Battle in the Forbidden Forest

"Quick, quick! Fall back! Watch out for these damned spiders!"

Eli carefully crept closer and hid behind a tree.

Not far ahead, two sides were locked in battle.

More precisely, one side was the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest, while the other was the Acromantulas Eli had just encountered.

Judging by the situation, the Acromantulas seemed to have the upper hand, while the centaurs were retreating in some disarray.

It was not that the centaurs were weak. There were simply too many giant spiders, and they moved incredibly fast.

The centaurs apparently could not use magic and could only defend themselves with primitive bows and arrows.

For a time, they were at a disadvantage.

Should he help them?

With the immense power of his spells, killing Acromantulas would be a piece of cake.

And in this kind of close-quarters battle, the appearance of a Wizard on either side would turn the tide completely.

But did he really need to help the Centaur tribe?

Having watched the movies in his previous life, Eli knew that although centaurs looked similar to humans, they had always insisted that they were magical creatures, not humans.

Moreover, the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest did not seem to think much of Wizards.

Still, not every centaur was like that.

Hidden behind the tree, Eli watched as the Centaur tribe steadily lost ground.

If he did not help, their defeat was practically certain.

If the Centaur tribe won this battle because of him, surely they would not keep treating him coldly afterward?

Eli did want to step in.

His goal was to gain the friendship of the Centaur tribe!

As an intelligent race in the Forbidden Forest, the centaurs were responsible for patrolling it.

If he gained the friendship of the Centaur tribe, it would greatly benefit his future explorations of the Forbidden Forest!

With that thought, Eli made up his mind.

"Reducto!"

A dazzling beam stabbed into the battlefield like a sharp blade, blasting an Acromantula that was about to attack into pieces.

"A young Wizard?"

A silver-haired centaur stared in surprise at the small figure rushing over. Even with his face covered, it was obvious that he was a young Wizard.

The giant spider that had just been blasted apart had been about to attack him, and that timely spell had saved him.

"If you don't want to become spider food, you'd better look behind you!"

The young Wizard suddenly called out.

The centaur swiftly turned around and saw an Acromantula charging at him with a ferocious expression.

He raised his bow and fired in rapid succession, driving the giant spider back.

"Thank you!"

Eli glanced at him. His silver hair was particularly eye-catching.

"Focus on the battle!"

"Stupefy!"

"Reducto!"

With exceptionally nimble footwork, Eli remained among the centaurs the entire time, never needing to worry about the Acromantulas getting close enough to attack him.

One overbearing, unreasonable spell after another blasted the giant spiders threatening the centaur warriors' lives into scraps.

The centaur warriors, who had been desperately resisting, were all stunned by those incredibly... crude spells!

Wasn't that Stupefy? How had the corpse turned into several chunks?

Why was Expelliarmus being used too?

Seeing an Acromantula killed in one blow, its body caved in, the centaur warriors immediately shut up.

As for Eli, he did not want this either. His magic was simply too powerful, and his studies were not advanced enough, so he could only use spells like cannons.

The Stupefy he had used on Goyle had already been his most restrained spell. Otherwise, Draco Malfoy and the others would be attending a funeral feast by now.

It was Eli's first time taking part in such a chaotic battle. In his urgency, he stopped caring about magic or anything else. He just needed to kill them first!

Since everything he cast hit like artillery anyway, he simply stopped being picky.

Expelliarmus, Incarcerous, Stupefy—he used them all.

He cast whatever came to mind. The result was the same anyway.

"Expelliarmus!"

A red beam shot out from behind the centaur ranks, flying over them and landing among the Acromantulas.

Boom!

A shockwave swept outward, and the centaurs all narrowed their eyes.

For a moment, dust filled the air and giant spider flesh flew everywhere.

When the smoke cleared, a deep crater had appeared on the ground. The Acromantulas were gone—or rather, they were everywhere.

The centaur warriors were instantly plunged into shock.

Ronan, leader of the Centaur tribe, stared at the small figure behind them as though he had seen a ghost.

"Are young Wizards really this powerful now?"

Another centaur leaned over. "Are you sure that's a young Wizard and not Dumbledore?"

"If he hadn't shrunk, he shouldn't be that short."

Eli panted heavily. He had truly put too much force into that last attack. Even with his magic, he could barely withstand the expenditure.

Ronan led several centaurs over and suddenly aimed his bow at the panting Eli.

"Masked little man, leave immediately! The Forbidden Forest does not welcome Wizards!"

Eli was dumbfounded by those words.

What did you say? I just fought so hard to help you repel the enemy, and now you're turning on me?

Eli suddenly regretted intervening. He had not expected this half-man, half-horse bastard to be so ungrateful.

Though he was short of breath from that attack, killing this group of creatures incapable of magic would still not be difficult!

He raised his wand at Ronan, the threat obvious without words.

The surrounding centaur warriors immediately tensed and surrounded him. The atmosphere became instantly explosive.

"Wait! Calm down, everyone! Don't act rashly!"

The silver-haired centaur rushed over and used his body to shield Eli.

The centaur warriors around them lowered their bows slightly, but Ronan, their leader, still had his bow drawn.

