want to become a god?" Hermione interrupted him. "The [Starblade], or the [Blade of Prometheus], ​​can ignite the soulfire and make mortals into gods!"

"Oh! That's right." Merlin nodded. He wasn't surprised.

"So you succeeded?" Hermione pressed.

"No—I failed for some reason," Merlin said naturally.

"reason?"

"Of course. Because I'm not human. Although I have a human form, I'm a completely different species from you."

Although I am hailed as a sage, I did not do these things for humanity. I am a hybrid of a nightmare and a human.

So-called nightmares are spiritual entities that parasitize humans. Essentially, they lack a "self" and merely replicate the personality of the human they inhabit. Nightmares only see humans as a source of nourishment to exploit.

But I am half human, so I only have a half-baked sense of self… possessing purpose and consciousness. The reason I am revered as a sage is because I learned that if I do this, everyone will accept me.

"Human? It has to be human?" Hermione frowned slightly.

"No—humans are not important," Merlin said. "But certain qualities and powers they possess are important."

I've never been particularly emotionally attached to humanity itself; humanity is boring. But the things between humans that transcend time have value. And that's what's most important.

"I only understood this after I failed."

"So you chose Owen, to make him the second one?" The little witch finally asked the question that had been buried deep in her heart.

She had a vague awareness of something from a very, very early age.

She realized she might lose her most precious thing.

She just didn't want to face it, always thinking that fate was still far away from her.

Merlin fell silent for a moment.

He could have given a cold answer, but he didn't want to hurt the girl in front of him.

"I am an alien disguised as a human. Although I seem to be able to learn from humans and develop emotions, I still do not actually understand human emotions."

Of course, I am intelligent. So I understand human suffering.

However, I do not understand the weight of this pain.

Nightmares are ultimately just "someone's dream." Even if one can discuss love and hate, one cannot express the weight of their pain.

Merlin's eyes caught a glimpse of someone's illusory figure.

That was the root of all his goals.

He never had his own dreams; he made other people's dreams his goal in life.

"Isn't there any other way?" Hermione understood the meaning behind Merlin's words.

Her voice grew increasingly muffled, sounding almost like a plea.

"No one knows what your ultimate fate will be," Merlin said. "So don't worry, maybe everything will be alright. Perhaps he will come back."

"Will you come back?"

"perhaps."

Suddenly, Merlin's real, mangled body glowed with a pink light.

Then countless pink flowers grew from his body.

More and more flowers appeared, gradually covering his body.

"Ding-dong—"

It was the sound of metal hitting the ground.

The petals scattered, leaving only the [Star Blade] on the ground.

There was also a sword, a slender sword inlaid with jewels and inscriptions. It lay at his feet.

"Please accept this sword." The illusory Merlin stretched out his hand, pointing to the longsword with its intricate and ornate patterns. "It was originally broken. I repaired it. Now I give it to you. I hope you can become the second Arthur."

He then pointed to [Star Blade].

"I've placed the choice in your hands, little girl."

"Perhaps he doesn't need to do what I did. The world isn't that bad; we can still get by with some repairs."

"I'm not forcing you. I don't think it's shameful for you to hide it. Most things in this world are meaningless to an individual, and there's nothing wrong with choosing what you cherish."

"For centuries, I have looked down on humanity from my tower. I have come to realize more and more that humanity is foolish, not in a philosophical sense, but from a biological perspective."

There is no other intelligent life form in this universe as wasteful as humans, nor is there any other existence so full of surprises.

Humans are indeed flawed creatures.

but--

However, the history you depict is extremely beautiful.

This is the only thing I can assert. Whatever the outcome, it will be something of value that will remain in this universe.

"Many years later, I am no longer as obsessed with changing my fate as I once was. Not making a choice is also a choice."

Merlin said a lot.

He suddenly smiled, like a flower blooming and sprouting new branches.

The illusory figure floated upwards like smoke.

Drifting to higher places, drifting towards the stars and the universe.

"I sincerely hope that we will never meet again, Miss Hermione Granger."

If we never see each other again, I wish you good morning, good afternoon, and good night.

The ethereal sound vanished completely along with the last wisp of smoke.

Hermione stood there, staring blankly at everything.

I don't know what decision they're making.

------

How long did the battle at the Divine Tower last?

Irving doesn't understand this problem.

That place seemed to be related to the spirit; he felt neither hungry nor tired.

It may have lasted a long time, or it may have lasted only a moment.

When he killed the last dark creature.

He gathered the last trace of dark malice into his body.

When the light of all the heroic spirits converges on him alone.

The light and shadow in front of Irving suddenly changed.

He seemed to have turned into a star.

Light and shadow flashed rapidly before his eyes, receding backward at a speed exceeding that of light. He felt as if he were flying through the universe, alongside the stars, seeing strange planets and landscapes.

Each planet represents a memory of the stars.

