Compared to my original text, it's clear that the relationship progress of the reworked version is much slower, but I personally think it's correct.

After all, the current V University is not the original teenager, his thinking has been fixed, and it will be a rather arduous process for him to believe in someone or something again. In fact, I still gave Opal a golden finger, otherwise I guess...... Ahem......

Ay...... When will V Danai become less awkward...... It really hurts me to write you write......

So, the former Demon King and the current Demon King, you can't blame me for pulling you two out of the tragedy. (Twist)

========================================

8 of Cups (Reversed): The Journey.

、

Forbidden Forest: Centaur Station

、

"I'm going to be away for a while."

Time is quiet day after day, and time that is too peaceful will always pass very quickly.

One morning, Riddle, who had confirmed that he had arrived at the Centaur Residency for nearly a year, said this to Opal, who was flipping through the Potions Book.

[Leave?] ]

Raising his head sharply in dismay, Opal's eyes widened in astonishment, "Where is Riddle going?" ]

"Go and find the power that belongs to me."

Riddle didn't hide it, and he knew that Opal wouldn't say it even if he did.

After nearly a year of getting along, it would be absolutely deceiving to say that Riddle didn't have any feelings for this simple baby who trusted her wholeheartedly.

However, it was only temporarily abandoning the idea of directly killing her and obtaining the same source magic power in her body when the time came.

Closeness or trust is even less important, just allowing Opal to get close to him - after all, the magic resonance with Opal is very helpful in purifying the magic in his body.

Allowing to approach his side is already the maximum concession for the former Duke of Darkness.

It's been almost a full year.

Because of the relationship with Opal's magical resonance, and the use of potions made from those materials in the Forbidden Forest, his body should now be able to absorb the dark power that was lost in the past - as long as he can find it.

The scattered forces of darkness should seek out some object - or creature - to rely on, and some may even grow up, devour something else, and become even larger - and by now, it may be possible that the consciousness has developed due to instinct.

It may take a bit of a hassle, but that's where the fun of hunting comes in.

[So...... Can Opal go with him? ]

Pulling at the hem of Riddle's robe, Opal raised his head and asked cautiously, his wide-open blood-red eyes flickering away with fear of loss.

Weird......

Looking down at the girl who was staring at him, Riddle's brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Looking at the ruby eyes that had only stared at him from the beginning, at this moment, he actually had a faint illusion of reluctance.

Because you're used to it?

As long as you look down or turn your gaze, you can see the baby's relationship.

Maybe except for this baby, there will be no one who has such a new trust, dependence and dedication to him, right?

The vague thought flickered away, but in the end, Riddle shook his head in refusal, and didn't even intend to explain.

And Opal, who was already in the panic of "she might be left behind", showed for the first time a willfulness in line with her appearance and age - she was clutching Riddle's wizarding cloak, looking stubborn that "no matter what".

[Why, why is Riddle leaving?] ]

No matter how precocious he is, he is just a child who is only about two years old.

The blue eyes calmly swept over Opal's hand and then retracted it: "Don't let me say the same thing a second time." ”

It was already his concession to give a reason at first, but if it was to make an inch......

Sure enough, even the "Son of Gaia" can't avoid the idea of "greed"?

His thoughts fluctuated slightly, and an impatient look appeared on Riddle's face.

[…… Will you be back? ]

Probably because he felt Opal's uneasiness, there was a lot of commotion among the surrounding magical plants and some small animals living in groups.

That feeling is not so much "infection" as "erosion".

The intense and suppressed panic even made him feel dizzy for a moment.

The emotions that arise because of his actions and actions are only for him......

When I lowered my head, I saw a pair of red eyes that were full of water, but the light never fell.

Jewels of the finest quality.

Looking at such a pair of eyes, Riddle suddenly remembered the time when he used to teach girls that "crying is useless".

I can't remember the first time I ignored it completely, and the number of times the water flashed in those red eyes was as small as a hand to count in my memory—and even if it did, the light would disappear after the girl blinked vigorously a few times.

Until today.

Seeing the girl's blink as she tried to wipe out the sparkle of water in her eyes, and her face flushed, Riddle couldn't tell why she had stopped what she was about to take.

After frowning at his inexplicable behavior, he pursed his lips, a hint of impatience flashing in his blue eyes.

"When I regain some of my power."

But looking at the red eyes that were stubbornly staring at him, Riddle looked away.

Then, as one of the few promises that can be remembered by "numbers", there is one more promise.

Although he was extremely puzzled by his own behavior.

[…… I'm sorry......]

Almost at the same time, Opal let go of the hand holding Riddle's cloak and wiped his eyes indiscriminately, [It's Opal who is willful......]

“…… Go back and wait for me. ”

After a moment of silence, Riddle turned around, a hint of hesitation and confusion flashing in his azure eyes.

What the hell is he ...... What's wrong?

But there was no answer to that question, so he just walked away.

At the moment when you leave with "Shapeshift", it is reflected in the blue eyes that turn around.

It was the petite figure that stood there and looked at him.

、

With no purr powder, no broomsticks, or knights' buses, the Duke of Darkness travels through the darkness, feeling every "possibility" - though not much is found.

It seems that the situation is as he expected.

Some of the dark forces have developed their own consciousness, learned to hide themselves, and expanded their powers - in order not to be caught by the stupid wizards, and to hope that one day they will be able to fight back.

The premise is that they are not consumed by other forces or destroyed by exposure before they form the climate.

Even if it is out of the control of the ontology...... Those forces that have already been branded with his deep consciousness will also choose to take the initiative, right?

That's fine.

Before he completely regains his strength. Letting those powers ruffle around would save Dumbledore's fox too much of a stretch.

But before that, there are always some things to deal with first - for example, to absorb a small part of the strength first, adjust your physical condition.

After meeting Lucius using the Transfiguration Charm, he was satisfied with the information he received.

The place where the "anomalous" manifests itself is in a courtyard on the outskirts of Manhattan, where both the Death Eaters who went to investigate and the tourists who approached the city disappeared inexplicably.

After that, some families were ready to move because of the "disappearance" of the Dark Duke, and their outstretched tentacles touched territory that they should not set foot in as a temptation.

There was something else to gain, Riddle ignored the current owner of the Malfoy family, with his long, neat platinum blonde hair, and his gaze casually swept over the diary he had put aside when he had lived here temporarily.

The pain-relieved Dark Mark was a sign of the brander's good mood, but even so, the platinum nobles still didn't have the courage to ask their master why he had been silent for nearly a year.

The diary of Tom Riddle, which belonged to his Hogwarts days—but it seems that the power attached to the diary has not yet become conscious, but it may not be the case after a few years.

His dark powers are really good at finding something to rely on, but luckily it's not Lucius Malfoy's stupid men.

Otherwise, if the power is defiled, he will not want it even if he throws it away to feed the magical creatures.

Speaking of which, why did he keep this diary in the first place?

The blank memory made Riddle's mood a little impetuous, and it was directly reflected on the Dark Devil Mark, so the platinum nobles almost immediately knelt down in fear, waiting for it to fall in fear.

"Warn the idiots who are about to move."

Not at all, in the mood to flip through the journal, Riddle turned away, "Lucius, you can do it yourself." ”

This is a signal of acquiescence to the Platinum Family's move.

As long as the bait as a "benefit" is thrown, there will naturally be a large number of greedy subordinates to help him complete the things he is too lazy to do.

One so moment.

It's just the kung fu of moving the mouth, which has easily decided the life and death of some ants who are beyond their own strength.

Even though he has left, the authority of the Duke of Darkness still exists, and he is trying to provoke him......

The blood-red eyes were half-narrowed, with a bloodthirsty hideousness.

Die!

===================I'm the divider ================= to switch scenes

Manhattan, USA

、

The location is reversed, and somewhere near Manhattan belongs to the garden of the dark Ones.

The forest connected to the backyard exuded an aura of darkness that was clearly recognizable without approaching—but it was worse than the Forbidden Forest.

As soon as I stepped on the ground, I was in a trance because of the familiar dark power, and the closer I got to the forest, the more obvious it became.

Sure enough, you can't go wrong here, and it seems to be growing up well, but it's just a little too impatient.

Even Lucius could gather the corresponding information about the anomalies here, so how could it be impossible to lure out other greedy flies......

"Yo, it's so murderous......"

But it seems to be ...... Unexpected people appeared.

"What are you doing here?"

Riddle admits that his attitude is not very good, but ...... It's weird to be good, right?

"It's not like I wanted to come on my own."

He was supposed to stay in a prison he had built, but now he appeared here with a face that looked no more than 20 years old, and the former demon king Gellert Greenwald had an extremely obscure look of "you should come when I wanted to come".

Cause?

Just look at the witch behind him.

“……”

The corners of Riddle's mouth twitched, fully understanding the grief and indignation of someone who was caught. However, adhering to the principle of saying more and making more mistakes, he only expressed sympathy with his eyes.

"I said Riddle, next time, please be a little more environmentally conscious, and don't throw power around like garbage."

