As space shattered and time twisted-once again leaving everyone aboard the ship frozen in shock-Noah and Hermione vanished before their eyes.
Silence followed.
No one spoke.
In the end, all gazes slowly turned toward Elizabeth, filled with unconcealed envy.
The Governor's daughter had received a gift from a god.
Barring any accidents, her future path would no longer lead toward damnation or endless suffering, but toward something far higher.
That realization made people jealous.
Deeply so.
Even Elizabeth herself was a little dazed.
She hadn't expected things to end like this.
Noah didn't pay it much mind.
Leaving a seed of Holy Light within Elizabeth was, to him, nothing more than an experiment.
He had already explained this clearly to Hermione.
He wanted to observe whether Holy Light infused with his power would still carry its innate tendency to influence and brainwash-or whether it would instead become a pure light construct, fully aligned with his will.
As for meeting again?
That was uncertain.
If Elizabeth truly possessed sufficient talent and eventually became a qualified mage through that Light, Noah wouldn't mind bringing her over and training her properly.
If not, then so be it.
He had only provided an opportunity.
Whether she could seize it was none of his concern.
Who knew?
Perhaps after returning to Port Royal, she'd still end up with that little blacksmith.
Or maybe she'd stop rebelling, accept her father's arrangements, and marry Norrington.
Either way, it had nothing to do with Noah.
When Noah and Hermione returned to their own universe, they were genuinely surprised.
They had spent over a month in that world.
Yet here, less than two days had passed.
The discovery felt unreal.
They even joked about finding another interesting place to stay for a while next time.
But that was for later.
They had played enough.
"I wonder when we'll get another chance like that," Hermione said softly as they arrived back at the London Sanctum.
"An experience like this."
"There will be chances," Noah replied casually.
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "How about living here from now on?"
"Living here?" Hermione tilted her head.
"Not a bad idea," she said after a moment. "But let's wait a little longer."
"You still need to deal with your back garden first."
"My back garden?" Noah frowned.
But Hermione didn't give him a chance to ask.
She leaned in, left a light kiss on his lips, then turned and walked away.
Waving without looking back, she reminded him not to forget inviting their friends for a meal.
Noah could only sigh.
He had no idea what she meant by "back garden."
As far as he knew, he didn't have one.
If anything, his greatest support was the entire British Ministry of Magic.
From top to bottom.
Everything was under his control.
Shaking his head, Noah didn't dwell on it.
He had more than enough to deal with already.
Hela.
Thor's coronation.
His own inauguration.
Each one was a headache.
But those weren't even the biggest problem.
Right now, the real issue was the Mind Stone.
At present, only two people were truly qualified to attempt to claim it.
Wanda.
And Stephen Strange.
Neither had yet earned their future titles.
They were both still working in the Exorcist Agency.
One with the main force.
The other leading a smaller independent team.
Both were performing exceptionally well.
Strange went without saying.
Ever since becoming "Sherlock Holmes," his results had been outstanding.
His progress was obvious.
Wanda wasn't lacking either.
She wasn't as flashy, but Noah knew she had been extremely active under Constantine and had recently taken over most of the workload.
Both were worth cultivating.
Logically, Noah leaned toward Wanda.
Her attributes were a near-perfect match for the Mind Stone.
Emotionally, though, he leaned toward Strange.
Strange's potential-and his performance in Noah's previous life-made him feel more at ease.
More importantly, both were his apprentices.
Both had deep connections to him.
No matter how he looked at it, the choice wasn't easy.
In the end, Noah decided on the simplest approach.
Let them both try.
Whoever earned approval would get it.
As for fairness?
That was their own responsibility.
If one gained the opportunity first, that alone was proof of capability.
Competition was competition.
Those who performed better naturally gained more chances.
Those who didn't fell behind.
With that settled, Noah made his decision.
In a few days, he would summon both Wanda and Strange.
Then his teaching would truly begin.
"You're back?"
A voice came from behind him while his thoughts were still wandering.
"I thought you'd stay outside until your inauguration."
"Hey, Wong," Noah turned helplessly.
"I really did have important business."
"Uh-huh," Wong replied dryly, handing him a newspaper.
"Going on a honeymoon and making the British magical world lose its Minister is also 'important business.'"
"Read this."
"You know I hate reading this stuff," Noah muttered, but still took the paper.
The Daily Prophet.
He had never liked it.
Mostly thanks to Rita Skeeter.
He skimmed it quickly.
As expected, it was filled with Ministry voices.
The gist was simple.
Noah had taken away their Minister.
Even if they were a couple, they shouldn't have done it so quietly.
The critic was unnamed.
No photo.
Just a vague label: a British Ministry official who wished to remain anonymous.
Useless.
Noah scanned the rest.
Mostly fluff.
Anonymous criticism.
Photos of him and Hermione walking in Westminster.
That was it.
Ninety-nine percent of Ministry officials remained silent.
Some even actively redirected the conversation.
What caught his attention instead were the blessings.
Kenn, who had taken over Hermione's duties, publicly supported them.
Stating plainly that both the Minister and the Guardian were human and deserved their own lives.
Others followed.
Lawrence.
Ed.
Harry.
Ron.
"So basically," Noah said, handing the paper back to Wong, "most people support us, and the opposition is pathetically small."
"Next time, read it before panicking."
Wong rolled his eyes.
"I still oppose you doing this right now."
"You're about to enter a new position. If you keep acting like this, there will be trouble."
Trouble?
Noah smiled.
He knew exactly what Wong meant.
The position of Sorcerer Supreme.
But Noah had no intention of being trapped in Kamar-Taj for life.
It wasn't that his teacher didn't want to travel.
The system simply never allowed it.
And other capable mages rarely had room to rise.
That was something Noah planned to change.
There were prerequisites.
And ideas.
He just wasn't sharing them yet.
One thing, however, was certain.
Time was short.
Smiling casually, Noah patted Wong on the shoulder.
"Relax. I have plans."
"When the time comes, I'm afraid you, Mordo, and Victor won't escape either."
Wong narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of terrible idea did you come up with now?"
"Let me be clear. You're about to take responsibility as Sorcerer Supreme. Don't mess around."
"I'll be Sorcerer Supreme," Noah said, winking.
"You'll see."
"Oh, and help me contact my two apprentices."
"It's time for them to come back."
"Wanda and Stephen?"
"Yes."
"Tell them school is starting."
He paused, then handed Wong a small bottle.
"And here. A gift."
"What is this?" Wong frowned. "A bottle?"
"Inside is a pirate ship," Noah said calmly.
"And this one's real."