Harry stared at the spot on his leg where he'd been injured earlier, as if trying to bore a hole through it.
In fact, the deep, bone-deep wound had healed completely, and even the torn part of his trousers had been mended by the Repairing Charm. He just quietly stared at the fabric's pattern, a cold sweat subtly breaking out on his back.
It wasn't that the wound still hurt; it was just that the air in the tent seemed to have solidified. The silent fury of the others boiled, making Harry feel extremely uneasy.
Due to Wade's arrangements, most of the people in this tent had been eliminated—though they might not have had a chance to enter the second task anyway—but regardless, Harry felt like every gaze around him was piercing.
He glanced enviously to his left. Cedric, still growing bones, groaned in pain even in his unconscious state. Perhaps because he looked so miserable, even the other Champions couldn't bring themselves to be hostile towards him.
Harry looked enviously to his right again. Wade, the true target of everyone's hatred, sat there, calmly fiddling with the Golden Egg in his hands, completely oblivious—or perhaps disdainful—of the surrounding stares.
I feel like everyone's even angrier now…
Suddenly, Wade seemed to sense Harry's prolonged gaze, turned to him, and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…"
Harry sighed, lowered his head again, and picked at a loose thread protruding from his cuff, agonizingly waiting for the moment he could leave.
Wade studied the Golden Egg for a while, figuring out most of the runes and Alchemy techniques used on it. Satisfied, he put the Golden Egg into his pocket and looked around.
The angry, discontented, hostile, and challenging gazes immediately met Wade's eyes, and some people instinctively reached for their Wands.
But seeing his calm, lake-like gray eyes, their gazes flickered away in unison.
Honestly, losing to a boy younger than most of them, and then clinging on after being defeated, was quite undignified.
Not everyone present had been eliminated by Wade. Some were simply curiously observing him, not holding grudges against the person who had defeated them.
Although Wade Gray had been a bit excessive in eliminating opponents in the Chamber of Secrets, before they participated in the competition, who wasn't eager to show off their skills? And before the competition, every school had tried every possible way to cheat. Who was really cleaner than whom?
Wade Gray had simply done it more efficiently and decisively.
Realizing this, some pretended to adjust their hair, some stared at their wounds, and others sheepishly lowered their Wands. Silently, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.
Suddenly, the silence in the tent was broken by hurried footsteps. The tent flap was yanked open, and two bloodied Champions stumbled in, supported by their classmates.
The newcomers looked exceptionally disheveled, but the light in their eyes sharply contrasted with the despondent, eliminated contestants in the tent.
Leading the way was Natalia of Koldovstoretz. Most of her robes were scorched, and her right arm hung limply, clearly broken. In her uninjured left hand, she clutched a Golden Egg tightly, excitedly telling the person beside her:
"Haha, when I drew number five, I thought I was done for! I figured all the Golden Eggs would be gone by the time I got past the Dragon… I can't believe there were so many left! I found one right away!"
Following closely was Adam of Ilvermorny. He smiled gently, the Golden Egg making his pale face a little brighter.
Upon seeing the people in the tent, Adam's expression stiffened slightly. He quickly shot Natalia a look, signaling her to stop talking.
But Natalia didn't notice at all, still excitedly telling her friend beside her, "It was so strange! The Golden Egg wasn't even hidden! Why didn't the Champions before me find it… Did the Dragon eliminate most of them?"
The tent was silent. Everyone silently stared at her with resentful, jealous, and indignant eyes.
Her friend, who had watched the live broadcast, knew without a doubt that everyone else's mood couldn't be good. She quickly called out, "Natalia!"
"What's wrong? Why so loud?"
Natalia was startled. She turned and realized that the tent was filled with injured people lying haphazardly. Seeing their resentment and gloomy expressions, she instantly quieted down.
Her fingers tightened around the Golden Egg, and she swallowed.
The air was thick with suffocating awkwardness. A moment later, two or three more people entered, one after another, each holding a Golden Egg and wearing a joyful expression.
They were much more perceptive than Natalia. Or rather, after discovering that there were still many untouched Golden Eggs hidden inside the scorpion, they realized that the number of eliminations this time would probably be unexpectedly high.
So, no one showed off. After entering, they quickly suppressed their smiles, nonchalantly slipped the Golden Eggs into their robe pockets, and then casually walked to the remaining empty beds.
"Chinatsu… are you alright?" Kitajima Rikka of Mahoutokoro walked to a sickbed and cautiously asked in Japanese.
Asada Chinatsu shrank into her blankets, forcing a smile, and said with dim eyes, "Congratulations… on getting the Golden Egg."
"You…" Kitajima Rikka didn't ask if she had gotten the Golden Egg, but simply sat down silently, choosing not to speak.
On the other side, Clementine of Beauxbatons didn't dare to ask Fleur Delacour anything—the latter seemed intent on suffocating herself under the blankets, her silvery hair looking grimy at the moment.
It was Jabari of Uagadou who, after his wounds healed, first ran to hug Papua and whispered a few words to him. Then he sat by Amina's bed to comfort her, only to be angrily shooed away by the girl.
After a while longer, Ludo Bagman bounced into the tent, his face beaming with joy.
"Excellent, excellent! Children, you've all done very well! And of course, the contestants who got the Golden Eggs are even more outstanding. Even if…"
He quickly glanced at Wade, then his gaze swept over the other moody faces.
"Even if it was due to luck—but who's to say luck isn't a part of skill? Haha!"
Bagman's laughter sounded particularly out of place in the heavy air. He quickly realized this himself, cleared his throat, and rubbed his hands as he continued:
"Injured contestants, please rest assured and recuperate. I guarantee you won't have to pay a single penny for your treatment; those whose wounds have healed may return."
"Champions who got the Golden Egg—oh, except for Mr. Diggory, I don't think he'll be able to stand up yet—the rest of you, please follow me."
One by one, the Champions rose, and under the complex gazes of the others, followed Bagman out of the tent.
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