"No, no! Ronan, this Wizard helped us just now. We shouldn't treat him like this!"

Ronan frowned, a trace of struggle flashing across his face. Yes, the boy had helped them tremendously, but... Wizards could not be trusted!

"Move aside, Firenze! You know our tribal laws. Wizards are not our friends!"

Eli sneered. He did not know whether Ronan was being ungrateful or merely stubborn.

Did Wizards steal your wife or something?

"Thank you, Firenze, but I'm not someone who likes offering warmth to a cold shoulder. If he wants to attack me like this, then he'll have to ask my wand first!"

Firenze felt the chill radiating from Eli, and his heart trembled. He had witnessed this killing god's strength firsthand.

"No, it must be a misunderstanding. Let me speak to my companions, all right?"

Just as they were facing off, a huge swarm of Acromantulas suddenly surged out from the depths of the Forbidden Forest like a tide.

There were several times more than before!

The clattering sounds were endless. Under orders from their leader, the giant spiders had come to kill the enemies who had slaughtered their kin!

"This is bad!"

The centaur warriors immediately noticed the incoming spider army. They nervously raised their bows, cold sweat pouring down their faces.

That small number of giant spiders had already pushed them to the brink. With such a massive swarm arriving now, they were surely doomed!

Eli stared solemnly at the giant spiders, which resembled a black flood.

The Acromantulas truly deserved their title as the uncrowned kings of the Forbidden Forest. Their numbers alone were enough to dominate it.

"Retreat! We can't resist them!"

Ronan immediately gave the order, then snapped viciously at Eli, "Your explosions brought them here!"

Eli's eyes widened. "What the hell? You're really good at dumping blame!"

Firenze was about to flee with Eli when Eli suddenly shook free.

"Move aside, Firenze. Since that ungrateful bastard wants to pin all the blame on me, then let me solve all of this!"

Eli was already furious. He had meant well, yet these people were so heartless!

He could not endure such injustice!

"Don't be rash!"

Before Firenze could grab him, Eli had already spoken the incantation.

"Incendio!"

It had originally been an ordinary fire spell, but under the force of Eli's monstrous magic, everything underwent a qualitative change!

Endless blazing flames surged from his wand like unbridled wild horses, carrying Eli's fury with them.

The flames swelled in the wind, covering the heavens and earth.

The terrifying heat curled the fur of the centaurs who had no time to react, sending them fleeing in terror.

At that moment, Ronan had forgotten all about Wizards. He could only stare blankly at the giant serpent formed from fire.

"Kill them all! Leave none alive!"

The flames crashed toward the Acromantulas like raging waves.

The black tide and the golden tsunami collided violently.

The result was absolute annihilation. The flames mercilessly devoured every living thing.

Before the furious Acromantulas could even react, they were burned completely to ash.

The tidal wave of fire did not lose momentum and continued its slaughtering advance.

The entire Forbidden Forest shone as brightly as day.

In his extreme fury, Eli could no longer care about anything else. He frantically drained every last thread of his magic.

The sea of fire burned the black tide to nothing.

Not a single Acromantula remained!

Eli let his arm fall weakly, his face frighteningly pale.

Forcing out his last bit of strength, he gave the stunned Ronan a mocking smile.

"I've dealt with the trouble I caused. What can you do?"

Eli collapsed backward weakly, and Firenze hurriedly caught him.

Ronan's face was extremely grim, shame and anger intertwined within it.

He lowered his head as though giving up all resistance.

Slowly lowering himself, he knelt respectfully before Eli. "The Centaur tribe apologizes to our most honored guest!"

The centaur warriors around him also slowly knelt.

"Quickly take me..."

Before Eli could finish, he completely passed out.

Firenze had no choice but to place Eli on his back.

Suddenly, a series of sharp pops sounded through the air.

A tall, thin old man walked over, his long silver-white beard trailing behind him.

He held an oddly shaped wand with knuckle-like balls along its length.

"Ronan, what happened here?"

Ronan recognized the newcomer and composed himself. "Dumbledore!"

He looked at the sea of fire that was still blazing fiercely. "We had a conflict with the giant spiders..."

Before he could finish, Dumbledore interrupted him. "I think we should put out the fire first, if you still wish to live here."

He slowly waved the slender wand in his hand. If Eli had still been awake, he would certainly have felt the terrifying pulse of magic.

The arrogant flames seemed to be drawn in, absorbed into Dumbledore's wand without the slightest ability to resist.

Before long, the Forbidden Forest grew dark again.

If not for the unnerving heat, no one would have known that a terrifying sea of fire had just raged here.

Looking at the depths of the Forbidden Forest, now reduced to dead trees and ash, Ronan's heart bled.

Even Dumbledore did not know what to say upon seeing the scene.

After a long silence, he said, "Uh... since the magic was cast by my student, then... perhaps... uh, I can compensate... part of it."

Looking at the devastated Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore's mouth twitched. This time, even his savings would have to go toward compensation.

Should I collect another round of textbook fees?

Ronan pointed at the ruins with a grief-stricken expression. "Compensate? How can this be compensated? What could you possibly use to repay what you owe me? I don't want your compensation!"

Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he did not have to pay...