After explaining the matter of wands, Ludo Bagman analyzed the drawbacks of Champions becoming hostages. Though he spoke quickly, his words were remarkably clear.
"If you lose the ability to fight at the bottom of the lake, like Oduwale, Schmidt, and Wilman did... and your condition cannot easily be healed by your companions, our Merpeople friends will offer their assistance."
"Of course! Our Merpeople friends' help comes at a price... After helping a Champion recover from their injuries, they will take them to the merpeople village and turn them into hostages."
"Losing a companion makes it much harder to deal with swarms of magical creatures, and it will inevitably slow down the gathering of light points."
"Moreover, with fewer hands available, the likelihood of being injured again and becoming a hostage will increase considerably. Therefore, Durmstrang is in an extremely dangerous position now!"
"Once Krum also becomes a hostage, Durmstrang's defeat will be almost impossible to reverse..." Ludo Bagman glanced at the scene on the screen. Victor Krum was heading toward the merpeople village.
"It seems Krum has made his decision and intends to stake everything on one desperate attempt!" His expression became animated. "The only thing he can do now is head to the merpeople village and rescue the hostages!"
"If he succeeds, they will still have a chance to complete the second task. If he fails... perhaps our Merpeople friends will thank Krum, since he will save them the trouble of looking for him."
Since this was a "hostage rescue," guards had naturally been arranged at the merpeople village;
Three merpeople held spears in one hand and ropes woven from water plants in the other. At the end of each rope was a Grindylow, and they patrolled back and forth around the stone pillars.
Victor Krum moved forward