— — — — — —
In the blink of an eye, evening had arrived.
But so far, not a single champion had come out.
Since everyone had an idea of what was going on inside, it seemed perfectly normal to them. If all you had to do was sit around doing nothing all afternoon, they figured they could just as easily sleep through the whole day in there.
Some even joked that when the first person finally came out, it wouldn't be because they couldn't stand the loneliness—but because they were starving and wanted dinner.
Only Tom knew the truth: the real trial had just begun.
After the initial shock of the sensory deprivation wore off, the champions were probably starting to come back to their senses. And that's when the real torment kicked in. He was certain that some of them had wanted to quit from the very beginning—so he had added a layer of suggestion magic to the room.
Whenever someone inside even thought about leaving, a voice would rise in their mind, cold and accusing:
'Are you really going to be a coward? A deserter?'
Tom had put a lot of thought into making sure this trial was as miserable as possible.
But there was one thing he hadn't accounted for—
Daphne's tolerance.
A pampered young lady like her had never endured anything like this. Once her mind cleared, she stopped caring about anything else and just wanted out.
Psychological suggestion?
Completely useless.
What deserter? She was a lady, not some soldier. That kind of guilt-trip didn't work on her at all.
So while Tom had just finished selecting three reward items and returned to Hogwarts without even catching his breath, he was immediately told—
Daphne had been eliminated.
Tom: "…"
Tom had always prided himself on staying one step ahead. With his foresight and sharp understanding of human nature, even well-known figures from the original story were easy for him to handle.
He had driven Voldemort half-mad, seized all the Horcruxes, and left him hiding somewhere like a rat in the gutter. Even Dumbledore had started to change, becoming far more unrestrained compared to his former image as a calm guardian of order.
And yet, when it came to Daphne, Tom could never predict what she'd do next.
He hadn't expected her to sign up for the tournament.
And he definitely hadn't expected her to drop out in the very first round.
'Were my suggestion spells fake or something?'
Speechless though he was, Tom rushed to the testing grounds as quickly as possible.
"Waaah!"
The moment Daphne spotted him, her already pitiful expression crumpled completely. Tears the size of pearls streamed down her face as she let out a wail and charged straight at him.
Usually, when Daphne threw herself into Tom's arms, it was to act spoiled—asking for comfort, a hug, a little reassurance.
This time was different.
Her fists came down on him like a rainstorm, not holding back in the slightest. As she hit him, she cried and shouted all at once, "Waaah! You're the worst! Tricking other champions is one thing, but why drag me into it too?! I was terrified in there—I just kept crying and crying! What kind of stupid test is that? You just wanted to bully people! I'm gonna beat you!"
The more the young lady spoke, the angrier she got. She started using both hands and feet—and in the end, even her teeth—actually biting him.
By then, the headmasters and professors from the other schools had also received word that a contestant had been eliminated. They hurried over, arriving just a moment after Tom—and walked right into the full scene of this "domestic violence."
Everyone's faces turned red as they struggled to hold back laughter, unsure whether they were allowed to find this funny.
Though something about it felt… off.
What do you mean, "tricking our champions is one thing"?
Are the other champions not people too? Isn't that a bit of a double standard?
"..."
A sly glint flashed through Dumbledore's eyes as he stroked his white beard.
The old man, thoroughly entertained, made no move to intervene or smooth things over. Instead, he stood at the doorway with a gentle smile—blocking the other headmasters from going in and interrupting.
Opportunities to see Tom get knocked down a peg were rare. Naturally, he wasn't about to miss this one.
After all, aside from these few witches, who in the entire wizarding world could make Tom Riddle take a beating without fighting back or even talking back?
"Alright, alright. Stop crying." Tom ignored Daphne's harmless little punches and gently pulled her into his arms, patting her back.
Then, deliberately raising his voice, he added, "The headmaster… that shameless old man is still watching from outside. Daphne, you don't want people laughing at your family, do you?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried just enough for those at the door to hear clearly.
