Victory

"Levitation Charm can be used like that? Interesting."

Outside the crowd, Samuel and Ilina watched the duel in the center, admiring Sean's use of the Levitation Charm.

Hearing Ilina's praise, Samuel gave a slight nod and said, "He hasn't been at Hogwarts for long. Most of the magic he knows was learned recently, and any other spells he uses look self-taught. In terms of his understanding of magic alone, Janson is nowhere near his equal."

"And what do you think?"

Ilina understood what Samuel meant by that, but she did not answer immediately. After a brief pause, she said, "Wait a little longer. Watch a little more. If we're going to invest, we need to see it through to the end. Otherwise, stopping halfway will only make an enemy for ourselves. We need to be cautious with our investment. Wait a little longer and watch a little more."

"Alright."

Samuel held Ilina in high regard. He knew full well that his family background had played a significant part in his becoming a Prefect, whereas Ilina had earned the position mostly through her own abilities. Thus, Samuel trusted Ilina's judgment and deferred to her in many matters.

Bang!

A red beam struck the ground, blasting a small crater into the carpet and floorboards.

Sean staggered back a step. He swung his Wand again, pulling over a half-shattered table with the Levitation Charm and using it as a shield. It blocked another spell for him before exploding into pieces.

"How many tables and chairs do you have left to use?" Like a predator closing in on its prey, Janson stepped toward Sean one pace at a time. Seeing that Sean still did not speak, Janson continued, "Alright, I'm tired of playing. Let's settle this now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Janson raised his Wand again. Red light began to bloom at its tip, but Sean suddenly swung his own Wand and pointed it at the ground. The instant his Wand touched it, the carpet began to shake violently, rolling like a surging tide. It swept Janson, who stood in the middle of the carpet, off his feet and slammed him hard onto the ground, interrupting the spell he had been about to cast.

Seeing Janson fall, Sean sprang up and continuously waved his Wand, controlling the carpet as it rolled wildly. Layer after layer swept toward Janson, wrapping him inside.

Looking at Janson buried beneath layers of carpet, Sean knew that this was the limit of what he could do with a carpet controlled by the Levitation Charm. If his Transfiguration were just a little more proficient, he could have used it to transform the carpet and lock Janson down completely. Unfortunately, Sean's current Transfiguration still required him to work slowly even when turning a matchstick into a needle. It was impossible to use in combat.

Fortunately, his dear Onii-chan had given him two chances to draw skills, giving Sean one final trump card against Janson!

Bang!

Bang!

Two red beams shot out from within the carpet wrapped around Janson.

The two spells blasted away most of the carpet binding him. Janson struggled free, covered from head to toe in dust and looking both disheveled and furious. Waving his Wand, he prepared to teach Sean a lesson, but when he found him, he saw that Sean had already raised his Wand and aimed it at him. A faint green glow blossomed from the tip of Sean's Wand.

"Herbivicus!"

The green light instantly reached Janson and exploded, turning into Thorn Vines covered in fine barbs that wrapped around his body and rapidly tightened. The barbs pierced his flesh, and blood streamed down the vines, quickly absorbed by them.

The sudden turn of events made Janson cry out in pain. His Wand fell to the ground as the Thorn Vines tangled around his arm, and he completely lost the ability to resist.

After defeating Millicent twice, Sean had drawn the Thorn Curse twice. This Dark Curse belonged to Dark Magic, and it had successfully raised his Thorn Curse to LV1, surpassing even Millicent's own mastery of it. With the panel's help, Sean also understood the Thorn Curse's strengths and weaknesses well. Its biggest flaw was that it was slightly slow to activate, making it easy to dodge.

That was why, from the very start of the duel, Sean had set his sights on the carpet. He had successfully lured Janson into its center, then used the Levitation Charm to control the carpet and temporarily restrict Janson's movements. Seizing the opportunity, he had cast the Thorn Curse and won in a single strike.

"Sean, release your spell. You won this Pureblood Duel."

Sean looked at Samuel, who had come to stand beside him, and gave a slight nod. As a Slytherin Prefect, Samuel's words carried authority in this situation and could be trusted. Sean therefore waved his Wand and dispelled the Thorn Curse.

The Thorn Vines immediately withered and shrank after the spell was lifted, eventually turning into a clump of weeds that fell to the ground. Janson, meanwhile, knelt there in disbelief. He had clearly held the upper hand and had been on the verge of victory, only to be utterly defeated in an instant, losing a Pureblood Duel he had thought he was guaranteed to win.

Not only had he failed to teach Sean a lesson, leaving him unable to explain himself to Millicent when he returned, but the consequences of losing the Pureblood Duel also meant he could no longer openly appear before Sean in the future. While he could choose to submit to Sean, how could he, as a member of his family, possibly choose to follow a son of a Squib at school?

At that thought, Janson slowly lowered his head, emotions shifting in his eyes. Influenced by all these factors, he irrationally raised his Wand again, intending to cast a spell at Sean.

But at that very instant, Sean's Wand rose before Janson's did. The white light of the Petrifying Charm struck Janson first, freezing his entire body until he became like a stone statue, locked in the very pose of raising his Wand to ambush Sean.

Even in Slytherin, a House widely acknowledged to permit certain methods in pursuit of success, it was an absolute disgrace for the loser of a duel to cast a spell from behind and ambush the victor. At once, even Janson's former friends decided to distance themselves from him completely, unwilling to be implicated by the consequences of his irrational actions.

Looking at the petrified Janson, Samuel directly ordered Janson's former friends to take him to the Hospital Wing and instructed them to say that Janson's injuries had been caused by his own experiments with magic.

After handling that, Samuel looked at Sean again and said, "Sean, would you be interested in having a chat with us?"

Before Sean even had time to check what he had drawn, he immediately nodded. "Of course. I also have to thank you both for officiating my victory in the duel. If you don't mind, why don't we talk in my room?"

"That would be perfect!"

Chapter Two should be out this afternoon. Please keep reading, favorite, and invest...