"Does he have diarrhea?" Ron looked puzzledly at Dudley's retreating figure.
"Maybe he was nauseated by the Potions class. You know what, I'm feeling a bit sick now too," Harry said.
Ron frowned. "Indeed, I also feel uncomfortable."
Dudley entered the bathroom, found an empty stall, went in, and locked the door.
Meanwhile, Malfoy was alone in the abandoned classroom in the dungeons... the place where he had last encountered the Night Emperor.
Ever since learning the Night Emperor's honorific name, he had countless times wanted to know who this self-proclaimed Night Emperor truly was. He had researched materials and asked his father, but found no answers.
And he himself had never had the courage to recite that honorific name. He didn't know what it would bring him.
But today, he couldn't resist any longer. He wanted to know if that honorific name was real. He wanted to verify what would happen if he recited it.
"You are the supreme Emperor."
"The embodiment of order, the manifestation of chaos, the source of all rules."
"You are order, and you are disorder."
Malfoy softly recited this honorific name.
However, after finishing the recitation, there was no change in the surroundings.
"So it really is fake?" Malfoy breathed a slight sigh of relief while also feeling somewhat disappointed.
He couldn't describe what kind of feeling this was. He was both afraid that the Night Emperor was real and afraid that he was fake. This was an extremely contradictory mindset.
Malfoy opened his eyes, preparing to leave.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and a terrifying aura of majesty appeared out of nowhere, descending upon him. Immediately after, he saw a massive palace appear in the high heavens, as if it were a divine kingdom. A majestic figure was hidden behind the mist, looking down at him below.
"Night Emperor." Malfoy saw that figure but felt his brain pierced with sharp pain, his whole being feeling like it was about to explode. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to spy on that figure any longer.
"What is it?" Dudley looked down at Malfoy from the high heavens.
"I..." Malfoy's mind went blank for a moment, not knowing what to say.
He had originally just wanted to try reciting this honorific name to see what would happen, but the scene now presented was completely beyond his comprehension. He didn't even know if all this was an illusion.
"You can speak slowly." Dudley restrained his aura of majesty.
Feeling the majesty weaken, Malfoy could finally breathe a little easier. His forehead was already covered with cold sweat.
"I... I have followed your instructions and recruited quite a few people, including several older students. They are all willing to serve you. I want to know, what requirements do you have for us, or what do you need us to do?" Malfoy said after organizing his thoughts.
"I don't need you to do anything for me. You are just a small experiment," Dudley said indifferently.
"Experiment?" Malfoy was puzzled.
"Yes, just an experiment," Dudley said.
Malfoy's face turned somewhat pale. If it was just an experiment, it meant they weren't important. Experiments could fail or succeed, and for the Night Emperor, whether they succeeded or failed seemed to have no significant impact.
"You... are you going to become the new Dark Lord? I mean, I know you once appeared at Gringotts, and from what I know, the other party seems to be related to You-Know-Who," Malfoy said tremblingly.
Some of this information was told to him by his father, and some he had overheard.
"Hehe." Dudley chuckled lightly.
His vision was indeed narrow. Thinking everyone wanted to become a Dark Lord.
Dudley's majestic chuckle made Malfoy's nerves tense up. He felt like he had said something wrong. But wasn't this the most logical understanding? Defeat the previous Dark Lord, then become the Dark Lord yourself.
"Dark Lord?" Dudley smiled faintly, his fingers lightly tapping the table, making rhythmic sounds.
This sound fell on Malfoy's ears like each tap was striking his heart, making his face pale and causing him to sway unsteadily.
"Perhaps you could become the Dark Lord?" Dudley stopped the movement of his hand and said softly.
"Me?" Malfoy thought he had misheard and exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right," Dudley said.
"I have no interest in being a Dark Lord, but if you want to become one, I can help you," Dudley said softly.
"I can become the Dark Lord? I mean, I..." Malfoy's mind still hadn't caught up. This was completely different from what he had expected.
He thought this Night Emperor wanted to completely end You-Know-Who and become the new Dark Lord himself, but he hadn't expected things to be like this. He, Draco Malfoy, becoming the new Dark Lord? Was this possible?
Perhaps it really was possible.
Malfoy suddenly realized that the scene he was currently facing had far exceeded the scope of what the magic he knew could accomplish. The Night Emperor could ignore Hogwarts' protective magic and come and go freely, leaving even Dumbledore helpless.
Just by reciting the honorific name, he could directly communicate with the Night Emperor. Even the Dark Lord couldn't do this. Moreover, honorific names were something that transcended the wizarding world's understanding. According to records, only gods possessed honorific names.
Could it be... Malfoy was suddenly alarmed.
"You can become the Dark Lord, as long as you want to," Dudley said softly.
Malfoy's breathing became somewhat rapid.
"What do you need me to do?" Malfoy asked.
The Night Emperor couldn't help him for no reason. If so, the other party must have some purpose. It remained to be seen whether he could afford the price.
"All gifts of fate have their prices secretly marked. When I truly awaken, I will take back what I want," Dudley said calmly.
The more Malfoy listened, the more alarmed he became. This Night Emperor seemed to really be...
"Let's end here for today." As Dudley's words fell, the majesty dissipated.
Malfoy dropped to one knee swiftly. "Your will shall be done."
Soon, everything disappeared. Malfoy opened his eyes and was still standing in that dilapidated underground classroom. Everything seemed unchanged, yet everything seemed to have changed.
"A great being that is awakening." After a long while, Malfoy murmured softly.
"This is an opportunity. I must seize it." Malfoy clenched his fists.
He might not have had such great ambition before. Being content as a rich second generation wasn't bad. But now, having been repeatedly trampled underfoot by Harry and Dudley, his mindset had already changed.
He needed power. Even if it was dangerous.
But since he had already stepped onto this path, he no longer had any way back. He could only continue forward.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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