Cowardly Surrender to Hermes

This isn't a no-go, it's a recommendation for the treasure book <Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Starry Sky>.

Avery chuckled beside him, and Alex laughed along, his shoulders twitching as he quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

Hermes' eye twitched; he remembered the last time Regulus had asked him that question.

Before he could answer, a Stone Spike emerged from beneath his feet and pressed against his throat, leaving him no time to raise his wand.

Hermes coughed lightly. "Fight normally."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'normal'?"

Hermes choked for a moment.

"It's like..." he frowned, "Like a wizard's duel, formal, with bows, and then it begins."

Avery added from the side, "You said the same thing last time."

Hermes glared at him.

Avery shrank back, looking rather odd.

Alex whispered, "No, last time he took a hit first before saying that."

Hermes' eye twitched again.

Regulus looked at his expression, a slight smile playing on his lips. After a moment, he asked, "Anything else?"

Hermes was silent for a moment, then said, "Could you please not use that move?"

He didn't understand how the dummy's head disappeared just now, but he knew his own head wouldn't be any more durable.

Avery laughed again, put his hand on Alex's shoulder, and leaned towards him.

Alex didn't laugh out loud, but his shoulders shook even more violently.

Regulus was amused as well.

Hermes was a man who was usually gloomy and taciturn, and kept his distance from everyone.

He was a notorious gloomy boy, well, he was famous in Slytherin.

Even with Avery and Alex, he rarely spoke first, but since they were all so familiar with each other and closely united around Regulus, he would readily take the lead if a topic was brought up.

The question I just asked had a kind of frank cowardice about it, a kind of frankly cowardly cowardice.

But Regulus also knew that only someone who truly impressed Hermes could earn his respect; otherwise, given Hermes's temperament, he would rather stand there and take the beating than utter a word.

He nodded. "Okay."

Then she didn't say anything more, just looked at him.

Hermes glanced to the side, then looked back.

Silence remained.

He knew he was being laughed at. It was one thing for Avery and Alex to laugh, but even Regulus was laughing along, though not obviously, he saw it.

He decided to pretend he didn't see it; what else could he do?

He didn't want to get hit.

Hermes' expression remained unchanged, his brow slightly furrowed, as if nothing had happened. "Don't use that last time... those eight spells fired at once..."

Avery muttered something under his breath, and Alex nudged him with his elbow.

Regulus nodded. "Okay."

Hermes fell silent again.

He thought about it carefully. If he couldn't let Regulus use those two moves, then all that was left was a regular spell.

But even ordinary spells become extraordinary in Regulus's hands.

He remembered clearly that his Shield Charm was shattered by Slowing Charm casually cast by Regulus when he was in first grade.

We can't let him control even the power of the spell, can we?

What would that look like? Are you kidding me?

Hermes thought for a long time, then realized that continuing the conversation was indeed inappropriate. He looked up and said, "That's all."

Regulus said nothing and walked toward the center of the Training Ground, with Hermes following behind.

Avery sprang up from the bench, dragged Alex to the edge of the Training Ground, and crouched down against the wall, his eyes shining.

"Coming, coming."

The two were ten meters apart.

Hermes took a deep breath, gripped his wand in his right hand with the tip pointing down, raised it to his chest with the tip pointing up, and bowed slightly.

Regulus returned the gesture by raising his staff as well.

Hermes was aware of his progress; the power of his spells had increased significantly, and Spellcasting much faster. What used to require reciting complete sentences could now be done with just a few lip movements.

He wanted Regulus to see it.

I also want to see if three months of practice will allow him to see just how big the gap really is.

Regulus stood opposite him, his wand hanging at his side, his posture relaxed.

He looked serious, but Hermes knew he was just playing along.

Hermes ignored him, raised his wand, and moved his lips rapidly a few times.

A dark red spell shot out from the tip of the staff, heading straight for Regulus's chest.

The speed was nearly twice as fast as it was three months ago, the beam was more concentrated, and there was almost no dispersion at the edges.

