“That’s the situation,” Susan explained as she gently pushed the long box toward Mord.
“My aunt originally didn’t want to accept this broomstick from the company.”
“But after I told her how you saved me during Flying class, she insisted that we repay your kindness.”
“So… she asked me to give it to you.”
Mord looked at the box and let out a dramatic sigh.
“I really didn’t want to accept such an expensive gift.”
“It would feel like I was taking advantage of you.”
“But since it’s a gift from your family, refusing it would be rude.”
“So…”
“I’ll accept it.”
Susan blinked.
“I know it puts you in a difficult position, but this is simply our way of thanking you.”
“And… don’t misunderstand.”
“This was my aunt’s idea.”
“I…”
She suddenly stopped speaking, her cheeks turning slightly pink as if she were trying to hide something.
Mord smiled warmly.
“I understand.”
“Thank you.”
“I know you’ve probably had certain misunderstandings about me because of my family’s reputation.”
“But…”
“I genuinely want to become a good person.”
His words were calm and sincere.
Susan looked into his deep, dark eyes and froze for a moment.
A good person…
For some reason, she believed him.
“You are.”
“You really are a good person.”
“I… I should get going.”
Embarrassed, she hurriedly turned around and left.
[Ding! Lord Demon King accepts a rich girl’s gift while acting dignified, successfully charming a righteous witch.]
[Darkness Points +5]
Mord couldn’t help laughing.
“What do you mean by ‘living off a rich girl’?”
“This is called wisdom.”
With an excited grin, he immediately opened the box.
His earlier reluctance had naturally been an act.
Inside was the newest experimental broom from the Comet series—a prototype that had never been released to the public.
Even if he never used it, selling it in the future would probably earn him several times its original value.
Still…
Actually riding it would attract far more attention.
And attention meant more Darkness Points.
Carefully lifting the broom from its packaging, Mord examined it closely.
The handle was crafted from premium British oak, polished until it gleamed.
Every twig in the tail had been perfectly trimmed by hand.
A layer of shimmering silver magical coating covered the entire broom, reducing wind resistance while also providing protection against minor curses.
Every detail reflected incredible craftsmanship.
Near the end of the handle, a small engraved serial number caught his eye.
Comet 404
Mord chuckled.
“404…”
“Not bad.”
He could already picture himself streaking across the sky like a silver comet.
Susan had truly given him an extraordinary gift.
Although Mord often joked around, he never forgot genuine kindness.
He silently made a promise to himself.
One day…
I’ll repay this favor.
After carefully putting the broom back into its case, he carried it to his private dormitory.
Quidditch training wouldn’t begin until October.
Peter would probably be overjoyed to see their new Seeker carrying such a broom.
With everything settled, Mord hurried toward the library.
Hermione was still waiting for him.
Early the next morning, Harry and the others were eating breakfast when an owl delivered the latest edition of The Daily Prophet.
Harry unfolded the newspaper and read aloud.
«”The investigation into the illegal break-in at Gringotts continues.”»
«”Goblin officials stated that nothing was stolen from Vault 713 because its contents had already been removed beforehand.”»
Harry frowned.
“That’s strange.”
“Hagrid took something from Vault 713 before school started.”
Hermione looked surprised.
“What was inside?”
Harry shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“But whatever it was…”
“Dumbledore wanted it.”
“And apparently, so did the wizard who tried to rob the vault.”
Hermione immediately thought of someone.
“We should ask Mord.”
“He always seems to know things like this.”
Ron clicked his tongue.
“Do you really think Ravenclaws are prophets?”
Hermione shot back instantly.
“At least Mord knows more than you do.”
Just then, four school owls flew into the Great Hall carrying a long package.
Almost every student turned to look.
Harry quickly recognized the sender.
It was Professor McGonagall.
Inside was his brand-new Nimbus 2000.
Ron nearly exploded with excitement.
He grabbed Harry by the arm.
“Come on!”
“Let’s take it back to the dormitory!”
As they hurried away, Ron continued talking excitedly.
“I was worried Mord might outclass you.”
“But now you’ve got a Nimbus 2000.”
“He won’t stand a chance.”
Meanwhile, Mord calmly sipped his orange juice while glancing toward Professor McGonagall.
Of course he knew Harry had received a Nimbus 2000.
The protagonist really does get special treatment.
Still…
A gift from a rich girl is far more satisfying than one from an old professor.
He lowered his head and continued reading The Daily Prophet.
I still need to become stronger…
Time passed quickly.
Before anyone realized it, October had arrived.
On the first Saturday afternoon of the month, Peter summoned the Ravenclaw Quidditch team for their first official training session.
Mord carried his brand-new Comet 404 to the Quidditch Pitch.
If possible, he would have preferred to keep the broom hidden until their first match.
However, Susan had already warned him that the prototype was difficult to control.
Rather than showing off recklessly, he chose to practice first.
After all…
Someone trying to play the weak underdog could easily end up becoming one for real.
When everyone gathered, Peter formally introduced Mord to the rest of the team.
Although they had already met over the past few weeks, this was their first training session together.
As practice began, Mord quietly observed each teammate.
The two Beaters, Ram and Lisa, were fourth-year students with excellent coordination.
Peter and fellow Chaser Roger Davies were also quite skilled.
The weak points of the team, however, were obvious.
The Keeper and the remaining Chaser lacked both motivation and consistency.
Watching them for a while, Mord quietly nudged Peter.
“Why don’t you replace them?”
“They don’t seem interested anymore.”
Peter sighed helplessly.
“I’d love to.”
“But with whom?”
“Ravenclaw students enjoy watching Quidditch.”
“They just don’t enjoy training for it.”
“There are volunteers.”
“But honestly…”
“None of them are any better.”
Mord nodded in understanding.
Now he understood why Ravenclaw hadn’t won the Quidditch Cup in fifteen years.
Even he didn’t devote all his time to Quidditch.
Fortunately, his natural talent allowed him to balance both training and academics.
Outside of practice, he continued studying with Hermione almost every day.
Both of them learned magic incredibly quickly.
Within just two months, they had already finished The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One.
During that time, Mord triggered two additional Dark Arts transformations.
Alohomora evolved into the Broken Lock Curse, which destroyed locks instead of opening them.
Reparo transformed into the Forbidden Repair Curse, preventing damaged objects from being repaired.
Neither spell seemed especially useful.
Still…
Having more tools was never a bad thing.
Mord purchased both and added them to his growing collection.
Life settled into a peaceful routine.
Classes.
Training.
Library sessions.
And the occasional increase in Darkness Points.
Everything remained calm…
Until Halloween began to approach.