Chapter 248: Legend! Legend!
Life continued, and due to the witch's increasingly loud reputation, the local lord came calling with great fanfare.
"You must be the forest witch," a 'peacock' appeared before Aiden with obvious arrogance.
He wore a gorgeous hat adorned with feathers from some unknown animal, dressed in a thick fur coat.
"Your lordship is!" The man before him reminded Aiden of Gilderoy Lockhart with his pompous demeanour.
"Rowan Ethelred, I am a favourite minister of His Majesty Ethelred, granted the honour of bearing His Majesty's own name as my surname."
Rowan introduced himself and performed an exaggerated bow with theatrical flair.
"I heard that a powerful witch has appeared in my territory. I hope to form a good marriage alliance with you so that you may share in my glory."
Rowan brought marriage proposal gifts. Several large chests were placed outside Aiden's hut.
"!!" Aiden clenched his fists, cross marks appearing on his forehead again.
"I appreciate your kind intentions, but I am a man and cannot marry you. Please take your things back."
Suppressing the urge to hit someone, Aiden drew upon the excellent upbringing inherited from the Prewett family and did not lose his temper.
"Oh, a man? That's even better!" Rowan said, raising an eyebrow with obvious interest.
The Manipulator's powerful physical capabilities suddenly manifested. From his slender body burst tremendous strength.
Aiden landed a punch on Rowan's fat belly, sending him crashing through the wooden door and flying outside.
The guards outside, seeing an unidentified object fly out, immediately responded with a shield bash.
But the powerful inertia transformed into thrust the moment it contacted the shield, sending several guards flying.
"Ah, indeed, the secret to the Prewett family's longevity is maintaining a cheerful mood," Aiden said, emerging with a bright smile.
Aiden walked forward and thoughtfully modified these fools' memories with magical precision.
Afterwards, the group sat dazedly in their carriage and left in confusion.
"Did you give them a potion?" Gorden asked, emerging from behind a tree.
"Could you please stop revealing that I live here?" Aiden said, helplessly holding his forehead.
"But he's the lord. When he came, I didn't know he was here to propose to you. Seeing him bring gifts, I thought he was coming to reward you," Gorden explained reasonably.
"Oh no, I forgot to keep the gifts," the dragon said, his instincts beginning to surface.
"You shouldn't lack money, being able to conjure gold at will and make food grow dozens of times larger. You look like a god," Gorden said with obvious teasing.
"Oh really? Then would you worship me?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You? Forget it. You feel like a god who would test people's hearts. I'm too greedy a person. I can't afford to believe, can't afford to," Gorden said, tapping his back as he walked toward town.
"Heh, what excessive greed? Clearly you're a sage who protects peace in this ignorant age..." The corner of Aiden's mouth unconsciously curved upward.
Peaceful days passed quickly. On a sunny morning, Aiden's door was knocked with polite persistence.
Opening the door, a young and handsome man stood outside, with another man and two women behind him.
He wore green wizard robes, his face slightly pale, revealing a somewhat feminine aura.
"Hello, I've travelled here and heard there's a famous witch lady in these parts. I've come to visit."
The man stated his purpose, but Aiden's gaze was fixed on one of the ladies behind him.
"Hmm, why do you keep looking at me? Have we met before?" The lady didn't speak aloud, but her gentle voice was transmitted to Aiden's heart through the air.
"You... please come in," Aiden said, opening the door completely.
The four people entering the house saw the spacious interior, exchanged meaningful glances, and nodded with approval.
Aiden poured hot tea for each person, and they lifted their cups to taste with obvious appreciation.
"Milk thistle, red clover, and St. John's wort added? It seems your herbology skills are quite good," said the lady in grey robes.
"So you're the forest witch? You're so young," said the wizard wearing a familiar hat with a sword at his waist.
"Hello, let me introduce myself. I am Salazar Slytherin," said the wizard who had knocked earlier.
"Godric Gryffindor." "Rowena Ravenclaw." "Helga Hufflepuff."
The four introduced themselves to Aiden, and a strong sense of historical weight came over him.
"Hello, I'm called Aiden... no surname. And I'm male!" Aiden emphasised the last sentence with obvious frustration.
"Oh, not only was the age wrong in the rumours, but even the gender was wrong. Rumors really are unreliable," the straightforward Godric said directly.
"So, what brings the four of you here?" Aiden asked, refilling their tea and mischievously not adding any to Gryffindor's cup.
But he didn't mind at all, shamelessly pouring himself another cup.
"We want to change the current state of wizards!" Slytherin said, standing up with obvious passion.
"As a solitary wizard, you must also feel it... the pain of exploring magic alone. We want to establish a school in the Scottish Highlands to give aspiring wizards a place to learn. To this end, the four of us have travelled throughout Britain, hoping to find capable wizards to teach."
Slytherin gave an impassioned speech that, while not matching his usual temperament, clearly showed his enthusiasm.
"I know that our empty invitation asking you to contribute your magic seems like a pipe dream, but we can promise that all our magic will be openly shared afterward."
The young Lady Rowena supplemented the details Slytherin had missed with diplomatic grace.
"Sigh, but he's still too young, Rowena. Should we really invite him?" Gryffindor said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"At least he has considerable accomplishments in Herbology and spell usage, doesn't he?" Lady Helga spoke with obvious support.
"Hey, several people, I'm still here. Could you not discuss me like merchandise!" Aiden said, rolling his eyes.
"Then why don't we test his abilities?" Lady Rowena suggested, and Aiden fell into thoughtful silence.
"Whew," Godric whistled with obvious amusement.
He came over and put his arm around Aiden. "Kid, you haven't fallen for Rowena, have you? She's married."
"???" Aiden was full of question marks. "Why would you come to that conclusion?"
"You've been staring at her since opening the door, and every time she speaks, you stop continuing the conversation," Gryffindor said, raising an eyebrow at Aiden.
"That was respect! Respect – is that not allowed!" Aiden stubbornly defended.
"Alright, Godric, stop fooling around. Don't waste time," Salazar said, coming out to intervene.
"Tsk, no fun," Gryffindor said, putting away his playful expression and sitting back in his chair.
"Well then, child, would you mind sparring with us?" Salazar suggested with obvious interest.
"Sure," the dragon said, his mouth curving slightly upward.