"I encountered a Prophet in the alchemical world."
Rhys organised his thoughts and decided to start with Vassago's prophecy.
"You're not seriously believing those so-called prophecies, are you? If you are, then I'm going to laugh at you." Rowena interrupted before Rhys could finish. "Those prophecies can be interpreted however you like. In the end, people will always find some event that seems to match those vague, mysterious statements."
The four of them each had their own views on divination, Prophets, and prophecy.
Rowena was the one who believed in them the least.
She believed that so-called fate was something held in one's own hands. The prophecies given by diviners could only offer vague hints.
For the sake of magic itself, Rowena admitted that they could indeed reveal a corner of the future, but only a corner.
It was like blind men feeling an elephant. The future shown in prophecy was incomplete and one-sided.
Anyone who completely trusted a prophecy was undoubtedly a fool.
If Salazar said he had decided to die simply because a prophecy said so, Rowena would definitely mock him thoroughly and curse some sense back into him.
"What exactly did the prophecy say?"
Where there were those who did not believe in prophecy, naturally there were also those who trusted it deeply.
Among the four, Helga believed in prophecy the most.
Godric believed in it to some extent as well, though he trusted the sword in his hand even more.
Upon hearing that Salazar had encountered a Prophet in the alchemical world, Helga wanted to hear the prophecy first.
The moment Helga finished speaking, Rowena frowned.
As old friends who had known each other for many years, she naturally understood what Helga was thinking.
But there was nothing she could do to stop her.
Rhys repeated the prophecy he had heard, and both women's expressions gradually became solemn.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that Vassago had actually managed to see through Salazar's true identity was already extraordinary.
"At least when it comes to raising students, he was pretty accurate," Rowena snorted, attempting to divert Salazar's attention.
"So he not only predicted your death, but also issued a warning to all four of us?" Helga was more concerned with the line, "All four animal companions fell ill, each more seriously than the last."
That was obviously referring to the four of them.
Godric needed the Resurrection Stone just to manifest himself, so his condition was naturally terrible.
Helga herself was no better. Her body was decaying, and she had no idea when she might simply die of old age.
Rowena was outright a ghost. Without possessing someone, she could not even really be considered alive.
Of the four, Salazar had been in the best condition, but now he too had suffered severe injuries.
'This prophecy is frighteningly accurate,' Helga thought.
Rhys gave a quiet "Mm," but indicated that this was not the main point.
"The prophecy is fairly accurate, so I thought I might as well follow it."
Rowena raised an eyebrow and was just about to say something when Rhys spoke before she could.
"This is a good thing. A very good thing, in fact. It solves several problems at once."
"A good thing?"
Rowena's eyebrow rose even higher.
She clearly found Salazar's reasoning difficult to accept.
Rhys's voice continued coming through the crystal ball.
"I know you don't particularly like words like prophecy and fate, so let me put it another way... I'm conducting an experiment. An experiment concerning life and death."
"Hm?"
He had to admit, once the exact same situation was phrased differently, Rowena immediately found it much easier to accept.
Of course, that also had to do with the nature of the matter.
One was passive submission.
The other was exploration of the unknown.
They were complete opposites.
"I intend to explore the world after death. Right now is the perfect opportunity. I'll make the necessary arrangements."
After hearing their old friend's words, Rowena and Helga both sighed.
"The risk involved in this experiment seems rather high."
"I've made preparations."
The crystal ball remained silent for a long time.
"In any case, I'm only informing you. I've made up my mind." Rhys spoke in an extremely firm tone. "Once you receive news of my death, remember to come here and check on things often."
Rhys sent them the location where he was staying in the alchemical world.
Among the many arrangements he had prepared, this point was particularly important.
After receiving the promises of his two old friends, Rhys finally relaxed.
Now things were secure.
If the two of them had not existed, he would never have dared to play things this way.
But with them around, he could act freely.
"So there really isn't any way to treat your injuries?" Helga was still unwilling to give up. She always felt that Salazar could still be saved.
For wizards at their level, as long as they were not killed on the spot, surviving for a while was rarely a problem.
"We could build a device first. The moment you step inside, it would freeze that instant in time. Then Helga and I could slowly research a way to treat you..." Rowena proposed.
Since she specialised in time magic and dared to suggest it, that meant she was confident she could turn the idea into reality before the second stage of the competition ended.
"No. Absolutely not!" Rhys had genuinely become afraid of this woman.
Once he stepped into a device like that, who knew when he would ever come out?
After a great deal of persuasion, Rhys finally convinced Rowena to abandon the idea.
"Once I come out, my identity will inevitably be exposed..."
"We've already cleaned up the loose ends for you," Helga hurriedly said. "Your position on the leaderboard is normal now..."
"Thank you, but that's not what I mean. I'm talking about that impostor. I assume you both know his identity by now?"
Rowena and Helga nodded together.
After obtaining new intelligence from Aries, they had finally uncovered the true identity of "Godric."
He was a remnant of the Norse gods.
"My condition is very poor now, and I can no longer conceal the aura of my soul at all. The moment I leave this little world, that person will definitely notice something is wrong."
"So what? The three of us can just attack together and get rid of him." Helga did not take some minor deity seriously at all.
As far as she was concerned, the only reason that being was still alive was because the three of them had not wanted to act against Him.
If they truly wanted to eliminate Him, even if He were inside Hogwarts, they would still have ways to do it.
It would merely take a little more effort.
Rowena, however, said nothing.
A thoughtful look flashed through her eyes.
She had a feeling Salazar intended to use this opportunity to lure the enemy out.
"There's no need. Only by deliberately exposing a weakness will he finally act. The reason he hasn't made a move yet is because he suspects there are top-level powerhouses inside Hogwarts, while also having no idea how many there are.
"So if I expose myself, that's actually the best solution. It will dispel his doubts while also concealing the two of you."
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI