From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 565 The Mansion of Hope Ignites
The process of obtaining the Hammer of Orpheus couldn't have been smoother.

Raphael's square archives room was completely undefended, as if he believed no one would dare to break into the Mansion of Hope and face the wrath of a future devilish grand duke.

It seems that the story of his father Mephistopheles' treasury being stolen did not teach Raphael any lessons.

Ivy read out the code word set by Raphael, and the Hammer of Orpheus, which was floating above the display stand, immediately lost its protection. The golden magical shield shattered into pieces, and the huge hammer, forged from hell iron, slowly fell into Ivy's control.

Although Orpheus' hammer was forged entirely by craftsmen from hell, its overall style has a distinctly Gith Yankee character.

Although the metal of the hammer handle and hammerhead lock is hell iron, it has been specially treated to present a matte silver color, making it look like silverware that has not been maintained for a long time.

Orpheus's hammerhead was a large, deep red infernal crystal, with spikes extending from it ensuring its lethality as a weapon.

However, the true purpose of the Hammer of Orpheus is still to break the seal of Hell. As a special magical weapon forged by Raphael to achieve his ambitions, the hammer's effectiveness is reliable.

At least Ivy's appraisal magic provided the feedback described above.

"Breaking into the Mansion of Hope and stealing Raphael's collection! How dare you! Raphael will tear you to pieces!" The administrator, bound to the floor of the archives, could not hide his fear. As a worker for Raphael, his best skill was to talk back to the devils; he had no fighting ability whatsoever.

He should have been teleported away by security measures the moment the adventurers removed their disguises and started making a move on the collection.

However, Ivy intervened and kept him there for good.

A piece of parchment that was on the archivist's desk suddenly flew up and unfolded in front of Ivy.

“Besides the archives, Raphael also mentioned his other treasure vaults on this instruction to you.” Ivy threw the parchment at the administrator’s face. “Take us there, or you’ll be in big trouble.”

"There's nothing left in there!" The archives clerk shouted, shaking off the parchment plastered on his face, hoping to attract the attention of the other debtors in the corridor. "Raphael is a contractor for magical items in the Blood Wars. Apart from a few items, most of his stuff is in high demand... Aside from some Hell Contracts, there's only a little gold in the vault."

Ivy nodded noncommittally and snapped her fingers crisply.

The scorching metal, which had left large scorch marks on the corridors of the Mansion of Hope, slowly crawled closer and closer to the administrator who was under a full-body binding spell, ignoring his terrified screams, without stopping its movement.

The intense heat from the molten metal slurry scorched the administrator's hair, and his meticulously groomed beard and curly hair emitted an unpleasant burnt smell.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! There’s a staff in the vault… a Raphael’s iron gauntlet… Ah—stop!”

The activating hot metal was still a short distance away when the archivist spilled out everything he knew. However, Ivy showed no sign of stopping the activation of the hot metal, and the golden-red scalding liquid flowed over the archivist's hand.

Even the hellish heat resistance of the Tyflin bloodline couldn't stop the muscles and bones in his arms from being burned to ashes by the liquid metal.

Ivy stopped the activating scorching metal from advancing only after she saw the administrator faint from the pain.

A simple healing spell allowed the archivist's wounds to heal quickly, and also caused Tifflin, who was loyal to Raphael, to quickly turn against him.

“Let him guide you, Evil Thought.” Ivy assigned the task of looting the secret vault to Evil Thought, who was most skilled in this area, and then added, “Gold and magical items are not important; what matters are those hellish contracts.”

The evil thought, already wearing the Mountain Giant's Power Gloves, smashed an entire display case to the ground, picked up a diamond from the shards of glass, gave Ivy a thumbs-up with delight, then pulled the sweating archive administrator up from the ground and excitedly went out.

The corridor was in complete disarray, with demons from hell, transformed from Raphael's debtors, lying dead throughout the Mansion of Hope, and the raging hellfire scorching the various valuable paintings on the walls.

The archives administrator, witnessing this scene, shuddered resignedly and pointed the evil thoughts toward the secret vault.

Ivy tossed the Hammer of Orpheus to Lyezel, and smiled nonchalantly at the astonished Star Bay Women's University students.

He knew that for the naive Lyezal, trust would only earn her more trust in return. Therefore, he wasn't worried that she, wielding the hammer, would secretly contact Centurion Voss or infiltrate the Astral Prism to liberate the Comet Prince without Ivy's orders.

“Leezel, Karak, Gale, and Minsara, I'd like to trouble you to go to Raphael's prison and verify the power of this hammer, and free the dwarf who offered some help.” Ivy summoned the Grimoire of Destruction and tore off a page from it, throwing it into the air.

The archives of the House of Hope contain not only some precious magical items, but even more valuable are the documents that Raphael specially collected.

As someone who witnessed the fall of the Netheril Empire, Raphael had accumulated a considerable amount of magical knowledge. Ivy believed that he must have some unique insights into the Crown of Karthus. If he could find those things, he would be more confident in subduing the Supreme God.

The four people whose names were called by Ivy left the archives with hammers and headed to the underground prison. Ivy, meanwhile, left a large circle of magical runes on the ground with her staff.

Magic flowed smoothly into the runes on the ground, and all the rows of bookshelves in the archives, which were level with the ceiling, opened wide. Countless documents and magical books from various eras seemed to come alive, flapping their covers like wings, and rushed into the pages that Ivy had just torn from the Book of Destruction.

When the whirlwind of books subsided, Yingxin, standing behind Ivy, looked at the mess on the ground and exclaimed, "It went incredibly smoothly... Now, only Raphael is left?"

"On one hand, it's because our plan is comprehensive, and on the other hand, it's because there are just too many people who want to cause trouble for Raphael. Zariel, Mammon, and his father Mephisto... there are three Grand Dukes of the Devil alone." Ivy unfolded the book to check Raphael's collection list, and happily put it back into the Grimoire of Destruction.

“As long as we proceed steadily, victory is within our grasp.” Ivy took Shadowheart’s hand and led her toward the lobby lounge of the Mansion of Hope, where Raphael’s Soul Pillar was located, as was the portal back to Baldur’s Gate.

Perhaps only in that place would Raphael have the courage to face Ivy directly. After all, the four Soul Pillars in the lobby lounge seal away thousands upon thousands of pitiful souls.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Who dares to trespass into my castle!" Raphael's rage was growing. Sensing the theft of the Hammer of Orpheus, he instantly returned to the Mansion of Hope. As the castle's master, he quickly realized that it was in complete disarray. "Who has sown chaos and disorder in my world! Tell me the answer, Commander!"

Upon seeing the Blood-Armored Demon Yug waiting in the lobby lounge, he felt a little relieved. He had already signed a complete service contract with the Blood War Legion's high-ranking hunter and was hoping that Yug could generate even greater profits for him.

The fact that Raphael didn't find the Blood Armor Demon's corpse was already a good thing.

You should know that if you die in hell, the devil is truly dead.

The Blood-Armored Demon answered Raphael's question in a deep voice: "It was that mage who captured me in the Shadowlands..."

"How did they get here..." Although Raphael hadn't expected that someone would actually break into Avernus and his castle to steal the Hammer of Orpheus, it was absolutely impossible for him to be completely unprepared for Ivy.

Raphael had assumed that a smart man like Ivy would not choose to risk venturing deep into Avernus, but would instead ambush him in the Prime Material Plane.

“Hersik, Mammon… I will overthrow his rule over Minaulos sooner or later…” Seeing the still-glowing portal and teleportation array, Raphael recognized Mammon’s emblem at a glance and hissed through gritted teeth.

“I’m afraid you won’t have the chance to realize your ambitions, whether it’s becoming the Demon Grand Duke by relying on the crown of Calthus or proving your abilities to your father, Mephisto.” Ivy’s clear and playful voice came from the door of the foyer lounge.

