The moment Lewis obtained the signature, he headed straight for the library.
Of course, he wasn't interested in werewolves at all.
Werewolves?
What werewolves?
Compared to souls, they weren't even worth mentioning.
He had long wanted to explore the Restricted Section, and had already decided to read as many of its books as possible this term.
But for now—
His priority was clear:
Anything related to the study of the soul.
After all, he still owed Helena that diadem.
Aside from Lockhart, no professor would sign a slip without even reading it—at least not among the future Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.
Entering the quiet, heavy atmosphere of the library, Lewis approached Madam Pince.
"Gilderoy Lockhart?" she said, raising an eyebrow as she took the slip.
She didn't immediately let him pass.
Instead, she said seriously, "Most books in the Restricted Section are not suitable for a student like you."
Lewis smiled sincerely.
At the same time, he subtly activated the full effect of Charm Person.
"This is actually for Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said gently. "Professor Lockhart believes I've performed better than most students, so he's giving me some additional guidance… allowing me to study material beyond the standard curriculum."
A carefully crafted half-truth.
And internally—
He prayed that Madam Pince was one of Lockhart's admirers.
She examined the signature again.
Her face remained neutral—
But through his psionic senses, Lewis detected a flicker of delight in her mind.
Got you.
Lockhart truly was beloved by middle-aged women.
With a soft click, Madam Pince unlocked the gate.
Lewis stepped into the Restricted Section.
Inside were rows of short bookshelves—
Barely over two meters tall.
Compared to the towering shelves outside, which stretched six or seven meters high, this seemed unimpressive.
But the value of the books—
Was on an entirely different level.
None of them were simple.
Some were bound with chains or ropes.
Others were sealed with strips of parchment inscribed with ancient runes.
Of course, not every book required physical restraint.
But with Detect Magic—
Almost every single one radiated magical energy.
This was why true magical texts were often unique copies.
Some knowledge—
Contained power in itself.
And at the extreme end—
There were books that could drive readers mad or transform them into something else entirely.
For such texts—
Copying spells and scholarly magic were useless.
You had to read them directly.
Lewis moved through the shelves, scanning titles carefully.
Advanced Potions.
Book of Spells.
Deadly Curses.
True Interpretation of the Emerald Tablet.
The Grand Grimoire.
The Rosarium Philosophorum.
Each one—
More dangerous than the last.
That Grand Grimoire alone radiated terrifying energy.
Simply opening it could drain a person's life force.
In contrast—
Books like Advanced Potions or Emerald Tablet contained no magical aura at all.
Their danger lay in their content—
Volatile formulas.
Unstable alchemy.
Not supernatural corruption.
For those—
Lewis simply took them out and used Scholar's Touch to record their contents instantly.
After wandering for about ten minutes—just as Madam Pince was starting to grow impatient—
He found what he was looking for.
The Seth Book.
It was said to be written by an entity named Seth—
A spirit that had transcended reincarnation, existing in a formless realm.
A being without a body—
Yet capable of shaping reality through thought alone.
Whether that was true or not—
Lewis could feel powerful psychic energy emanating from the book.
And by his principle—
The stronger the magic within the book, the more valuable its contents.
This was it.
Of course—
The most direct way to deal with Horcruxes would have been to read Secrets of the Darkest Art.
That was the book Tom Riddle had used.
Unfortunately—
After becoming Headmaster, Dumbledore had removed it—and several other dangerous texts—from the library.
Lewis was deeply dissatisfied with that.
Even Dumbledore had no right to decide what knowledge others could access.
But for now—
He had no choice.
He would have to settle for indirect research.
Holding the thick, brown-covered volume, he returned to Madam Pince.
She examined it briefly, then handed it back.
"Be careful, Mr. Green," she warned. "This book is… peculiar. Everyone who reads it forgets what they've read. Personally, I don't think it's suitable for students."
"Thank you for the warning," Lewis replied politely.
Then he left.
Quickly.
He couldn't wait any longer.
But instead of returning to his dorm—
Or staying in the library—
He found a secluded corner.
"Magnificent Mansion."
In an instant—
He entered his demi-plane.
For Lewis—
There was no safer place.
He went down to the tower's basement laboratory.
The walls, floor, and ceiling were heavily reinforced and layered with defensive magic.
Designed specifically—
To contain accidents.
He dragged in a reclining chair and settled down.
Then—
Opened the book.
At first glance—
Something seemed to move across the cover.
Like drifting spirits.
He ignored it—
And flipped it open.
A piercing, horrifying scream erupted instantly.
It tore through the air—
Straight into his soul.
Banshee's Wail.
"Psychic Barrier!"
Lewis reacted instantly, raising a mental shield to block the attack.
But that alone wasn't enough.
He needed to stop it completely.
"Silence!"
The sound—
Cut off abruptly.
As if the book itself had been strangled.
Now—
Finally—
He could read.
With the silence in place, Lewis turned the pages again.
The opening chapters—
Were meaningless at first glance.
Ramblings about gods, time, existence.
Abstract. Incoherent.
The rest—
Was filled with feverish descriptions of heaven, hell, demons, divinity.
It read like the delusions of a madman.
Not a wizard.
But—
If you looked deeper—
The truth emerged.
All of it—
Was about the soul.
Heaven and hell—
Were metaphors for good and evil within it.
Gods and demons—
Expressions of inner forces.
Perhaps the author had gone insane during his research.
But in that madness—
He had recorded something real.
Something fundamental.
As long as the reader could see past the metaphors—
The knowledge was there.
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