Chapter 974: Dark Horse
Chapter 974: Dark Horse
As night fell, the suburbs became eerily quiet, as if everything had fallen into a deep slumber, and even the houses on either side of the street went dark. Yet, there were shadowy figures lurking by the roadside. A closer look would reveal them to be Spanish policemen, causing unsuspecting Muggles to wonder if something amiss was happening. However, the "police officers" carrying wooden sticks had already given away their true identities.
Employees of the Spanish Ministry of Magic were on a patrol mission. Although the area had been warded to repel Muggles, they remained vigilant against any potential unforeseen circumstances.
Albert had just Apparated to a vacant lot near the stadium when he spotted someone approaching him. It was a male employee of the Spanish Ministry of Magic, who was there to register his identity.
After Albert identified himself as a participant and showed his ID, the wizard mechanically instructed him, "Competitors, please proceed to Entrance Number Nine. From there, you will find the waiting room for contestants, where there will be staff dedicated to registration."
Following the wizard's pointed direction, Albert soon spotted a "signpost" written in multiple languages, indicating the location of Entrance Number Nine.
As he reached the entrance, a burst of noise assaulted his ears.
There was a table set up with a box resembling a lottery draw. Next to the box were four compartments marked 1, 2, 3, and 4, corresponding to the four sections of the contestants' waiting room.
The wizard took out a card with the number 1 on it from the box, put it back, and gestured for Albert to draw one himself.
Albert randomly picked a card with the number "3" on it. He placed the card in the designated area for the third zone and was directed to proceed to that zone.
The passage beyond the entrance was spacious, roughly the size of two or three Great Halls at Hogwarts. It was divided into four sections, each filled with numerous small round tables, resembling a cafe.
In fact, one could indeed order beverages here, though they were not complimentary.
As soon as Albert entered Zone 3, he spotted several Aurors maintaining order. They wore stern-looking robes, giving off an air of bureaucratic solemnity.
Their presence served more as a deterrent than anything else. Albert doubted that this small group of Aurors could effectively maintain order if chaos were to break out.
Before entering Zone 3, there was another draw to determine the order of entry for the match.
The Spanish Ministry of Magic was evidently experienced in organizing dueling tournaments, as the entire process was efficiently managed without a hint of chaos.
Albert glanced at the round number plate in his hand, which bore the number 17.
He pocketed the number plate and looked for an empty seat, attracting curious glances from those around him. They were undoubtedly intrigued by Albert's youthful appearance.
Of course, no one truly took him seriously. Young wizards like Albert were the preferred opponents for other contestants, as they posed an easy path to advancement.
Albert took out a chocolate-flavored toffee from his pocket and popped it into his mouth, slowly savoring it. According to Bard, only when the competition reached the top 16 would the organizers test the contestants for the use of Felix Felicis or other forms of cheating.
Well, the testing method was quite simple. Under the supervision of the judges, one would drink a small amount of Veritaserum diluted with water.
Then, someone would ask if you had cheated.
As for cheating in the preliminary knockout rounds, it didn't really matter.
Also, don't assume that taking Felix Felicis would go unnoticed.
If you were jumping around energetically during the match, it would be easy to arouse suspicion of Felix Felicis use.
If you were eventually pulled for testing and found positive, you would be banned from participating in the International Wizard Duelling Competition and possibly other competitions forever.
Time ticked by, and after the stroke of midnight, countless fireworks bloomed in the sky above the stadium, signaling the commencement of the International Wizard Duelling Competition.
The contestants entered the field in order, and the football field was spacious enough to accommodate four matches simultaneously. Tonight, the top 16 from each zone would be swiftly determined.
Albert waited in Zone 3 for a quarter of an hour before it was his turn to duel.
His opponent was a middle-aged wizard with brown hair.
The man seemed pleased to find that his opponent was a young wizard. When Albert smiled and greeted him in English, he replied in German, but his words were not exactly friendly.
Unbothered, Albert offered a slight smile and proceeded into the dueling arena first.
The football field's grass had been completely replaced by a dueling stage made of marble, providing ample space for movement. The remaining dueling stages were also spaced apart to ensure that the contestants wouldn't interfere with each other during their matches.
The referee, a middle-aged wizard wearing a pointed hat, stood nearby with a blue flag in hand.
After both contestants entered the field, the referee briefly explained the rules before signaling for them to take their positions on the stage.
Albert's youthful and handsome appearance quickly drew numerous gazes as he stepped onto the stage, especially since the Fancy Wizard Clothing Store had published photos of him wearing the Fire Dragon costume, making him even more recognizable.
After all, who could resist a handsome and talented young man?
However, Albert paid no heed to these distractions and focused all his attention on his opponent, holding his wand like a sword in front of his chest. He bowed slightly to his opponent and then turned his attention to the referee, awaiting the countdown.
"Three, two, one... begin!"
Both contestants raised their wands, ready to cast their spells, but Albert's movement was evidently faster.
Without uttering a word, Albert released a spell almost simultaneously with the raising of his wand, sending it hurtling toward his opponent.
Caught off guard by Albert's rapid spellcasting, the middle-aged wizard abandoned the Dark spell he had been chanting halfway and lifted his wand to block the incoming red light.
However, Albert didn't give his opponent any time to react. A second spell swiftly followed the first, and before the wizard could defend himself, he was struck by a tremendous force and sent flying. Albert's third spell hit the fallen wizard, immediately disarming him.
It was evident that Professor Flitwick's "trident" technique was indeed effective.
With his wand gone, the middle-aged wizard had lost the match.
"You lose," Albert said in German.
The middle-aged wizard climbed to his feet, his face contorted with shock as he stared at Albert. He had thought his opponent would be an easy target, but he had encountered a formidable opponent instead. Moreover, this young man spoke German, and he had clearly understood what he had said earlier, even smiling at him.
"He must have done it on purpose. What a despicable guy," the middle-aged wizard muttered to himself, unable to comprehend how his opponent could cast spells so quickly. He knew non-verbal spells as well, but the speed and power of Albert's spells were beyond what someone of his age should be capable of; it felt like cheating.
Indeed, it was cheating.
Could this young man have taken Felix Felicis?
That had to be it.
As the referee raised the flag to declare Albert the winner, the middle-aged wizard approached him, protesting that his opponent might have used Felix Felicis.
Albert looked at the wizard before him with a strange expression and turned to the referee. "Do you need to inspect him?" he asked.
"No need," the referee replied. "I recognize you. I even witnessed your championship win last year. Good luck this time." He then glanced at the sore loser before him and added nonchalantly, "I don't think there's an issue. He has the skill to back it up."
The middle-aged wizard's face froze at the referee's words.
"It seems someone disagrees with the outcome of the match," the young wizard commentator said loudly, eager for some drama. "Let's hear what our referee has to say about this."
"That young man won the Gold Prize for Spellcasting last year. I remember reading about it in the newspaper," the referee said indifferently. "I don't think it's fair to assume that he's cheating just because he displayed exceptional dueling skills. That's slander."
"Alright, alright, perhaps we have a dark horse on our hands. Let's see how far this young contestant can go!"
"He seems to be quite famous."
Katrina, hearing the surrounding discussions about Albert, turned to Isabelle, who didn't seem pleased. "What's wrong? You don't look happy."
"This is not good news," Isabelle shook her head.
Albert had already caught the attention of the mysterious man and the Death Eaters. Being well-known also meant being conspicuous, which could attract unnecessary trouble.
Who knew what kind of big trouble would find him if the newspapers published news of Albert participating in the International Wizard Duelling Competition?
(End of Chapter)
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