I looked down at the four ancient heir rings sitting in front of me.
Each one represented a different legendary family, a different piece of magical history, and a different source of power.
These weren’t simply pieces of jewelry.
They were symbols of authority created by some of the greatest magical families to ever exist.
The original Tom Riddle had spent years searching for power, yet he had ignored something far more valuable than fear.
Legacy.
I reached for the first ring.
The Slytherin heir ring.
The moment I placed it onto my finger, I felt a strange sensation.
The ring wasn’t simply being worn.
It was reacting to me.
A faint magical pulse traveled through the metal, and then I heard something.
A hiss.
Not from outside.
From the ring itself.
My mind reacted before I even thought about it.
“Acceptable.” I answered instinctively in Parseltongue.
The moment I spoke the ancient language of snakes, the ring glowed faintly before smoothly adjusting itself.
The metal shifted until it fit perfectly around my finger, accepting me as its rightful heir.
I stared at it for a moment.
“So the Slytherin ring tests whether I can speak Parseltongue.” That made sense.
Salazar Slytherin wouldn’t create an heir ring that just anyone could claim.
The ability to communicate with snakes was one of the most important signs of his bloodline.
Next, I picked up the Le Fay heir ring.
The moment I placed it on my finger, a powerful pulse of magic surged through my body.
Unlike the Slytherin ring, this one didn’t focus on my blood.
It focused on my mind.
I felt a strange magical presence enter my thoughts.
It wasn’t attacking me.
It was examining me.
The ring searched through my memories, my personality, my experiences, and my ambitions.
For several seconds, I felt like my entire existence was being judged.
Then…
The magic withdrew.
The ring glowed slightly before adjusting itself to my finger.
Accepted.
I frowned slightly.
“What exactly was it looking for?” I thought about the possibilities.
“Was it looking for someone evil?” That seemed unlikely.
Morgana Le Fay was often portrayed as a dark witch, but she was also one of the greatest magical minds in history.
Perhaps the ring was searching for intelligence.
Ambition.
Cunning.
Strategic thinking.
The ability to manipulate situations and achieve goals.
Those traits would make far more sense for a Le Fay heir.
After that, I reached for the Pendragon heir ring.
The moment I placed it onto my finger, I immediately noticed something different.
Once again, the ring examined me.
But this time…
It wasn’t looking for knowledge or ambition.
It was searching for something else.
I felt the magic touch my mind, studying my thoughts, my choices, and my intentions.
For a moment, I wondered what exactly it was judging.
Was it searching for kindness?
Honor?
A sense of responsibility?
Was the Pendragon ring the opposite of the Le Fay ring?
Where Le Fay valued cunning and intelligence, perhaps Pendragon valued leadership and the mindset of a ruler.
A king.
A protector.
Someone capable of carrying the weight of an entire kingdom.
After a few seconds, the magic faded.
The ring accepted me.
I looked down at my hand.
Three ancient houses had accepted me.
Slytherin.
Le Fay.
Pendragon.
Honestly…
The Black family and Malfoy family would look like minor noble houses compared to this.
They were wealthy and influential, but my bloodline connected me to some of the greatest magical figures in history.
Finally, only one ring remained.
The Peverell heir ring.
The ring connected to the family of the three brothers who created the Deathly Hallows.
Unlike the others, the design was surprisingly simple.
It carried the symbol of the Deathly Hallows as the family crest, but otherwise it looked like an ordinary ring.
I picked it up and placed it onto my finger.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly, I felt something.
A strange sensation ran through my body.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Something else.
The magic of the ring reached toward something deep within me.
Then…
A shiver ran down my spine.
The ring’s magic touched something.
Something it was searching for.
But whatever it found, it accepted.
The magic withdrew.
The ring adjusted itself.
Accepted.
I stared at the four rings.
Each one had tested me.
Each one had judged me.
And all four had accepted me.
That was interesting.
Very interesting.
However, I couldn’t exactly walk around Hogwarts wearing four ancient heir rings.
That would attract far too much attention.
If Dumbledore saw me wearing the Slytherin ring, he would immediately become suspicious.
Even if he didn’t know exactly what it represented, a child wearing an ancient family artifact would raise questions.
The same applied to Le Fay and Pendragon.
So I carefully stored three of the rings inside my System Space.
The Slytherin heir ring.
The Le Fay heir ring.
The Pendragon heir ring.
The only one I kept on my finger was the Peverell heir ring.
Unlike the others, it didn’t immediately reveal a connection to dark magic or a famous family.
Most people wouldn’t even recognize it.
More importantly…
Its abilities were extremely useful.
I examined the ring’s magic.
Peverell Heir Ring Abilities: Mind Magic Protection: A natural defensive enchantment that strengthens the wearer’s mind and creates automatic protection against mental attacks, Legilimency, and memory invasion.
Enhanced Magic: Removes magical restrictions, improves magical control, and increases raw spell power.
Poison and Potion Detection: The ring can detect harmful substances placed into drinks.
When touched against a liquid, the ring glows if poison or magical potions are present.
I nodded.
“Useful.” Very useful.
The Lordship rings were probably much stronger, but those were unavailable until I reached magical maturity.
For now, this was enough.
The Peverell ring was the perfect choice.
It gave me protection without announcing my identity.
My plan was simple.
The Slytherin heirship would remain hidden.
At least publicly.
Eventually, when I entered Slytherin House, I could reveal it to carefully selected people.
Showing that I was the heir of Salazar Slytherin would instantly grant me influence among ambitious pure-blood students.
But there was no reason to reveal everything immediately.
Information was power.
And power was something I understood better than anyone.
After storing the other rings away, I turned back toward Ragnok.
“Thank you for your assistance.” The goblin nodded.
“It was my pleasure, Lord Riddle.” I noticed the title but didn’t comment.
Technically, I wasn’t a Lord yet.
But the goblins clearly respected ancient bloodlines.
After leaving Gringotts, I still had several things to accomplish in Diagon Alley.
The inheritance test had answered many questions, but it had also created many more.
I needed books.
A lot of books.
There were subjects I needed to study before Hogwarts.
Ancient magic.
Alchemy.
Magical history.
Bloodline magic.
And especially…
The magic of the founders.
Because if I wanted to surpass Dumbledore one day…
I needed more than talent.
I needed knowledge.
And fortunately…
Diagon Alley had exactly what I needed.