In its long journey over countless years, the star has passed through many places.

Some of those planets are teeming with life, even harboring life forms entirely different from Earth. Others are crumbling, shattering into fragments, ultimately torn apart by the gravity of the stars into interstellar dust.

Some—Irving didn't have time to observe—too many, far too many.

Until a blue planet he knew best came into view.

The starlight surrounding him grew brighter and brighter, dazzling and magnificent, as if a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand fireworks were ignited at the same time.

Then, Irving's eyes rolled back.

The bright light obscured our vision.

When he came to his senses again, Irving found himself back in reality.

This was a place he knew very well. He had been here many times over the past few years. The circular wall was covered with portraits of people, who were talking quietly. The one facing Owen was Dumbledore, who was smiling as usual.

This is the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, almost exactly the same as when Dumbledore was still there, except that the person behind the desk is no longer Dumbledore, but Snape in a black robe.

He stared intently at the suddenly appearing Irving, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"That's surprising," Snape said slowly, in a voice as soft as a whisper, devoid of any warmth, yet clear enough for Owen to hear.

"Irving Sanchez, how could you show up here?"

He looked surprised when he saw Owen, and there was something else on Snape's face that was hard to decipher.

"I guess the founders placed the landing point here," Irving guessed to himself.

"Hmm, long time no see, Professor. You seem to be having a tough time lately. Your hair is so greasy, can't you really find even a moment to spare?"

Irving said cheerfully, and then sat down in the chair opposite the desk.

"Perhaps this is a mess that someone made."

"Agreed!" Owen raised both hands. "Blame Dumbledore!"

He looked at the portrait of Dumbledore on the wall.

"Yes, it stems from his stupidity." Snape glanced at Dumbledore's portrait. "This is no longer the Hogwarts you know. Whenever I want, I can summon a horde of dark wizards and Dementors, and other terrifying monsters you don't even know about—all minions of the Dark Lord. How many can you defeat?"

Snape said with a look of disgust, "The Order of the Phoenix has failed, Dumbledore's plan has failed, and the Dark Lord is now far more powerful than before. We cannot defeat him. I thought you would be smarter, like taking Potter and escaping abroad."

"He won't run away; he has Lily's blood in him," Owen said confidently.

These words instantly enraged Snape. "Don't mention that name again!"

"Do you know how much he's gained from the goblins in this short time? He's practically a god! As for his minions, a bunch of dark wizards from abroad are helping him. They're capturing Muggles in remote areas and turning them into monsters. Do you know how many there are?"

"One hundred thousand?"

"A million!" Snape roared.

"And then there are vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of dark creatures. Theseus Scamander is utterly foolish to even think of attacking Hogwarts in this situation."

"Huh? Theseus Scamander is attacking Hogwarts?"

"In progress!" Snape said coldly.

"Then what are you doing here? Delaying us?"

"I have to pretend I don't know, or those idiots will suspect me. And nobody's coming to tell me now!"

"Oh, clever!"

Irving appeared very casual, showing no sense of urgency that war was imminent.

"Let me tell you, kid! I don't know what kind of plan you, Dumbledore, or Grindelwald are carrying out, but I must remind you that he is no longer the same person he used to be. With the power of darkness, he is terrifyingly strong. I don't want you to fail after I've done what I have to do."

"We will win!" Irving said simply.

"That would be best, because I really don't see the point in storming Hogwarts Castle at this time; it would only give him an opportunity to wipe you out," Snape said.

"I guess it's because the best way to defeat the mysterious man is to lure him out of his hole and prevent him from developing any further."

Snape didn't argue; he looked directly into Owen's eyes. Just then, a voice came from a portrait on the wall: "They've begun their attack."

"I know." Snape rubbed his wrist.

"Let's go to the auditorium."

Before Irving could say anything, he had already hurried across the room. His black robe quickly blended into the shadows of the room.

Irving did not leave the principal's office immediately.

He chatted with several school principals for a while.

Those were the ones who knew the truth about ancient magic.

Principal Dexter spoke with him the longest, and he was glad to be out of that awful place.

Dumbledore, however, seemed to have said all he needed to say, and simply smiled at him.

Ten minutes later.

When Owen left the Headmaster's office and returned to the long-missed castle corridor, Snape was nowhere to be seen. The corridor before him was quiet, the candlelight casting shadows on the two stone golems standing before the office, and suits of armor hidden in the darkness not far away. Even though it had only been a few months since he'd been back to Hogwarts, it felt as if many years had passed.

Everything around me felt both familiar and strange.

Irving strode quickly toward the auditorium.

If it's about driving out the Death Eaters from Hogwarts, that's where the final battle will take place.

"Get back to your dorm, you wretched little brats, or I'll cast the Heart-Rending Curse on you and make you wish you were dead."

As he turned the corner, he suddenly heard a sound coming from the dimly lit area ahead.

(End of this chapter)