He bowed slightly, as if he were the master of this floating hell castle, not a bandit who had plunged it into flames.

“You…” Raphael’s handsome face twisted and twitched, “You came to my castle without invitation and stole my things…”

"You left me with no choice... arrogant mage. I promised to cooperate, but you plunged headlong into the embrace of death..." The smell of sulfur permeated Raphael's surroundings. After the hellfire was swept away by the wide demonic wings, Raphael transformed into the form of a great demon, with crown-like horns and a powerful tail covered in barbs. The half-demon Raphael had everything a great demon should have.

"Who gave you such an arrogant idea, mage? That you think you can defeat the great demon in his own territory?"

“Is this the little priest beside you? Shar and Serene are powerless in Avernus, your god cannot save you!” Raphael spread his arms, the demonic wings on his back parting the scorching air, slowly lifting his body into the air. “Killing you will only take the blink of an eye. If you have any last words, now is your last chance… Claws are about to—”

The mixture of cruelty, hatred, and smugness on Raphael's face suddenly turned into astonishment.

A blade gleaming with a malevolent green hue pierced his lower back and emerged from his abdomen, the devil's blood staining Raphael's embroidered coat.

“Look behind you, Raphael.” Ivy’s tone was calm, as if she were discussing tomorrow’s weather rather than a drama of the devil’s betrayal. “Every step you’ve taken has never exceeded my expectations.”

Raphael, enraged, flung the Hellfire in his hand behind him, intending to tear the Blood Armor Demon who had betrayed him to pieces.

However, Ivy was even faster than him. The enormous gem, Heart of the Mountains, at the top of the mithril staff flashed rapidly, and the blood-armored demon Yog, who had thrust out the sword, immediately shone in response.

The light emanated from beneath the Blood Armor Demon's armor-like skin, where countless runes intertwined to form chains, instantly trapping the massive Yogg inside a tiny glass bead. This not only saved him from Raphael's furious counterattack but also allowed him to fall into Ivy's palm at lightning speed.

“Look,” Ivy said, showing the glass ball in her palm, “this is just the first piece of evidence.”

With a smile, Ivy pulled another crumpled piece of paper from her shirt pocket and flicked it at Raphael, who was engulfed in hellfire.

Raphael leaned back slightly, trying to dodge the attack that seemed to come from nowhere, but he couldn't figure out what harm a crumpled piece of paper could possibly cause.

Magic scrolls must be carefully preserved. If the complex arcane model on them is damaged, the entire scroll may fail to be released. A scroll crumpled into a ball like this is definitely not a magic scroll.

Raphael's idea was correct; what Ivy had flicked at him was indeed not a magic scroll.

As the crumpled paper was burned to ashes by the hellfire surrounding Raphael, a sturdy figure in a long robe suddenly appeared, crashing heavily into Raphael, who then angrily tore it into three pieces with his claws.

Raphael only recognized who it was after the body fell to the ground.

Losing contact in the forest forced him to personally infiltrate the extremely dangerous Shadow Curse Lands to monitor the sorcerer Corella Heartfire, an adventurer from the Shell Ship.

Corella's face was deathly pale, still showing shock and disbelief. Clearly, she didn't understand how she died until the very end.

“See, I told you, every step you took was exactly what I expected.” Of course, Ivy couldn’t be a prophet, especially since he had only roughly experienced the first two chapters of Baldur’s Gate 3, but that didn’t stop him from using rhetoric to create an advantage for himself and put pressure on his opponent.

"Who are you? None of my detection spells work on you... I thought you were just an ordinary bard..." Raphael actually managed to suppress his anger and asked, word by word, "Who sent you? Mephistopheles? Has that coward finally become afraid?"

“Even now, you’re still using the hellfire he gave you.” Ivy shook her head. “Speaking so arrogantly of your own father can’t be a good thing, can it?”

(End of this chapter)