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On the large screen, the three Durmstrang champions stopped less than a hundred meters away from Lynn's camp.
The night was as thick as ink, with only the light from a distant bonfire flickering in the darkness, outlining the silhouette of Lynn's crude shelter.
The three of them hid in the shadows of the trees, peering cautiously inside.
There was no one by the bonfire.
On the wooden bed at the entrance of the shelter, a reclining figure could be dimly seen, sleeping soundly with his hands tucked behind his head.
Krum narrowed his eyes, trying to get a clear look at the face.
Louis stood beside him, also craning his neck.
Katya stood behind the two of them.
As soon as his gaze touched that figure, he froze in place as if struck by lightning.
That face, that silhouette—even if it were turned to ash, he would still recognize it.
It was Lynn.
Katya's breath hitched for a moment. He instinctively took half a step back, stepping on a dry branch that let out a crisp crack.
Krum turned his head and shot him a glance.
The look was questioning, but mostly it was a warning to keep quiet.
Katya swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.
He looked at Krum's back. The star Seeker of Durmstrang was currently waving for them to take a detour and leave.
Katya took a deep breath, ran a few steps, and blocked Krum's path.
Krum stopped and asked in confusion, "What is it? Something wrong?"
Louis also cast a questioning gaze.
Katya nodded and whispered, "There's only one person inside."
"So what?" Krum countered, his tone tinged with confusion.
"One person," Katya repeated, "representing a whole school. It's just Lynn."
Krum looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"He might have a golden egg on him." Katya's voice dropped even lower, carrying an irrepressible excitement. "Why don't we—"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was already clear.
Krum's eyebrows twitched.
"Rob him."
Louis:!!!
His eyes widened as he looked at Krum, then Katya, and then at the sleeping figure in the distance. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly.
"Krum," his voice was extremely low, carrying obvious hesitation, "shouldn't we... think about this a bit more?"
Krum didn't say anything.
He stared at the distant shelter, his brow furrowed slightly, seemingly considering Louis's words seriously.
Rob him? Or not?
Katya's heart sank as he watched Krum's expression. He knew this look all too well—it was hesitation, wavering, a precursor to maybe we should try another way.
No.
Katya's mind raced. He had to convince Krum. He had to.
"It's perfect, Krum!"
His voice was even lower, but the urgency in his tone was almost overflowing.
"Think about the lone golden egg we have. Just one. How many do the other schools have? How many does Hogwarts have? That Lynn—what if he's managed to get two?"
Krum's brow furrowed even tighter.
"And think about Durmstrang's history." Katya continued his pitch, his speaking speed increasing. "The Triwizard Tournament has been held for so many years, and how many times have we won? Not once! If we can bring back a championship in the first Triwizard Tournament—"
He spoke persuasively, every word hitting Krum right where it mattered.
"Breaking the tournament's zero-win streak would be something for the history books. The Principal would be proud, and the three of us would leave our names in Durmstrang's history. Krum, just imagine that scene—"
Krum's expression gradually changed.
That was...
Looking at Krum's expression, Louis felt a sense of foreboding.
That wasn't a normal expression; it was a look of obsession.
"Then we'll rob him!"
Krum suddenly clenched his fist, his tone resolute.
"Rob him!"
"Good!" Katya nodded vigorously, a bright smile spreading across his face.
Louis: "..."
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something like, "Is this really appropriate?" but Krum didn't give him the chance.
"The Principal said that in the competition, everything is up to my judgment." Krum looked at him with an unquestionable tone. "I've decided: we're robbing him!"
Louis sighed.
He swallowed his words and silently drew his wand.
The three of them exchanged glances, then crouched down and began to creep toward the shelter illuminated by the bonfire.
...
In the Quidditch Pitch, most of the audience was already drowsy.
After all, after a whole day of intense fighting, thrilling chases, and Lynn's ridiculous fishing and fire-wall dragon-fighting, their adrenaline had been depleted.
Now that the night was deep and the images on the screen had quieted down, many people began to doze off against their seatbacks.
Then—
"Look!!!"
Ludo Bagman's exclamation instantly pulled everyone out of their half-asleep state.
"The Durmstrang champions are creeping toward Lynn's shelter!!!"
On the large screen, three sneaky figures were approaching the bonfire step by step under the cover of night.
