After thinking for a moment, Astoria finally found the right word.
"At first, he didn't even use a wand. He pulled a bunch of yellow paper strips out of his robes, and when he threw them out, they could summon puppets and things like that. He could also use them to produce effects similar to the Shield Charm and Disarming Charm. Later, he threw several flags around the arena, and both he and Cedric disappeared inside a thick fog."
"But throughout all of that, Cedric still had the upper hand. His domain really is perfectly suited for defense and enduring pressure."
Rhys listened with a smile. He could roughly guess what had happened afterward.
"Later on, that guy realized he just couldn't break through Cedric's defenses, so he used his trump card. He directly summoned a bank of storm clouds, and lightning fell onto the duelling platform like rain. Half the platform was practically blasted apart.
"But Cedric kept holding on and refused to surrender. In the end, for some reason, that guy dispersed the thunderclouds himself and admitted defeat."
A trace of confusion appeared on Astoria's face.
When Yang Qingyue surrendered, he had looked completely calm. It felt like he could easily have kept fighting for a while longer.
"Cedric himself said he only won by luck. If that guy had held out just a little longer, Cedric would've been the one to surrender," Daphne added.
Rhys shook his head.
"He could've kept going, but there was no need."
"Explain?" The Greengrass sisters immediately became interested.
"Magic in the East is very interesting. My impression is that it relies more heavily on one's background. For example..."
Rhys pointed at the necklace and brooch on Daphne's chest.
"The stronger their ancestors and masters are, the more power they can bring out. Through talismans, they can borrow strength far beyond their own level, but the cost is also very high. That fellow probably reached the point where continuing the fight was starting to hurt his wallet. He simply couldn't bear to keep consuming his talismans."
"I see."
Astoria finally understood why Yang Qingyue had chosen to surrender halfway through the fight.
If he kept going, he was going to bankrupt himself.
After finishing the topic of Yang Qingyue, Rhys no longer had much interest in continuing the conversation.
As far as he was concerned, there had never really been any suspense over who would win the championship.
Unfortunately, someone present was stubborn enough to bring it up anyway.
"Rhys, aren't you curious who won in the end?" Daphne asked in a tone Rhys found difficult to understand.
"Don't tell me you actually beat Hermione?! Seriously? That's impossible, isn't it?"
Rhys was genuinely shocked.
Hermione's domain could summon projections of Rhys and all the people who had been in her library.
How could Daphne possibly defeat her?
Had this girl made another huge leap in strength while he was away?
Daphne's expression immediately stiffened at Rhys's painfully straightforward question.
"Well... that... uh..."
"She didn't win," Astoria answered for her sister.
Rhys: "..."
Look at you.
Why bring up exactly the thing you shouldn't?
Naturally, Hermione was the champion of the tournament's final individual competition.
The way she won was almost legendary.
She would simply stand in front of her opponent, and then the two of them would disappear for an instant.
When they returned, the outcome had already been decided.
Apart from the contestants themselves, no one knew what had happened.
As a result, Hermione suddenly became shrouded in mystery.
It was not that no one tried to investigate.
But after the quarterfinals, every opponent Hermione encountered was one of "their own," and everyone kept their mouths firmly shut.
Deputy Headmistress Ekaterina of Koldovstoretz also refused to reveal what had happened.
And so, it became a mystery that no one could solve.
After some casual conversation, Rhys's thoughts began to wander.
Dumbledore was giving a rather empty speech from the front of the hall.
The young wizards below were not really listening either. Most were simply thinking about where they should go during the holidays.
Rhys, meanwhile, had turned his attention toward that visitor from the Far East.
As far as he knew, Eastern wizards had conducted extensive research into the soul.
The ancestors of those wizards might even still exist in another form.
Otherwise, the principles behind those talismans would be difficult to explain.
Since they understood souls so well, Rhys felt that he ought to pay them a visit and see whether he could obtain some help from them.
Perhaps they could help him remove Loki's soul from Gryffindor's body sooner.
While recuperating in the alchemical world, Rhys had already been thinking about how to save Godric.
But so far, he had made no major breakthrough.
Loki was not an ordinary person, and his possession of Gryffindor's body made the situation particularly troublesome.
Conveniently, hadn't Yang Qingyue invited Cedric to visit his home?
Rhys figured that if they were already planning to host one guest, having one more probably wouldn't be a problem.
While his thoughts drifted, Dumbledore's speech also reached its conclusion.
"Students, many of you may already have heard. During the final stage of the tournament, Dark Wizards from outside Hogwarts attacked the school. Although we successfully foiled their plot, the consequences of that attack have not completely faded. The outside world has become more dangerous, so I sincerely recommend that none of you travel abroad this summer."
Dumbledore's gaze swept across the guests seated below.
"The same advice applies to all of you. I can assure everyone here that Britain is safe."
At the staff table, Karkaroff, who was sitting beside Snape, blinked.
This had been the most comfortable period of his life.
You-Know-Who, his former master, had fallen!
Could there possibly be better news than that?
When Karkaroff had awakened from unconsciousness and heard what had happened, he had nearly passed out again from sheer excitement.
Now, hearing Dumbledore say that the "effects had not completely faded," his first thought was that You-Know-Who had not died completely, and he immediately became nervous.
But after hearing Dumbledore's assurance, he relaxed again.
This was the first time Dumbledore had ever made such a declaration!
As a legendary wizard who had defeated Dark Lords again and again, how many generations of Dark Lords had come and gone? How many times had they returned?
In front of Dumbledore, they were all merely the same old story in different forms.
His guarantee was genuinely reassuring.
What Karkaroff did not know was that Dumbledore had not been referring to Voldemort at all.
Nor did Dumbledore's confidence come from himself.
It came from Professors White and Areis.
With those two around, if nothing else, Britain's safety could still be guaranteed.
Dumbledore's words immediately triggered heated discussion.
Many young wizards decided on the spot to change their holiday plans and cancel trips abroad with their families.
The guests who had come from other regions were more skeptical.
Some chose to listen to Dumbledore's advice, while many others did not take his warning seriously.
And in that atmosphere, another school year came to an end as usual.
Countless students rose from their seats and began heading toward their respective common rooms.
Cedric was no exception.
However, a familiar voice suddenly called out to him.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI