Fantasy Realm – Infinite Worlds Adventure-Chapter 245: Alex’s Training, Questionable Guidance

Two hours later, at nearly 10 PM, a visibly excited Rita Skeeter fumbles with her notes, numerous pages filled with hastily written scribbles.

“Well, this is all for today. If you’re a good girl and release some favorable articles, I have many more things—some much more far-reaching than these little school stories. Best thing, my dear Rita, you don’t even have to lie! Many more exclusive stories are in store for you. For example, the story of when I killed that Vampire Lord,” Alex teases her with a grin.

“Vampire Lord? You’re joking, right? That sounds like a made-up story, like the scam of a teacher, Lockhart, you told me about. His true story was quite interesting as well,” Rita questions him excitedly.

Alex flaunts [Drakul’s Vitality], revealing it under his clothes. “Touch it,” he says.

Rita, as if enchanted by a mysterious force, touches the crimson necklace Alex is wearing, and her body is suddenly filled with a strange feeling, obviously noticing the incredible magic hidden in it.

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“Trust me, I can kill the strongest vampire lords. You don’t want to mess with me. If you keep your end of the deal, I might even tell you the full story. It’s really interesting,” Alex tells her earnestly.

“You know… first impressions might not be that important after all. Maybe I’ll ask you to step inside a broom closet with me after a—” Rita says, with a slightly blushed face, but suddenly stops as Jewel suddenly releases her Aura, frightening Rita.

Jewel…! What are you doing!

Keeping the nasty peasants away from my dearest Soulmate! If you have urges, which you should suppress as much as you can, your Princess Jewel will not be mad if you seek out the company of the Head Peasant Tereza. She can act as your cheap Wench.

Alex sighs, emptying his third Butterbeer.

Head Peasant, huh? What an upgrade! I wasn’t even serious, just some flirting. Better not call her Wench, or she might be sad after getting promoted to the prestigious rank of Head Peasant.

Head Peasant Tereza is indeed a lucky Peasant, to have earned that title. Your Princess Jewel was too generous during her discussion with the Peasant!

Aside from referring to yourself with your name, you’re beginning to speak more and more in the third person. I’m not sure that’s a good thing, although it’s certainly unique….

As soon as Rita somewhat regains her calm, she says: “I… I… I’ll stay in contact. Good night. Please read the paper; you won’t be disappointed,” still a bit flustered, staring at Jewel’s red eyes and sharp ruby-red teeth the self-proclaimed Princess flaunts in front of her.

She swiftly stands up and leaves, almost running into another table, her legs still shaky. As the door closes, Alex notes that most other guests have also left by now.

Alex also stands up and walks toward his home, speaking to the invisible Harry: “How about another drink at my place? I have some good stuff. I’m hungry as well. Trust me, my friend Menchi, who you know from Potions class, is such a good cook. She even got promoted to Royal Head Chef, I’ve been told.”

Harry strips off his cloak and stops, asking: “Royal? So who is—forget it! How… do you know all of this?! And why did you tell her?!”

Alex laughs. “Okay, let me borrow the style from my soldier friend Ben. First lesson, recruit: Information is Power! I have quite a few capable friends, contacts, and even adversaries I regularly exchange information with. Now, did you see how I used the information? Tell me your opinion on the way to my house.”

“You just told the truth… however, you made up theories that are more or less just your thoughts and guesses, and used the truth to bolster them,” Harry says, remembering all the secrets about the first years and even the distant past like Sirius’s incarceration Alex mentioned.

“Very true. Why did I mention these theories, and how are they related to you?” Alex questions him.

“They obviously help me! Sirius, especially—if the truth comes out, will he be cleared of his crimes?! Can he stop hiding? Maybe he can ad— no… that won’t happen!” Harry states but stops.

“Of course, he can adopt you, and most likely, he’ll be freed. You see how powerful information is? Now, do you know who had the knowledge about this? Many people, including Dumbledore and Barty Crouch Senior, both of whom you met today, knew about it. They have their own goals and kept quiet about it. Now, I used that information to further your interests, the same way they hid it for their own interests,” Alex explains.

“Why didn’t Dumbledore… you said all kinds of stuff about him, how he left me in the care of the Dursleys, despite having much better alternatives, how he watched me suffer, even sent someone to spy on me, proving he was aware of everything,” Harry stutters as he realizes the truth.

“I told you, Dumbledore is a very calculated person. He has his goals. Your happiness, even your life, is not worth much compared to the whole country, or more like the whole world. Beaten down your whole life, you are much easier to control than a smart, free-thinking individual who knows the world and the truth around you,” Alex says, a grin on his face.

Alex continues: “He’s a rather loving old gentleman, and I can promise you, he is not as selfish as I have portrayed him. However, his philosophy, despite fighting against it in his past, can be summed up with ‘For The Greater Good.’ Simply put, for his perceived Greater Good, he is willing to sacrifice a lot. Don’t think he is evil; reality is not so simple that you can just differentiate between good and evil.”

My dearest Soulmate, your Princess Jewel is so delighted to see you having so much fun. However, remember the promise to the friendly Manipulator Rishi. Too much information on the Ancient Manipulator Dumbledore might have fatal consequences if the plot is affected. Of course, your Princess Jewel will support you even if you tell him everything you know.

I know, Jewel. Thank you for supporting me. Don’t worry, I think I know what I’m doing.

❤️

“Now, there are a couple of choices for you, Harry. You can forget everything I told you and just keep doing things the way you have been, blindly being lead by Dumbledore. You can also confront him, in which case you’ll most likely be brainwashed and turned into a complete puppet, and end up losing even the last bit of freedom you currently possess.”

“Or…” Harry asks, a desperate look on his face.

“I’ll teach you some stuff and help you. Consider the help with Rita as a freebie,” Alex answers.

“Freebie? What do you mean?” Harry asks, slightly confused and a bit unsure.

Alex turns around and looks at Harry before answering: “I hate manipulating people, especially people like you who have suffered a lot already, so I might as well tell you the absolute truth. Everything has a price. I won’t be able to take care of you forever. I’ll leave after the tournament, meaning after that, you’ll be on your own. If I take you under my wing, you’ll probably make more than just a few enemies. People won’t like your freedom and individuality very much. It’s much more convenient to use you as a tool, Harry. Things might get dangerous. It all depends on you, though. There is still hope that everything will work out if you blindly rely on Dumbledore, so it’s a huge risk for you. Also there’s no reason for you to trust me.”

“...I… You are the first person who has told me these things honestly without holding back. Even now, you essentially gave me a way back out. I think I’ll trust you! Please help me! I’ll never forget your help—I promise!”

“Fine, let’s start with your first lesson. If you guess correctly, I’ll ask Menchi to cook you a special meal of your choice, and I even ask Jewel to give you a head massage! You get three guesses!”

“Strategies for the tournament,” Harry guesses, Alex quickly shaking his head.

“Information about the people manipulating me, and how we can fight back!” Harry suddenly speaks up, remembering Alex’s speech about information.

“Not bad, but that isn’t it either,” Alex says, quite satisfied with this response.

“...Maybe training? I don’t know!” Harry guesses, no clue what Alex is talking about.

“Well, that counts. I’ll let you eat with us, but no special meal or massage for you though!” Alex says.

“What training?! Some powerful secret spells?” Harry asks, getting a little bit excited.

Alex begins to laugh, shaking his head, as they reach their house and he opens the door. He quickly turns around and says: “You’ll be learning… Nen!”