Noah really should have felt a sense of urgency.
News of his inauguration had already spread everywhere.
After all, the ascension of a Sorcerer Supreme was never a trivial matter.
The High Sanctuary was not an official government organization.
But it possessed the Sorcerer Supreme.
The defender of Earth.
An existence whose strength was terrifyingly absolute.
Because of this, even national governments had no choice but to acknowledge the Sanctuary's importance within the global magical sphere.
The moment word spread that Noah was about to inherit this position, it inevitably caused ripples.
If this had happened earlier, perhaps no one would have objected.
But now...
While the opposition wasn't loud, some subtle dissenting voices had surfaced.
The root cause was simple.
Noah's public execution of the rogue mage.
That incident had genuinely unsettled many mages.
They weren't trying to block Noah's succession.
Nor were they openly protesting.
They merely hoped the Ancient One would reconsider and allow Noah to undergo more trials.
At the very least, they wanted his temper to be...less explosive.
Killing a high-level mage in public, in front of both ordinary people and mages, without explanation and without regard for location-
Anyone would worry that they could be next.
Even after learning what the rogue had done, and why the Deputy had confronted him, Noah's methods still left a chill.
They would have preferred a trial.
Something formal.
Something dignified.
Not an execution in the street.
Fine.
Typical Western logic.
Noah was already used to it.
He understood their patterns well enough to use them himself.
What surprised him was that even now, people still dared to poke their heads out.
If their demands hadn't been so mild-simply asking for Noah to temper himself and for the Ancient One to remain in office a little longer-Noah might have gone to "reason" with them personally.
On top of that, several leaders of magical organizations and heads of national magical departments had immediately called to clarify their stances.
Noah ignored them all.
He was busy.
Strange and Wanda's progress alone was enough to make him satisfied.
Especially Strange.
The man's talent was absurd.
At times, Noah genuinely wanted to crack his skull open to see if there was a Stone inside.
Of course, that was a joke.
If he really had to perform a craniotomy, Tony would be the better choice.
According to the comics, that man supposedly had a "Self Gem" in his head.
"What do you want to wear today?"
Hermione had put on light makeup.
She had temporarily taken over Ms. Haifin's role and was diligently helping Noah coordinate his outfit.
"How about the white Cullenvis robes with Versace leather boots? Very British. You are England's pride, after all."
I'm not even British.
Noah sighed inwardly and shook his head.
"If that's the case, you might as well get me a Westwood suit and a Burberry scarf. At least that would have flair."
"Stop joking." Hermione laughed and gave him a light smack.
"Ms. Haifin gave me an impossible task. She said choosing clothes for you is a nightmare. I didn't believe her before."
"If I'd known, I would've gone to the High Sanctuary and waited instead of staying here."
"If you did that," Noah smiled, "tomorrow's headline would be: 'New Sorcerer Supreme and Minister of Magic in relationship crisis.'"
He pinched her nose gently.
"The black Scorpio robes will do."
"Doesn't the Malfoy family have a clothing brand? There's a line named after Draco. Let's use that."
Cullenvis or Versace-both were luxury brands in the magical world.
They also came with defensive enchantments.
But to Noah, that barely mattered.
High-level defensive enchantments existed, but not in mass-produced commercial goods.
So no matter how luxurious the brand, to Noah, it was just...acceptable.
Honestly, they weren't even as comfortable as mundane luxury clothing.
Noah hadn't worn a suit in ages.
Owning a few was fine.
Wearing one today?
Absolutely not.
Choosing something from the Malfoy family wasn't an issue.
Noah had met Draco years ago.
The man had changed completely.
Helping an old classmate was no trouble at all.
"A pity," Noah said while looking at himself in the mirror.
"If the Weasley twins ran a clothing brand instead of a joke shop, I'd be more inclined to support them."
He took Hermione's hand.
"Doesn't this look good?"
"Yes, yes," Hermione smiled and shook her head.
"As long as you like it."
She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Time really flies. I never imagined that 'slightly arrogant' Ravenclaw would become Sorcerer Supreme...while holding a Gryffindor's hand."
"And who would've thought," Noah replied calmly, "that a crybaby Gryffindor who hid everything behind pride would become Minister of Magic-and end up with an arrogant Ravenclaw?"
"Nonsense!" Hermione protested immediately.
"I only cried because of that idiot Ron. You arrogant Ravenclaw."
They fell silent.
Memories surfaced.
The road they had walked.
The joy.
The pain.
The failures.
The victories.
After some unknown amount of time, Noah's phone began buzzing nonstop.
They looked at each other.
Then laughed.
That quiet moment had been precious.
But now wasn't the time.
"Move in together later?" Noah asked casually.
"Looking out for each other wouldn't be bad."
"Worth considering," Hermione replied with a smile.
"But not now."
"And hurry up."
"A lot of people are waiting today."
A lot of people.
Leaders of magical organizations.
Heads of national magical departments.
And Noah's friends.
Tony had arrived early.
Kenn, Evan, and Lawrence were already there.
The Hogwarts professors were present as well.
Dumbledore, who had long retired.
McGonagall and Snape, still active.
Every professor who had taught Noah.
The Alliance of Mages.
Eric and Charles.
Constantine and Chas.
Even Fury had received an invitation.
Noah rarely forgot people.
At every stage of his journey, he had met someone new.
"By the way," Noah asked as they approached the teleportation array, "have the Asgardians arrived?"
"They've been here forever," Hermione sighed.
"King Odin brought his family personally."
They crossed the spatial barrier and arrived at the High Sanctuary.
The gates ahead were tightly closed.
For some reason, Noah felt nervous.
Once those doors opened, everything would change.
Am I ready?
He didn't know.
He felt ready.
But that didn't mean everyone agreed.
"What's wrong?" Hermione squeezed his hand.
"Is our 'proud' Ravenclaw actually nervous?"
"A little," Noah admitted, breathing in.
"I know it's stupid, but anyone standing here would feel uncertain."
"I'm not the first."
"I won't be the last."
"But I can face it calmly."
He smiled at her.
The gates swung open.
A sea of people stood outside.
Cheers surged forward like a tide.
Noah walked calmly.
Smiling.
Heart racing.
Posture steady.
His gaze swept across the crowd.
Constantine.
Fury.
Tony.
Dumbledore in his middle-aged form.
McGonagall, unchanged.
Snape standing beside Lily.
Harry.
Ron.
Ernie.
Kenn.
Lawrence.
Evan.
So many faces.
At the front row, he saw Jason, Cassandra, Wong, Mordo, Victor.
They bowed slightly as he passed.
Then came Ms. Haifin.
Two Thors.
One fat.
One lean.
Loki.
Odin.
Frigga.
And at the highest seat-
The Ancient One.
His teacher.
"Teacher."
Noah released Hermione's hand and stepped forward.
"Noah." The Ancient One smiled.
"Nervous?"
"A little. But I've overcome it."
"Good." She nodded.
"Then tell me."
"Do you have confidence?"
"I believe I will do well."
She smiled.
"I believe in you too."
"My disciple."
"My heir."
"Noah Finnel."