Chapter 40: The Ownerless Wizard Tower

The bright moonlight spilled through the window and onto Tom’s face.

Leved poked his cheek, but Tom remained completely unresponsive.

"Toby has followed Master Leved’s instructions and added a drop of Draught of Living Death to Master Tom’s midnight snack. He will not wake up until dawn," Toby’s thin, shrill voice whispered from behind.

The Draught of Living Death is an incredibly potent sleeping potion, also known as the Potion of the Living Dead; a single drop is enough to keep a wizard in a deep, undisturbed slumber.

Leved lifted Tom’s eyelid to check his pupil, and only after confirming he was in a state of deep sleep did he nod with satisfaction.

"Very good, that is exactly the effect I wanted. Now... we can discuss some secrets that only the two of us should know." Leved’s expression turned serious.

Toby swallowed nervously. "What does Master Leved wish to ask Toby?"

"Toby, can you tell me about the family you served previously?" Leved asked.

Toby paused, looking a bit startled by the question.

"Toby... Toby’s former master’s family was the Somnolen family. The last heir of the Somnolen line, Master Sophic... who was Toby’s former master, died in a duel not long ago..."

Leved frowned.

Somnolen... it was a very unfamiliar surname. He had never heard of this family before.

Leved could not help but feel a little disappointed. A family he had never heard of whose bloodline had completely died out suggested that they likely lacked any significant heritage. He had hoped that since Toby’s former master was a dark wizard and the family was gone, he might be able to investigate and find books or notes that Dumbledore would forbid him from seeing.

However, nothing is absolute. Logically speaking, a family that possessed a house-elf should have had a fairly deep foundation.

"Toby, did your former master leave anything behind?" Leved asked immediately.

"When Toby’s former master was alive, the family had already fallen into ruin. Everything of value had been sold. Apart from an old manor, nothing else remains..." Toby said sadly.

In truth, having lost his master, Toby should have remained in the old manor to quietly wither away; he never would have run off to seek a second master. But for some reason, that day he simply wanted to go out for a walk, to wander far away, and to cherish the memories of his past and the happy times he had spent with his master.

Lost in his reflections, he had accidentally been struck by a carriage speeding through the night. After being sent flying, he had the misfortune of landing on a sharp fence nearby, sustaining several puncture wounds. Finally, he had crawled into an alley, preparing to meet his end. After all, his master was dead, and his own life had no further meaning.

When he finally opened his eyes again, he saw Leved, and for some reason, a powerful desire to make him his new master took hold of him.

After that, Leved became his master.

...

When Leved heard that the Somnolen family had left behind an old manor, his eyes lit up.

"Who inherited your former master’s manor?"

"No one... Master Sophic was the last of the Somnolen bloodline; he didn't even have any distant relatives." Toby let out another sorrowful sob.

"So, that manor is now masterless?"

"Yes... ever since Master Sophic fell in battle, the poor old house, just like poor Toby, lost its master... Now that Toby has a new master, there is no way for me to return to look after it, and the poor house is destined to fall into decay..."

Thinking of the place where he had once lived, destined to become increasingly desolate, Toby was overcome with grief once more.

Leved waved his hand to stop Toby’s tears and asked with great seriousness, "Could I become the new owner of that manor?"

Toby’s eyes widened in surprise. "Master Leved... you... you are willing to take over that old manor? Of course, you can become the new master of that house!"

"You seem quite pleased that I would accept it?" Leved looked at Toby with some surprise.

"Yes... Toby’s former master has passed away, and that manor holds the most beautiful memories of Toby’s past. Toby really does not want to see it go to ruin day by day. If Master Leved is willing to take it over... Toby could once again maintain the old house!"

"So that’s it..."

Although Toby was a house-elf Leved had purchased from the system, he was an independent living being. He had his own past and his own unique, cherished memories, and those memories resided within that manor. Only if Leved took ownership could Toby have the standing to return to that house.

For Leved, who had shaken off the constraints of his guardians, this was a good thing. He had been planning to find a secret base to conduct the small experiments he had in mind. This old manor had come at exactly the right time.

"Can you take me to see it now?" Leved could hardly wait.

"Of course! Of course! However, there are some protective enchantments laid around the outside of the manor, Master Leved must be careful..."

After explaining the method for entering the manor to Leved, Toby held out his hand.

"Please take hold of Toby’s hand, Master Leved, and Toby will take you to the manor now!"

...

Looking at the familiar castle in the distance, Leved felt a stir of emotion.

The old manor was actually located in the Scottish Highlands. He could even see Hogwarts from afar.

Judging by the distance and direction, the manor seemed to be built on a plateau deep within the Forbidden Forest. It was just that this plateau was covered in various protective enchantments, making it impossible to detect that a plateau existed there at all, let alone the manor upon it.

Leved turned to examine the building covered in green vines before him...

In truth, the old manor Toby spoke of should really be called a tower. It looked to be about five stories tall.

"Creak! Creak!"

Toby, his face full of excitement, had already opened the heavy doors of the tower.

"Master Leved, please, come in!"

Most of the tower's protective enchantments were on the exterior. Inside, there were surprisingly few.

As soon as Leved stepped through the door, he discovered that the space inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside; he assumed it must have been enchanted with something like an Undetectable Extension Charm.

However, while the ground floor was spacious, it was empty. In the center sat a grimy long table covered in a mess of empty bottles. The shelves around the walls, which should have held various experimental materials, were bare save for a thick layer of dust.

From the marks on the floor, Leved could tell that many instruments of unknown purpose had once been kept there. But now, they were nowhere to be found.

...

"The first floor is the laboratory, the second floor is the bedroom and dining room, the third and fourth floors are where the books are kept, and the fifth floor is for stargazing... Because the family fell into decline, Master Sophic sold everything of value after he inherited the manor... and at the time, Toby was so heartbroken that I had no heart to tidy the place, which is why it looks so messy..."

As soon as they entered, Toby began to chatter incessantly about the manor. But Leved caught the crucial point immediately.

"Wait, you just said the third and fourth floors are where the books are kept? Those books... were they sold, too?"