"What are you doing?!"
A shocked cry rang out.
Ethan lifted his head from the group of new students who had begun solemnly chanting the Enlightenment Society's core principles.
Through the blinding golden light, he vaguely made out Professor McGonagall's tall, rigid figure.
Ethan tilted his head, smiling:
"Would you like a promotional poster too, Professor?"
Professor McGonagall snapped, her brogue sharp as a whip:
"I would not! Is this your doing, Ethan? Put that light out at once!"
Ethan spread his arms like some prophet of doom, his voice ringing with mock righteousness:
"Light is truth, Professor. Our faith cannot be extinguished."
Professor McGonagall:
"..."
"You always have something to say, don't you?!"
She was half stunned, half furious. Harry and Ron flying a car last night had already left her fuming. And now—this morning—the Great Hall had been transformed into some sort of… pilgrimage chapel.
The brilliant golden glow overhead burned like a second sun. Yet it gave off no warmth—only a cold, searing brilliance.
And within this light that swallowed the entire hall, there echoed faint, stiff chanting:
"Welcome to the Enlightenment Society… Here, you can find…"
"Welcome to the Enlightenment Society…"
"Welcome to the Enlightenment Society…"
Layer upon layer of voices overlapped, surrounding everyone from all directions.
Professor McGonagall: I can't see—is this a cult gathering?!
And now, this "cult leader" was asking her in the gentlest tone if she'd like to join.
Professor McGonagall drew herself up, her voice quivering with anger:
"It is strictly forbidden to use magic that harms others in this school—no, not even outside it! I must deduct points from Ravenclaw—"
Before she could finish, a calm, kindly voice cut across the chaos:
"All right, Professor McGonagall. This is nothing more than a harmless prank by the students—no need to be so severe."
With a casual wave of his wand, the golden brilliance gradually dimmed.
The entranced students blinked awake, looking around in confusion.
Ethan felt the power of his enchanted card being suppressed. His brow twitched.
Old Dumbledore still has some bite left in him.
The Headmaster, twinkling eyes and all, walked toward him with a faint smile.
"Could you give this old man a poster as well?"
Ethan politely handed one over.
Dumbledore studied it for a long moment, then let out a low sigh:
"An enhanced Lumos, a forbidden jinx, and parchment carrying strong magical traces… Then, using illustration techniques, you've merged multiple elements into the picture, outlining magical patterns with interwoven strokes. Is that how you drew it?"
Ethan nodded.
"I've already self-studied the Ancient Runes elective for third year."
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
Second year—and he'd already mastered the entire course? Not only that, he could apply it into artwork, producing effects ordinary spells couldn't dream of.
Even the older students were still stuck translating, let alone applying.
What is this boy's blood relation to Merlin?!
Dumbledore's gaze softened with rare approval.
"The emergence of simplified spells has left few willing to wrestle with the complexities of old magic. But it seems that sometimes, complexity yields far greater strength."
He turned to McGonagall.
"We have not encouraged such initiative nearly enough. Should we really suppress it instead?"
Though his eyes twinkled, there was no denying the results had been a touch… over the top.
"So," Dumbledore concluded warmly, "I believe, on the contrary, Ravenclaw should be awarded ten points for Ethan's creative poster."
?!
Creative poster?!
More like a death-by-cult poster!
Professor McGonagall gaped. Even Prefect Penelope looked as if she'd swallowed a Quaffle.
But then Ravenclaw students glanced at their hourglass—indeed, it had risen. Joy lit their faces.
A good start! Their house was the first to gain points this year.
[You lit the lamp!]
[The spread of the lamp is wider, injecting power into the painting "Hatching From the Shell"]
[Current Hatching progress: 15%]
[When it reaches 100%, "Hatching From the Shell" will be further upgraded]
Ethan's eyes brightened. It can upgrade again!