At the same time, his left hand was already prepared to Spellcasting, and no matter which way Regulus dodged, the second spell would be cast.

Regulus stepped to the side, and the dark red beam grazed past his shoulder.

Hermes had already cast his second spell, the Disarming Charm, which struck Regulus's left side, blocking his path of movement.

Regulus leaned to the right, his feet shifting direction, and the spell flew past him, striking the wall behind him and exploding into a cloud of red light.

Hermes continued, the third, the fourth.

Petrificus Totalus. Regulus his head slightly, and the incantation passed by his ear.

Regulus Leglocker Curse. He lifted his leg and took a step, the spell striking his heel, but it missed.

Incendio, fanning out from the tip of the staff and striking the spaces to the left and right of Regulus.

Regulus moved his feet, his figure vanishing the instant the flames swept over him, reappearing two meters away.

Sidestep Charm.

The flames swept past where he had just been standing, burning only the air.

Hermes' eye twitched. What kind of movement was that?

He had no time to think; he flicked his wand three times, sending three spells flying simultaneously toward Regulus from the front and left and right.

Regulus moved his feet again, this time using the Sprint Charm.

Accelerating in a straight line, so fast that it left afterimages, it passed through the gap between the three spells and appeared to Hermes' right.

Hermes reacted quickly, his wand already turned around, a dark green mist spreading from the tip, covering a three-meter radius around Regulus.

Regulus switched to Swift Charm, increasing his speed and retreating five meters, sliding out from the edge of the mist without even touching the hem of his robe.

Avery crouched by the wall, his mouth slightly open.

"Did you see that?" He nudged Alex.

Alex, his eyes never leaving the Training Ground, said, "I saw it."

"What kind of spell was that that suddenly disappeared from his hand?"

Alex shook his head.

Avery thought for a moment, then said with certainty, "It's Apparition."

Alex turned to look at him. "Apparition? At Hogwarts?"

Avery paused for a moment, then waved his hand. "It's definitely been improved; the Black family has a secret technique."

Alex turned back to look at the Training Ground, ignoring him.

Avery continued, lowering his voice, "Think about it, the Black family has produced a headmaster, so it's not surprising that Regulus can be of use."

Alex still ignored him.

He didn't understand it, but he knew Avery didn't understand it either, and what Avery had just said sounded wrong; he was probably making it up.

But he didn't expose him.

On the Training Ground, Hermes cast three more spells.

The first Blood Boil, dark red almost black, struck Regulus head-on.

The second Shadow Rend, a black blade of light, sliced through from the side.

The third Shadow Eater, a black tentacle, was hidden behind the Shadow Rend, moving faster and at a more treacherous angle.

The three incantations were unleashed almost simultaneously.

Regulus veered to the left to dodge the red and black beams, then used Sprint Charm to accelerate, slipping through the gaps between the blades and tentacles.

Hermes stopped shooting; he couldn't hit anything, so how could he continue?

Regulus stood a few steps away, his breathing steady, his robes not even wrinkled.

That's about it.

Hermes has made significant progress in the past three months; his spells are more powerful, his Spellcasting speed is faster, and he has also developed tactical awareness.

Even among young wizards a few years older, he would be considered top-tier.

But that's not enough; you need to practice.

Regulus raised his wand.

Hermes instinctively activated his Shield Charm, and a silver barrier unfolded in front of him, twice as thick as it had been three months ago, with almost no fluctuations at its edges.

Regulus touched the tip of his staff.

The Slowing Charm shot out a purple flash from the tip of the staff, much faster than Hermes's earlier attack.

The spell collided with the Shield Charm; the barrier trembled violently, but didn't shatter.

Hermes breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the second one came, another Slowing Charm, another purple flash, hitting the same spot.

The barrier shattered.

Before Hermes could react, the third one was already in front of him.

He lunged to the side, and just as his body left his original position, Slowing Charm grazed his shoulder, tearing a hole in his robe.

