Return of Salazar Slytherin

Hearing Rhys's question, Helena frowned slightly, then slowly said, "It should be... maybe because I didn't want him to see my mother's diadem?"

"He was sent by Rowena to find you. How could he not know you had taken her diadem?"

"Maybe I was afraid he'd take the diadem from me?" Helena thought of another possibility.

Before Rhys could respond, Barrow quickly defended himself: "I wouldn't! I wasn't after the diadem—I just wanted to bring you back to Hogwarts after all!"

"Then try to recall the details of what happened that day," Rhys said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm curious—why would an argument between two wizards end with you stabbing her to death with a dagger, Barrow?"

At this, both Helena and the agitated Barrow fell silent, faint wisps of black mist swirling faintly around their ghostly forms.

Helena seemed to be earnestly trying to recall, but in the end, she simply shook her head weakly and admitted to Rhys that she couldn't remember the details of that day at all.

After Helena came to the same conclusion as himself, Barrow's expression grew pensive, as if he'd sensed something amiss.

"See?" Rhys said with a smile. "Full of doubts, isn't it?"

Helena pressed her lips together tightly. Rhys's series of pointed questions had made her realize there was indeed something wrong.

Her death seemed far less simple than she remembered.

"The diadem is an extremely dangerous artifact. Your mother cast several spells on it to restrict its power, concealing its sharp edge. But ultimately, it was crafted from the skull of the King of the Gods. Do you understand what that means?"

Helena uneasily nodded.

In truth, she didn't understand.

She had been born after the end of Ragnarok.

Having never experienced the Age of the Gods, Helena had no idea how formidable those deities truly were. To her, the so-called King of the Gods and the other deities were nothing more than foes defeated by her mother, uncle, and aunt.

She could only see the enormous potential benefits the diadem held but was blind to the dangers lurking behind it.

"And as for the 'friend' Barrow mentioned... Heh, I think I now understand how you managed to break the diadem's seal."

According to Rowena Ravenclaw's estimation, Helena didn't possess the ability to break the protective spells on the diadem. But if you added one or more scheming 'friends' to the mix, that changed everything.

Helena fleeing Hogwarts with the diadem was like carrying a treasure trove on her back. A child holding gold while walking through a bustling market—was it any wonder that others would covet it?

The most likely scenario was that the 'friend' or friends who succeeded in undoing the diadem's seals had used its power to control Helena.

It was crucial to understand that wielding the diadem and being controlled by it to gain power were entirely different levels of difficulty. No matter how rebellious Helena was, she wouldn't willingly become a slave to the diadem, so she must have suffered greatly.

The murderer had used the power of the diadem to alter Helena's memory. When Barrow arrived, the same trick was applied to him, tampering with his recollections as well. The culprit then escalated matters, manipulating their emotions until it culminated in both of their deaths.

With Helena and Barrow eliminated, the murderer gained complete control over Ravenclaw's diadem. As for Helena's memory of "hiding the diadem in the hollow tree," it was likely nothing more than a smokescreen fabricated by the perpetrator. The real diadem had already been taken, leaving only a well-crafted replica in the tree to mislead anyone searching for it.

Even if someone were to follow the trail left by Helena and Barrow to the forest, the fake diadem planted by the murderer would easily fool them.

A counterfeit diadem, of course, could not grant wisdom. But whoever found it would only blame themselves for being unable to unlock its power. Who would ever question the authenticity of a diadem supposedly hidden by Ravenclaw's own daughter?

As for the subtle inconsistencies in the memories of the two ghosts, who else in the world but Rhys could have noticed them?

One ghost was famously short-tempered, while the other was aloof and disdainful, considering even a single word with others a favor. Who could possibly compel Helena and Barrow to relive the most painful day of their lives?

Only Rhys.

He clenched his fists tightly.

The culprit from back then may have long since turned to dust, but their descendants would pay the debt owed!

No matter who held the diadem now, they were guilty. The diadem belonged to Ravenclaw—this was a fact universally known. To possess it while feigning ignorance was unforgivable. Did they truly think Rhys had infinite patience?

The three—one man and two ghosts—fell into silence. After a while, the Bloody Baron turned to Rhys and asked, "Professor, should we make a trip to Albania? Ravenclaw's diadem is still there—"

"It's probably gone," Helena interrupted quickly, cutting off Barrow before Rhys could respond.

"What?" Barrow asked in confusion, staring blankly. "Did some Muggle find it and take it away?"

Helena closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and then made the decision to reveal another secret she had been keeping.

"Uncle Salazar, I hope Barrow can step aside for this," she said.

Barrow and Rhys: "???"

After a moment of thought, Rhys shooed Barrow away.

"Now can you tell me?" Rhys asked, his curiosity piqued. Even though he was convinced the diadem in the hollow tree was a fake, he was eager to know what Helena had been hiding and why the diadem was no longer there.

"I... well, there was a student. I told him the location where I hid the diadem." This time, Helena spoke in a whisper so soft that if the wind outside the tower had been slightly louder, Rhys would not have been able to hear her.

"What?"

"I... he... he was very charming. He seemed... understanding, empathetic..."

Rhys's expression began to turn strange.

A situation like this? He thought. Unbelievable.

Truly, you live long enough, you see everything!

Sometimes, Rhys couldn't help but be amazed by the creativity of future generations of wizards.

First, there was the Secret Order infiltrating Hogwarts in stages, and now, an unknown young wizard had come up with such an ingenious way to locate the diadem.

"He managed to make our Nana fall for him~ So~? Who was that student?" Rhys was eager to know the name of this genius.

"...Tom Riddle. As far as I know, he later became a dark wizard and went by the name Voldemort."

Rhys: '!!!'

It's you again!

Rhys couldn't help but marvel at the mysterious twists of fate.

The last time he had encountered Tom inside the third floor's trapdoor, the boy had been a great help to him. With his soul fragment, Rhys cured Ravenclaw of her madness. At that time, Rhys had already noticed that the boy was using Horcruxes in his pursuit of immortality.

Was he seeking the diadem to use its wisdom to achieve immortality?

Had he fallen to using Horcruxes because the diadem was a fake and incapable of providing him with the wisdom he sought?

Rhys pondered and speculated, then sighed, "Voldemort... This child really seems to share a deep connection with us. Helena, your mother's illness was cured thanks to him."

Helena: "What?!"

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