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Chapter 639: The Location of the Heart of Steel
"It looks like Jabari Wiven will have to be eliminated! He’s already found two items, but if he falls into a fatal danger and is declared 【Death】 by the Referees—even if rescued—he’ll be disqualified!" Bagman exclaimed, practically dancing on the commentary podium as if he wanted to dive straight into the screen.
"We can see the Aurors have reached the surface of the Water. As soon as the Referees give the Signal, they’ll immediately intervene and pull this unfortunate Champion to safety!"
Two Aurors hovered above the Water, riding their Broomsticks, wands raised, faces solemn.
Bagman sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "It’s unfortunate—Jabari Wiven’s greatest strength lies in his ability to Transform Into a Mouse, which gives him a huge advantage on land. But underwater? Utterly useless. If only he’d used a Freezing Spell or a Repulsion Charm, he wouldn’t be so passive right now..."
At the Referee’s table, everyone was focused on the Streaming Mirror. Jabari’s headmaster, Adeso, stood like a statue, his face as still as the Water beneath him, slowly raising his wand.
All it would take was a spark from the tip of the wand to trigger the Aurors’ rescue. But at the same time, Jabari would be officially eliminated—his Tournament journey over.
With the Champion struggling in the depths, fading fast and utterly incapable of escaping the Grendilo on his own, the eyes of the audience were fixed on Adeso, waiting for that decisive signal.
Suddenly, Bagman’s voice shot up eight octaves, shouting: "An unexpected incident! Wade Gray has suddenly appeared beside Jabari Wiven! What will he do? Does Wagadoo’s Champion still have a chance?"
Crouch remained expressionless, waving a hand to hold back the Aurors from casting any spell. The faint glow at the tip of Adeso’s wand flickered and died.
All eyes were now locked on the Streaming Mirror—on the figure of Wade Gray, face unreadable, standing motionless in the Water.
Yet deep in their hearts, most already knew the answer.
Another competitor might have helped. But this was Wade Gray.
After his performance in the first task, it was unlikely he’d do anything but deliver a crushing blow—certainly not intervene to save someone.
Percy, seated in the back row alongside Ministry of Magic officials, leaned forward, squinting at Minister Fudge, adjusting his glasses. "I must say," he whispered, "prioritizing personal performance and recklessly eliminating others goes against the very spirit of the Tournament. Our British Wizards should embody unity and sportsmanship."
Fudge nodded approvingly. "Quite right, Percy. Your thoughts are most fitting. I must say—"
"Oh, Cornelius Fudge, I’m afraid I must interrupt." Dumbledore smiled gently. "By that logic, why don’t we award a medal for ‘Most Sportsmanlike’ to the team that lost the most matches in the Quidditch World Cup?"
Fudge froze.
England, the birthplace of Quidditch, had once been a dominant force, regularly reaching the quarterfinals. But in the just-concluded World Cup, they’d been utterly crushed by the obscure Transylvania Team—390 to 10—a humiliation the Ministry of Magic preferred to ignore.
Fudge’s face flushed crimson. He was speechless, utterly flustered. Dumbledore, a fellow British Wizard, had just casually thrown that in his face?
The insult sat heavy in his throat. He stared, wide-eyed, unable to form a reply—until Dumbledore added, still smiling: "Sure, it might seem cruel. But the beauty of magical competition lies in every contestant freely displaying their talent and effort to overcome their rivals. Restricting such performance, deliberately falsifying results—now that’s the true betrayal of the game. The true disrespect to one’s opponent, don’t you think?"
Fudge: "..."
He hadn’t even begun to formulate a response when Adeso, the headmaster, gave a slow, firm nod.
"Exactly," the dark-skinned man said. "Even if Jabari is eliminated, it’s only because he was outmatched. No blame. No excuses. No one needs to step aside. And besides..."
He glanced at the Streaming Mirror.
The Grendilo that had wrapped around Jabari were now scattered, fleeing. The Champion coughed violently, spitting out bubbles as large as giant’s fists from his catfish head.
Wade Gray, hovering nearby, had just cast a clean, precise Repulsion Charm. Now, with a casual tap of his wand against his palm, he flicked his tail gently behind him—neither approaching nor attacking. He stayed just out of reach.
"...Cough, cough, cough..."
Jabari bent over like a river shrimp, forcibly surfacing to gulp in air. He locked eyes with the Auror above before plunging back beneath the Water.
Ripples shimmered across the lake’s surface, catching the light and casting shifting patterns across Wade Gray’s face—his expression hidden in shadow.
Unable to speak in his catfish form, Jabari raised his wand. Golden light flared in the Water, etching a message into the depths:
Why did you help me?
Wade asked, a string of bubbles rising from his mouth. "Where did you find the Heart of Steel?"
Jabari raised an eyebrow.
You could’ve just taken it from me.
Wade remained calm. "If you refuse to cooperate, that’s exactly what I’ll do next."
Jabari: "..."
This guy really has no manners at all! Even a little pretense? Nothing?
He gave Wade a sidelong glance, his eyes narrowed, then wrote again:
Remember that stretch of Water grass, like a forest, when you first dove in?
Ah...
Wade’s mind flashed back to that moment—his expression froze, then he blinked slowly.
Jabari gestured. My short sword was found beneath that patch of Water grass—inside the mouth of a stone turtle statue.
Wade: "...So that’s what you mean by 'the dark place'?"
Yes. Jabari glanced at the fish tail again, suppressing a grin. I’d guess you swam too fast. Missed the clue entirely.
Wade narrowed his eyes. "You’ve found all three items?"
Jabari hesitated. "...Still missing one: the Full Moon."
"The Full Moon is in the Merpeople Tribe. I’m sure you’ll find it soon."
Wade offered a rare gesture—pointing in a direction—then turned and swam back the way he came, vanishing from sight in an instant.
Watching him disappear, Jabari sighed—partly in envy, partly in relief. He hadn’t been robbed. With a twist of his limbs, he began swimming forward, slowly but steadily.
Sure, he’d mocked Wade for missing the clue because he’d swum too fast. But after hours of relentless swimming—arms and legs aching—he was exhausted.
If he hadn’t been so drained, he wouldn’t have been caught by the Grendilo in the first place.
Yet, in front of his opponent, he wouldn’t let himself show even a hint of envy—or fatigue.
(End of Chapter)
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