Before he could even steady himself, the fourth wave came, heading straight for where he had landed.

Hermes twisted his body abruptly, slipped, and nearly fell. The spell grazed his side, brushing against his robe and tearing a piece of fabric.

He staggered a couple of steps, his wand pointing at Regulus, intending to retaliate.

But Regulus's spell came again, giving him no chance.

The fifth, the sixth, the seventh, one after another, were all Slowing Charm.

Purple flashes spread across the Training Ground, but instead of hitting Hermes, they struck him from the front, back, left, and right, forcing him to move to the position Regulus wanted him to go.

Hermes started running.

He didn't want to run, but if he didn't run, he would be hit.

The Shield Charm had shattered and couldn't be repaired in time; each spell was stuck in the gaps between his Spellcasting.

He was about to raise his wand when the next spell appeared, forcing him to dodge and move, giving him no time to Spellcasting.

He ran with a furrowed brow, gritted his teeth, and his mouth agape; his steps grew heavier and his breathing more rapid.

But Regulus didn't even move his feet; he simply flicked his wrist and tapped the tip of his staff, sending out one Slowing Charm after another.

Purple light flickered in the Training Ground, its rhythm steady, like a metronome.

Hermes dodged left, dodged right, lunged forward, and rolled to the side.

He tried Spellcasting while moving, but Regulus's spells came too fast; the moment his lips moved, the next one was upon him, forcing him to dodge.

There wasn't even time to Spellcasting.

Avery has stopped talking.

He crouched by the wall, his eyes fixed on the series of purple flashes in the Training Ground, his head turning in the direction Hermes was moving.

Alex stood beside him, his gaze never leaving him.

On the Training Ground, Regulus stopped, Hermes bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily.

Sweat streamed down his forehead, dripping onto the floor; his robe was crumpled in several places, barely intact.

He looked up at Regulus.

Regulus was still standing there, his wand hanging at his side, his face expressionless.

Hermes's mind was in turmoil.

He thought he had progressed fast enough; each of those Dark Arts could truly kill a person.

But Regulus didn't even retaliate; he just dodged, so Regulus couldn't land a hit.

He fought back, using Slowing Charm —the most basic spells, nothing special—but these few Slowing Charm left him no time to even Spellcasting.

I've never seen anything like this before.

He knew that Regulus was telling him that no matter how powerful Dark Arts was, it was useless if it couldn't hit the target.

Even the most basic spells, when used correctly, leave no chance to retaliate; in fact, Regulus was the one who let him escape.

Hermes straightened up, removed his hands from his knees, and was still breathing heavily, but better than before.

He walked towards the bench.

Avery and Alex stood up from the wall and followed behind.

The four people sat back down on the bench.

Regulus rested his wand on his lap and remained silent.

Hermes sat beside him, head bowed, hands resting on his knees.

There was a moment of silence.

Regulus asked, "What should we do if this happens again?"

Hermes remained silent; he knew Regulus was asking him a question, but he didn't know the answer.

If his opponent is faster and Spellcasting faster, trapping him with every spell and giving him no chance to attack, what can he do?

He couldn't figure it out.

Regulus turned to Avery and Alex: "What did you see just now?"

Avery interjected, "You're too fast, Hermes can't keep up."

Regulus neither nodded nor shook his head.

Alex thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. He lowered his head and continued thinking.

Regulus didn't ask any more questions. He turned back to Hermes and said, "Think about it yourself first. Once you've figured it out, tell me during the next training session."

Hermes nodded.

Regulus stood up and stretched his shoulders. "Alright, let's go back and eat."

The four walked out of the Training Ground, with Avery in the lead, Alex behind him, Hermes in the middle, and Regulus at the back.

Avery took a few steps, then suddenly turned around. "Regulus, what kind of spell was that that suddenly disappeared and reappeared spell?"

Regulus glanced at him. "Apparition."

Avery choked, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Alex chuckled softly behind him, and Hermes' lips curled up slightly.