The Daily Life of a Hogwarts Terrorist

After speaking, the fake object raised its left index finger and cut a slit in the air, revealing Tabasa and the others who were bound in another dimension.

Seeing that they were safe and sound, Louise breathed a sigh of relief, but in the blink of an eye, she glared at the three imposters with even fiercer eyes: "At this point, why are you still hiding? Do you really enjoy pretending to be girls? Humph! You're all perverts!"

The three imposters looked at each other, nodded, and then removed their disguises.

Seamus, who was watching from the side, was the first to call out: "Professor?"

Before him appeared the ever-sunny smiling face of Professor Verne, an old man with a white beard who had a similar air to Principal Dumbledore, and a bald man who looked rather familiar.

"Hmph, it really was you guys."

In fact, Louise had almost figured out their methods by this time: first, they subdued Siesta, who had no magic, then ambushed Tabassa and Ilukuku, who came to pick up Siesta, and then brazenly impersonated them to come in front of her.

However, there was one thing Louise couldn't understand: she hadn't been unaware of Verne before, and had even used Osman and Gruberu (Quirinas)'s actions to cast an illusion on Verne, immersing him in a dream of deciphering ancient runes, and had even sent Siesta to secretly monitor him.

So, at this point, Verne should still be trapped in his room by the illusion, but instead, he not only appeared here, but also unknowingly broke the spell he had cast on Gruber and Osman.

"When exactly?" Louise asked, unwilling to give up.

"It's a bit complicated to explain. To put it simply, Principal Osman has been trying to break free from your control for a long time, but he's been very good at disguising it," Verne explained leisurely, since the situation was now settled.

Moreover, he would need her help in finding the whereabouts of the Papacy, so Verne didn't mind being a little nicer to Louise. Anyway, with Simon around, there was plenty of room for maneuver for both sides. And no matter what Louise wanted to do, judging from the current results, she had only failed.

Professor Verne continued, “On the surface, he followed your instructions and asked me to translate the documents for Tristine, and had Quirrell give me the documents that were trapped by illusion.”

But you didn't notice that Principal Osman's bargaining with me was a hint to me.

"A hint?" Louise asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the most famous political event before Sylvester II's departure, and the three documents about Malsia that were deliberately sent by his secretary, all point to one truth—'pornocracy'."

Several women from the Roman nobility seized power in the Papacy by becoming the Pope's mistresses. Their sons, and their sons' sons, were all made popes, and they became the behind-the-scenes manipulators who held real power.

"Doesn't it look very similar?"

“Hmph, we’re different from those Bitch people. We rely on our own strength!” Henrietta retorted.

"But in any case, at least Osman made me notice something unusual."

Verne casually flipped through a book, which appeared in his hand: "So when he had Quirinus give me the Book of Memories, with the previous hints and reminders, I quickly noticed some of Quirinus's abnormalities. Therefore, before Quirinus could complete the illusion he had cast on me, I broke free from your control over him."

"And then, you freed Osman from his restraints and easily controlled the magic-free Siesta, and then had her provide me with false surveillance records every day, right?" At this point, Louise basically understood, so she added to Verne's words.

“Yes, that’s right, that’s exactly it.” Osman nodded.

But this only made Louise more incredulous; she couldn't understand it at all, so she asked, "Why? Osman. Why are you rebelling against us?"

Osman replied calmly but wearily, "To end this cycle of more than forty thousand years."

"Why? With your strength, you should understand! If it weren't for us, if it weren't for reincarnation, how could you have stayed here for so long? You would have been assimilated by the origin of life and death long ago! Why did you betray me!"

Louise's hoarse roar made Verne frown. He had thought that Louise's reincarnation was only to allow Saito's soul to appear, but he did not expect that there was another reason besides that—to prevent the people of Tristan from being assimilated by the Origin of Life and Death.

This made Verne even more convinced that although they claimed to be witches who manipulated humans and brutally interfered with the will of others, they were not truly wicked, but had simply gone astray.

"Don't you understand what this means? And look, reincarnation isn't useless! He's already back!"

Meanwhile, Louise was still vehemently questioning Osman, unable to believe that her beloved and caring headmaster would one day part ways with her and his students.

"That's right, reincarnation is indeed effective. It not only successfully prevented us from being assimilated, but it also brought him back. But what happens after that? In order to prevent everyone from completely falling to the side of death, would you end the cycle of reincarnation just because he came back?"

