Orion, after having no idea what to do, went back to his last option: fixing the command seal so that he could use it to bring back Merlin, just like he did in the Fate world.
But again, there were problems with that. The first and most obvious problem was that he needed to figure out how to use the Berserker command seal to summon a mage like Merlin.
Strangely, he had received two command seals when he was in the Fate world. One was the Berserker command seal, which he had on his left hand, while the other seal was used up when he summoned Merlin in the Fate world.
That seal he got after he defeated Caster. Caster's seal was best for summoning someone like Merlin.
So now he had to modify his current seal to summon a Caster-like character such as Merlin. To do that, he needed to first understand how the seal worked. He had to understand seals in depth.
Then there was also the fact that there existed an artifact like the Holy Grail in that world. The ability to summon a Servant was definitely linked with the Grail.
So he had to find a way to use the command seal without the Grail. And lastly, even if he somehow learned how to use the seal, he needed enough magical power to summon Merlin. After all, in the Fate world, the magic power to summon a Servant was provided by the Grail, but here he had to provide the magical power himself. Though this was not a major concern, he was sure that currently, there was no one in the magical world with more magical power than him.
In terms of magical power alone, he was the strongest. He was like Yuta Okkotsu from Jujutsu Kaisen or Hashirama Senju from Naruto.
Almost boundless magical power, but just having more magical power didn't make one strong. There was a limit to how much he could use that power in one go; his body also had a limit.
Sigh…
Sighing, he wholeheartedly started working again on the command seal silently in the Room of Requirement.
.
.
.
Professor McGonagall had been calling for Orion several times that day, but he hadn't shown up. She had sent a message to the Gryffindor common room, another one to the library, and even asked a few students if they had seen him. Yet, there was no sign of Orion anywhere.
Eventually, she spotted him in the Great Hall, casually eating his meal, seemingly unaware of all the effort she had put into finding him. She marched straight up to him, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Mr. Ambrosius," she said sternly, standing right beside him. "I've been calling for you."
Orion looked up, blinking slowly as if he'd just noticed her. "Oh… Professor. What's up?"
McGonagall raised an eyebrow at his casual tone. "What's up? What's up is that you were supposed to come to my office the first time I called for you, not ignore it and carry on with your day!"
Orion shrugged, shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth. "Oh, hmm, sorry I forgot. I was, hmm, busy."
McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "It is when I'm the one asking. Now, get up and come with me."
Realizing he had no choice, Orion sighed and followed her out of the Great Hall. He could still refuse, but he'd rather not. In fact, handling this woman was much harder than handling Dumbledore. After all, unlike other teachers, he still acted like a student in front of McGonagall, mainly because he respected her. As they walked through the corridors, McGonagall continued her reprimand.
"Honestly, Mr. Ambrosius, you're a champion in the Triwizard Tournament now. You have responsibilities! You can't just ignore professors when they call for you."
Orion nodded absentmindedly, though his mind was elsewhere. He was still thinking about how to bring Merlin back, the different spells and rituals he needed to try, connected with his progress with the command seal and how much time he had left to figure it all out. The Yule Ball and everything else just seemed like a distraction.
McGonagall noticed his distant expression and frowned. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I'm listening," Orion said, though it was clear his thoughts were miles away.
When they finally reached her office, McGonagall took a deep breath, calming herself before she started speaking again.
"Now, Mr. Ambrosius," she began, sitting down behind her desk and motioning for him to take a seat. "The reason I've been trying to get hold of you is the upcoming Yule Ball."
Orion internally grimaced but didn't react. He just asked, "The Yule Ball?"
"Yes," McGonagall said firmly. "As one of the champions, it is mandatory that you attend. This is a formal event, and it's important that you represent Hogwarts properly."
Orion tried to suppress a groan. "Do I really have to go? I'm not much of a dancer, and… I don't have anyone to take."
McGonagall gave him a stern look. "You most certainly do have to go, Mr. Ambrosius. This is not optional. And as for finding a partner, that's your responsibility. I certainly don't believe that you, of all people, will have a problem getting one." McGonagall's reply made Orion frown internally.
'And hey, why is she talking like I'm some sort of playboy? I am famous, yes, but come on, the only girls I talk with are Rose and Daphne and…'
Oh shit, so that's why they were being so noisy. Orion suddenly shut up and didn't say what he was about to say.
Orion sighed again, another problem in his mind. Now he was really looking for a way to completely avoid the Ball. After all, asking either one would be an issue. "But Professor, I'm really busy with... hmm, my next product which I'll be bringing out in the market soon, and I've got… other things to worry about. Can't I just skip it?"
McGonagall's eyes narrowed further. "You will not skip it, Mr. Ambrosius. In fact, if you don't attend, I'll make sure every reporter in the wizarding world knows exactly where to find you."
That caught Orion's attention. He looked at her, realizing she wasn't joking. "You wouldn't."
Currently, no one knew where he lived, and that was the reason why he could live without getting distracted by others. But if they were to know…
That would be akin to indirectly destroying his peace. Nothing less than the crime of the highest order in his books.
"Try me," she said with a small, triumphant smile. "The Daily Prophet has been dying for an interview with you. And I've had to deal with more owls from Witch Weekly than I can count. I'm sure they'd all love to have a nice long chat with you."
"That… that's blackmail. I thought you were better than this, Professor. Blackmailing a student."
Orion tried to guilt-trip her, but…
"Yes indeed, this is not something a teacher should do, but you, Mr. Ambrosius, are a special case. And it's a teacher's duty to teach a student in the best way he can.
I know you like your peace, yes… so now you have to work to earn it…"
Orion stared at her, realizing he was beaten. "Fine, fine," he muttered. "I'll go."
"Good," McGonagall said, satisfied. "Now, I expect you to find a suitable partner and be on your best behaviour at the Ball. This is a formal event, after all."
Orion grumbled under his breath but nodded. "Alright, I get it."
'Just you wait, I will bring a porn actress.'
Orion couldn't help but think of all sorts of ways to get back at her for doing this to him.
He was a normal 15-year-old trying to find a way to save the world, but…
But now, thanks to McGonagall, he had to worry about something as mundane as a dance. He shook his head, resigned to his fate. One way or another, he was going to have to find a way to get through this.
xxx
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