Some were nailed in place from the waist down, while others lost their balance when their feet could no longer move. Several of them tumbled into a heap on the steps by the door.
The Auror captain turned around and looked at the fallen team members, his posture far more relaxed than before.
"Oh, I can see the confusion on your faces. Are you wondering why I didn't trigger the Blood Pact?"
"It's actually very simple, because I didn't attack you—hehe, judging by your expressions, you don't understand? Didn't I attack you? Weren't several of my colleagues injured?"
He took half a step toward the nearest team member, brushing the ground beside the man's hand with the tip of his boot. The movement was small, but the scattered pebbles still struck the man's fingers.
"You really are a troublesome lot... The reason the Blood Pact wasn't triggered is simple. As your captain, I was worried you might be accidentally hurt, so for the sake of protecting you, I moved you to what I believed were safe positions. As for you falling and getting injured, that was your own fault."
"You betrayed us, you damned scum! You think you deserve to be captain?!" The temporary leader spat out blood and glared viciously at the captain before him.
"Hmph! A bunch of lowborn half-bloods and filthy Mudbloods! Do you know why I can be captain? Because I'm pure-blood! Do you know what pure-blood means? I've been studying these contracts since I was a child. I'm far more skilled than you at getting around their terms!"
After cursing them out, he let out a satisfied breath and turned toward the stern.
He changed his grip on his wand, pointing its tip at the ground and its handle forward, as though he were ready