Holding her chin, Vivien sighed, "It's really an increase in people's workload." ”

"Miss Vivien, I don't think this is the place for you."

Neither soft nor hard, Riddle felt that the temper that had been calmed down at the Centaur Residency in the past year now had a tendency to be completely ignited.

"You're so embarrassed to say that if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to run around to clean up the aftermath."

Vivien let out a sigh of relief in response to a roll of his eyes, "I said Riddle, are you having a lot of fun there?" It took a year to run out. ”

"Who the hell is doing that!"

A few green tendons popped out of the corners of his forehead, and Riddle easily controlled his urge to roar - every time he met Vivien, a witch, his self-control tended to fall to the limit, is this to blame for his willpower still needs to be exercised, or is Vivien too annoying?!

"Actually, Riddle, you should be glad."

Greenwald, on the other hand, sighed helplessly and patted Riddle on the shoulder, "It's better to be a baby's nanny than to be an all-round housework multi-purpose and document processor." You've known Miss Vivien for a long time, haven't you learned to adapt? ”

“……”

Greenwald, if your subordinates during World War II saw this state, your image would completely collapse!

Riddle, who has been embarrassed to enter a rare spit mode, is only one step away from being messy in the wind at the moment.

So, it's not good for this scourge to continue to stay in her secret realm of the lake and grow mushrooms, what do you do when you run out? She also carries a demon king with her, isn't she afraid that someone who knows Greenwald will appear and cause a riot in the world?!

"Now that you've found this place, then the rest of the matter will be left to you, oh dear Riddle-kun~"

It seemed that she was in a good mood because she could be lazy, and Vivian's diligent voice at the end of her speech at this moment raised her voice in a minor key, so that the two demon kings present clenched their fists at their sides in unison.

"So...... Miss Vivien, what the hell are you doing here! ”

After taking a deep breath again, he knew that if he let the witch in front of him dominate the topic, she would only be caught in the clouds, so Riddle simply cut to the chase.

"It's just a matter of dealing with the mess caused by the dark forces you scattered at the time. After all, those forces who do not know what 'self-control' is, and the bad effects caused by crossing the British border are quite troublesome. ”

Yawning, Vivien looked at Riddle with half-narrowed purple eyes, "Anyway, Gellert and I have already dealt with all the forces outside the UK, and you can take care of the rest of the things in the UK." ”

"What about those powers?"

For a moment, Riddle felt his mind go blank.

"Throw it back to the secret realm of the lake as a backup energy source, fortunately, 'Avalon' itself comes with a purification mechanism, otherwise those powers will have to be purified again before they can be used."

"That's my power, right?"

The corners of his mouth twitched, although he probably knew that once something entered Vivien's hands, the possibility of getting it back was basically minimal, but he still wanted to try.

"You've lost it all and expect to get it back? Now in this day and age, the spirit of 'leaving no stone unturned' is outdated, Riddle Youth. And what's the use of taking so much power? I'm really not afraid of being strutted to death......"

“……”

Is this world still going to be destroyed?

If it really wants to be destroyed, Vivien, the witch alone, can make all mankind collapse and commit suicide, right? (Tianyin: Can the image of V Danai collapse a little more?) Then again, it's actually the truth. ）

"Okay, now that you've found this place, you're responsible for recovering the power here, as well as the power in the UK."

As if she had completed her task, Vivien patted someone on the shoulder in a good mood, "Speaking of which, if these powers are recovered, they can almost restore you to about two-thirds of your heyday, which is almost enough." Sometimes, it's better not to be too greedy. ”

“…… What the hell are you trying to say! ”

Feeling a little agitated by what Vivien had said, Riddle frowned.

"The 'Sons of Gaia' can bring you more than you think. So ......"

Purple eyes sparkled, it was clear that Riddle had turned his thoughts, and the corners of Vivien's lips curled with a sneer, "The bloodline of the Qi clan comes from the knowledge of the planet, if you really do something to the 'Son of Gaia', Riddle, the inheritance from the bloodline will make you self-destructive." You have to take care of that child......"

"What......"

Before he had time to be shocked by the fact that the idea of turning the corner was known, Riddle was stunned by the meaning of Vivian's words, but when he was about to ask clearly, Vivien had already turned around with a smile and disappeared with a helpless Greenwald without a trace.

“！ Damn it! ”

Damn, his every move can't escape the witch's calculations!

Resentful thinking seems to resonate with some force?!!

The blue eyes that turned to the forest turned blood-red in an instant, and then slowly closed.