HP: Hogwart's Journey

Of course, all the above concerns weren't the real issue. 

What Robert was most worried about was the final question: 

This guy collapsed in front of my house—doesn't that mean a horde of his enemies might follow? The kind that would show up, see me, and chop off my head to use as a soccer ball? 

With that in mind, Robert abandoned the idea of going downstairs to take a closer look. Instead, he returned to his desk and resumed studying a book he'd borrowed from his mother's bookshelf: *A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.* 

The title was so unremarkable it almost made him want to cry—because it really did contain descriptions of over a thousand herbs and fungi. Robert figured if he worked hard enough, he could probably memorize all of them. Besides, the book was incredibly practical. 

Let's focus back on the book for a moment. 

The section on herbs made sense. As a former resident of Flower Country, Robert had grown up with a deep understanding of the cultural significance of using herbs. Back in Flower Country, herbal remedies were considered an essential skill. The sheer variety of herbs available was enough to overwhelm anyone. 

But mushrooms? Mushrooms were basically just fungi, and everyone knows some of them are poisonous. 

"Is this really safe?" Robert muttered as he stared at an illustration of a bright red mushroom with white spots. The book insisted that it was a crucial ingredient for brewing a diarrhea-curing potion, but Robert seriously questioned the book's reliability. 

Bright red mushrooms. 

You've got to be kidding me. 

Back in Flower Country, teachers would hammer it into kids' heads that the brighter the mushroom, the likelier it was to be toxic. 

So, ancestors of this foreign land, what on earth did you do to this terrifying mushroom to discover it could cure diarrhea? Are you sure it doesn't "cause" diarrhea instead? 

After browsing through a few more sections, Robert stuck a bookmark in the book, closed it, and yawned. 

Just as he was about to crawl into bed, a notification popped up in front of him. 

[You assassinated Silver Assassin Andrew. Assassin Skills +80.] 

[Assassin Skills Level 3 (10/80).] 

"What?" Robert froze. "Did my interface glitch? Why is there a notification like that? And who the heck is Andrew? When did I kill anyone?" 

Feeling completely baffled, Robert suddenly remembered—there was someone lying outside his house… 

A chill ran down his spine. He had been so absorbed in the book that he'd completely ignored the fact that a stranger was outside his home. If that person had come up to the second floor, Robert would definitely be dead by now! 

His heart raced as he considered the implications. Who was Andrew? How had he died? 

Robert peered out of the window, but it was pitch dark, and he couldn't see a thing. In the end, he decided to call the police. 

The police arrived quickly and found the so-called Silver Assassin Andrew dead near the fence in the backyard. Apparently, this poor guy had tried to climb over the fence, run out of strength midway, and ended up impaled on one of the specially modified wooden spikes. 

Robert's fence had been designed for security purposes. It was so sturdy that even a healthy adult man would struggle to climb over it—let alone an injured assassin. 

The scene was so gory that the responding officers were nauseated, and one even vomited. As for Robert, he was brought in for questioning. 

Robert explained that he had heard strange noises earlier, checked outside, and noticed something unusual about the fence. Scared and alone, he decided to call the police. 

The officers easily believed his story. After all, an orphan living alone in a big house was a rare sight, and the local police were already familiar with Robert's situation. 

In the end, a kind and beautiful policewoman escorted Robert back home and contacted both Elsa and Angela. 

The two women were terrified at first but eventually calmed down under Robert's reassurance. 

The next day, Ewent about her usual cleaning routine while Robert ventured out to the cherry tree where Silver Assassin Andrew had collapsed. 

Making sure no one was around, Robert examined the ground closely and noticed some disturbed soil. Using a small trowel, he dug a little and uncovered a small pouch. 

There was no immediate notification from the interface. Robert thought for a moment before grabbing a stick to poke at the pouch. He placed it on the ground and carefully opened it with the stick. 

There didn't seem to be any traps. To be safe, Robert waited for thirty minutes before cautiously picking up the pouch again. 

Inside, he found an assortment of miniature items—books, weapons, and various trinkets. 

"Was this guy some sort of miniature landscape artist?" Robert thought, feeling both puzzled and intrigued. While the tiny models were cute, they also looked incredibly detailed and complex. 

Then it hit him—could this be… a bag enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm? 

Robert wasn't one to dwell on dilemmas for too long. Realizing the pouch's owner was already dead—and an assassin at that—he decided to… 

…pull out his late father's dragon-hide gloves and magical robe. 

Following the principle of "waste not," Robert held the pouch over the robe and gave it a gentle shake. 

*Clatter, clatter, clatter…* 

Items spilled out all over the floor. Startled, Robert bolted to the door and shut it, waiting several minutes before cautiously re-entering the room. 

It seemed there were no magical traps, allowing Robert to claim the pouch's contents without issue. 

The haul included several bottles that looked like they contained poison, a collection of books, and… 

"Gold coins?" Robert picked up one of the coins. Stamped on its surface was an image of a dragon with outstretched wings, a series of numbers below, and some letters above: "Unum Galleon." 

There were over a thousand of these coins in total, their combined weight so heavy it was astonishing. 

"Could it be that assassins are connected to wizards?" Robert wondered aloud. He had no idea why the pouch contained so many gold coins, but judging by the absence of silver or bronze coins, it seemed likely this guy had robbed a small treasury. 

The coins were impressive, but Robert was more intrigued by the pouch itself. He recalled someone mentioning that an Undetectable Extension Charm couldn't negate the weight of objects. Yet when he had picked up the pouch earlier, it had felt practically weightless, even though it contained all these coins, books, and bottles. 

"Looks like luck's on my side," Robert mused. "Getting a windfall like this before school starts—what a blessing." 

Flipping through the books, he found they contained various tips, including one titled *Fifty Ways to Land Silently.* Though mildly interested, Robert felt his assassin skills already made such techniques second nature. Still, it wouldn't hurt to keep the book around—for appearances, if nothing else. 

After all, he was a fitness-loving, upstanding young boy! 

With that thought, Robert placed the books neatly on his bookshelf. 

(End of Chapter)