After receiving Lewis's promise, Helena left happily.
Lewis remained alone, lying on his bed, lost in thought.
Indeed, with the Heroic Spirit Creation Ritual in his grasp, creating a Heroic Spirit wasn't particularly difficult. And Rowena Ravenclaw was undoubtedly one of the most suitable candidates in existence.
But—
There was still one unresolved problem.
The foundation.
Pure magical power wouldn't work.
Even setting aside where he could obtain that level of energy, what he needed wasn't just raw magic—
It was power born from belief.
From reverence.
From collective faith.
In the world of Heroic Spirits, such energy was gathered by the Throne itself.
But in this world—
There was no such system.
No Alaya.
No mechanism to collect and sustain legends.
So where—
Would he find a proper foundation?
For several days, Lewis wrestled with this question.
It left him distracted.
Even during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff.
Of course—
That didn't stop him from completely overwhelming his opponents.
But his casual, absent-minded attitude—
Broke them.
Especially Cedric Diggory.
Throughout the match, Lewis hovered beside Cho Chang, effortlessly intercepting Cedric again and again, blocking every approach until Cho seized the Golden Snitch.
After the match—
Cedric stopped him outside the locker room.
"I know we're not on your level," Cedric said loudly, "but that doesn't mean you can treat us like that!"
As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward the Ravenclaw girls' locker room.
"Quidditch respects strength, yes—but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! You should at least respect your opponents! If you want to think about academics, go to the library!"
Finally, he delivered his conclusion:
"Someone like you—no matter how many points you score—will never earn genuine admiration from fans!"
With that, he turned to leave.
But—
Lewis grabbed his wrist.
The strength-enhancing spell was still active.
Cedric winced in pain.
"Say that last line again," Lewis said calmly.
By now, others had gathered to watch.
Though it was only verbal, the tension drew attention.
Nearby, outside the girls' locker room, Marietta whispered to Cho:
"Don't you think Cedric looks kind of handsome? He actually dared to say that to Lewis."
Cho seemed uninterested.
"Your taste is weird."
"What's wrong with Cedric?" Marietta protested. "He's one of the best-looking guys in Hufflepuff! You can't expect everyone to be compared to Lewis!"
She lowered her voice slightly.
"And Lewis has plenty of girls around him. You've been hanging around him lately, and he hasn't even looked at you."
Cho faltered for a moment.
Then steadied herself.
But he's handsome.
From the moment Lewis enrolled, she had noticed him.
At first, he was just cute.
But over time—
He had grown… dangerously attractive.
There was no way she'd let that go.
"…Anyway, Cedric has real masculinity," Marietta continued.
Cho immediately shot back:
"And yet he couldn't break through Lewis's defense."
"I saw it myself. No matter what Cedric tried—even body checks—he couldn't get past him. Lewis didn't even take him seriously."
She paused.
"You've never been protected like that, have you?"
"That's what I call real masculinity. That's what I call security."
Their voices—
Unfortunately—
Carried.
Lewis heard.
And judging by Cedric's expression—
So did he.
That made things…
Awkward.
Being compared—
And losing—
In front of the girl he liked?
Cedric's pride snapped.
"I'm not saying it again!" he snapped. "If you've got the guts, do something about it!"
Despite the obvious gap in strength.
Lewis didn't get angry.
That wasn't what mattered.
What mattered—
Was the answer.
"Say your last line again," Lewis repeated calmly.
Cedric opened his mouth—
But froze.
Lewis's gaze—
Cold.
Distant.
With a faint, overwhelming arrogance beneath it.
It hit him like a hammer.
And suddenly—
He remembered.
This was the boy who had killed a Chimera.
Whatever defiance he had—
Collapsed.
"I said…" Cedric muttered, his tone shifting, "if you've got the guts, do something…"
"Not that one," Lewis cut in. "The one before."
A subtle mental pressure lingered.
Cedric complied.
"…Someone like you… no matter how many points you score… will never earn genuine admiration from fans."
Lewis nodded.
That was the line he needed.
He released him.
Cedric wanted nothing more than to leave.
Cho's gaze—
Burned like fire.
Usually, it would have thrilled him.
Now—
It was unbearable.
He stood there, trapped.
Until—
"Is this your 'masculinity'?" Cho nudged Marietta, a hint of smugness in her voice. "Still think he's more manly?"
That was the final blow.
Cedric clenched his fists.
"…Can I go now?"
Lewis glanced at him.
"You're still here?"
"…!"
Humiliated—
Furious—
But powerless—
Cedric turned and left.
And Lewis—
Once again—
Fell into thought.
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