A few minutes earlier.
Lucien and Lumen suddenly appeared on the patch of grass that had been devastated beyond recognition, right beside the Basilisk's winding corpse.
The Basilisk's body was badly damaged. Its neck had been severed with a clean cut, and its head had already been stored in Lucien's pocket.
A large hole had also been cut into its chest, and its heart had likewise been placed into Lucien's pocket.
The Basilisk's eyes could be used to enhance Lucien's Eye of Peering Magic, while its heart was intended to perfect Norbert's dragon magical circuit.
Lucien glanced at the circular shield formed by the Qilin Net Fire.
The flow of time within Salazar's Inheritance Space was vastly different from that of the outside world. The confrontation with Tom had ended quickly, and only a short time had passed since he slew the Basilisk.
He had simply been too efficient.
"Lumen, retract the fire shield first."
Lumen responded, and as its form disappeared, the surrounding golden flames gradually subsided.
"Lucien!"
As the flames faded away, Lucien's figure appeared before the Professors.
Naturally, they also saw the incomplete corpse of the Basilisk, and shock immediately appeared on their faces.
The Basilisk was already dead by the time they arrived?
A Basilisk was a XXXXX-class Magical Creature. Its venom, magical eyes, scales... every part of its body was a deadly weapon. Every Professor present admitted they would be wary of facing one alone.
Moreover, this Basilisk had lived for a thousand years. Its level of danger was obvious.
Yet judging by the current scene, it had been dealt with by a young wizard in an incredibly short amount of time.
Its death had been so brutal that even its head was gone.
"Lucien, are you hurt? Perhaps you should go to the Hospital Wing first..."
Professor Flitwick, despite his small stature, was the first to rush over. He circled Lucien several times, checking him for injuries.
"Head of House, don't worry. I'm fine."
Lucien cooperatively raised his arms to allow Flitwick to inspect him more closely.
Aside from slightly dirty robes, he was completely unharmed, nothing like someone who had just gone through two consecutive battles.
"Lucien, you... next time you encounter something like this, remember to inform a Professor first."
Professor McGonagall's expression was extremely conflicted.
She felt intense self-reproach. As Deputy Headmistress, she had failed to detect the Basilisk's appearance immediately, and the entire crisis had ended up being resolved by a student.
The thought left her deeply ashamed.
Sensing the older witch's thoughts, Lucien smiled and promised,
"Of course. This was just an accident, an accident. I was simply too excited the first time I saw a Basilisk."
That was the truth.
The moment the Basilisk appeared, it had triggered the loan of the Advanced Elemental Thunder Pattern. How could he not be excited?
Combined with his need for the Basilisk's heart, he had immediately drawn his wand and gotten to work.
Glancing at the completely unharmed Lucien, Snape did not crowd around him with concerned questions like the other Professors.
He quietly slipped a bottle of Healing Potion back into his pocket and began examining the Basilisk's corpse on the ground.
Although a Basilisk was classified as a Magical Creature, it could not reproduce naturally and had to be artificially bred.
The actual breeding process was extremely complicated, and many wizards did not even know the method.
At least in Britain, Basilisks had not appeared for four or five hundred years.
It was no exaggeration to say that a Basilisk was valuable from head to tail. From minor materials such as its blood and scales to major components like its heart and venomous fangs, every part had a unique use.
Its pair of eyes, in particular, were rare treasures worth a fortune.
Snape walked along the Basilisk's corpse and quickly noticed that not only the head but also the heart was missing.
Recalling the fleeting glimpse of the silver longsword Lucien had been holding when they arrived, Snape's gaze shifted back to him. It was obvious that the boy knew exactly what was valuable and had already stored those two items away.
As a Potions Master, Snape greatly coveted the Basilisk's treasures and was already considering what he might be able to exchange with Lucien for them.
If it had been any other young wizard, Snape would certainly have put on his usual air of superiority and said something along the lines of, "How could a mere student make proper use of such materials?" or "The Basilisk is part of Slytherin's legacy."
But Lucien was a rare talent, and his attitude toward learning was excellent.
More importantly, he had killed the Basilisk alone.
The feat was so unbelievable that it made Snape realise Lucien's true strength for the first time.
His rate of growth was simply unreasonable.
Suddenly, Snape saw a small orange-red bird descend from the sky and land on Lucien's shoulder.
"Chirp!"
The young Fawkes chirped softly beside Lucien's ear.
Lucien nodded, hurriedly said goodbye to the Professors, and raised a hand to store the Basilisk's corpse in his storage space as well.
Scarlet flames enveloped his entire body, and both boy and bird vanished instantly.
The scene before Lucien shifted to the familiar interior of Hagrid's Hut.
Holding Tom's diary in his hand, Lucien scanned the room and found quite a few familiar faces.
"Headmaster, I have something I'd like you to see."
Lucien's sudden appearance interrupted the conversation that had been taking place.
The moment he saw the diary, Lucius's triumphant smile froze.
In the blink of an eye, the parchment scroll he had just taken out was shoved back into his robes.
Suddenly, he felt that announcing Dumbledore's temporary suspension order at this moment was not a particularly good idea, even if it carried the signatures of all twelve members of the Board of Governors.
Seeing everyone's attention shift to Lucien, Lucius quietly edged toward the doorway.
"Ah, Lucien. Good evening."
Fudge smiled and greeted him.
The two had met before, and Fudge had been deeply impressed by the outstanding young wizard.
Lucien politely returned the greeting before stepping forward and handing the diary to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore had already sensed that there was something wrong with the diary at first glance. The moment he took it into his hands, he immediately detected a faint yet cold and sinister magical aura, one with which he was intimately familiar.
Voldemort.
Tom Riddle.
Dumbledore's fingers tightened around the diary.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Headmaster, the crisis in the Chamber of Secrets has been resolved. As for what happened..."
Lucien recounted everything he could disclose.
Hagrid and Fudge listened in stunned silence.
Dumbledore was focused primarily on the matter of the diary.
Meanwhile, Lucius, who had shrunk back near the doorway, grew paler the more he heard.
"...The Basilisk and Gilderoy Lockhart are dead..."
When Lucien's account concluded with Lockhart's death, Lucius quietly let out a sigh of relief.
At least the trail had not led back to him.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he noticed Lucien casually glance in his direction.
That single look seemed to carry a great deal of meaning.
His heartbeat, which had only just returned to normal, accelerated once again.
Lucius pressed himself further against the door, desperately trying to figure out what Lucien's glance had meant.
Fudge, meanwhile, was listening intently to Lucien's account. He had long since pulled out a handkerchief and was constantly wiping sweat from his forehead.
He had never realised that Hogwarts had been concealing such a terrifying crisis.
If some horrific tragedy had actually occurred, he, as Minister for Magic, would have been utterly finished.
Although the Headmaster was ultimately responsible for Hogwarts and Dumbledore would certainly have borne the greatest pressure, the furious parents of the wizarding world would undoubtedly have blamed Fudge as well.
After all, he was the Minister for Magic.
Fudge knew that a significant part of his rise to power had been due to luck. To maintain his position, he had to be flexible and cultivate relationships.
Thinking of this, he looked at Lucien and felt that the young wizard was practically glowing.
Lucien had not only saved the students of Hogwarts, protected the future of wizardkind, and resolved a major crisis in the magical world...
In Fudge's eyes, Lucien had practically saved his entire political career.
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