"Behind you?"
Hagrid paused in surprise, then stepped aside to reveal Morris behind him, explaining gruffly, "A young wizard. In your terms, a wizard foal."
A trace of confusion rose in his heart.
Normally, although centaurs did not welcome wizards setting foot in "their Forbidden Forest," they were fairly restrained most of the time.
Bane attacking them directly with a spear this time was unusual.
Centaurs had never shown such an aggressive side in front of him.
"A wizard foal?"
Bane's gaze shot toward Morris like a sharp sword, and Morris met it without flinching.
Not a good sort, Morris thought.
But he did not want trouble.
He cleared his throat and asked, "Is there a problem?"
Bane's nostrils flared slightly, his disgust undisguised. "Can't you smell the stench of rot on yourself? You evil creature."
Morris frowned. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
He turned to leave.
This centaur... had some seriously questionable manners.
What a load of nonsense.
Rot and evil creatures-those clearly weren't compliments.
But he could not be bothered to look into it, nor did he want to talk to someone spewing filth.
"Wait."
As Bane's voice rang out, his huge body was already blocking Morris's path.
He gripped the spear embedded in the ground with one hand and pulled it free with a slight exertion, sending dirt flying.
The spear spun deftly in his hand. Although its tip pointed at no one, his intention to block the way was unmistakable.
This is bad, Morris thought. He did not understand what he had done to offend this half-man, half-horse before him.
"You cannot leave, foal," Bane said coldly. "You carry something profoundly evil. It poses a great threat to this forest. You must undergo our inspection before you can leave."
At this, Hagrid immediately stepped forward, his voice carrying displeasure. "Bane! What are you trying to do?"
He knew he had to be firm now.
Other centaurs might have been easier to reason with, but Bane was among those who hated wizards the most.
Yet his firmness seemed to have no effect.
"Hagrid, I have no wish to be your enemy," Bane said resolutely. "Let the foal behind you come with me. If the inspection reveals nothing wrong, he will return unharmed. We never hurt innocent creatures. Besides, this is for your own good."
Hagrid's thick eyebrows knitted together. He looked down at Morris, his tone softening a little. "Morris, what do you think? Centaurs aren't bad. They're just especially cautious. Bane may have a bad temper, but he never lies."
Morris could hear the difficulty in his words.
But...
"Allow me to refuse," Morris said expressionlessly.
What a joke. A stranger from an unfamiliar race suddenly showed up wanting to take him away. Who knew what would happen?
Besides, this fellow was clearly full of malice.
"I'm afraid that is not your choice to make, foal." Bane's voice sank as he advanced two steps toward Morris.
Hagrid instinctively moved between them.
"It's all right, Hagrid," Bane told him. "I won't hurt him. I only want to take him somewhere."
Hagrid's expression visibly wavered.
While he hesitated, Bane had already walked up to Morris.
He reached out with both hands and clamped them around one of Morris's arms.
Morris looked at his thick arms, knowing he could not match his strength.
He raised his chin and looked straight into Bane's eyes.
"Let go." His voice was remarkably calm.
Bane's hands did not budge. "You have no right to choose," he said in a low voice.
Morris sighed silently to himself.
Since the other party insisted on using violence, this was out of his hands.
Fortunately, he was already proficient in the two curses he knew.
"Weakening Curse!"
"Wailing Curse!"
As he drew his wand as a disguise, Morris rapidly chanted the two spells.
There were no extravagant visual effects, only two barely perceptible streaks of dark light that swiftly coiled around Bane's arms like snakes and sank into his body.
"What?"
Bane shuddered. An unprecedented sense of weakness instantly swept through his body, and the arms gripping Morris began trembling uncontrollably.
His strength was rapidly draining away!
At the same time, a piercing wail that seemed to strike straight at his soul exploded in his mind, instantly making his head spin.
Magic!
"You-"
Bane was shocked and furious. He had never expected this seemingly weak wizard foal to possess such bizarre power. Moreover, he had not even clearly seen him move his wand.
He tried to tighten his grip, but his aching, weakened muscles and the noise in his mind kept him from carrying out the action.
Morris seized the opportunity and wrenched backward, breaking free of Bane's grasp.
He quickly retreated two steps, his gaze icy.
Stunned by this sudden turn of events, Hagrid stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do.
"Mr. Centaur," Morris said expressionlessly, "bullying a young wizard who has only just turned eleven is hardly something to boast about."
With that, he added two more Wailing Curses and two more Weakening Curses.
If quality wasn't enough, then he would win with quantity!
Four streaks of dark light shot out, sinking precisely into Bane's chest.
This time, the effect was even more pronounced.
Bane let out a muffled groan. His legs buckled, and he almost dropped to his knees.
The physical weakness and relentless mental interference left him almost unable to stand.
"What... evil spell are you using?" Bane's voice had grown hoarse and weak.
He tried to raise his spear, only to discover that he could not lift his arm at all.
"It's just a special Stunning Spell," Morris said calmly. "I'm merely ensuring my own safety, sir. Please don't blame me. You were the one who attacked first."
"Wailing Curse!"
After saying that, he added another curse.
This time, the centaur before him finally reached his limit.
The combined assault on his body and mind left him unable to hold on any longer.
Bane's pupils contracted, and his massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
His last conscious impression was of Morris's unruffled face before he sank completely into darkness.
"Merlin's beard!" Hagrid exclaimed as he rushed forward and crouched to check Bane's condition.
Only after confirming that the centaur was merely unconscious did he breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to Morris with an odd expression. "You went too far, Morris."
As soon as he said it, he felt that his words were rather absurd.
A first-year newcomer... going too far?
That was ridiculous.
Still, the newcomer before him had brought down an adult centaur. That was indeed an indisputable fact.
Morris calmly slipped his wand back into his sleeve. "He attacked first, Hagrid. I was only defending myself."
"I know." Hagrid sighed.
He scratched his thick beard and looked at Bane lying on the ground, at a loss for what to do.