The stands erupted in an uproar.
"What are they doing?!"
"Are they going to steal the golden egg?!"
"Holy crap, they're so bold!!"
"Don't they know who that is?!"
Ludo's voice echoed over the pitch, so excited it almost cracked:
"The competition rules don't forbid snatching golden eggs from each other! This means every champion is just as dangerous as the magical creatures guarding the eggs!"
He paused, his tone taking on a hint of subtlety.
"Now, I can only wish the Durmstrang champions luck. Although, as a judge and commentator, saying this is a bit unprofessional..."
A burst of laughter erupted from the stands.
But soon, the laughter stopped.
Because on the large screen, the three figures had already crept to within fifty meters of the shelter.
Krum was in the lead, with Louis and Katya following closely behind. Every step the three of them took was light and slow, making almost no sound.
The light from the bonfire grew brighter.
The silhouette of the shelter became clearer.
The figure on the wooden bed—still motionless, sleeping soundly.
Krum held his breath and raised his wand—
Then he froze.
Because the figure on the bed suddenly became blurry.
Like a piece of paper soaked in water, it began to turn transparent bit by bit from the edges.
Krum:!!!
Before he could react, the figure—right before his eyes—turned into specks of light and shadow, slowly dissipating into the air.
The wooden bed was empty.
There was nothing there.
"Are you looking for me?"
A voice suddenly came from behind the three of them.
The voice wasn't loud—calm, even—but in the dead silence of the night, it exploded in their ears like a clap of thunder.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three spells shot from their wand tips, piercing the darkness with blinding light.
They hit nothing.
The spells disappeared into the distant woods, stirring up a rustle of falling leaves.
"What? Trying to steal my golden egg?"
The voice spoke again.
This time, it was even closer.
So close it felt like it was just a meter behind them.
Louis felt his back soaked in cold sweat. He slowly turned his head—
Nothing.
Only the swaying shadows of the trees in the dark.
Louis hurriedly shook his head in denial.
"We're not here to steal your golden egg! It's a misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!"
The air fell into a brief silence.
The silence lasted less than three seconds, but to Louis, it felt as long as a century.
Suddenly, in an instant—
An arm reached out from the darkness and grabbed Katya's neck with precision!
Boom!!!
A dull thud sounded, shaking the surrounding leaves so that they rustled down.
Katya was slammed against a large tree by that arm, his entire back crashing into the trunk with enough force to crack the bark. His feet left the ground, and he was hoisted into the air.
"Ugh—!"
Katya let out a short, muffled groan and then began to struggle violently.
His hands scrambled to reach for his wand, but it had already fallen at some point. His legs kicked wildly in the air, trying to strike the person holding him. His mouth opened, wanting to chant a spell—
But the hand gripping his neck tightened further.
Lynn's face emerged from the darkness.
He stood right in front of Katya, pinning him to the tree with one hand around his neck.
"You really never learn, do you?"
"I..."
Katya squeezed a syllable out of his throat.
His hands were still flailing in vain, but his strength was waning. His face turned bright red, and his eyes were wide, filled with terror.
Lynn tilted his head, looking at his struggling form, and suddenly smiled.
"To be honest, sometimes I really feel—" he paused, adding another ounce of force to his grip, "—that a fistfight is much more satisfying than slinging spells."
Just then, a beam of black light shot straight toward Lynn from behind.
Lynn tilted his head, and the spell slammed directly into Katya's body.
Rumble, rumble, rumble~
A sound of stomach rumbling followed, along with a foul stench.
Lynn's face darkened, and with a flick of his hand, he threw Katya far away.
"Damn! I knew Durmstrang taught its students Dark Arts, but this is too dark! How could you even attack your own classmate?! This is too much! I'm going to give you a good lesson on behalf of your Principal!"
Krum was shocked, not understanding how his sneak attack had been dodged so easily, but there was no time to think now. He waved his wand again, preparing for a second attack.
But Lynn wouldn't give him the chance; he had already drawn his wand.
"Krum is performing a flying trapeze act for everyone!" Ludo Bagman shouted.
From Louis's perspective, the phantom of an Erumpent instantly appeared. It let out a furious roar and charged at Krum on all fours; then, Krum was sent flying over ten meters by the impact.