The Chimera was a magical creature native to Greece, infamous for its bloodthirsty and violent nature. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a fire-breathing dragon. Because of its extreme danger, the Ministry of Magic classified it at the highest XXXXX level, and even its eggs were listed as Class A prohibited trade items.
The moment Lewis mentioned hunting such a creature, Hermione immediately panicked.
"I can't believe you're planning something this dangerous! That's a Chimera! A XXXXX-level creature!"
"The Ministry's classification measures aggression, not actual threat level," Lewis argued. "Acromantulas are also XXXXX-level creatures, on the same tier as Chimeras and dragons. But trust me, I've encountered them in the Forbidden Forest. With the right spells, even a young wizard can defeat them. They're far less dangerous than dragons."
"That's sophistry!"
Hermione's hands trembled with anger.
"That's not Norbert, not the three-headed dog, and definitely not Fang! It's an extremely dangerous magical creature!"
She hurriedly grabbed a book from the shelf, flipped it open in front of Lewis, and pointed at the Chimera illustration, her eyes filled with fear.
"In the entire history of wizardkind, there's only one recorded case of someone successfully killing a Chimera—and that wizard died afterward from exhaustion, falling off their winged horse!"
She practically shoved the book into Lewis's face.
Lewis sighed. If charm wasn't going to work, he'd have to rely on reason.
"Alright, Hermione, maybe you're right. The Chimera is terrifying."
"But does that mean we're just helpless prey?"
"Exactly!" Cirilla chimed in. "Don't worry, I'll protect him."
"I'm not a child!" Hermione snapped, instinctively glancing at Cirilla's well-developed figure before looking down at herself, her irritation flaring even more.
"And besides, the book says creatures like Chimeras have strong magical resistance. Ordinary spells won't work on them. So how are you planning to deal with it?"
"That's exactly why Ciri has been training Spellstrike, and why I only proposed this plan after forging the Arcane Sword."
Lewis pushed the sword forward.
Hermione paused. That… did make sense.
"And there's something else," Lewis added, pressing his advantage. "You've been wondering why I suddenly became wealthier after Christmas, right? Why everything about me changed?"
"I didn't tell you before because I thought you'd think I was bragging."
"But now, if I don't show you some proof, you won't stop worrying."
He then briefly recounted how he had worked with Tonks to eliminate a group of poachers.
"So you defeated a group of dark wizards half a year ago?" Hermione's eyes widened in realization.
"No wonder you seemed different after that… no wonder Miss Tonks helped you buy this house."
"I didn't expect you'd already gone through something like that."
Cirilla's interest was piqued as well. "Looks like sticking with you guarantees excitement."
If Lewis had already taken down dark wizards back then, then facing a Chimera didn't seem completely impossible.
Hermione finally found herself without a reason to object.
"But… why do you have to hunt something so dangerous?"
"I need a material from the Chimera to brew a potion," Lewis said, revealing part of the truth. "It's related to Animagus transformation."
"Animagus?"
That instantly caught Hermione's full attention.
"You're trying to become an Animagus? That process is extremely complicated! You have to keep a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month, and you need a thunderstorm to complete the ritual. Professor McGonagall said it's very dangerous—people can lose control and never return to human form. She warned us not to attempt it privately."
"She's right," Lewis said. "That process is tedious and risky. That's why I'm trying to simplify it."
His tone carried a hint of temptation.
"And the material from the Chimera is essential for my experiment. If I succeed, you won't have to go through all that trouble to become an Animagus in the future."
"Is… is that so?"
Hermione, already lacking a solid reason to object, quickly accepted his explanation.
"Well… if it's for that reason, then I guess I can't stop you."
With the concerned witch convinced, Lewis's hunting plan officially began.
The next morning, after breakfast, Lewis sat cross-legged in the living room, incense burning around him.
This time, the censer was made of bronze, intricately engraved with dragons and phoenixes. Around him were not simple ivory ornaments, but four complete ivory carvings. Now that his financial situation had improved, all his ritual tools had been upgraded—only the best would do.
He firmly believed in one principle: the only advantage of cheap items was that they were cheap, and the only drawback of expensive ones was their price.
Seated before the ritual array, Lewis began casting Legend Lore.
"Legend Lore, guide me to the Chimera—preferably the closest one."
As the smoke curled and thickened, an answer soon revealed itself.
"Cornwall… Tinworth Village… seaside… a cave… it's actually this close?"
"And there are signs of human activity in that cave…"
Cornwall bordered Devon to the east, facing the English Channel to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and north. Across the Channel lay Europe—the Chimera's native homeland, Greece.
Piecing everything together, Lewis quickly formed a theory.
A Chimera wouldn't normally be able to cross the English Channel on its own. Combined with the cave and the signs of human presence, it was likely that poachers or smugglers had brought one here.
After all, while Chimeras were incredibly dangerous, they could still be restrained temporarily through certain methods. And their eggs fetched extremely high prices on the black market.
"Regardless of the truth, it doesn't change my decision."
"Now that we've found the target, Ciri, let's move."
"Got it."
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