Looking at the familiar marketplace around him and Salazar's absurdly youthful face, Gryffindor felt as though time itself had reversed, returning him to the days when he had travelled the world alongside his three friends.
However, after glancing down at the thick beard on his chin and his own ghostly, half-real body, he dismissed the ridiculous thought.
Clearly, time had not turned back.
Hmm?
Godric suddenly recalled his old friends repeatedly mentioning the "Championship."
His brow immediately furrowed.
This couldn't possibly be the tournament venue, could it?
The question had barely formed in his mind before Salazar confirmed it.
"Hey! Then this arena is enormous! Where exactly did you hold the competition?"
Salazar's interruption completely distracted Godric from his original intention of giving him a thorough scolding. Right now, he only wanted to know the details of the Championship.
This was far too interesting!
Why hadn't he come up with such a brilliant idea back then?
"It's at Hogwarts."
Godric: ???
Salazar's answer left him utterly confused.
He looked around.
Nothing in the surrounding area resembled the Hogwarts he remembered.
Had they built the arena in some nearby town instead?
"Rowena really outdid herself."
Rhys proceeded to explain everything Rowena had done.
Godric: !!!
"You actually created an entire alchemical world just for this tournament?!"
Godric simply couldn't believe what he had heard.
"That's right."
Rhys rubbed his forehead.
"Rowena has made astonishing progress in alchemy..."
She had just caused a tiny little disaster that now required someone else to clean up.
"Let me make sure I've got this straight."
Even after Salazar had confirmed it, Godric couldn't help asking again.
"An entire world, virtually indistinguishable from the real one?"
"Yes. The lifeforms in this small world are no different from those on Earth. They possess their own intelligence. I haven't personally explored its full extent, but it feels to be at least the size of the British Isles, perhaps even larger."
"No way..."
Hearing that, Gryffindor involuntarily drew in a sharp breath.
Had Rowena really grown to such a level?
She truly had exceeded all his expectations.
But then he suddenly thought of something.
Given Rowena's usual habits...
Had this latest breakthrough produced any side effects?
In other words...
"So, Salazar... what's the price?"
Rhys immediately fell silent.
"The price..."
He paused.
"...is that I'm standing here right now."
"Hmm?"
Godric's eyes widened.
It took him two full seconds to understand.
Then his phantom burst into ear-piercing laughter.
Watching Godric laugh so hard that even his spirit began to flicker unstably, Rhys's expression gradually stiffened.
"Finished?"
Seeing that Godric looked as though he might never stop laughing, Rhys interrupted him flatly.
"I-I'm stopping now... hahahaha... right away... right away!"
Despite repeatedly insisting that he would stop immediately, Godric continued laughing for nearly another minute before finally managing to compose himself.
With an enormous grin still plastered across his face and the corners of his mouth refusing to come down, Godric at last regained the ability to hold a conversation.
"Salazar, I'd almost forgotten!"
He stared at Rhys excitedly.
"Your current identity is that of a Hogwarts student! Which means you're participating in this tournament as one of Hogwarts' students!"
"Ha! The children competing this year are in for a rough time. They're actually going to face the legendary wizard, Salazar Slytherin!"
Rhys's anger: +1
Completely ignoring his old friend's increasingly dark expression, Godric continued enthusiastically,
"It's been a thousand years since we walked the earth. It's about time young witches and wizards around the world got to witness the magnificence of one of Hogwarts' founders!"
Rhys's anger: +7
"Come to think of it, with you competing, Hogwarts' championship is practically guaranteed, isn't it? Ah, now I don't want to leave. I want to stay and watch you lead Hogwarts to reclaim its position as the world's number one magical school!"
Rhys's anger: +13
Every word Godric spoke came straight from the heart.
And that sincerity was precisely why it made Rhys so furious.
Almost every sentence Godric uttered landed squarely on Rhys's sore spots, making him suspect that Godric was doing it on purpose.
But considering Godric's personality, Rhys knew he probably wasn't.
Which somehow made it even more infuriating.
"Godric, have you started thinking that just because you're a ghost, you can say whatever you like?" Rhys narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them. "You don't actually think I have no way of dealing with ghosts, do you?"
Godric: ???
"Huh? Have you made some new discovery?" Godric's curiosity was instantly piqued. "I've never heard of any method that can actually harm ghosts. Now you've really made me want to try it."
A rustling sound came from inside Rhys's sleeve.
He knew it was the Basilisk he had brought into the world growing restless.
During the battle with the Starfall Dragon King, it had hidden inside his robes, playing dead the entire time.
Now that the fight was over, it had suddenly "come back to life."
Come to think of it...
Would the Basilisk's gaze work on ghosts?
A rather strange thought crossed Rhys's mind.
What effect would the Basilisk's instant-death gaze have on a ghost that was already dead?
He had never conducted such an experiment before.
Would it become the first known method capable of destroying ghosts?
Or would it merely petrify them, just as indirect eye contact with a Basilisk did?
Although he happened to have a particularly talkative ghost at hand, Rhys had no intention of experimenting on Godric.
The risk was simply too high.
Godric was no ordinary ghost.
If the Basilisk really killed him outright, that would be rather awkward.
Besides, if Rhys wanted to teach Godric a lesson, there was no need to involve the Basilisk.
He had plenty of suitable potions.
Gently flicking the Basilisk on the head to make it behave, Rhys took out a small vial of potion.
It was one of the potions left over from when he had cleansed the impurities from Rowena's soul.
Now it was the perfect opportunity to broaden Godric's horizons.
Godric, let me show you the true power of Potions!
I've grown as well.
Seeing the vial in Salazar's hand, Godric blinked.
An ominous feeling suddenly crept into his heart.
"Um... I've changed my mind. Maybe we can—"
"No."
Rhys tightened his grip around the bottle.
At this point, you expect me to stop?
Once the arrow has been placed on the bowstring, there's no putting it back.
Before Godric could react any further, Rhys pulled out the stopper.
With a casual flick of his hand, the potion transformed into a cloud of mist that engulfed Godric from head to toe.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI