Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 37 Daphne Refuses to Submit, Even at the Cost of Death

Daphne was stunned.

What Rice said conflicted with the legends told by her ancestors. One side believed that after the Chamber of Secrets was opened, the heirs of Slytherin would purge those in the school who were unworthy to learn magic, while the other side claimed that this was not the case at all.

The novel perspective challenged her old beliefs, leaving her speechless for a moment.

"Daphne, listen to me," Rice said, eager to break the whole thing down for Daphne. "You're also from the Greengrass family, and I'm sure you understand the true nature of those so-called pure-blood families in the modern wizarding world. If we really followed that logic, how many people would have to be killed to purify the school? Did Draco Malfoy deserve to be spared? Did Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff deserve it—his pure-blood lineage can only be traced back nine generations! And if we broaden our perspective, what about the professors? Shouldn't Professor Flitwick, a half-elf, be purified? The Chamber of Secrets myth is fundamentally flawed!"

"Besides, what could Slytherin possibly leave behind? What kind of monster could pull off such a difficult feat and still be willing to be left in a dark, sunless chamber?" Rice said earnestly. "This legend is a complete fabrication."

Daphne nodded silently, agreeing with what Rice said.

"Don't overthink it. Even if the message left by your ancestors is true, I am now the successor of Slytherin!" Rice was almost ready to give up.

He was truly speechless: he was clearly one of the founders of Hogwarts, so how did he end up being seen as the mastermind behind everything in the eyes of later generations? It was as if he was the one who did all the bad things. He shouldn't have left back then; heaven knows how those people have been making fun of him since he left.

Oh no, I've become the villain!

Rice had to accept this harsh reality.

After Rice's earnest persuasion, Daphne gradually came to believe him. In her view, it was a good thing; no one would be harmed by the opening of the secret room.

Compared to other "pure-blood" holy families, the Greengrass family is much more "laid-back." They don't have the common problems of pure-blood families, and they don't discriminate against wizards from Muggle families. Perhaps this is the confidence that comes with truly pure blood.

In Rice's view, the secret room legend is most likely a fabrication by a family to frighten others and glorify their own family.

He pretended to be a descendant of Slytherin while claiming that his ancestors had left him a "secret weapon" at the school, thus gaining the respect of others.

Rice despised such people and hated them even more for damaging his reputation.

Daphne's confusion and doubts were dispelled, but she still had one last question: "Since you are the heir of Slytherin, why do you have the surname 'Rint' instead of 'Gaunt'?"

"Gunter?"

"Yes, the last descendant of Slytherin. Are you a distant relative of their family?" When it came to the heirs of Slytherin, Daphne immediately thought of the Gaunt family, but that family was on the verge of extinction.

Rice: ...

Regarding Daphne's statement, he could only say that too many truths were buried in the sands of history—Gaunt was a Parsley-speaking child he had picked up after leaving Hogwarts. Because of his Parsley speech, he adopted him and entrusted some of his properties to him before his death.

A thousand years later, Gaunt actually became his own descendant. What kind of situation is this?

"Gaunt's ancestors were adopted children of Slytherin, and I don't think the Gaunt family can be called descendants of Slytherin."

"Alright." Daphne shrugged. It was common for families to expose each other's shortcomings and smear each other in the struggle for legitimacy. Unless Slytherin himself was brought out, there was no way to find out the truth of the matter.

However, it's also true that the surnames of the founders of the four academies have not been passed down. From this perspective, none of them can be considered true successors.

After sighing, Rice said, "We've been delayed for so long, let's go into the classroom. I still have to teach you magic today."

As he spoke, he drew his wand, and a large, blue bubble emerged from the tip.

This spell wasn't exactly a defensive spell; it only served to create a barrier, not much different from wearing a plastic bag. Rice did this solely to prevent the sludge from the pipes from getting onto his robes.

After putting bubbles on himself and Daphne, Rice gestured for Daphne to follow behind him.

"Should we jump down?" Looking at the deep, bottomless tube, Daphne felt her throat go dry.

"Of course not."

The next second, Daphne had an unprecedented and novel experience: her feet suddenly gave way and she slowly floated up to an inch above the ground.

"A simple application of the levitation spell." Rice's voice came from inside the pipe; he had already entered the pipe ahead of time.

Daphne was a little lost; she wasn't quite sure how to control her floating body. Fortunately, Rice knew her situation and, as he flew down, he also guided Daphne downwards with him.

Inside the tube was a dark, sticky, endless slick.

Rice controlled himself from thinking about the composition of the sludge on the pipe walls, while being glad that he had used two bubble spells first.

He was now in the main pipe, which twisted and turned, descending almost vertically downwards. After descending for a long time, Rice and his companion finally emerged from the pipe opening and landed on the ground.

The moment Rice landed, he conjured a ball of flame, illuminating the underground space.

The feeling of being grounded was reassuring, and Daphne had the energy to observe her surroundings: she was now standing in a dark, spacious stone tunnel.

There was no external light source inside the tunnel, so even with the flames conjured by Rice, the visibility was not very clear.

With a crisp snap, Daphne looked down and realized she had stepped on a rat skull. Upon closer inspection, she found small animal bones scattered all over the ground.

Daphne felt like her scalp was about to explode, and Rice reacted similarly.

Before Daphne could scream, Rhys swung his wand sharply, clearing away all the remains within his field of vision.

As for things outside one's field of vision, Rice thinks it's best not to overthink them; it's good for one's physical and mental health.

Rice tried to reassure himself: this was just the corridor outside the secret room, not really inside yet—it would definitely be better inside, he thought optimistically.

"I can teach you this cleansing spell, like this..."

"I'd rather die than submit." Daphne was clever; she understood Rice's intention as soon as he spoke.

He wants me to clean this hallway!

She rejected Rice decisively.

Update delivered. The next update will still be released at midnight, so you can read it when you wake up.

(End of this chapter)