https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-659-I-Was-Just-Joking-I-Never-Thought-You-d-Take-It-Seriously/13453056/
Chapter 658: Ruthless Hals
Chapter 658: Ruthless Hals
It was late February, and the Champions faced challenges far beyond just the Mermaid Guards. The icy lake water was constantly draining their already limited stamina.
Harry and Krum, realizing this, swam frantically toward the center of the lake as soon as they hit the water, not daring to waste a moment.
The Black Lake was vast, and the one-hour time limit was extremely tight, especially since they needed to spend some time locating the Mermaid village.
Ivan, who lagged behind, looked relaxed. He had scouted the area several times before, coming here over a dozen times. He could swim to the location of the hostages with his eyes closed.
However, since this was a competition and there were many spectators watching, Ivan couldn't cheat outright. Instead, he waved his wand, transforming some of the stones on the lake bottom into fish, pretending they were guiding his way. He waited for about a minute before starting to swim.
But after swimming for just a few minutes, Ivan sharply discovered that something seemed to be following him.
At first, Ivan thought it might be the Mermaids causing trouble, but when he turned back, he realized it wasn't a Mermaid at all, but the Beauxbatons Champion, Fleur Delacour.
Despite the deep, murky waters of the Black Lake and the distance, Ivan easily identified her by her figure.
"Planning to follow me through, huh?"
Ivan immediately understood her plan and couldn't help but smile. Wanting to take advantage of him wasn't going to be that easy!
About seven meters away, Fleur was intensely focused on the distant figure, swimming hard to keep up, neither too close nor too far, trailing at a safe distance.
After seeing the images in the Crystal Ball on the shore, Fleur was deeply worried about her sister Gabrielle's safety, but her urgent feelings didn't cloud her judgment.
The Black Lake at Hogwarts was enormous, and she had never been there before. Finding the Mermaid village quickly was like searching for a needle in a haystack, and the guards were not easy to deal with.
So, she had a bold idea: follow someone who was certain to complete the task, like Ivan Hals, who had performed brilliantly in the first task, achieving a perfect score!
Back at Hogwarts, Fleur had gathered information about him from some Ravenclaw girls, and every piece of information she received was shockingly impressive, enough to completely refresh her understanding!
Especially when she heard that he had killed a twelve-foot-tall Troll in his first year and had taken down a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor before the end of the term, she almost thought they were telling a wild fairy tale.
But the first task had forced Fleur to admit that these stories might be true, as he had accomplished something even more unbelievable—defeating a Dragon in a head-on battle!
Because of this, Fleur believed that Ivan would be the first to find the Mermaid Village and successfully rescue the hostages. All she needed to do was follow him.
It was easy and relatively safe...
If there was any danger ahead, she wouldn't even need to act, as he would naturally handle it.
The only thing to watch out for was the possibility of the Hogwarts Champion attacking her, as this was a competition and they were now opponents!
Fleur tightly gripped her wand, carefully maintaining a distance that allowed her to react quickly without losing sight of her target.
If Ivan decided to try and subdue her, it would waste a lot of time.
In a competition where every second counted, wasting time was equivalent to handing victory to the other Champions.
So she was betting that Ivan wouldn't risk it and wouldn't take action against her to ensure his own victory!
Despite this, Fleur's heart raced when she noticed Ivan stopping and looking back at her.
Fortunately, Ivan's next move was just as she had anticipated—he had no intention of attacking. After pausing for a few seconds, he continued on his way.
Fleur let out a slow breath of relief and quickly followed, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, feeling quite pleased with herself.
However, something felt off as Ivan pressed deeper into the Black Lake. The surroundings grew darker, and visibility decreased, reducing her field of vision to less than ten feet. This forced her to close the distance between herself and Ivan to avoid being left behind.
What made Fleur even more uneasy were the strange sounds emanating from the darkness, accompanied by the occasional glimpse of movement.
"Lumos~" Fleur gently waved her wand, and the soft blue light of Lumos spread out, illuminating the hideous, grotesque faces of fish and the glinting tridents they held.
They were Mermaids!
Fleur nearly gasped in shock. The sheer number of them was overwhelming, far beyond what she could handle alone. She immediately turned her head, hoping to find Ivan—she believed that only by joining forces with him could they escape this place.
Unfortunately, when she turned around, her heart sank. Ivan was nowhere to be seen.
"He must have done this on purpose!" Fleur gritted her teeth, realizing that Ivan had deliberately led her here and had likely already fled.
Ivan's cold-heartedness far exceeded her expectations. He had simply left her here to fend for herself. Fleur cursed under her breath, but there was nothing she could do about it.
The Mermaids, once illuminated by the light, seemed to be spurred into action. They launched a barrage of attacks, hurling countless dark shadows at Fleur.
"Impedimenta~" Fleur waved her wand, casting a Shield Charm. The numerous rocks and coral pieces crashed against it, quickly breaking through her defenses.
Fleur quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself, hoping to evade the Mermaids' pursuit. However, she had underestimated their sensory abilities in the water. The charm was easily detected, and she found herself forced to fight and flee, trying to outmaneuver the creatures.
Meanwhile, Ivan maintained his Disillusionment Charm from a distance, observing the scene. His magical prowess far exceeded Fleur's, ensuring he remained undetected.
"These Mermaids are such cowards. So many of them against one Wizard, and they only dare to throw rocks from a distance..." Ivan thought to himself, shaking his head at the sight.
He wasn't sure if their cowardice stemmed from a fear of Wizards or from the instructions Dumbledore had given them. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
Ivan shook his head again, satisfied that Fleur was not in mortal danger. He then turned and dove into the dark water, heading towards the Mermaid village, which lay ahead.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
