As the soul energy flowed in, the white crystal began to shimmer.
After a burst of blinding light, a pale soul appeared before Arthur and Ranni.
"…Wasn't I… already dead?" murmured Radahn.
"Yes," Arthur replied, "and even now, you can't really be called alive."
Hearing a familiar voice, Radahn turned toward it—but before he could make out the stranger's face, his gaze caught a far more familiar figure beside him.
"Ranni? Is that you?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.
Ranni nodded. "It is I, brother."
"But you've turned back into a child… and your hair color's changed?"
At that, Ranni glanced toward Arthur.
She had asked him the same thing once—why her hair was the same color as her doll's.
Arthur had told her it was because he was used to seeing her that way and changed it subconsciously.
In truth, he just preferred this version of her.
Arthur coughed awkwardly. "Ahem. Allow me to explain."
"Oh? And who might you be, sir?"
Radahn still hadn't recognized him—after all, Arthur had killed him while in his adult form.
"I'm Arthur, your dear brother-in-law."
The words brother-in-law instantly triggered Radahn's memory.
"Ah! You! That amusing Tarnished… So, you really did succeed!" he said, then threw a quick glance at Ranni.
Arthur quickly cut in, not wanting Radahn to say something inappropriate. "Better let me explain before you start guessing…"
He told Radahn everything—how he had revived Ranni, the situation in both worlds, how he'd just slain Rykard and used the latter's soul energy to bring Radahn back.
"…Unbelievable. You actually have such a gift."
Radahn sighed in wonder at Arthur's ability to cross worlds, then let out a long, heavy breath.
"So, Rykard really did choose that path in the end…"
The brothers had been close; it wasn't surprising Radahn already understood what Rykard had become.
"Hmph. His actions brought shame upon the Carian royal line," Ranni said coldly.
Radahn chuckled and shook his head. "You should hold your tongue, sister. He was still your brother—and he was slain by your 'king,' no less."
Ranni fell silent.
Arthur changed the topic. "Try to maintain this form for now. I'll find a way to rebuild your body."
But Radahn just waved him off. "No need. My fate ended the moment you struck me down. From what you've told me, it's clear—we demigods were long forsaken by the Greater Will. Even revived, I can no longer fight. And restoring a demigod's body must cost dearly. Don't waste your strength.
I'm fine like this. You said there are plenty of ghosts like me at that Hogwarts place of yours, didn't you? One more won't hurt."
Arthur nodded. It was Radahn's choice, after all.
And since Hogwarts was now bound to him as its master, taking in one homeless brother-in-law was no trouble at all.
Still, to be safe, he decided to modify the crystal holding Radahn's soul imprint—
to turn it into a phylactery, a container to safeguard Radahn's spirit from harm.
Of course, wizards didn't have "phylacteries" per se—
but there was a similar concept: Horcruxes, courtesy of our dear Tom Riddle.
With that knowledge, Arthur could easily adapt the design.
"Alright then," he said. "You two catch up. I'll go revive your little niece."
He meant Rya, of course—the daughter born of Tanith and Rykard's forbidden union.
Calling her Radahn's niece was accurate enough.
Unfortunately, English didn't distinguish between "niece" and "daughter," and Radahn took it the wrong way.
"What?! You two already have a child? And you let her die?!"
The general was aghast—his brother-in-law and little sister, both in teenage bodies, already having children? And somehow killing one in the process?
Ranni, equally stunned, turned to glare at Arthur. "Since when do I have a daughter?"
Arthur hurried to explain. "No, no! You misunderstood—it's not our child. She's Rykard's daughter with his consort, Tanith."
Once he explained everything from start to finish, both siblings finally understood.
"Sorry," Radahn said sheepishly, scratching his head. "Guess my brain's still warming up after death. So it's Tanith's child, huh? I remember Rykard telling me he married a beautiful dancer from a foreign land."
"Anyway, you two talk," Arthur said, waving a hand. "I'll get to work."
He went to the workshop to prepare the materials for crafting a new body.
Using a Mimic Tear as the base, he infused it with Rya's soul imprint and a stream of soul energy, along with auxiliary materials to accelerate growth.
Creating a body was simple enough for Arthur now.
But he spent extra effort on its design—
retaining Rya's serpent transformation ability, while also adding a hybrid half-human, half-serpent form.
To top it off, he even incorporated the petrifying traits of a basilisk.
When he realized that—a snake-haired woman with deadly eyes—he nearly laughed.
"Wait a minute… half-serpent, half-human, kills with her gaze… isn't that just Medusa?"
As the new body grew larger, he quickly tossed a robe over it.
Moments later, Rya opened her eyes.
"I remember dying… Where am I? Is this… the afterlife?"
Looking up, she saw the Erdtree rising in the center of the Zen Garden.
"The Erdtree? Then I'm still in the Lands Between?"
"No," came Arthur's voice behind her. "You're in my world."
Rya turned and saw him. "You're… no, you are Lord Arthur?! Why do you look so young?"
She eyed his thirteen-year-old body curiously.
Arthur sighed. He'd just explained this to Radahn, and now had to do it again.
After a while, he finished the explanation and concluded:
"In short—you now have a new body, one I gave you. So live freely and happily, carrying my hope within you."
"Lord Arthur!"
Overcome with emotion, Rya threw herself into his arms.
It should have been a touching moment—except that Arthur was in a thirteen-year-old's body, making it look rather like a son comforting his tearful mother.
After a long while, Rya lifted her head, her eyes bright with resolve.
"From this day forward, Lord Arthur—your will shall be my guiding light!"
Arthur smiled, patting her head gently. "Alright then. Now get dressed—I'll take you to meet your uncle and aunt."
"Eh—?"
Rya froze. Uncle and aunt? Where had those come from?
Confused but obedient, she dressed quickly and followed Arthur to Ranni's room.
"Little princess, brother-in-law—how's the chat going? I've brought Rya."
Ranni and Radahn turned to look.
Rya stood shyly behind Arthur—her golden hair falling freely over her shoulders, her fair face still soft with youth. She looked about eighteen, radiating both innocence and warmth.
"This is Radahn and Ranni," Arthur introduced. "Rykard's elder brother and younger sister—your family."
"An honor to meet you, Lord Radahn, Lady Ranni," Rya said with a polite bow.
"No need for all that," Radahn said with a grin. "Just call me Uncle."
Ranni only nodded lightly—she didn't insist on being called Aunt, since she looked twelve and found the title unflattering.
Rya was delighted nonetheless—revived by the hero she revered, and now surrounded by newfound family.
Though admittedly, her "aunt" seemed a little cold, and her "uncle" was somehow a ghost.
Radahn, seeing her nervousness, began to tell her stories of Rykard's youth—
and Rya listened with sparkling eyes, eager for every detail about her father.
Arthur and Ranni simply sat aside, quietly watching the three of them talk.
Looking at the peaceful scene, Arthur smiled.
He had been an orphan in his previous life. Though he'd lived well enough, the loneliness had never left him.
Now, surrounded by loved ones and friends, he realized—
this kind of warmth wasn't something to avoid.
And come to think of it, everyone here had something in common: they'd all died once.
——
The next morning, everyone noticed two new "companions" around Arthur and Ranni.
Beside Ranni now stood a towering, armored ghost—nearly four meters tall, clad in a lion-crested helm and ornate red armor.
What made him special was that he could interact with the real world—some even saw him sampling the students' breakfast.
And perched on Arthur's shoulder was a small, half-meter-long lizard, wearing a tiny tailored outfit and happily gnawing on an apple.
They were, of course, Radahn and Rya.
Radahn, restless as ever, had asked Ranni to let him explore this strange new world.
Rya, meanwhile, insisted on staying by Arthur's side wherever he went.
Having adjusted to her new body, she could now shrink into her reptilian form—and she looked exactly like a blue-tongued skink.
Arthur couldn't help but wonder if Rya's in-game design had been based on that very creature.
"Cousin, where'd you find that adorable little lizard?" Hermione asked as soon as she entered the Great Hall.
Rya's lizard form wasn't frightening at all—her scales were smooth and glossy, without any spines or ridges. She actually looked quite cute.
"This is Rya. Come on, say hello to my cousin," Arthur said.
"Hello! I'm Rya, Lord Arthur's pet."
That last word made Hermione blink in shock.
Rya herself had chosen the title—
to her, being Arthur's "pet" was no shame at all, but a mark of devotion to the one who had given her new life.
"You… you can talk?!" Hermione gasped.
It was her first time hearing an animal speak.
Arthur quickly clarified, "Rya's situation is a bit special. Think of her as… a girl in a lizard's body."
Hermione nodded slowly, still processing it. Then she pointed toward Radahn.
"And that one?"
"Oh, that's Ranni's brother," Arthur replied smoothly. "Let's just say… there was a magical experiment involved."
Radahn waved politely from across the hall.
Hermione was barely surprised anymore—
ever since entering the wizarding world, her definition of "normal" had shifted drastically.
After all, if Ranni could master Chinese in two weeks, having a ghostly brother wasn't the strangest thing.
The group sat together under curious stares, eating breakfast as if nothing were amiss.
Before long, Harry and Ron joined them, and Arthur introduced everyone.
By the end of breakfast, both Radahn and Rya had been formally "welcomed."
As they ate, Hermione suddenly remembered her ongoing plan.
"Right—Harry, Ron. We need to start preparing. The Polyjuice Potion should be ready by Christmas night. You two will have to get Crabbe and Goyle's hair."
The boys looked at her blankly.
"But how?"
"I've got it all figured out," Hermione said with a proud smile. "On Christmas, we'll drug their food. I've got a sleeping draught ready. Once they're out, you can hide them somewhere safe and take their hair. That way, they won't interrupt while you're questioning Malfoy."
"Brilliant! What about you?" Harry asked.
"Me? I've already got mine." Hermione pulled a tiny vial from her pocket—inside was a single curled hair.
"Millicent Bulstrode," she said with a triumphant grin, shaking the vial lightly as it glittered in the morning light.
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