Osman's question left Louise and the others speechless. Seeing the girls' heads bowed in silence, Osman could only sigh deeply: "Children, I am too tired. At the end of that great war, I foresaw that my days were numbered. Although it is just a constant repetition, it is you who have allowed me to linger here for countless more years."

Enough is enough. Let us choose for ourselves whether to stay or embark on a new journey. Perhaps some of us want to continue living here, but I believe there are many others like me who want to leave and take a proper rest.

Let us decide for ourselves. You've worked so hard all these years.

"Grandpa Principal!"

Louise finally broke down in tears. She hadn't achieved her goal, and her beloved headmaster, who had always been by her side, was also leaving her forever.

“Don’t cry, Louise.” Osman stroked Louise’s hair to comfort her. “You have done enough for everyone over the years. You should be proud. Let this old man take those weary souls with him as he goes. As for the remaining children…”

At this point, Osman paused, then knelt on one knee facing Henrietta: "Your Majesty, please forgive my previous rudeness, and please forgive me for no longer being able to accompany you. I hope you will continue to guide the people of Tristain forward."

"Please rise, Lord Osman. You've had a tough time all these years. When you get there, please give my regards to my father and mother. Also, do you think we can still have a 'future'?"

Henrietta looked at the magic that bound her with a bitter expression.

"Please rest assured, Verne will not make things difficult for you." Understanding Henrietta and the others' concerns, Osman looked at Verne with a pleading expression: "Right? Mr. Kadmond?"

Although he knew the old man was just using his seniority as an excuse, Verne genuinely couldn't refuse. Not to mention he would be working with Louise and others in the future, and he couldn't afford to have a strained relationship with them.

Take this moment, for example. Seeing Louise cry, a burning, cruel gaze has been fixed on him ever since. As for whose gaze it is, need I even say?

As a professor of magical literature at Hogwarts, Verne really wanted to smash this bastard who "forgot his master for the sake of beauty" and "betrayed his master and ancestors" with his staff. He really wanted to ask Seamus if this idiot had any principles left.

However, the magnanimous Professor Verne decided to forgive him. There was no need to stoop to the level of a child, especially one who was blinded by love.

"Letting you go is not impossible, and I even have a way to resolve the karma on your body." As he said this, Verne deliberately glanced at Seamus, only to find that the other man immediately looked at him with pleading eyes like a loyal little animal.

Simon's expression naturally caught the attention of Louise and Henrietta, making them quite "uncomfortable": "So, what do you want?"

Verne smiled; now it was time for negotiations.

"Don't worry, I just need your help. Of course, some things can be considered a form of punishment, after all, you did so much. Well, in terms of the result, it was an attempt, but the impact was indeed bad."

However, I won't force you to do things you don't want to do. So I'll discuss things with you one by one, and you can do whichever you agree to. How does this democratic consultation approach sound?

As he spoke, Verne took out a thick stack of papers, and then added with a smile, "Of course, the quantity can't be too small either."

Everyone present, except for Seamus, unanimously thought of one word: [Shady businessman!]

. . . . . .

PS1: This volume is finally finished, yay!

PS2: Part of this chapter should be read in conjunction with chapters 15 to 17, which are the chapters where Professor Verne appears. I could have used those plot points to fill another ten or so chapters, but I am a very conscientious and principled author, hmm.

PS3: Thank you to Gongzi Lan and Fusheng Chenmeng for the virtual currency.

PS4: Thank you to the following students for their recommendation votes since June: 神无灵月, 梅菲罗斯, 世界因虚伪所以美好, 公子岚, 花似雾中看, 繁花静美, 框框i, 村*雨, 最爱科学说, 酒幕, 好麻烦不想, 天使ingsky, 大爱蛋黄, 判判者120, 左手乖离剑, 幽暗星夜, 阿良木历好 (I can't type the Japanese in the middle), 99天杰, 不太在行, 圣辉百夜, 十字路口的守望, 艾斯·拉塞福德, dearmteam泠瞳

citywang, z溯源, 八云淼 (in no particular order), thank you for your support! (The Writer Assistant app is great, it finally lets me check the list of recommended votes.)

PS5: I'll be organizing the outline tomorrow and working on the concept for a new volume, so I'll be taking a break and won't be updating. This is a rule I learned from a certain senior squid.