Dumbledore's smile froze for a split second, the corner of his mouth twitching. The other headmasters, meanwhile, couldn't hold it in anymore. Their shoulders shook as they tried not to laugh.
Sure, their schools didn't have a freak of nature like Tom Riddle. But at least they didn't have a student who dared call the headmaster an "old man" to his face either.
Somehow, that felt… fair.
The word family seemed to have a strange kind of magic. The previously rampaging young lady instantly quieted down.
Daphne peeked out from Tom's arms, eyes still red, and glanced behind him. Sure enough, Dumbledore and the other headmasters were all standing there with odd expressions.
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
She shot Tom a fierce glare, sniffed, and finally stopped making a scene.
Tom shoved past the crowd of onlookers, dragging Daphne away and coaxing her back into the pocket world.
...
Between soft words and a barrage of gifts, the young witch gradually calmed down. She wasn't as furious anymore, though she still refused to talk to him, just huffing as she buried herself under the blankets. After drinking a calming potion, she soon drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile... Plenty of Hogwarts students had been watching the situation on the third floor. When they realized Daphne was the first champion to come out, it felt like the sky had fallen.
First round, and already dead last?
Was there even any hope of winning after this?
What made it worse for the Hogwarts students was that they couldn't even complain out loud. Those two were both petty, and there were no secrets in the castle. Say one wrong thing, and it would reach Tom and Daphne's ears by the next day.
Whatever. For the sake of school pride, it wasn't worth risking their lives.
Even Ron, famous for his big mouth, kept it shut this time. His face was full of frustration, but he didn't say a single word.
---
After settling Daphne, Tom quietly left. He realized he might have overestimated the champions' mental resilience. He'd expected people to start dropping out tomorrow, but judging by Daphne…
The others probably wouldn't last much longer either.
Sure enough, two and a half hours later, Quinta from Castelobruxo stumbled out.
She looked completely broken. Her eyes were unfocused, tear stains still on her face.
Her headmaster dragged her away immediately and sent her straight to the infirmary.
Next came Fleur and Ariana, almost back-to-back. They'd only lasted a few minutes longer than Quinta.
The moment Fleur came out, she didn't say a word. She lunged at Tom and bit down hard on his shoulder.
"Hiss! Not there! Daphne already bit that spot!" Tom yelped dramatically.
As expected, Fleur immediately pulled back in disgust, then leaned over and bit his other shoulder instead.
Ariana, who was being quietly comforted by Dumbledore, shot Tom a resentful look.
Compared to the others, she had actually fared a bit better. Grindelwald had secretly given her a hint beforehand. Still, she hadn't taken it seriously.
After all, she thought she had an advantage.
Unlike the others, she could "cheat" by slipping into the study space and just spend time with Jeanne there.
But she was still too naive.
If she could think of a workaround, how could Tom not?
The moment she entered the isolation room, Tom had cut off her connection to the study space.
If there weren't so many people watching, she would have followed Fleur's example and taken a bite out of him too.
With four champions eliminated in quick succession, only three remained.
But Tom wasn't particularly concerned about them. Right now, he had a bigger problem.
He had basically angered everyone. If he didn't smooth things over quickly, his little circle was going to turn into a battlefield.
...
By morning, Tom had the latest results.
Nassim Adeyemi of Uagadou had been eliminated at midnight.
Daniel Jauncey from Ilvermorny lasted until 1 AM. When he came out, he couldn't even walk properly, tripping over his own feet again and again.
Both were sent to the infirmary. After examining them, Madam Pomfrey could only prescribe calming potions. There was nothing else she could do. This kind of damage was psychological. It would take time to heal.
Only then did the other students realize just how brutal this trial actually was.
Now, everyone was focused on one question: How long could Hozumi Kamio from Mahoutokoro last?
The mystery was answered at noon.
The door of the final wooden cabin creaked open, and Hozumi Kamio stepped out.
Her movements were light, her pretty face carrying the soft, drowsy look of someone who had just woken up.
She stretched lazily, her figure briefly outlined beneath her loose wizard robes, then let out a satisfied sigh.
"Ah… that was a really nice nap."
.
.
.