What does a dragon look like?
A hideous, scale-covered giant lizard with a massive pair of bat-like wings on its back.
Blow that image up to the size of a building, and you've got the basic idea of a dragon.
Dragons love shiny things. They sleep on beds of gold coins and cover themselves with gemstones. So, wherever a dragon nests, there's usually a ridiculous amount of treasure.
Women and dragons have one thing in common: they both love sparkling, translucent things.
Like diamonds in the future.
For many people, witnessing love involves a diamond. After all, as the classic slogan goes: A diamond is forever.
In his past life, Rey had foolishly bought an expensive diamond. Of course, "expensive" is relative to ordinary people like him.
In this life, looking at the two people in front of him who wanted to go find diamonds and see a giant dragon—especially the excited gleam in Helena's eyes—Rey had the urge to slap someone.
Naturally, the person he wanted to slap was the tall nobleman: Terence Barrow.
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Women are curious creatures, and clever women like Helena Ravenclaw even more so.
After hearing Rey's description of the Evil Dragon Soul, she had developed a fantasy of seeing a real Great Dragon.
In reality, the dragons she had seen were incredibly low in both intelligence and power. Those so-called dragons merely had the shape of dragons; calling them beasts acting on instinct wouldn't be an exaggeration.
She wanted to see a truly intelligent Great Dragon but never had the chance. Such dragons were virtually extinct.
But now, one had appeared. Moreover, she had heard Terence embellish the story, claiming that where a true dragon resides, glittering diamonds are plentiful.
When curiosity met shiny gems, even a clever woman like Helena lost all resistance.
After all, she was just a thirteen-year-old girl. How mature could you expect her to be?
So, Terence Barrow, standing next to her, deserved a slap.
The guy was fifteen. In the Middle Ages, a fifteen-year-old was no longer a boy, but a man.
An adult meant someone mature in thought and responsible.
But this so-called adult, Terence Barrow, just to get Helena to talk to him, had told her stories about the Great Dragon and its jewels.
Now, these two had sought out Rey, wanting the three of them to go to the Forbidden Forest in the south together.
Even crazier, they planned to enter the dragon's lair not only to see the dragon up close but also to steal a couple of precious gems.
It was insanity! Especially after witnessing the dragon's power.
It seemed the tremors from the Forbidden Forest hadn't scared this little Lolita. As for Terence? As long as Helena paid attention to him, danger was the last thing on his mind.
For the current Terence, no amount of danger outweighed a single positive glance from Helena.
Maybe he thought he could pull off a "hero saving the beauty" moment during this trip and completely change Helena's attitude toward him. So, when Terence proposed this plan, the curious and fantasizing Helena naturally agreed with delight.
However, for safety's sake, the clever Helena sought out Rey, the little wizard with dragon-slaying experience.
Whether it was luck or something else, Rey had killed an Evil Dragon Soul and obtained a Specter Bead. In terms of understanding true dragons, Rey was the expert. Inviting him along seemed only natural.
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Terence was extremely reluctant to ask Rey. In his view, having Rey along meant bringing a massive third wheel—the brightest kind imaginable.
Rey wasn't stupid. He could clearly read the meaning in Terence's expressions and eyes. Besides, he knew the true strength of a Great Dragon and wasn't about to agree just because Helena asked nicely.
"You should drop that idea."
Rey declined politely. Both his thoughts and his facial expression made his refusal clear.
"I took care of you for days, and you give me this reluctant face?"
Women not only hold grudges, but they also remember favors—especially the ones they did for others. Seeing Rey's reluctance, she immediately played the gratitude card.
Mentioning this made Terence look even worse. He stared at Rey coldly. "If I hadn't given you that teleportation stone, do you think you'd still be standing here?"
Terence's interrogation followed Helena's guilt trip. Although he didn't want Rey to go, as long as it made Helena remember his "good deeds," he would do it, no matter how unwilling he was internally. He had lost himself.
"Against a Great Dragon, we have zero chance of survival."
Rey was helpless; both of them were stating facts. So, he pointed out the disparity in strength, hoping to cool down these hot-headed fools.
"A head-on confrontation means zero survival, but we're just going to look. We won't fight it."
Helena smiled slightly. Rey was reluctant, but he was engaging, looking for reasons to decline. Helena believed that as long as she blocked Rey's excuses, he would have no choice but to agree.
Clever as she was, Helena was confident. So when Rey started making excuses, she smiled.
"With the dragon's strength, do you think it's stupid? Do you think its alertness is so low that we can just sneak up on it?"
Rey looked at Helena with disdain. The desire to see the dragon was written all over her face, leaving him speechless. He couldn't understand why a woman famous in history for her intelligence was being so dense right now.
"Watch your tone, Rey Faest."
Terence growled, expressing deep dissatisfaction. He had disliked Rey for a long time, and now he finally seized the opportunity to show off in front of Helena.
Anyone disrespectful to Helena was Terence's enemy, regardless of the reason.
Rey ignored Terence's growl completely, glancing at him indifferently.
Rey's eyes were full of pitying sympathy, which made Terence choke with rage, his chest heaving.
was he, Terence, pitiable?
A dignified noble, looked at with such pity by a commoner? He should draw the sword at his waist, slay this peasant, and make him pay for such insolence with his blood.
If Helena hadn't been there, the noble might have demanded a duel with Rey again.
Helena glanced at the growling Terence, then asked Rey, "In other words, if we solve the problem you just raised, you're willing to come with us?"
"Correct!"
Rey answered affirmatively. But as soon as he answered, Helena's smile grew smug. Rey realized he had walked into her trap.
However, he couldn't figure out how Helena could possibly solve the problem of the dragon's alertness.
---
"Fine. I agree to go with you. But if I sense danger, we leave immediately."
Rey was resigned. He had to agree. Because Helena had pulled a silvery cloak from her spatial pouch.
When Helena draped the cloak over herself, Rey realized he had indeed been outplayed.
The Cloak of Invisibility—one of the Deathly Hallows. It could hide any object covered by it, making it vanish from everyone's sight.
This wasn't just optical invisibility; it erased one's presence from the senses. If you stood still under it, no one would know you were there.
Helena's eyes curved into crescent moons with her smile, while Terence Barrow huffed coldly beside her.
"The Invisibility Cloak. Where did you get it?"
Rey was surprised. He hadn't expected the Cloak of Invisibility from Harry Potter to be in Helena's hands in this era.
Seeing Rey's surprise, the little Lolita was quite satisfied. The corner of her mouth curled up. "I borrowed it from Uncle Peverell..."
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