Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 561 The Secret of the System

"you dare!"

Hailbo said menacingly,
“Without me, you simply can’t deal with the real Helbo—and do you think that just because you’re rid of me, nothing else will be eyeing you anymore? You have something on you. Haven’t you heard some old man’s words? Hasn’t he been directing you to do this and that, and then giving you rewards from afar…”

"Hmm?" Cohen blinked.

When Cohen first heard "old man," he thought Helpo was talking about the Grim Reaper, until he later said "reward."

Now everything is getting interesting.

Only the system that liked to complain had ever given a reward, and Haierbo did indeed silence the system after exerting his strength.

Therefore, Cohen thought that Herbo was referring to the "system" within Cohen, but he didn't know how Cohen and the system interacted, which was why he said the system's voice was that of an "old man".

“Don’t try to pretend nothing happened—I’ve seen you receive his rewards,” Halpert said rapidly. “He’s just another guy trying to tempt you, and if you believe him, you’re making a big mistake—”

"Wait a minute." Cohen raised his hand.

"You understand now?" Helbo seemed to catch his breath, a smug smile returning to his face. "Release me, and I'll help you isolate yourself from his influence and even help you grow stronger, strong enough to defeat the real Helbo..."

“The ‘old man’ you’re talking about, he’s an old man, right?” Cohen analyzed step by step.

“Let me go and I’ll tell you,” Hailbo said.

“That’s it,” Cohen said. “And then you know him, and you don’t get along with him, right?”

“Stop guessing, it’s not true!” Helbo said stiffly.

“Very good, so he has a grudge against you, and you used to be a very evil dark wizard, which means the other party is a righteous, powerful, and good wizard, right?”

“I told you not to guess!” Herbo said. “You’re all wrong!”

“That’s all right,” Cohen said, unmoved by any persuasion.

"I was completely wrong!" Halberd shrieked. "Can't you understand human language?!"

"So that's the truth. One last question: is that good wizard you're wary of the same wizard who threw you out of this world?" Cohen said matter-of-factly.

"..." Helbo looked calmly as if he were furious, turning his head away without saying a word to stare at the lion's paws beside him.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Cohen said.

He now understood what that inexplicable "door that leads to a certain place at a certain time" that the system had just rewarded him was for.

Like the key Nicolas Flamel gave him, this door was meant for Cohen to meet someone important—someone who certainly didn't want Herpo to return to this world.

Edward and his companions' spell not only summoned the scattered fragments of Helbo's soul, but also a powerful wizard's backup plan to prevent Helbo from causing further chaos.

This backup plan is the "system" within Cohen, which attempts to guide and monitor Cohen's development...

However, the system doesn't seem to take everything into account, and it often allows Cohen to gain advantages from both sides.

“If you were in my time, I would be happy to take you on as a student,” Helbo said dryly. “You’re a natural talent, but you have no idea what you’re actually capable of…”

"Thank you for your kind words." Cohen raised an eyebrow and said, "What I want to do, I can definitely do."

After being temporarily pulled out of his shell, Cohen felt his mind clearer. He realized that Helbo must have been playing some tricks on him these past few days; no wonder he'd been so anxious, unable to let go of the dream Helbo had created, and unable to suppress his pessimism.

But all of this vanished when Helbo was trapped inside the puppet by a spell.

I can't imagine how miserable Harry must have been, constantly haunted by the fragments of Voldemort's work—all of Harry's rage and impulsiveness suddenly seemed reasonable.

Then, Cohen gagged Halper and threw him to the goat.

“We’ll keep an eye on him,” the goat said.

"Roar!" The lion angrily scratched Helbo's body.

“It’s alright, he can’t do anything here anyway,” Cohen said. “I’ll get a few Death Eaters and try turning it into a Horcrux.”

This means Cohen will have to dig out that book, "The Secrets of Cutting-Edge Black Magic," again. Luckily, he found it in the basement of Burke Manor when he was a freshman.

Question Voldemort, understand Voldemort, become Voldemort (lol).

But before that, Cohen had one more thing to do.

The door that the system reward was in the system inventory. Cohen planned to open it in a place where Helbo couldn't see him, so he left the cabin and came outside.

Sissoko was curled up in a ball on the grass outside, and now it was the little basilisk's turn to circle around him and coax him.

"Daddy, don't be sad. Shall I take you to catch a sheep?" The little basilisk peered out from all directions of Sissoko, asking. "Or we can catch a unicorn—and fish—"

Sissoko, however, remained as depressed as a dead snake.

"What's wrong?" Cohen came closer.

"My father is dead..." the little snake monster said sadly.

"I'm not dead, you're just talking nonsense." Sissoko tapped the little basilisk's head with his tail in exasperation. "You've been corrupted by that griffin."

"It's not your fault that Helbo can control you," Cohen comforted her. "Besides, he won't be around in a few days."

"I'm just afraid he'll make me attack you," Sissoko said uneasily. "When he said 'shut up,' I felt like my whole snake was out of control... like..."

"You can't beat me." Cohen shrugged.

"Dad can't beat Cohen!" the little snake monster chimed in.

"That's true—" Sissoko raised his head.

"And I won't let you meet him," Cohen said. "Your main role at home is to be a mascot and take care of the kids."

"Wait, didn't you say he wouldn't be here in a few days?" Sissoko suddenly asked. He hadn't been in the house and hadn't heard that Helbo's main body would be back soon.

"What we're seeing is a fragment of Helbo's soul," Cohen said. "His true form won't return for a while, so be prepared not to leave until I've killed Helbo."

"I still can't help you..." Sissoko sighed.

"A good elder should know not to interfere when their children are working," Cohen said. "You don't need to think about helping with everything."

(End of this chapter)