"It is difficult," Hester read aloud, her finger tracing the twisted text. "You must consume bat droppings and frog eyes, naked under a full moon..."
"But you are different. You already know Finger Glow."
"You only need to chant the incantation. No, wait—you also need to obtain a personal item belonging to Arthur, then sleep with it to find the corresponding dream."
"Then you can... as you put it, have your consciousness copulate with Arthur and take his purity."
"So—" Sophie let out a foolish giggle, drool nearly escaping the corner of her mouth. "Unchaste thoughts in astral form don't violate school rules."
She pretended to casually take Hester's book, ignoring the strangely slimy texture of its cover.
She opened the private chat interface. "Basil, can you teach me magic tomorrow?"
Basil, who had already coordinated with Madison, also opened his private chat. "Sophie, the Killing Curse is dangerous. Tomorrow I'll give you a private—"
The two of them, caught off guard, started a weirdly synchronized conversation.
Sophie: "Don't tell Madison."
Basil: "Don't tell Madison."
Sophie: "You—"
Basil: "You—"
Sophie: "Tomorrow morning at ten."
Basil: "Tomorrow... cough, Madison has class at ten. Perfect."
Sophie: "Bye."
Basil: "Bye."
——
The next day at noon, inside a treehouse atop a giant tree within the World Case.
Madison smoked a cigarette, her other hand tracing circles on Basil's chest.
"Is that Country Girl better than me?"
"Her?" Basil's thoughts drifted back to two hours ago.
Sophie had been very direct—she showed up wearing nothing at all.
Before he could even exchange pleasantries or properly explain the safety precautions for the Killing Curse, his mouth was occupied.
Sophie's "rite of passage" was completed on the sky-blue sofa in the lounge.
However, she was a total rookie. After half an hour, she said she had to bolt.
Then she used the log-off function to instantly bail, vanishing into thin air.
"You win," Basil said simply.
Madison tossed her hair, flashed a stunning smile, licked her lips, and leaned down for overtime.
---
Real World.
In the garden, 1:30 PM.
Beatrice looked down at Basil, who was lying on her lap and had just woken up. Worried, she asked, "What's wrong with you? You're always sleepy lately. Today, aside from lunch, you slept from 10 AM until now."
"I was meditating," Basil said with a straight face. "Remember Spells Class? Now that we're at the academy, we've all developed our own unique talents."
"I want to master mine as soon as possible. To defeat evil!"
"Truly my hero, the King of Good." Beatrice couldn't resist kissing Basil's forehead.
"Call me Basil. I'm not Arthur," Basil reminded her.
"Alright, my hero, my prince, my future partner... Basil." Beatrice's eyes shimmered with affection as endless and gentle as spring rain.
Basil had to look away.
Silly girl, you're making me feel like a bad guy.
The number of Knights in his [Dark Lord - Knight Commander] Echo had reached three.
The first to reach Gold-level affection wasn't Madison or Sophie.
It was Beatrice—vain, fond of Mean Girls-style bullying in the original plot.
It made sense that it was hard to get into Madison's heart, given her parents had treated her like a cash cow since childhood.
Sophie, who seemed like a ditz, was actually incredibly selfish inside, caring for no one but Agatha.
But even so, thanks to Basil's god-tier looks, their Echo progression bars were nearly full Gold.
Basil thought he would get Madison and Sophie's talents after today.
But that last sliver of progress felt like a massive chasm.
Sophie's Knight Card would allow Basil to obtain Finger Glow early, converting the massive emotional power from his [Inspire] talent into this world's magic.
Madison's Knight Card held infinite possibilities. Through it, he could master the power of resurrection—something considered absurd by wizards in the Harry Potter world.
Wizards usually liked to use magic to preserve the bodies of the dead, keeping them lifelike.
Like in the books, when Voldemort broke into Dumbledore's tomb, Dumbledore's body looked exactly as it did before he died.
Ariana Dumbledore's body was likely the same.
With the body intact, the power of resurrection could work.
Resurrecting Ariana would undoubtedly change the world.
The Gems he'd earn from that would be astronomical.
As for Beatrice's Knight Card... aside from letting Basil transform into her appearance, it didn't do much.
The other two knights:
Hermione was incredibly knowledgeable. Unlike Basil, who specialized in Dark Arts and mental magic, she knew every spell in every book she'd ever read.
Borrowing Hermione's power would make Basil more well-rounded.
Neville's Swordsmanship talent was also very useful to Basil.
But Beatrice... her talent, clearly etched on the Knight Card now (even though she never awakened it in the movie), was called [Radiance].
It kept one's beauty at its peak while adding a sparkling special effect.
Basil figured he didn't need to be any more beautiful.
Surely there wouldn't come a day when he'd need extra sparkles to survive a bloodless, tearless demoness, right?
Basil shook his head, dismissing the ridiculous thought.
Speaking of which, they had "Beautification Class" this afternoon.
It was absurd. Had the Beautification teacher—played by Michelle Yeoh—not regained her identity as the Dean of History yet?
In the movie, only princesses took this class.
Now princes had to attend too?
Again, Basil felt he didn't need to be any more handsome.
There had to be a limit. If this kept up, he'd become a male version of Tomie—a male succubus.
Actually, he kind of already was. But King Arthur's regal dignity and the Dark Lord's commanding aura suppressed the excessive charm.
So, compared to Beautification Class, he'd rather take Uglification Class.
Time flew to 4 PM, the start of class.
The princes and princesses, who had been wearing casual clothes due to the lack of a dress code, put on their magnificent outfits again.
The rules of both schools possessed magic; even the School Master and Deans had to submit to them.
They were rooted in the common tropes of fairy tales.
Princesses must be beautiful, princes brave and skilled in battle, witches ugly and malicious, werewolves foul and disgusting.
The corruption of the School for Good's rules stemmed from fairy tales emphasizing a princess's beauty over her purity or wisdom, and a prince's handsomeness over his kindness or mercy.
The evil chapters of fairy tales added twisted, horrific elements to the Good school's rules.
This was common knowledge among the princes and princesses who knew the inside story.
Although the evil rule about permanent transformation after failing three times was gone...
The existence of Beautification Class showed that the trope "Good must be beautiful" still persisted.
Making oneself beautiful or handsome would still garner feedback from the tropes, increasing one's magic.
So, they all dressed up just like they did when they first arrived.
The uninformed students followed suit.
But this undoubtedly annoyed Professor Anemone, the rightful Dean of History.
Demoted by the school's rules to a Beautification Professor, she had always been dissatisfied with the curriculum.
In her view, failing a student because their smile wasn't pretty enough was ridiculous.
She strode into the classroom.
Ignoring the princes, she looked at the gorgeous dresses on the princesses—which she was sick of seeing—and then at the wearers themselves.
She recited the opening lines of Beautification Class that hadn't changed in decades.
First, she smiled. "Settle down, ladies. I am Professor Anemone."
"I am here to show you how to become a truly powerful woman through beauty."
"A lady's smile is her sword, capable of winning the war for true love."
"Pick up your mirrors, and attack!"
But in the next second, her face fell. "Did you think I would say that?"
"Vain, ignorant, empty-headed bimbos?"
She looked at the princes. "And you, thick-limbed, meat-headed idiots?"
Facing Basil, she switched faces again.
"Of course, this definitely does not include you, Your Majesty."
"You two are also quite good, Sophie and Agatha of Gavaldon."
Sophie's plain black tunic and Agatha's messy hair and masculine clothing earned her approval.
"You must understand! A beautiful face and a strong body will leave you as you age."
"Only wisdom will stay with you, growing with your experience and years."
"And History is the shortcut to wisdom."
"It records the lessons learned by our predecessors. We can gain the wisdom and strength to move forward from it."
"The Ugly Duckling teaches us to persist in adversity and stay true to ourselves." She glanced at Sophie and Agatha.
"The Legend of King Arthur teaches us that beauty lies not in appearance, but in the heart." She glanced at Beatrice, who was sitting glued to Basil.
"The Frog Prince teaches us the importance of keeping promises." She looked at the Frog Prince's daughter—Beatrice's Black follower.
"Readers in the outside world know these stories well."
