Chapter Sixty-Eight: "A Story That Must Be Told"

...... That day, after Louis emerged from the lounge, he and the little Yordles went to the cafeteria for a meal. The little Yordles felt as though they had finally avenged themselves—they were all delighted. The boss was far more cunning than those Foxes! His pranks came one after another!

The Yordle chefs, who were on break in the restaurant, heard the story, tied on their aprons, and whipped up a selection of their best dishes. They even served them personally, preparing a special meal just for Louis.

Yet, while everyone was in high spirits, there was also some concern for Louis. After all, at the Icon Tree Academy, few dared to provoke the Foxes.

The Yordles had dared to act today only because, like lice who no longer fear itching, they had nothing left to lose. Even if they didn’t take revenge today, those Foxes would continue to make their lives difficult.

But Louis was different. The Foxes were rumored to have special dealings in Blackhorn Alley—a place notorious for its dangers.

Moreover, the Foxes all hailed from prominent families with strong ties to the Ministry of Magic. Their leader seemed destined for a political future, with the Academy merely a side pursuit. This might spell trouble for Louis down the line.

Surprisingly, Louis seemed unfazed, even welcoming the chaos, which left the little Yordles somewhat anxious.

It wasn’t until the greedy little goblins came in to scrounge for food that the Yordles suddenly understood.

Who truly ruled this world?

Who were the only ones thriving in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds, while the Ministry of Magic turned a blind eye?

Whom did the nobles all seek to curry favor with, hoping for loans, investments, or a cut of the profits?

“You’ve come at just the right time,” Louis said, looking at the bespectacled, mild-mannered little goblin with curly hair, who took even advantage-seeking at a leisurely pace. “I have something for you.”

With that, a few Yordles handed the goblin the crystal ball and magical photos.

“This is sensational! Tonight’s ‘Nagging News’ will have to work overtime—just don’t sell to—” The goblin, halfway through his excitement over the crystal ball, caught Louis’ shining eyes and quickly cleared his throat. “Ahem... Affairs involving outsiders don’t usually attract much attention, so these trivial matters aren’t exactly newsworthy. Never mind, I won’t charge you—(‘Huh?’)—ahem, eight silver foxes... You know, it’s summer, most of our subscribers are professors, and they’re not interested in this sort of thing. There’s not much buzz.”

[If this story goes public! How many professors at Icon Tree would become die-hard fans of ‘Nagging News’! Students on holiday would definitely subscribe!]

[Should I publish it, or tell Sakura Bell and let her buy it... How much would she pay? Would Louis beat me up... Damn! Damn! I can’t betray Louis, unless she offers five times the usual price. Otherwise, tomorrow’s headline will be ‘Foxes Pick on Louis...’ No, that’s not right, ‘Shocking! Having Babies? Countess Sakura Bell, Princess Oxichrys, and Louis VI—Stories That Must Be Told’!]

Louis nearly spat out his tea, snatching the crystal ball and magical photos from the goblin’s hands.

The goblin’s eyes widened in outrage. He leapt onto the table, unfastening his belt, ready to do anything for money, even threatening, “Give those back, or I’ll pee in your food!”

Seeing Louis prepare to flick him with a finger, the goblin clung to Louis’ arm and started to wail. Even after Louis had boxed up Helen’s meal and nearly reached the cafeteria door, the goblin was still hanging from his arm, sniffling, and had raised the price to nine silver foxes.

In the end, the material sold for eighty gold galleons. The title was changed as well—“The Strongest Wizard of the New Generation? Louis VI Leads the Yordles in an Uproar Against the Foxes!”

The title “Strongest Wizard of the New Generation” was something the goblin and Louis had agreed upon—the goblin thought “Strongest Wizard” sounded full of mockery! As for “VI,” that was the goblin’s own touch—otherwise, where was the fun? Who would even know who Louis was?

A bookish fool, often looked down upon, leading a bunch of Yordles who had always been bullied by the Foxes, causing a scene at the Foxes’ club, and in the end, forcing those notorious bullies, feared by so many students and young wizards, to ride tricycles while crying?

Now that was entertaining. The students would love it.

‘Still, it feels like it’s missing a bit of heat...’ The goblin pondered for a long time and finally decided to call his cousin, Wallace Bellif. Wallace always had the best ideas; he could sell a needle for the price of a cow.

There was a big charity banquet in the next couple of days, and any news related to the Princess and Countess would be hot. The Foxes’ incident already had selling points, and with his cousin’s advice, it was sure to become a big story.

Feeling pleased, the goblin sauntered off. Meanwhile, Louis had already entered the dormitory with the lunchbox.

A glance at the little mushroom shoe rack told him Oxichrys hadn’t returned, and Helen was lying on the sofa, pouting and studying hard.

Sure enough, when her sister wasn’t home, the younger one would go hungry. Trying to tackle those tricky assignments, she’d forgotten all about ordering food.

As Louis opened the lunchbox on the dining table, the fragrant steam quickly made Helen jump up. She began eating with a smile, and Louis checked her homework.

After a while, Louis was surprised. She had finished all her assignments and had consulted quite a few books—it seemed she hadn’t been slacking off.

‘Pressure and a little threat really do spur progress. For a lazybones without ambition, this is the way to go,’ Louis thought, putting away the fly swatter.

He watched a bit longer and couldn’t help but nod again.

Though there were quite a few mistakes, her thinking was sound—bold and imaginative. Unlike veteran wizards like Harold, these new-generation wizards hadn’t yet become rigid in their thinking and were more open to new ideas.

After dinner, Louis explained the revised Icon Tree books to Helen, starting with a few simple spells.

The first was the Animation Charm, which Helen hadn’t mastered. Louis scarcely used it himself, and it was a difficult spell—not much easier than the Banishment Charm. As such, it was only at level 2 (12/100), just enough for wandless casting.

[To use a metaphor, Louis’s knowledge of this subject was already MAX, but this particular spell was just a single question.]

After some careful thought, Louis explained it to Helen using his own understanding. As he taught, he found his grasp of the subject growing even deeper. Some hazy knowledge buried in his memory began to surface.

Seeing that Helen still didn’t quite understand, Louis moved behind her, took her hand, and guided her through the motions. For some reason, the girl’s face turned red, and she became flustered.

‘Maybe she didn’t understand?’ he wondered.

Louis returned to his seat and mulled things over again. After a while, Helen seemed to grasp the explanation, tilting her lovely face in concentration and asking a few questions. Louis answered them and walked her through it once more.

This time, although Helen still couldn’t cast the spell, when she recited the incantation alongside Louis, she could feel the magical energy.

Louis glanced at the storybook and saw that, according to the book’s prophecy, Helen had at last reached level 0 with the Animation Charm—she could at least understand it.

He looked at the narrator’s sidebar and was taken aback.

[Your understanding of ‘Animation Charm lv2’ has increased...]
[Required proficiency -3]
[Required proficiency -6]
[Required proficiency -1]
[Required proficiency -13]
[Required proficiency -20]
[...]

At that moment, the Animation Charm had reached lv2 (12/0).

With a thought, Louis brought the teapot on the table to life—the Animation Charm advanced to lv3 (13/609). Normally, the proficiency required to advance from lv3 to lv4 should have been a thousand, not six hundred.

‘The Feynman Technique!’

[When top students explain problems to struggling ones, the more they teach, the better their own test scores become. Sometimes, problems they didn’t fully understand or had misunderstood suddenly make sense after teaching them.]

[And many of the questions from struggling students give top students a chance to reflect and problem-solve.]

‘The narrator’s words are fitting. This is exactly how I feel... This area of knowledge is becoming even clearer to me.’

Suddenly feeling someone pinching his leg, Louis looked down in surprise to see Helen’s little white foot pinching his calf.