Chapter 201: Two Hermiones?!
Chapter 201: Two Hermiones?!
"Awooo—" A sudden wolf howl echoed from nearby, and Liam, using the Purple Mist Divine Art, discerned that the pack seemed to be chasing the rider from earlier.
Soon, a figure on a white horse appeared in Liam and Hermione’s line of sight. Neither the horse nor the rider was clad in armor, so this couldn’t be the Filial Son. Liam let out a sigh of relief. However, the rider looked disheveled, having been chased off the road and into a side path by the pack of wolves.
"Liam, I think the rider is an unarmed woman. If the wolves keep chasing her, she might be in danger. We should go and see if we can help", Hermione said, having noticed something.
"Alright, the sound is coming from this direction. Let’s take a shortcut through the forest." With that, the two of them emerged from their hiding place and hurried in the direction the rider and the wolves had gone. After all, this was the first living person they had encountered in this world, and who knew when they would come across another if she were to be devoured by the wolves.
Besides, the wolves hadn’t shown any signs of using Magic, and five or six ordinary wolves clearly posed no threat to two Wizards.
The two of them followed the trail, guided by Liam. Hermione, who had been diligently practicing the training methods Liam had taught her last year, managed to keep up with him despite the snowy forest floor.
"Wait, the rider seems to have accidentally ended up on the ice. Oh no, the wolves are surrounding her", Liam said, hearing some concerning news. He grabbed Hermione’s hand. "We need to move faster. Get on my back, and I’ll carry you."
Hermione nodded and climbed onto Liam’s back. With the Purple Mist Divine Art flowing through his body, Liam began to move swiftly through the forest. They quickly covered the few hundred meters to an icy pond.
They arrived just in time. The rider stood next to her horse, while a two-meter-tall, legged monster was being attacked by a pack of wolves.
"Stunning Spell, let’s knock out everything that isn’t human first", Liam said as he set Hermione down. Since they weren’t sure of the situation, it was best to neutralize all potential threats.
"Stupefy x2" Red spells shot from their wands, hitting the entangled wolves and the monster, which were easy targets. The subsequent battle was a formality, and the wolves and the monster were quickly stunned. The alpha wolf, with an injured eye, tried to sneak up on Liam and Hermione, but the Purple Mist Divine Art made it impossible to sneak past. As it approached, Liam drew the Liberator Pistol from his left leg and fired, taking it down.
At this point, they saw the rider hesitate for a moment before running to the monster and squatting down to check its condition.
"Uh, looks like we accidentally hit an ally", Liam said to Hermione, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I didn’t expect this world to have non-human intelligent beings. At least it was just a Stunning Spell. We should go down and explain", Hermione replied, leading the way toward the two figures (or was it one and a monster?).
"Hello, is there anything we can help you with?" Hermione asked the woman kneeling beside the monster, but the response came in a language they didn’t understand.
So, the idea that everyone in every world speaks Chinese, English, or Japanese is just something authors or directors make up to save time. In reality, that's impossible. Thankfully, the language on the other side is also a human language—just French.
Fortunately, both Liam and Hermione can understand French: At Britain Elementary, the foreign language of choice is often French, and as a top student, Hermione naturally excelled in it. Liam, on the other hand, received an enhancement in French from the Assassin Kenway lineage, as France was a powerful force in the Caribbean Sea back in the day, and knowing French was essential for a pirate captain in that region.
The woman was seeking help because the monster was injured, and she wanted to bring it back to the castle to treat its wounds. The unconscious monster was too heavy for her to move, so she hoped Liam and Hermione could help lift the monster onto the horse.
"No problem, ma'am." Liam stepped forward and cast a spell: "Wingardium Leviosa." He used his wand to levitate the monster toward the horse, while Hermione cast some spells to stop the bleeding from the monster's wounds.
After placing the monster on the horse, the woman repeatedly thanked them. Hermione, after casting the final spell to stop the bleeding, turned to comfort the woman. "It's alright, miss. Your friend—" Hermione paused as she looked up and saw the woman's face.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Liam, hearing Hermione's sentence trail off, grew concerned and walked around the horse to check. He was surprised to find Hermione and the woman standing face to face, both silent.
"What are you two doing? Although the bleeding has stopped, we should find a warmer place soon, or it won't be good for the wound." Liam finished, glancing at the two women, then rubbed his eyes in surprise because he saw two Hermiones.
No, that wasn't right. After a closer look, Liam realized that the situation was more accurately described as a younger Hermione standing face to face with an adult Hermione.
"I know it's amazing to meet someone who looks just like you in a crowd, but we can talk about it on the way. Standing in the snow isn't a good idea." At this point, Liam felt he had a good idea of which world he was in.
"Oh, right." "You're right, Liam." The two women came to their senses and, along with Liam, escorted the horse and the monster down the road toward the distant castle.
"My name is Belle. I'm really grateful to you both. I really didn't know what to do with the injured monster." After walking in silence for a while, the woman who looked like an adult Hermione broke the silence.
"I'm Liam, and this is Hermione. We are Wizard apprentices, and we were using Magic to travel when we made a mistake and ended up in the forest. If we hadn't met you, we might have had to camp out in the snow tonight."
"Is that so? I'm currently staying in his castle." Belle pointed to the monster on the horse. "The castle is large, so hosting you for a night shouldn't be a problem."
"Thank you very much." Hermione said gratefully. At that moment, an iron gate appeared before them, marking the arrival at the Beast's castle.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
