"The Chief is invincible!"
"The Chief is invincible!"
The cheers of the young wizards and the Wizarding Army rose even louder. Even the onlookers were swept up by the scene and found themselves joining in.
Shawn stood proudly with his hands behind his back. Watching their reactions, he felt he had achieved his goal of raising their spirits.
Suddenly, he sensed a gaze filled with intense hatred directed at him.
He focused on its source and saw the Twins hauling their younger brother Ron toward the back of the crowd.
That gaze came from Ron as he was dragged along. It was chilling, yet it was also rapidly losing its light, as though some conviction of his had crumbled.
Shawn was puzzled. He and Ron had not had any dealings with each other in quite some time.
Even if Ron envied him, that should not have inspired such fierce hatred. And what was this about a shattered conviction?
Suddenly, a bold thought surfaced in Shawn's mind. Could it be...?
Before he could dwell on it, Shawn abruptly turned his gaze toward two old men who stood out from the crowd.
The area around them was suffused with extraordinarily dense water and fire elements, forming something like a backdrop for the pair. This was clearly beyond the capabilities of ordinary wizards.
Seeing Shawn looking their way, the two old men gave him "kindly" smiles and vanished into the crowd.
Although Shawn did not recognize these two imposing old men, his instincts told him they were enemies, not friends.
After a little thought, he had a pretty good guess as to their origins and their true strength.
His heart sank a little. The Double Serpent Society's power really was unfathomable. Every so often, it would spring another surprise on him.
"Be careful.