Passing through the Merfolk village, Lynn returned once more to the dangerous waters of the Black Lake.
The surrounding light suddenly dimmed. Those crude stone buildings, glowing shells, and dense coral reefs were all left far behind.
In their place was an endless gloom, with occasional glimmers of light filtering from the deeper lakebed, appearing and disappearing in the dark green water.
Lynn felt he had dawdled long enough by that stone pillar—he'd fought four battles and even fished out the "treasures" for those three useless Durmstrang wastes while he was at it.
But on the way back, he still saw no sign of the other champions.
In the empty lake water, only he and the string of "treasures" behind him swam slowly forward.
Lynn frowned.
Were they lost? Or had they already withdrawn from the competition?
That shouldn't be right. He remembered Bagman saying there was a two-hour time limit for this task. It had only been a little over half that time. Even if those champions were slow, they should have roughly reached the Merfolk village by now, right?
Just as Lynn fell into thought, a dissatisfied shout came from behind him.
"Lynn! Let me go! I can swim on my own!"
Lynn turned his head.
Behind him, a rope conjured through Transfiguration had skewered the three of them together like candied hawthorn on a stick.
At the very front was Hermione, glaring at Lynn with wide eyes.
In the middle was the brown-haired girl—Ruth—still unconscious, floating limply in the water and occasionally swaying with the current.
At the end was the short black-haired Lisa, also unconscious and floating like a stranded fish.
Lynn glanced at Hermione and shook his head.
"You are currently spoils of war," he said matter-of-factly. "If you run away, won't my rescue have been for nothing?"
Hermione's eyes widened even further.
"Spoils of war?!"
"Exactly. I rescued you from the stone pillar. Theoretically, you are now my trophy. You'll only regain your freedom once I bring you back to the shore."
"What kind of twisted logic is that?!"
"It's not twisted logic. It's the rules."
"The rules never said anything like that!"
"The rules also didn't say they couldn't be interpreted this way."
Hermione was left speechless.
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm herself down.
"You're just retaliating! Retaliating because I contradicted you at the stone pillar just now!"
Lynn tilted his head as though trying hard to remember.
"Did that happen?"
"Yes!"
"How come I don't remember?"
"You—!"
Hermione's face turned red with anger.
Looking at her expression, the corners of Lynn's mouth curled up slightly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
He turned around and continued swimming forward.
From behind came Hermione's voice through gritted teeth.
"Lynn! Just you wait!"
Lynn waved a hand without looking back.
"Wait then. We'll talk when we get back to the surface."
The two bickered like this all the way through the dark lake water.
Lynn was in a good mood.
Although his fishing rod was broken, at least he'd recovered it. He could repair it once he got back.
Hermione was still rambling behind him, saying things like, "You're abusing your authority," "I'm going to tell Professor McGonagall when we get back," and "Just wait until you get points deducted."
Lynn acted as though he hadn't heard a word.
Just then—
From the distance, a dull booming sound approached.
The sound was low and heavy, as though some massive object was moving rapidly, or like thunder echoing across the lakebed.
Hermione's voice stopped abruptly.
She jerked her head toward the direction of the sound.
The lakebed ahead was pitch black. Nothing could be seen.
Only the booming sound grew closer and louder, vibrating the surrounding currents until they trembled slightly.
Hermione's expression changed.
"Lynn—"
Before she could finish her sentence—
A sudden, powerful force struck!
Hermione felt a sharp tug on the rope, and she, along with Ruth and Lisa behind her, was violently yanked toward Lynn!
The force came so fast and so hard that Hermione didn't even have time to cry out before she was pulled several meters away.
By the time she regained her senses, she found herself behind Lynn.
Lynn held the other end of the rope in his hand, his eyes fixed ahead.
Following his gaze—
A massive beast galloped out of the darkness!
It was a horse.
Its body was more than three times the size of an ordinary horse, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen in the dark water.
Its mane wasn't hair, but clusters of slender water weeds that drifted behind it as it ran. Its four hooves were huge and sharp, leaving deep imprints on the lakebed with every strike.
The most terrifying part was its mouth—a massive horse's mouth currently stretched wide open, revealing two rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth.
A Kelpie.
Lynn recognized the creature. They were common in the waters of the Scottish Highlands, extremely fierce, and fond of dragging passersby beneath the surface to drown them.
But behind it, a figure was being dragged by a chain.
The figure tumbled and bounced through the water as the Kelpie ran, tossed around like a rag doll.
Even so, the person still gripped the chain tightly, refusing to let go.
Just as the Kelpie was about to gallop past them, Lynn finally saw the figure clearly.
"Potter?!"
Lynn waved his wand.
Magic surged through the water, and in the blink of an eye, the phantom of a massive beast took shape before him.
It was a Graphorn.
Grayish-purple skin, a thick, rugged hide, and two enormous curved horns protruding from its head. Though only a phantom, its massive size and savage aura were enough to make the Kelpie wary.
"Moo—!!!"
The Graphorn phantom let out a thunderous roar, its four hooves digging into the lakebed as it charged headlong toward the oncoming Kelpie!
Boom—!!!
The two massive figures collided violently beneath the water!
The shockwave spread wildly from the point of impact, kicking up massive clouds of silt and causing the surrounding water to churn violently. Debris from the lakebed was swept up and scattered in every direction.
Surprisingly, the collision ended in a stalemate.
The Graphorn phantom planted its hooves firmly on the lakebed, muscles bulging as it pushed forward with all its might.
The Kelpie refused to yield, lowering its massive horse head and bracing against the Graphorn's giant horns with its rows of razor-sharp teeth.
The two giant beasts wrestled across the lakebed, neither willing to give an inch.
Harry seized the opportunity immediately.
He released the chain he had been gripping so tightly and kicked his legs hard, swimming away with all his strength.
The next second—
The stalemate was broken.
The Graphorn phantom suddenly unleashed its full strength. Like a mountain torrent erupting, it flipped the Kelpie clean over!
The Kelpie's massive body tumbled four or five times through the water before crashing heavily into the silt on the lakebed, sending another cloud of murkiness billowing outward.
It struggled back to its feet, shaking its head from the impact.
Then—
It turned and charged straight at Lynn.
"Oh, quite the temper you've got."
As soon as he spoke, a large cluster of Fiendfyre erupted from his wand.
The instant it appeared, the surrounding lake water began to boil violently, with countless bubbles glug-glugging toward the surface.
The icy water rapidly heated at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding dozens of meters of water became warm and comfortable, like soaking in a hot spring.
The Kelpie's charge came to an abrupt halt.
It hovered in place, looking at the cluster of Fiendfyre still burning in Lynn's hand, then at the surrounding water that had suddenly become warm and inviting.
Its expression instantly—
Became clear and bright.
The change was so fast it was practically faster than turning a page.
It opened its mouth and let out an unusually pleasant whinny.
"Let's talk this out~ No need for violence."
Lynn couldn't help but laugh.
"Wouldn't it have been better to be like this from the start?"
He dismissed the Fiendfyre and swam toward the Kelpie.
The Kelpie hovered obediently in place, not daring to move, only looking at him with its large, clear eyes that practically screamed, I'm very good, I'm very obedient, please don't burn me.
Lynn swam up beside it, reached out, and patted its back.
Quite sturdy.
He nodded with satisfaction, flipped onto its back, and mounted it directly.
The Kelpie trembled slightly, but didn't dare resist.
Lynn grabbed the water-weed-like mane. It felt surprisingly sturdy and flexible, giving him a stable grip.
Then he turned toward Hermione and beckoned.
"Get on."
Hermione stared at him, then at the Kelpie.
"You... you're going to ride it back?!"
"Otherwise? Walk back?"
Hermione opened her mouth as if to argue, but ultimately said nothing.
She pulled on the rope, dragging the unconscious Ruth and Lisa alongside the Kelpie.
Lynn reached down, lifted the two of them, and draped them sideways across the horse's back.
Then he extended a hand toward Hermione.
"Get on."
Hermione took his hand, and he pulled her up behind him.
Lynn patted the Kelpie's neck.
"Let's go."
The Kelpie raised its head with a whinny—
Then its four hooves kicked powerfully, and it shot forward like an arrow released from a bow!
The speed was astonishing.
Hermione barely had time to react before everything around her blurred into streaks. The Bubble-Head Charm surrounding her head distorted completely under the pressure, stretching into a long oval pressed tightly against her face.
She instinctively grabbed onto Lynn's robes and squeezed her eyes shut.
All she could hear was the roar of rushing water.
Harry hovered in place, staring blankly as the Kelpie carrying the four of them disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.
...
On the shore.
On the giant screen, the image turned completely black.
Ludo Bagman's voice rang out, tinged with embarrassment.
"Uh... ladies and gentlemen, it seems our broadcasting equipment has... lost track of Mr. Lynn. The Kelpie he's riding is moving too fast for the image to keep up."
A chorus of disappointed sighs rose from the stands.
"But it doesn't matter!" Ludo's voice rang out again, full of energy. "The footage of the other champions is still available! Let's continue following their performances!"
The screen switched to the other champions.
But no one's attention remained on them.
Everyone was waiting.
Waiting for Lynn to appear.
A few minutes later—
A massive surge suddenly erupted from the surface of the Black Lake.
A giant Kelpie burst out of the water.
It leaped high into the air, tracing a graceful arc before landing with a heavy thud on the grassy shore.
On its back sat Lynn at the front, one hand gripping the mane while the other waved toward the stands.
Behind him, Hermione clung tightly to his robes, her expression still shaken.
Further back, Ruth and Lisa were draped sideways across the Kelpie's back like two rag dolls, still unconscious.
The stands fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then the cheers exploded.
"Lynn!!!"
"Lynn!! Lynn!! Lynn!!!"
The young witches and wizards leaped from their seats, frantically waving their flags and scarves. Cheers, whistles, and thunderous applause blended together until the entire stadium seemed to tremble.
From the judges' table, Ludo Bagman's voice rang out once more.
"Mr. Lynn is the first champion to return! Total time—fifty-nine minutes!"
He paused before adding with a grin,
"And not only did he return himself, but he also brought back his 'spoils of war'—the three Durmstrang 'treasures'!"
Another burst of laughter erupted from the stands.
Lynn jumped down from the Kelpie's back and patted its neck.
"Alright, you can go back now."
The Kelpie looked as though it had been granted a royal pardon. It flicked its tail and immediately turned to gallop back into the lake.
---
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