"Whimpering?"
The Niffler being held by Lupin tilted its head.
"It's you!"
Astoria finally noticed the Niffler in the man's hand.
"...It's me, wait, didn't you just say this before?" Lupin, unsure of the situation, scratched his nose and patiently crouched down. "So, why are you here? Where are your parents?" He spoke as he looked in the direction behind the girl.
As the only guest to actively talk to him all night, Lupin clearly remembered that the girl was with her parents and sister.
"No, I meant it..."
The girl frowned and pointed at the Niffler, but then shook her head, her golden hair swaying. "No, they all look kinda similar, maybe I mistook it." As she spoke, she seemed to think for a moment. "Listen, someone wants to steal the Fire Dragon that's performing. They're planning to open the barrier on stage and lure the dragon out with a fake Dragon Egg—"
Yes, in the time it took her to run from the restroom to here, Astoria had already sorted out the plan of the two thieves in her mind.
And when she ran into the uncle who had given her candy, her immediate reaction was to tell him about it.
"What Dragon Egg..."
Although everything the girl said sounded rather bizarre, Lupin instinctively started thinking seriously. His naturally gentle temperament prompted him to show extra patience when dealing with children.
Soon, he frowned, seeming to catch a flaw, "That Fire Dragon... is male, right?"
"Yes, I know, but those two idiots apparently don't. They really plan to do it." Astoria was extremely anxious. "I overheard them in the restroom, they thought no one was there. I swear what I'm saying is true, help me, Dad, Mom, and Daphne are still sitting under the stage—"
No choice, a girl who just turned ten without even a Magic Wand could only try to seek help from an adult—
Although she had watched a Muggle film titled "Home Alone" last year, she didn't have the capabilities of that "home alone" kid, not to mention this wasn't her home.
"...Let me take you to your parents first."
Lupin was silent for a moment, seeing the genuine tension and anxiety on the girl's face. He nodded and led her quickly towards the backstage exit.
"What do the two people you mentioned look like?"
The girl's stride was short, so Lupin lifted her onto his back and asked.
"Don't know, I didn't dare to open the stall gate." The girl shook her head. "But I heard they replaced the last performing Hero and his Attendant."
...
"...So now, Evil Dragon, I will judge you in the name of the Hero..."
At this moment, the stage performance was nearing its end. The Wizard who was flying in the air earlier was now lying haphazardly near the stage edge, and the only "Hero" still standing on stage rose from beside his dead "Attendant" and shouted his lines.
Mr. Greengrass, who had already guessed the ending, yawned listlessly. He shifted his gaze away from the Fire Dragon trying to sprinkle ash on the Hero to make him sneeze and looked at his daughter... daughters?
"Daphne, where's your sister?" The man asked in some confusion, frowning slightly.
"Oh, she said she wanted to go out and see other things." Daphne's eyes were fixed on the stage, responding absentmindedly. Unlike Mr. Greengrass, she clearly enjoyed watching the stage drama—if only the Hero wasn't covering his face.
The girl furrowed her brows in slight displeasure.
"...How long has she been gone?" Mr. Greengrass continued to inquire.
"Half an hour? Or... I don't remember." Daphne, disturbed, was evidently somewhat annoyed, but she dared not show it in front of her father, so she symbolically turned her head, "She should be back soon, uh... isn't that... who is that man?" The girl pointed towards the seats at the back.
"What man..."
Mr. Greengrass turned his head as well, spotting his daughter tugging a man dressed in circus attire and quickly running towards him.
That man is...
Mr. Greengrass didn't recognize Lupin; he was somewhat face-blind.
"Dad, we need to leave, those people are about to..."
Noticing Mr. Greengrass's gaze, Astoria instinctively shrank her neck but still grasped Lupin's sleeve and ran all the way to the stage—given the Greengrass Clan's reputation, sitting anywhere other than the front row at circus or opera performances would be an insult to their Sacred Twenty-Eight status.
Even though there was a group of red-haired people who completely disregarded that status.
"Sir, your daughter—"
"You, shut up," the man interrupted Lupin's explanation, supporting himself with a cane and gazing at Astoria. "How have I taught you usually? To remain calm and composed no matter the circumstances. Now, explain to me personally where you've just been."
"I..."
The girl opened her mouth, but her father's imposing presence rendered her speechless.
Yet, before she could regain her composure under her father's gaze, a sharp shriek suddenly erupted from the stage, causing almost everyone present to cover their ears.
"What the..."
The few seated in the front row suffered the greatest damage, with blood starting to flow from Mr. Greengrass's ears. His already pale face now seemed coated with another layer of white paint, and he slumped onto his seat and promptly fainted.
Meanwhile, Astoria beside him also collapsed onto her chair with her sister, but she fared significantly better, at least able to signal to Lupin.
"...Mandrake?"
Lupin raised his head, observing the "Hero" wearing earmuffs and the "Attendant" who had just climbed up from the ground. His suspicions about the girl's words vanished completely as he stared at the matured Mandrake resembling an ugly baby in the "Hero's" hand. Even with Lupin's composure, he couldn't help but feel inclined to curse.
Due to the Magic Barrier, the sound reaching the stands was much less powerful than its original version, yet many people in the stands still fainted in large patches. Without the barrier, what had just occurred would have been a massive "massacre."
The Fire Dragon, directly affected by the Mandrake, impatiently flapped its wings, exhaling a thick black smoke from its mouth.
"Wait, don't go over—"
Lupin watched the "Hero" duo putting away the Mandrake and moving towards the Fire Dragon. He suddenly recalled what Astoria had just mentioned.
"...Too late."
The "Hero" turned his head, apparently surprised that someone was still standing in spite of everything. But he merely shook his head disdainfully, then raised the Dragon Egg in his hand as his companion lifted the magic wand—"Confundo! (Confusion!)"
Under the Charm's effect, the Fire Dragon was puzzled and tilted its head slightly, momentarily staring at the black egg in the man's hand in silence.
"Yes, we've controlled it, lower the barrier—" As the "Hero's" voice fell, the barrier originally separating the stage from the audience disappeared. The man, holding the "Dragon Egg," took several steps closer...
"Hold on—"
Ignoring the piercing pain in his head, Lupin instinctively attempted to rush onto the stage. However, he was forced not to proceed by the Charm aimed at the stage.
"Stay there, don't move, this has nothing to do with you." The "Attendant," holding the wand, grumbled, "How much money does the boss pay you a month here, that you're striving this hard?"
"No, you don't know..."
Before Lupin could finish his words, another ear-piercing scream came, but this time, unlike the Mandrake, it held no lethality. The "Attendant" turned back instinctively but found his companion already halfway into the mouth of the Fire Dragon—
"What, what's going on?"
Looking at the counterfeit Dragon Egg lying shattered on the ground, panic washed over the man's face. Instinctively wanting to save his comrade, yet suddenly, the sound of chains breaking rang out, and the Fire Dragon, with half its body stuck in the curtain wall, stood upright, its pair of ocher eyes fixed fiercely on the man before it.
The man waved his magic wand instinctively, but the sparks emitted brought him a sense of despair, "Why? Apparition..."
"Roar—"
Fiery Dragon Flame engulfed the man's figure directly.
"Roar?"
Watching the Fire Dragon climbing up from the stage, staring at the front-row audience seats, Lupin felt a great alarm in his heart. As a carbon-based creature, his instinct was to turn and flee when facing the Fire Dragon, yet as the only person able to move, he stepped forward to block the girl filled with terror from his view—
"Why..."
Astoria, already in despair, widened her eyes, completely unable to comprehend the man's actions. Yet Lupin raised his magic wand, "Protego! (Shield!)"
A deep crimson flame spewed from the Fire Dragon's mouth but was blocked by a layer of transparent light film behind it. Lupin's arms maintaining the magic trembled severely, struggling desperately to uphold the already wavering charm, yet evidently, he couldn't hold on much longer, and the Fire Dragon seemed to be enjoying the fun, its spewed Dragon Flame growing hotter.
Watching this scene, the despair in the girl's eyes deepened; she chose to close her eyes—
At this moment, none noticed that the small bag slung at the girl's waist suddenly emitted a slight tremor.
"Snap—"
The next moment, an arm supported the teetering Lupin, and a purple light screen emerged, enveloping and rebounding the scorching flames back onto the Fire Dragon.
"Roar—"
The Fire Dragon howled, retreating a step, lowering its body while fixating its dangerous gaze upon the boy who had suddenly appeared behind Lupin.
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