"They call them fairy tales. But for us, they are real history, the stories of your fathers."
"And that is what I am going to teach you today."
Professor Anemone waved her hand. The walls flipped. The pink, girlish wallpaper transformed into walls made of thick books.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am the Dean of History."
"In this class, you will learn to fill your souls with the weight of history so that you can—"
She flicked her finger, and a white book with gold trim flew into her hand.
Written clearly on the cover was: The Legend of King Arthur.
The pages flipped open automatically:
> Excalibur was forged in the elven realm of Avalon. Its crossguard was cast of gold, its hilt set with gems, and because its blade could slice through iron like mud, the Lady of the Lake named it Excalibur (meaning "Cut Steel" in Old Celtic).
> Merlin warned Arthur at the time: "Though Excalibur is powerful, its scabbard is far more precious than the sword itself. He who wears Excalibur's scabbard shall never bleed; you must never lose it."
> But Arthur eventually lost the scabbard. Thus, despite possessing a sword that could cut iron like mud, he was slain by the traitorous knight Mordred.
> And Excalibur, upon Arthur's final request, was thrown back into the lake by Bedivere, returning to the elven realm of Avalon with Arthur.
"Of course, that is just the legend from the outside world. It differs from true fairy tales, our history. Excalibur does not have a scabbard."
"Nor does it slice through iron like mud. Its power lies not in killing, but in its attraction to the magic of Good. Only the King of the Virtuous can truly wield its power."
She looked at Basil.
Not far away, Tedros lowered his head in shame. In his hands, Excalibur's blade only glowed, emitting feeble waves of light.
Agatha held his hand.
Professor Anemone continued.
"Just like when King Arthur used it to cut off the head of the Ultimate Evil Red Dragon, killing it completely—it wasn't because the sword was sharp."
"You must know that before that, no weapon could harm the dragon."
"Even the sharpest legendary sword of selection in the Fairytale Kingdom—the Sword in the Stone—broke against its scales."
"But Excalibur, which isn't known for sharpness, could pierce its armor."
"Why is that?"
Encouraged by Agatha, Tedros stood up. "Because Good always wins. Because we fight for each other and care for each other—that is the love of the Good. Villains fight only for themselves, which is worlds apart from love."
"Correct!" Professor Anemone nodded approvingly. "Please sit."
"Excalibur can unite the Good, awaken the magic of Good in everyone, contain it, illuminate the darkness, and break through evil."
"However, our lesson today has little to do with the sword itself."
"But with History—"
She reached her hand into the page of the book.
When she pulled it out, an ornate scabbard followed, detaching from the page and appearing in her hand.
But the scabbard's outline was blurry and strange, as if viewed through a foggy window.
"This is the power of History. Drawing power from the past, even if it is fictional. Come, ladies and gentlemen. Immerse your emotions in the stories, find the passages that excite you, and try to sense them."
"Even though you have not yet been endowed with magic, you can adapt to it in advance."
Books leaped from the shelves and landed on every student's desk.
Beatrice raised her hand. "Professor Anemone, may I have The Legend of King Arthur?"
She looked at Basil with shy, adoring eyes. "I want to make a fitting scabbard for my prince."
After speaking, she shot a provocative glance at Sophie.
Sophie just smiled coldly, thinking disdainfully, I'm already Basil's scabbard.
As for Basil, he also chose The Legend of King Arthur.
Just then, when the scabbard appeared, he felt Excalibur at his waist shudder.
Tedros did the same, but he wanted to pull out the broken Sword in the Stone mentioned in the story—the sharpest sword. He wanted to prove he was worthy of being Camelot's heir.
Sophie chose The Tinderbox. She hoped to get the tinderbox itself, which could summon three large dogs. From the description of their eyes—one as big as a teacup, one as big as a water wheel, one as big as a round tower—she knew their size.
Plus, they could talk and bring their master endless copper, silver, and gold.
Just as Madison envied Sophie gaining magic from cards, Sophie envied Madison's summons.
The beautiful unicorn went without saying.
But especially that Golden Snitch—as long as it wasn't destroyed, it continuously restored magic and stamina.