The ride home on the Hogwarts Express was the same as always. Hermione would be heading to France with her parents again, while Luna was off to Sweden with her dad for the summer.
That meant it would just be me and the peerage at the townhouse this year.
~~~~
Fleur, Yue, and Rachel stood around the trunk, carefully examining the intricate runes and enchantments we had spent months perfecting.
Meanwhile, I had one hand placed on a large wardstone covered in dense magical script, watching as it greedily absorbed my magic like a sponge.
The rune clusters glowed faintly under my touch—magic absorption arrays, intent wards, water-gathering wards—dozens of interwoven enchantments, all meticulously designed to enhance the trunk's capabilities.
"Okay, the trunk is ready," Yue said, excitement clear in her voice. "Bring the wardstone inside."
Lifting the heavy wardstone, I carried it into the gray room, placing it precisely in the center. The moment it settled into place, a deep hum of magic resonated through the space as the enchantments activated.
Stepping back out, we closed the trunk lid and waited a moment before I placed my hand on it once more. When I opened the door, we were met with a perfect replica of my Ravenclaw dorm room.
It worked.
This was essentially a Room of Requirement in trunk form, capable of generating almost any kind of room we needed. There were, of course, some limitations—it couldn't create food, consumable items, or living things like plants. The objects it produced were essentially conjured magic, meaning they couldn't be removed from the space. The only real exception was water, which was naturally drawn from the air.
There were other restrictions as well—it couldn't create overly complex magical artifacts or objects we had no knowledge of. For instance, it couldn't generate a book detailing how to create a Philosopher's Stone, since none of us actually understood the process.
That particular mystery still annoyed the hell out of me.
But regardless of the limitations, this was a major success—a personal pocket dimension in a trunk we could customize however we wanted.
And we had only just begun exploring its full potential.
"So what now?"
We had completed most of the major projects for the Harry Potter world. All the valuable items had been snatched up.
We had also gathered up modern items, martial arts and other knowledge to make our lives easier in the future in different worlds.
All that was left was to finish out Hogwarts and go from there. We only had 6th and 7th year then planned to wait a year for Luna to graduate while we worked on masteries or magic skills not taught at Hogwarts.
"For now let's just start moving things into the trunk. Mine was starting to feel a bit cramped." My house trunk was indeed getting more and more cramped as we brought in more items and expanded.
The new room of requirement trunk could store everything and we could adjust the rooms freely. Magic would continue to be absorbed into the trunk, which was basically indestructible, and the wardstone making it grow stronger over time.
With that we spent the next several hours moving everything around in my old trunk to the new trunk. Adding real items to the trunk would of course let the trunk bring them out freely, and as more items were added to the trunk it would copy them and grow like adding data to a computer.
We also figured out a couple of neat little things, the room wasn't limited to creating water but could also make fire for cooking and even electricity to power electronics. Which was incredibly convenient.
~~~~
I looked down at the peerage pieces in my hand—one Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, five Pawns, and one Bonded Pawn.
A single extra Pawn rested between my fingers as I considered my next move.
For a moment, a thoughtful expression crossed my face before a familiar mental interface appeared. I quickly selected everything I needed, then activated world travel once more.
As my vision faded into gray, the system notifications began.
---
[Danmachi is available for travel.]
[The King may now Use, Bestow, Update, and Usurp Falna.]
[Compatible system found among peerage member: Yue. Merging Status Plates from Arifureta into Falna.]
[King can now create and bestow Status Plates.]
A bright flash of light filled my vision, and when it faded, a simple silver card appeared in my hand, displaying my information.
---
[Ryan – Level: 1]
Abilities: All-Speak, Silent Casting, Fire Immunity, Ice Immunity, Lightning Immunity...
The list of abilities stretched far beyond what I had expected.
Flipping the card over, I saw various stat categories—Strength, Speed, Mana, and more. My physical stats were much higher than my magical attributes, though that wasn't exactly surprising given my Heavenly Restriction.
---
[Levels have been adjusted for Arifureta and Danmachi. Level 1–19 in Arifureta = Level 1 in Danmachi, Level 20–29 = Level 2, Level 30–39 = Level 3, etc.]
[As King, you require no blessings from others. You may Usurp Falna, removing a god's blessing to bestow your own. The King's blessing is not limited to peerage members.]
[Status Plates/Falna belong to the Magic and Physical category. Levels do not increase and are unaffected by Qi, Chakra, Ki, etc.]
---
"Well… that's more than I expected."
I had assumed I'd have to seek out a goddess to grant my peerage members their blessings. Apparently, that wasn't necessary anymore.
I glanced at my reflection in a nearby window, confirming that I was back in my 25-year-old body. I had deliberately chosen to arrive one year before the Danmachi storyline began, giving us time to establish ourselves before the inevitable chaos unfolded.
Checking my inventory, I found proper guild identification, a starting sum of 100,000 valis, and a 16-room manor located in Orario.
Not a bad starting point.
"Alright, let's get to work."
Summoning my Elder Wand, I stepped outside and immediately began chanting and weaving spells over the manor and its grounds.
Unlike in the Harry Potter world, this house didn't come with a Fidelius Charm, so I was applying one myself.
This world was dangerous.
Many of the gods here were arrogant assholes who had descended to play games with mortal lives out of boredom. Adventurers weren't much better—many would kill and loot without hesitation inside the Dungeon.
By the time I tapped my wand against the final cornerstone, the entire manor and its grounds shimmered before vanishing.
I was now the Secret Keeper.
Finally, I turned my attention toward the Tower of Babel, the massive structure that served as both the heart of Orario and the seal on the Dungeon below.
I had work to do.
---
Meanwhile…
Ryan had no idea that the moment he entered Danmachi's world, someone noticed him immediately.
For one simple reason—his Hallows weren't constantly active. When not in use, they were passively stored within the mark on his chest, their presence momentarily flaring before settling.
But that brief moment had been more than enough.
---
As a reincarnator, Ryan's soul was already far more powerful than a normal mortal's.
His King Piece constantly nurtured his essence.
His Ancient Stone Talisman passively refined his soul energy.
His regular meditation on the Jade Soul Platform further strengthened his mental and spiritual state.
This had been happening for years.
So when he arrived in Orario, his soul was like a beacon compared to the mundane souls of the city's residents.
It was like comparing a lighthouse to a firefly.
And for one particular goddess, that was all it took.
---
Inside Folkvangr, a certain silver-haired goddess sat comfortably, lazily swirling a glass of wine in her hand.
Then, suddenly—her entire body stiffened.
Her eyes widened as she felt it.
A soul—no, something more than a soul—had just entered Orario.
It was unlike anything she had ever seen in her countless years of existence.
---
Freya's grip on her wine glass tightened.
Her obsession with unique souls was legendary, but this—this was on an entirely different level.
It wasn't just beautiful—it was growing.
Something within it was expanding, evolving, shifting in ways she couldn't comprehend.
And yet…
---
In an instant, it vanished.
As if it had never existed in the first place.
"Nooo!" Freya screamed, shattering her wine glass as she shot to her feet.
Her divine senses frantically scanned the city, searching—desperate to relocate that impossibly dazzling soul that had just disappeared before she could fully grasp it.
To her, it had been like:
Finding the most breathtaking piece of artwork…
Tasting the rarest, most exquisite vintage of wine…
A blinding light in her otherwise dreary existence…
And then, just as she reached for it, it was gone—like standing at the edge of climax only to be denied at the last moment.
Her frustration boiled over as she wildly searched the city.
"I will find you…" she whispered, her obsession already taking root.
---
Back to Ryan…
Unaware of the divine-level attention he had just drawn, I continued setting up additional protections around the manor.
"Never put all your eggs in one basket."
That was a lesson I had learned long ago.
While the Fidelius Charm kept the manor hidden, I wasn't about to rely on a single enchantment to protect myself and my peerage members.
Layering additional wards, I ensured protection against fire, water, wear-and-tear, and magical breaches. It wouldn't make the house indestructible, but it would make it pretty damn durable.
Size was always an issue with runes and enchantments—they could only stretch so far before weakening. Our trunks had been about as large as we could safely manage without the runes destabilizing.
But this was good enough for now.
Orario was a dangerous place.
And I had every intention of staying ahead of whatever bullshit was coming my way.