As Lucius recounted the origin of the giant sword, Char's eyes widened in surprise. He had only just seen the blade, but he immediately knew it was goblin-forged. He had wielded the Sword of Gryffindor himself during the Forbidden Forest trial and was deeply impressed by the unique style of goblin weapons, which masterfully combined elegance with durability.
Even so, Char had not expected this particular greatsword to have such a grand history. He had learned about the goblin rebellions in his History of Magic class, where it was taught that the earliest rebellion occurred in 1612. However, the term "rebellion" was one used by the conquerors. In truth, the goblins had never truly submitted to wizards. Long before the first recorded rebellion, several protracted wars had been waged between wizards and goblins.
The conflict Lucius mentioned, the First Goblin-Wizard War, must have taken place in an ancient era. This greatsword, named Gronir, was a spoil from that war, which meant it was even older than the Sword of Gryffindor. Its value was simply incalculable. Char was stunned that Lucius would offer him such a precious gift.
Before Char could respond, Lucius sighed. "Char, don't be deceived by its presence here. While the sword of Gronir has been secretly kept by the Malfoy family for generations, for many years it has been nothing more than a decoration hanging on the wall. There was a time, around when Hogwarts was founded, when it was fashionable for wizards to carry longswords and affect the air of knights. Our ancestors would polish it then, but since that time, no one has shown any interest in it. If not for the fact that goblin-made weapons never tarnish, a blade this large would be coated in a thick layer of dust by now."
Lucius's expression turned helpless. "And as you know, greed is ingrained in the very bones of the goblin race. They maintain that even though Gryffindor commissioned them to forge his sword, the ownership of the blade should have reverted to the goblins. They believe Gryffindor only had the right to use it, and by passing it down, he was essentially a thief. If Hogwarts Castle wasn't so exceptionally well-guarded, goblins would likely be sneaking in every day trying to reclaim it. If word got out that our family possesses the sword of Gronir, the goblins would go into a frenzy. That is trouble we can ill afford. Char, if you take it, you would actually be doing the Malfoy family a great service."
Char took a deep breath. He understood, of course. Lucius was only saying this to ease any burden Char might feel in accepting such a gift. After all, regardless of the potential trouble, who could refuse such an ancient and precious weapon? This was especially true now, with goblins being a race subservient to wizards, lacking the power they held in ancient times.
As he looked at the massive sword, Char felt a renewed sense of urgency. When he first arrived at Hogwarts, he had a weapon: a bat given to him by Cedric. Rumor had it the Weasley twins had enchanted it to greatly increase its impact. That bat had served him well in many fights. However, as Char's own phenomenal strength grew, especially after it had been further enhanced, the simple bat could no longer withstand the force he exerted. Char felt that even a fraction of his full power would shatter it. This meant that in battle, he could only rely on his bare hands to channel his greatest asset—his extraordinary strength.
As for the Sword of Gryffindor, there were two problems. Firstly, Char didn't own the sword; it had to be drawn from the Sorting Hat each time, making it an unreliable weapon. Secondly, for Char, the sword was still far too light. It didn't have the right feel or heft for his level of physical power. He preferred something much heavier.
The sword of Gronir before him, however, seemed perfect. The first time Char laid eyes on it, he felt it was an ideal match for his unique power. Therefore, after a moment of consideration, he did not refuse Lucius's offer.
Seeing Char agree to accept the sword of Gronir, a smile spread across Lucius's face. It seemed this gift had truly reached Char's heart. After all, what young man didn't dream of owning his own legendary sword, especially one forged by goblins? The tales of King Arthur were deeply ingrained in their culture.
Lucius then offered to have the sword transported by carriage to the Sprout family's home, but a strange glint appeared in Char's eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, but that won't be necessary. I think I'd like to try it out first."
Lucius was stunned. "Try it? Try what?"
The next moment, Lucius watched in disbelief as Char leaped into the air, positioning himself level with Gronir's hilt. He reached out a hand for the colossal blade.
Lucius exclaimed, "Char! Be careful! That sword is incredibly heavy!"
But his warning was followed by a resonant hum. With a single motion, Char took the sword of Gronir down from the wall. The huge blade, nearly three meters long, was held aloft effortlessly in his grasp. Char even gave it a few casual swings, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle that forced Lucius to take two steps back, his eyes wide with horror. How could a young wizard wield the sword of Gronir with such ease? What kind of monstrous strength was this? Although Lucius had witnessed Char's aggressive prowess on the Quidditch pitch, it was a far cry from witnessing it firsthand at such close range.
While Lucius was still reeling from shock, Char had stopped his practice swings. He looked at the sword of Gronir in his hand, his expression filled with deep satisfaction. It was truly worthy of its origins as the treasured weapon of an ancient Goblin King. Though Char hadn't used his full strength, he could feel that this weapon could handle the complete exertion of his power. Even if he triggered his ability's amplification, briefly boosting his strength to a secondary level, the sword of Gronir could withstand it easily.
"It should be able to handle my power even when amplified three times over," he thought. "The pinnacle of goblin craftsmanship is truly extraordinary. Now, combining my greatest asset, my legendary strength, with this weapon, my destructive power will be unmatched."
That wasn't all. As he wielded the greatsword, Char also felt an ancient, mysterious magic, long dormant within the dusty blade, begin to stir and flow once more.
"Is this a unique property of goblin weapons?" he wondered. "Legend says all goblin-forged weapons are impervious to dust and rust and are incredibly durable, but those are just the basics. Some are imbued with unique characteristics. The Sword of Gryffindor, for example, can absorb certain substances to strengthen itself. This sword of Gronir seems to possess its own mysterious property."
Though he had only held it for a short time and couldn't yet identify its specific characteristic, Char knew that the unique properties of goblin weapons were always extraordinary. His eyes lit up with anticipation. Perhaps this sword held a surprise for him.
At that moment, however, Char looked at the enormous sword and realized a practical problem. It was a perfect fit for his power and would be terrifying in combat, but it was far too large to carry around. Lucius, wiping cold sweat from his forehead, realized this as well. He felt a strange mix of awe and bewilderment. He had only intended to give Char a valuable and appealing memento, never expecting that Char could actually wield the greatsword in battle.
Recovering his composure, Lucius quickly searched through a nearby chest and produced a black scabbard that appeared to be made from dragonhide and some strange, dark metal. It had a matte black finish and looked very refined.
"This is a scabbard an ancestor of the Malfoy family had made specifically for this sword," he explained. "It's enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, allowing Gronir to be stored perfectly inside. It will look like nothing more than an ordinary short sword."
A look of surprise appeared on Char's face. This solved the problem of Gronir's inconvenient size. He took the scabbard and tried it. Astonishingly, the nearly three-meter-long greatsword slid smoothly into the scabbard, which transformed to look like a decorative dagger. Unless you saw the blade unsheathed, you would never know what kind of weapon was hidden within.
"If I ever face a powerful enemy and need to use my full strength," Char thought, "I could use this to catch them completely off guard. The only issue is that the scabbard doesn't reduce the sword's weight. But for me, that's not a problem at all. Carrying it won't impede my movement in the slightest."
Just then, Lucius rummaged through the chest again and pulled out a yellowed parchment scroll. Char glanced at it curiously and was surprised to find it was a Muggle text. It vividly depicted a knight wielding a greatsword. Was this an ancient swordsmanship manual?
Char couldn't hide his surprise. The Malfoy family had always disdained anything related to Muggles. Why would they collect a manual on Muggle swordsmanship?
Noticing Char's confusion, Lucius looked away awkwardly and cleared his throat. "This was… a collection from a Malfoy ancestor over a thousand years ago. Ahem. The wizarding world was in great peril back then. Many wizards feared our world would be destroyed by the Inquisition. Our ancestors acquired this… considering the need to preserve the family and avoid unnecessary sacrifices. When you deem it necessary, you can… switch allegiances—no, I mean, endure the humiliation to preserve the flame of wizardry from within the Inquisition. History always needs its recorders—"
As Lucius awkwardly tried to explain, Char's cheek twitched. So that was it. If the Four Founders hadn't established Hogwarts and other magical schools hadn't emerged to preserve the wizarding world's vitality, the Malfoy family might have ended up serving as guides for the Inquisition. It was, admittedly, perfectly in line with the Malfoy family's typical style of self-preservation. It had all happened a thousand years ago, making it difficult for Char to pass judgment.
However, more than teasing the Malfoy family, Char was curious about something else. "So, the Malfoy family had contact with the Inquisition back then? How powerful were they? How could an organization of Muggles drive the wizarding world to the brink of despair?"
Hearing Char's question, Lucius shook his head, claiming he knew little about such matters. "No records from that time have survived. It seems our ancestors deliberately prevented us from accessing that information. They only left a warning: do not inquire about matters related to the Inquisition, and never go near the Vatican. Hiding and remaining mysterious is the only way for wizards to survive. Otherwise, no matter how powerful a wizard is, if he attracts the attention of the Holy See, he will inevitably perish."
It was clear Lucius didn't put much stock in his ancestors' warnings. But as Char heard them, a strange light flashed in his eyes. The words were strikingly similar to the warning the Grey Lady had given him.
Hide and remain mysterious. Wasn't that the entire principle behind the International Statute of Secrecy? The law that kept the entire magical world hidden from the Muggle world, strictly forbidding wizards from using magic in front of Muggles. Aside from a select few, no one even knew wizards existed. The Grey Lady had warned him to ensure the Statute of Secrecy was never overturned, or the entire magical world would face a catastrophe. Could it be that the Inquisition still existed? Impossible, right?
A whirlwind of questions spun in Char's mind, but he quickly suppressed them. These were not concerns he could address right now. Instead, the ancient swordsmanship manual from the Inquisition had piqued his curiosity. He took the scroll from Lucius. In the corner of the ancient parchment, he could see the name of the knight who had left this legacy.
"Inquisition Knight Guts—White Eagle Swordsmanship—"
Char unrolled the parchment and studied each movement carefully. Although the scroll was ancient, the illustrations were remarkably well-preserved. It was clear that the artist who drew these techniques was a master. Every posture, every shift of bone and muscle, was rendered with incredible detail, conveying a fierce and powerful momentum in every swing of the sword.
"This must be a very powerful swordsmanship style," Char mused. "If I can master it, I can wield the sword of Gronir much more effectively. My own power might also achieve a stronger performance in actual combat."
But compared to his accomplishments in magic and Herbology, Char knew nothing about this kind of physical discipline, either in this life or his last. He certainly knew nothing of swordsmanship. Without a teacher, learning the so-called White Eagle Swordsmanship of the Inquisition from an ancient parchment alone seemed like wishful thinking. The fact that no notification had appeared on his system panel confirmed that he was a long way from even beginning. In the magical world, Char now had connections to masters of almost any field, but a master of swordsmanship—especially from the Inquisition—was something that likely didn't exist in the entire wizarding world.
Char frowned slightly. Should he just try to practice on his own? Even if he couldn't grasp the true essence, he might be able to unleash a bit more of his power than before. Just as he was considering this, a thought suddenly sparked in his mind.
His eyes fell on the system panel, on a reward he had yet to claim: **Understanding of Defense Against the Dark Arts**.
The system granted this reward through a hyper-realistic, simulated combat experience. If the system could simulate the actions of so many Acromantulas…
Char looked again at the parchment, where every detail of the knight wielding the sword was clearly visible. His eyes gradually brightened.
"Perhaps," he whispered to himself. "Perhaps I can try."
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