For the sake of easier accommodation and management, the young wizards from the three schools were housed separately.
This arrangement proved to be extremely convenient for Headmaster Charlid.
Before long, he spotted several very familiar faces and strode straight toward them.
The movement quickly alerted one of the young wizards. His mouth fell open as he recognized the approaching figure.
"Head—Headmaster!"
The shout instantly woke the others. They struggled to sit up, their faces twisted by the bizarre, curse-like effects left behind by various potions. Under the dim glow of wandlight, they looked eerily like drifting corpses, unsettling to behold.
Yet Headmaster Charlid showed not the slightest hint of panic. Instead, he gestured for them to calm down, wearing his habitual smile.
"All right, children. I know this wasn't entirely your fault. But now, can someone tell me—which bastard started it?"
After a moment of hesitation, beginning with one boy, fingers slowly pointed toward another room not far away—the ward reserved for the severely injured.
The boy closest to the headmaster suddenly felt an overwhelming killing intent radiating from him. In the next instant, Charlid's face was practically pressed against his.
"Are you certain—who those people are? And exactly what did they do?"
Trembling, the young wizard recounted everything he could remember, his words echoed and confirmed by those around him.
Then, just like that, the smiling headmaster they all knew returned. He even reassured them not to worry about the emotions of the other students and to focus solely on recovering from their injuries.
Amid their lingering fear, the headmaster calmly walked into the ward for the severely injured—then sealed the door shut with magic.
Moments later, screams, the sound of flesh slamming against walls, and desperate pleas erupted from inside the room.
The cacophony sent chills down the spines of the injured students lying outside. Thankfully, it did not last long.
A quarter of an hour later, the door opened.
The headmaster stepped out, dragging behind him a long rope woven from linen. Wrapped within it were four wizards—the very ones who had just been identified.
Had they not known them so well, no one would have recognized the battered figures beneath the bruises and blood.
Charlid's voice was ice-cold.
"Good. Very good. Now tell me—can you still stand?"
Silence followed. Then, a reply as faint as a mosquito's buzz:
"If… if we try, there shouldn't be too much of a problem, sir."
"Then what are you waiting for?! Planning to die in bed? All Ilvermorny wizards—on your feet!"
His roar echoed throughout the hospital.
Minutes later, the tortured students struggled into a line, following their headmaster out of the inner ward. At the hospital entrance, they were intercepted by several professors.
"Forgive me, Headmaster. While you are their headmaster, I must inform you that their condition is far worse than you believe. If you force them to leave like this, many students may not endure it. Some could even collapse halfway."
"Then—will they die?"
The blunt, ferocious question startled the head nurse. After confirming she had heard correctly, she hesitated before replying,
"Headmaster, please don't joke. Their injuries are not fatal. However, if they lose consciousness, their conditions could worsen. What might have healed in a few days could take as long as a week. Please believe me—this is not alarmism, but judgment born from many years at Mahoutokoro."
"But, madam—since these injuries won't kill them, they must leave tonight. Because I'm afraid that if they stay, I might truly kill them."
Without waiting for her response, Headmaster Charlid dragged the tangled bundle of bodies forward and strode out.
As the rope passed by, several professors froze—they caught sight of the young wizards bound inside.
Yet the headmaster gave them no chance to stop him. He never once looked back, his pace swift, showing not the slightest concern for the students trailing behind.
And yet, not a single battered young wizard dared utter a word of complaint. Instead, they forced themselves to keep up, using every ounce of strength they had.
For a time, the flow of people surged like a tide.
======
Back at the campsite, the Hogwarts students—who had barely managed to save their sleeping quarters—were resting or reorganizing their tents.
Thanks to Allen's intervention, those quick-handed fellows now had to grimace as they hauled their luggage back out and set it up again. It was an unavoidable inconvenience.
Though the campsite was preserved, no one dared celebrate. Many Hogwarts students were still lying in the hospital, and professors and prefects patrolled with grim expressions, fearing further trouble.
Just as the professors remained on edge, a sudden burst of purple light flared within the ruined Ilvermorny campsite. Instantly, tension skyrocketed, and the security team went on full alert.
Soon, however, word spread—it was Ilvermorny's emergency assembly signal.
And the one who had activated it was Ilvermorny's current headmaster—Charlid.
To visiting wizards, he warmly stated that he welcomed friends from Hogwarts and Mahoutokoro alike to attend the gathering.
Hearing this, the students who had been roused by the professors finally relaxed. Since they were already awake, they might as well see what Ilvermorny was up to. Thus, Allen and the other Hogwarts students yawned their way over.
As for safety—under the current circumstances, no large, crazed wizard mob could form again. As for lone attackers… did they really think the professors were useless?
The groups mingled, exchanging greetings and casual chatter while observing the situation unfold.
Once most of the crowd had arrived—and it seemed his own students were all present—the headmaster raised his voice and levitated into the air.
However, his presence was immediately overshadowed by the massive bundle of rope floating behind him.
"I sincerely apologize for disturbing you so late. But as Ilvermorny's current headmaster, I cannot allow a day like this to end as nothing more than farce—"
He flicked his wand, and four terrified figures were revealed.
"As you can see—these are the culprits behind tonight's chaos. Regrettably, they are all my students. Therefore, I believe it is necessary to give everyone an explanation."