In an instant, the hairs on Aragog's body stood on end, and a profound chill spread through his aged frame.
Aragog could not even tell whether this terrifying sensation came from the strange creature wreathed in flames or from the smiling young wizard.
Just as Lucien raised his wand and Liuguang prepared to take a step forward—
"W-wait!"
"I was joking just now!"
Aragog rapidly rubbed his mandibles together, speaking faster than ever before.
Lucien still held up his wand, the arcs of electricity on it growing increasingly violent.
"Oh, so you were merely joking?"
Though Aragog could not understand what Lucien was muttering, he felt that the chill running through his body had not faded. It was even growing stronger!
"I—I promised Hagrid that I wouldn't kill people anymore!"
In his panic, Aragog brought up Hagrid, hoping to lessen the other party's killing intent.
Yet Lucien's wand remained pointed at him, the dancing arcs of electricity gradually gathering as though ready to strike at any moment.
"You promised Hagrid. But did all your descendants also promise Hagrid not to kill people?"
Instantly understanding Lucien's meaning, Aragog rubbed his mandibles so quickly that they nearly sparked.
Aragog ordered his descendants to disperse and move away from Lucien.
Upon receiving the command from their ancient progenitor, the spiders fled as though granted a pardon, each one faster than the last.
They had long been unable to endure that blazing heat wave. If not for Aragog's command, they had not intended to surround that human in the first place.
There had clearly been no threat coming from him before. In fact, he had even made them feel strangely close to him.
But the moment he raised his wand, intense fear surged from within them, and instinct told the spiders to flee at