0.Prologue

Language is perhaps the most magical force in the world. It records everything that has happened in the past and present, it glimpses the future, and it prompts thought.

She can inspire docile people to muster courage, launch a revolution, and remove the heads of one powerful figure after another. She can transform a down-on-his-luck painter into someone who stands up to lead the people out of confusion and uncertainty when the country is in its most perilous moment; she can also turn a once-great leader and nation into the most insane and vile group in the world.

But in Mr. Seamus's eyes, the power of language was to turn a gentle and refined professor into a hideous figure, just like a heartless factory owner, while he himself was the oppressed and exploited child laborer!

"Don't get distracted, Mr. Seamus,"

"Yes, Professor."

Simo is currently having a private tutoring session with Professor Verne in an empty classroom. Just moments ago, the professor, who was lecturing on religious history, suddenly started rambling on about the power of language with Simo.

Therefore, it is only natural that Mr. Seamus, whose mind had not yet caught up with the situation, would engage in divergent thinking in class after having just signed a series of unequal treaties with Verne.

However, unlike large classes with dozens of students at Hogwarts, in these one-on-one tutoring sessions, any small movements a student makes will be noticed by the teacher.

Therefore, Mr. Seamus, having been reprimanded, had no choice but to continue doing what a good student should do—taking notes:

Of all known languages, several are generally considered to contain magical power: the language of elves, the language of dwarves, dragon language, Sanskrit, ancient Chinese seal script, and runes.

The word "rune" originates from the Gothic word "runa," meaning "secret whisper." Later, it was applied to a set of letters used by Scandinavians or Germanic peoples, which were originally intended for magical purposes.

It is the ancient Nordic alphabet, also known as the Old Scandinavian alphabet. In addition to being used as a writing system, these characters could also be engraved on animal hides, wood chips, stones, crystals, metals, or gemstones representing these symbols for divination purposes.

These runes, imbued with unique symbolic meaning, embody the essence of ancient culture and the collective expression of the human subconscious. Each rune stone tells a story and reveals the profound meaning inherent in these ancient symbols. It is an ancient form of divination, now popular in Britain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and even Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Legend has it that the earliest origin of rune is related to Odin, the father of the gods in Norse mythology. Odin exchanged the loss of his right eye for the wisdom of runes, which is the wisdom of the wellspring of wisdom.

Legend has it that Odin, seeking greater wisdom, hung himself from a tree for nine days and nine nights, contemplating the mysteries of the universe. When he descended from the tree, he comprehended the runes.

Simon noticed out of the corner of his eye that Professor Verne laughed when he got to this point.

He actually laughed? Could it be that he thought of something good?

Simo quickly reviewed the notes he had just memorized. Although he was no longer a primary school student, he knew that there must be a truth hidden in them.

Then Simo noticed a particularly eye-catching line: "Hanging himself in a tree for nine days and nine nights." Feeling that he understood something, Simo immediately lowered his head.

[I never knew the professor had this kind of hobby!]

Thump! The book came crashing down.

"You're daydreaming again, Simon."

“Professor, this is corporal punishment! This is illegal tutoring! This is increasing the students’ academic burden!” Simo protested.

However, Verne shrugged nonchalantly: "So what? Are you going to charge me with this at the Ministry of Magic?"

"If I have the chance, I will!"

"Fine, then you can deal with your girlfriend's problem yourself."

"Uh, Professor, I was wrong, please forgive me!"

And so the course continued...

Verne then went on to talk at length about the basics of runes, and then he prepared to explain how wizards actually used runes.

"Stop writing for now, come and see the gift I've prepared for you." With that, Verne took out a pile of inconspicuous pebbles.

"What is this, Professor?"

"These are runes, the language of the gods, the manifestation of the rules. Touch them."

Simo did as he was told.

What did you feel?

"Power, but very subtle."

“It is normal for divine objects to remain hidden. In fact, to unleash the full power within a stone, special methods are required. For example, chanting, or embedding it into certain objects according to certain rules.”

As we've mentioned before, language has power, and runes are a form of language. The most distinctive feature of language is that different words, when combined in different ways, can form different meanings.

Even identical words, spoken in the exact same order, can have completely different meanings depending on the tone and punctuation.

Therefore, to activate the power of these runes, certain techniques and methods are required, and these methods are known as 'runewords'.