Unlike ordinary enchanted paintings that required stronger spells or rarer pigments, "Hatching From the Shell" grew by feeding on faith itself.
Yes—building the club was absolutely the right path.
[Soul fusion increased]
[49% → 50%]
[Soul fusion has reached its limit. Please complete promotion requirements as soon as possible!]
Power surged through his body. He felt the press of a barrier, straining. Once it broke—once it passed fifty percent—the release would come like a dam bursting.
Ethan's lips curled.
"Thank you for your encouragement, Headmaster Dumbledore. I'll keep working hard."
Dumbledore's smile froze. "…Well. Just do what you can."
Professor McGonagall's face was grim, unspeaking.
To her, light without warmth was only domination. Cold, blinding, and merciless.
Ethan was using this so-called club to expand his influence across Hogwarts. If unchecked, she feared he would plunge them all into chaos sooner or later.
Just then—
—Oh? Ohh?—
On the ground, the unconscious Professor Gilderoy Lockhart stirred. He groaned, blinking up at the ring of faces surrounding him.
Ethan leaned over, all gentleness:
"You're awake? Thank you for testing the poster for me. The effect seems… very prominent."
"..."
Lockhart froze. Memories surged back—and his cheeks flamed crimson.
Merlin's shell! What had he just done?
He'd been humiliated, toyed with like a schoolboy, right in front of everyone! Evil. Absolutely evil!
Ethan, smiling as if butter wouldn't melt:
"Actually, I owe you for this. If you hadn't taken me to Knockturn Alley, I'd never have found such extraordinary materials for painting."
He tilted his head innocently.
"You must have gained quite a lot from that trip too, right?"
Lockhart: "…"
Double kill. Critical hit.
Gained a lot? He'd passed out in the Hog's Head and woken to find his trousers stolen and his purse lighter by half. He'd lost a fortune!
Still, he forced a laugh.
"Th-that's only natural!"
Puffing out his chest, he added loudly:
"You're welcome, Ethan! Of course I deliberately cooperated with you to stage the performance. In fact, I foresaw all of this long ago!"
He flashed his trademark grin, all gleaming white teeth—yet with his hair mussed and robes wrinkled, he looked more like a maniac than a hero.
Professor McGonagall shot him a glare sharp enough to pierce armor.
Lockhart's smile twitched. Inside, he seethed. Ethan Vincent—this boy was his nemesis!
The whole scene dragged him back to his own school days, drowning in the brilliance of true talent while he was left with nothing but glittering dust.
With Dumbledore's intervention, the "dirty club struggle" ended.
The Great Hall returned to normal; Ethan's posters were confiscated under the pretense of "research."
But the glory of the [Enlightenment Society] was etched into every retina.
Hermione's eyes shone:
"I must join the Enlightenment Society!"
Ron squinted. "…Hermione, the goblet is on your left. Why are you groping at your plate?"
Is she blind now?
Fred and George exchanged smirks.
"We managed to sneak one of the posters! Let's see—'Welcome to the Enlightenment Society—'"
The campaign had worked marvelously.
Ethan was thoroughly satisfied. Soon enough, many would come visit his Ancient City of Saen.
On the bulletin board, one Enlightenment Society poster still glimmered faintly, plain yet impossible to ignore amidst the colorful clutter.
By coincidence, it had completely covered the Gobstones Club's poster.
Wallace, president of the Gobstones Club: "..."
Ethan—!!!
"Damn it! Gobstones was already a niche club. Now it'll be impossible to recruit! There's only a handful of us left—smelly boys playing marbles—we're doomed to die alone!"
He cast a resentful look toward Ethan, who was already ringed with giggling girls.
Even though Wallace had carefully altered the Gobstones' foul-smelling juice to vegetable juice, hardly anyone joined. Too reclusive, too boring.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him.
Ethan once said he didn't need too many members anyway—that most people would fail the test of the Ancient City of Saen.
So… why not poach Ethan's followers?
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze