Smaug left the treasury and climbed down the northern cliff of Weathertop, entering the castle grounds through the special dragon passage.
Because of his massive size, he couldn't go inside the castle, so he simply settled on the expansive lawn outside.
From his enormous height, Smaug could easily see everything happening on every floor of the castle.
His appearance drew gasps from both professors and students. Many had only heard of dragons and had never seen one with their own eyes. Even those who had seen Smaug before were stunned by how large he had grown.
After the initial shock and fear, the mood in the castle shifted; both students and professors began to regain their confidence. After all, what danger could threaten them when such a colossal dragon stood guard?
Students from all houses pressed against the windows of their dormitories and common rooms, staring at the dragon towering higher than the castle itself, filled with instinctive awe and admiration.
This was the legendary dragon mount of the Headmaster, massive beyond belief.
Just then, a thunderous voice echoed through the entire castle:
"All students, remain in your dormitories immediately! All professors, proceed to the conference room!"
"It's the Headmaster! The Headmaster is out!"
Hearing Sylas' voice, hope surged through both students and teachers. Only the one hiding among them went pale, their eyes darkening with dread.
Students immediately returned to their dormitories, not daring to wander outside.
At the same time, the entrances to all common rooms automatically closed and locked.
No matter what password was spoken, the doors wouldn't open, preventing anyone from slipping in among the students.
Professors scattered throughout the castle hurried toward the conference room.
"Professor Edward!"
Edward turned at the call and saw Professor Allenhis, panting heavily and looking pale. Edward's tense expression softened.
"Professor Allenhis, you just came from the Potions office? No need to rush, catch your breath."
Allenhis was the Potions professor and the Head of Basilisk House. His office was near the Basilisk dormitories on the basement floor, where he spent most of his time brewing potions for the infirmary.
As a result, he was rather inconspicuous, pale from lack of sunlight, hair greasy from years of potion fumes. But unlike Potions professors of another world, Allenhis was quite talkative.
The two walked together, and Allenhis asked curiously, "Professor Edward, do you think the Headmaster summoned us because he already knows who the infiltrator is?"
Edward shook his head. "I'm not sure. The Headmaster said earlier that he was making something that could reveal the culprit. Now that he's calling us, maybe he's finished it."
"If that's true, that's great. I really hope we catch that hidden rat soon, so we can finally relax," Allenhis said.
Suddenly, noticing the fatigue on Edward's face, he took out a vial from his pocket and offered it to him.
"Professor Edward, you look exhausted. This is an energy potion I just brewed. Drink it, you shouldn't push yourself too hard."
Edward blinked in surprise, then smiled gratefully.
"Thank you. I really need this. It wouldn't be good for the Headmaster to see me looking like this."
He reached out to take the potion;
But just as he was about to touch it, a magical barrier materialized between them, blocking their hands.
Both men froze, startled. They instantly drew their wands, wary and ready to respond to whatever had cast the spell.
But then they saw Sylas and Elrond approaching, along with several professors who had arrived earlier.
"Headmaster!?" Allenhis exclaimed in surprise, then looked at the barrier in confusion.
"And what's going on?"
Sylas remained silent, his gaze cold as he stared at them.
Elrond, however, spoke first. "Professor Allenhis, come over here."
Allenhis looked completely bewildered, glancing at Elrond, then at the silent headmaster, and finally at Edward, who was separated from him by the magical barrier.
Still confused, he obediently walked to the other side.
Sylas' gaze never shifted to Allenhis. It remained fixed entirely on Edward.
He sneered, "Saruman, I destroyed your body back then but allowed your soul to escape. I never expected you to dare sneak into my castle and cause trouble right under my nose. Did Sauron give you that courage?"
Edward looked utterly stunned.
"H–Headmaster, what are you saying? I'm Saruman? You must be mistaken! How could I be him?"
Seeing Edward's panicked expression and the utterly familiar aura he carried, the other professors hesitated.
They had all worked with Edward for over a year. They knew his personality, his habits, his tone, and they had never noticed anything wrong.
It was hard to believe the vice-headmaster, Sylas' most trusted aide, had been possessed the entire time.
But seeing that both Sylas and Elrond were absolutely certain, doubt began creeping into their hearts.
Sylas raised the dragonhide map in his hand and sneered,
"Saruman, your disguise is flawless. Even Gandalf, Lady Galadriel, and I could not see through you. That's why we couldn't find you for so long."
"But no matter how well you hide, your name cannot escape the Marauder's Map!"
On the glowing surface of the Marauder's Map, Edward's name overlapped with another, written in vivid, blood-red ink:
Saruman (Curumo)
Curumo was Saruman's true name, his name as a Maia in Valinor before he came to Middle-earth.
Hearing Sylas' words and seeing the power radiating from the map, "Edward" finally dropped his pretense.
His expression twisted into a sinister smile completely unlike Edward's usual gentle demeanor. His eyes filled with venom and hatred.
"Remarkable… truly remarkable. Sylas, I once thought you were nothing but an insignificant mortal. I never expected to fall into your hands again and again. Now I've even been reduced to a bodiless spirit… forced to wander like a ghost!"
He laughed coldly.
"But even if you've found me, what can you do? Kill me?"
Saruman tapped Edward's chest mockingly.
"If you want to kill me, you'll have to kill this body first. I remember, this one was your most loyal servant, wasn't he? Loyal enough to try to kill himself to keep me from using him to fool you!"
A sneer twisted his face.
"Too bad his soul was too weak. He couldn't even die properly. Tell me, Sylas, can you bear to let your most loyal man die with me?"
With that, Saruman raised Edward's wand.
He flicked it, and the spell he cast shattered the protective barrier Sylas had created.
Then he instantly hurled another spell toward Sylas and the others:
Sylas reacted at once, whipping his wand through the air. A shield of force erupted, deflecting the spell.
The attack slammed into the castle wall.
BOOM!
A massive hole was blown straight through the stone, rubble exploding outward in every direction.
...
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