Knight

The little wizards had joined forces to ambush the Troll, and at first, they'd managed to make it look pretty miserable.

But as a prime example of a species with simple minds and strong bodies, the Troll gradually got used to these harmless attacks after taking enough of them.

Mustering its brute strength, the Troll roared and swung the club in its hand. A fierce gust followed as it smashed the ground in front of it.

The ground shook with a loud bang, and rocks flew everywhere.

"Oh no!"

The magical connection abruptly broke. Pansy and the others were shocked.

Hermione, who was closest to the Troll, had gone deathly pale with fright. She stopped casting, frozen in place.

"Roar!"

The ugly monster pounded its chest and let out an excited cry. It swung its club at the little person in front of it.

Fear, helplessness, despair.

The little wizards screamed and shut their eyes, afraid to see what was about to happen.

"Am I going to die?"

Hermione stared blankly at the club as it came closer and closer to the top of her head. For a brief moment, her mind went blank.

She had tried to fight back, but the gap between them was simply too great.

"Vmmm—"

But just then, a bright yellow light suddenly flared between the club and Hermione!

Hermione's heart hammered wildly. She stared at the club an inch from the tip of her nose, forgetting how to breathe.

It had been so close—just a few millimeters away.

She could even make out the grain of the wood and the dried bloodstains on it!

"Huh?"

The Troll looked down at Hermione in confusion. Its egg-sized brain clearly couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Mustering its brute strength, it tried to smash down a few more times, but the result was the same. Its grip was jolted painfully, yet it still couldn't break through that invisible "wall."

What had happened?

The Troll was dumbfounded. Hermione was dumbfounded. Pansy and the others were dumbfounded too.

But soon, a light voice reached their ears and cleared up all their confusion.

"Sorry I'm late."

With a deep blue lining, magnificent armor, a sword at his waist, and a bright red cape, the boy appeared in the doorway like a knight from a fairy tale.

It was Klein!

"Roar!"

The Troll turned to look at the stranger walking into the bathroom. A bloodthirsty leer flashed in its eyes.

Leaving Hermione alone, it turned and swung its club at him!

"Ah!"

Screams rang out again, but Klein's expression didn't change. He frowned, looking at the monster before him with mild distaste.

"Stop."

Ignoring the deadly blow descending toward his head, Klein softly uttered a single word.

A Word Spirit was a spell.

As soon as the word left his lips, the Troll's expression went blank, and it froze in place.

"Phew. Problem solved."

Klein looked at the little wizards, who were still staring in confusion, and deliberately let out a breath, giving them a warm, sunny smile.

"Huh?"

Harry stood there with his mouth open, staring dazedly at Klein. He didn't even notice his glasses slipping down his nose.

What kind of spell was that?

The Troll they'd fought desperately to stop had been taken care of with one casual word?

Was the difference really that big?

Ron's reaction was even more exaggerated than Harry's.

With the Troll standing completely still, the tension that had kept Ron on edge finally eased. After repeatedly making sure they were out of danger, Mr. Weasley let out a loud wail and threw himself at Klein.

Klein hesitated, then decided he couldn't bring himself to dodge.

Clinging to Klein, Ron wept, his nose running and tears streaming down his face. He looked just like a red-haired rabbit frightened out of its wits.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

The joy of surviving the ordeal swept Mr. Weasley away. Never in his life had he been as sincerely grateful to anyone as he was today.

"It's all right now."

Klein patted Ron's shoulder, his voice very gentle.

It was obvious the boy had been truly terrified.

"Hey, have you hugged him enough yet?"

Watching that damn redhead cling to Klein and refuse to let go made Pansy and the other Slytherin girls furious.

They weren't the only ones. Even Hermione, now that she'd come to her senses, was looking at Ron strangely.

"Oh, sorry, sorry. I just—I was so excited."

Under the glares of so many girls, Ron quickly realized how carried away he'd gotten and hurriedly jumped down from Klein.

"Hmph!"

Pansy gritted her teeth, her cheeks puffed up like little buns.

She was filled with regret.

Such a great opportunity, and a redhead had beaten her to it?

Who could she even complain to about that?

As if he hadn't noticed the strange atmosphere, Klein remained perfectly calm.

"You did well. Very well."

To hold out against a Troll for so long was quite an achievement for a group of eleven-year-olds. He clapped gently and discreetly cast a Calming Charm.

Like a soft rain nourishing the earth, the little wizards finally relaxed completely.

"All right, we should head back."

With the matter settled, Klein called for everyone to leave.

But once their taut nerves relaxed, their bodies gave out. Everyone collapsed onto the floor, including Ron, who'd been so lively just moments before, and none of them could get back up.

"Sorry, Klein. I'm exhausted."

Pansy hadn't wanted to look so disheveled in front of Klein. In fact, she hadn't wanted him to see even the slightest imperfection in her.

But there was nothing she could do.

The combination of depleted magic and physical exhaustion left her no room to resist.

Honestly, managing to sit on the floor in a relatively ladylike position was already the best she could do.

"It's all right."

At her words, Klein gave the little wizards a warm smile.

He raised a hand, initially intending to cast a few Healing Spells to help Harry and the others recover their strength. But then he changed his mind, gave a small shake of his head, and drew the long sword at his waist.

"Divine Guard Appears."

A flash of white light, and a formation carved with mysterious magical runes appeared out of thin air.

As the little wizards stared in astonishment, eight tall knights, their features indistinct but their bodies shrouded in a gentle glow, emerged from the formation and bowed respectfully to Klein.

"Take them back. Be gentle."

Klein calmly gave the order, then turned slightly and winked at Harry and the others.

"This has to stay secret, okay?"

After such a fright, they deserved a little special compensation.

Klein was always very gentle when dealing with these "classmates" who were so guileless.

The Divine Guard Knights moved swiftly and deftly. In just a few blinks, they had gathered the little wizards into their arms, carrying them bridal-style.

Of course, Harry and the others weren't uncomfortable at all. Wrapped in the gentle light, they felt completely at ease.

It was like slipping into freshly made bedclothes, taking the first bite of an apple pie, or breathing in the scent of grass washed by rain.

Like everything wonderful.

"Sleep. There's nothing to worry about."

He infused his voice with a hint of hypnotic magic, and the little wizards drifted off to sleep.

Once the eight knights had left, the smile gradually disappeared from Klein's face. He turned coldly toward the motionless Troll.

Pointing a finger at the Troll's forehead, Klein closed his eyes, as though searching for something.

A few seconds later, he smiled faintly.

"Found you."