“…… There's really no magic reaction, it's like ...... It's like there's nothing here? ”

Hidden beneath the Hufflepuff chamber, this crate holds a great mystery.

It is both the last clue to Marca's path to the "Alternate", and the only answer that can unravel what happened to the four founders of Hogwarts.

And more importantly, it seems to be the ultimate reason why Helbo has done everything possible to make up so many things since he got out of the ground...... Well, let's not mention the "death rule" that the other party has been talking about, this stone box is at least "one of his real goals".

From Royna's husband trying to destroy the Devouring Mirror with the power of meteorites for thousands of years, to Helpo's transfer of the meteorite-guiding formation to the gates of Hogwarts, to his use of demon summoning to give him a powerful demon body, which he can use to resist the meteorite smashing into Hogwarts Castle.

Even the battle between Helmo and the Bronze Kitty that Maca had not been able to see, now that he thought about it, it seemed that he had not escaped Helpo's conspiracy.

Truth be told, if someone came to him and told him that the crate wasn't actually part of Helpo's plan, Maca wouldn't have believed it.

Yes, perhaps even forcing Helmo away and finding the stone box by himself was still a ruse by Helmper.

"No, now that it's all here, I'm afraid I can't say what kind of 'conspiracy' this is...... This has simply become a 'conspiracy'. ”

Right now, Maca was sitting by the crucible. He held the not very heavy stone box in one hand, looked at the line of warning on the box, and the depression in his heart has been lingering since the night the meteorite fell.

Obviously, the secret hidden in this stone box was too much to do with him—so big that he couldn't help but want to find out, even if he knew that Helbo might be waiting for him to open it.

After all, this thing was left behind by Rowena and Helga, and it was clearly reserved for the "alternatives". Once he opened it, he would probably be able to answer all the questions that had puzzled him so far.

"'Don't open this box unless you're ready.'"

The inscription on the stone box made Maca want to open it immediately to see what was inside.

And at this moment, Maca suddenly raised her head and glanced subconsciously at the end of the corridor outside.

"Whew-"

The next moment, he let out a slight sigh of relief, and then put the stone box back in the bag around his waist, and with a wave of his hand, he lifted the spell left on the door.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door of the potions preparation room, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

"Come in!"

Before he could finish speaking, the door opened softly, and Delphi walked in from outside.

"Daddy."

"Well," Maka nodded slightly, smiling, "what's wrong?" Didn't I say that there will be a lot less repetitive work in the potion preparation process in the future, and I will be more than enough for myself - voila! I just have to wait, and if I don't have to keep an eye on it the whole time, I guess you won't be able to see me when you come over. ”

When Delphi heard this, he couldn't help but glance at the crucible that was rumbling softly, and then said:

"I know...... Dad, I just wanted to talk to you about something...... Tell us a little bit about Miss Granger. ”

"Huh?"

When Maca heard this, she couldn't help but tilt her head, and said curiously:

"Hermione, they? What's up? ”

However, he had just finished asking, and then as if he had thought of something, he suddenly raised his eyebrows.

"Oh! Could it be that it's about this potion? ”

Delphi, however, paused hesitantly.

"So to speak," she thought for a moment, "but, fundamentally...... I think you know, Miss Granger, they're worried about you. ”

In fact, when Hermione and the others were talking in the garden, Delphi happened to pass by and heard something. Although she hadn't heard it all, the worries about the concealment of Maca's potions, and the doubts about Delphi and Maca's relationship, had already fallen into her ears to a greater or lesser extent.

Of course, since Maca has already given everyone a "vaccination", as far as her background is concerned, I am afraid that no one will suspect that little Delphi, who is now in Fort Blois.

So, she didn't pay much attention to it - even Hermione's guess was almost a little bit closer to the truth.

"It's a problem," said Delphi, shrugged her shoulders as she had recounted the conversation she had overheard, "and I don't want to have everyone worry about me." It's a pity that Hermione and the others are all very smart, and even if I cover them up well, they may not be able to find out. ”

As she spoke, Maca suddenly spread her hands again.

"However, I don't want them to know what I'm doing more than that...... How so? 'Lack of virtue'? ”

"Daddy—"

Seeing that Delphi wanted to open her mouth to persuade her, Maca immediately waved her hand, signaling that she didn't have to excuse herself.

"It's true," Maka said with a smile, "and while my intentions weren't bad, the process of causing the Muggles to be tested to endure untold suffering, and even death, was undeniably cruel. ”

And, given the difficulty and danger of this research, there were bound to be more accidents in the reagent testing after that, and the Muggle guard who died as a result was the first, but probably not the last.

It's just that just after Maca said this, Delphi in front of him said quite seriously:

"Dad, can I participate in this trial too?"

"Huh? Haven't you already participated? In the past few days, they have been helping me complete the preparation of reagents! ”

"No, Dad, I mean...... ...... as a 'subject'"

Delphi's idea was something Maca hadn't expected. And after he was stunned, Delphi saw that Macadam was a little stunned and said:

"What are you talking about? How is this possible? ”

However, Delphi still looked at him calmly, and asked softly:

"Why can't it be? Dad, you see—I'm a Muggle now, aren't I? And, since I used to be a wizard, I have enough mental power to reawaken it is undoubtedly less difficult than a real Muggle who has not experienced a magical riot. As a Muggle today, my participation in trials was of great value. ”

What Delphi said was obviously correct, so at this moment, Maca could only express her refusal with a simple shake of her head.

Taking Delphi as an experiment, of course, this kind of thing is unacceptable to Maca.