The spell Jick cast was even more powerful than the Blasting Curse.
His wand resembled a fully charged air cannon.
After compressing a tremendous amount of magical power, it erupted in an instant, launching an orange-red bolt of lightning straight at Adrian Ambrosius.
“This is bad!”
The smiling Slytherin prefects watching from the sidelines immediately changed expressions.
The power of this spell had already exceeded what a first-year student should be able to handle, and its target was none other than an Ambrosius.
If anything happened to Adrian Ambrosius…
Every student whose family was tied to the Ambrosius family’s interests knew exactly how terrifying the consequences would be.
The prefects all drew their wands, preparing to intercept the spell.
“There’s no need to worry.”
Adrian Ambrosius’s clear voice rang out.
His sandalwood wand traced a circle through the air.
It was a spell he had created himself.
“Circle of Confinement.”
A magical vortex appeared within the circle.
The lightning formed by the Reductor Curse was drawn into it with perfect accuracy.
Instead of exploding outward, the violent energy became trapped inside the circle.
Just as the spell’s name implied—
Where the wand drew its boundary became a prison for magic.
“Senior Jick,” Adrian Ambrosius said calmly, “your turn should be over now.”
His right hand flicked his wand gracefully.
The imprisoned Reductor Curse spun around the tip of the sandalwood wand like a dancing golden whirlwind as Adrian Ambrosius slowly walked toward Jick.
“Y-you…
what are you trying to do?”
After casting two high-level spells in succession, Jick’s magical power was nearly exhausted.
He could see it clearly.
Adrian Ambrosius intended to return the Reductor Curse to its original owner.
In his current state, there was no way he could withstand a full-powered Reductor Curse—especially his own.
Grinding his teeth, Jick hurriedly pulled a potion from his robes.
It shimmered with a brilliant azure color, like a fragment of the sky itself.
It was Adrian Ambrosius’s invention.
The Blue Sky Potion.
Or rather…
A mana restoration potion.
He had spent an entire Galleon to buy just half a bottle.
It was considered an invaluable asset in wizard duels, capable of instantly restoring an underage wizard’s magical power.
Adrian Ambrosius sighed softly.
“You’re using a potion that I invented, yet you’re still mocking me.”
“So tell me…”
“How exactly am I supposed to forgive you?”
The warmth vanished from his eyes.
With a wave of his sandalwood wand, the lightning of the Reductor Curse transformed into dazzling golden light and struck the potion in Jick’s hand with pinpoint precision.
The half bottle of Blue Sky Potion—worth a full Galleon—vanished completely.
Even the glass bottle disintegrated without leaving behind a single shard.
“Consider this a small punishment.”
Adrian Ambrosius spoke quietly.
At once, Jick’s limbs stiffened as though turned to stone.
His body toppled backward with a thud.
“That’s the Full Body-Bind Curse.”
Hermione was no longer worried.
She quietly explained to those beside her, “We’ll learn that spell in the second half of the school year.
It looks like Adrian Ambrosius has already mastered casting it silently.”
Harry finally let out a sigh of relief.
“As expected of Adrian Ambrosius.”
Ron stared at Adrian Ambrosius with unconcealed envy.
“Why…
why have you gotten even stronger?
Is there anything you can’t do?
Why is life so unfair?”
No one answered.
Step by step, Adrian Ambrosius walked over to Jick.
Unable to speak under the effects of the Body-Bind Curse, Jick could only stare at him in terror.
He had completely lost the ability to resist.
“You lost, Senior.”
Adrian Ambrosius didn’t cast another spell.
He simply slipped his sandalwood wand back into his pocket.
“First, remember this.”
“The one who defeated you was me.”
” Adrian Ambrosius.”
“Not House Ambrosius.”
“And second…”
Although Adrian Ambrosius was smiling, his gaze had turned cold.
“Never casually insult someone else’s family.”
“No one has that right.”
“As punishment for looking down on House Ambrosius, your family—the Fernandez family—will have no dealings whatsoever with any Ambrosius-owned businesses or affiliated families for the next year.”
“I hope you’ll reflect on your actions.”
Jick’s face instantly turned ashen.
Only now did he realize that beyond his talent, the young man standing before him possessed influence that stretched across nearly half the wizarding world.
Without the Ambrosius family’s trade network…
How would the Fernandez family survive?
Fear.
Despair.
Pleading.
All of it filled his eyes.
Unfortunately, the Body-Bind Curse prevented him from uttering even a single word.
Adrian Ambrosius casually raised a finger.
Jick’s body floated into the air under the Levitation Charm before drifting toward his horrified companions.
“The spell will wear off naturally in an hour.”
Having said that, Adrian Ambrosius quietly stepped away from the center of the arena, leaving behind nothing but a cool, composed silhouette.
Mmm…
I’ll give myself a ninety-nine for that performance.
The missing point is to keep myself from getting arrogant. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
After a brief silence, the Slytherins erupted into thunderous cheers.
The air filled with praise and admiration for Adrian Ambrosius.
Of course, not everyone was satisfied.
Some believed Jick had been far too arrogant, openly insulting both Slytherin and Adrian Ambrosius.
They felt he deserved a much harsher punishment.
Adrian Ambrosius merely turned his head away.
It’s not like he murdered my parents.
Calm down.
Young people are way too hot-headed.
Violence isn’t the answer.
If a dog bites me, I don’t need to bite it back.
The Gryffindor students, meanwhile, felt utterly ashamed.
Not only had their senior lost…
The victor had shown such magnanimity afterward.
In an instant, Adrian Ambrosius’s favorability among the little lions rose by another wave.
Right then, Ron stepped forward to stir things up again.
“We haven’t lost yet!”
“Didn’t Adrian Ambrosius say he wouldn’t participate in the duel between our Houses?”
“We still haven’t been defeated by Slytherin!”
“That’s right!”
Ron’s words immediately resonated with many students.
Among them were Fred and George, who had come to watch the excitement.
With their younger brother involved in a fight, there was no way those two troublemakers would stay away.
Pretty clever, Ron Weasley.
Adrian Ambrosius quietly cast an Amplification Charm on himself so that his voice could rise above the commotion.
“I have a suggestion.”
“I hope everyone from both Slytherin and Gryffindor will hear me out.”
The Slytherins obediently fell silent.
The Gryffindors glanced at the nearly unconscious Jick lying in the back and quickly quieted down as well.
“This duel started because of my roommate and my friend.”
“They’re both first-year students.”
“I hope that everyone above first year—our seniors—will stay out of this.”
“In order to settle this duel fairly while keeping the disturbance to a minimum, I suggest each House choose three wizards.”
“They’ll fight one-on-one.”
“The winner will be decided using a best-of-three format.”
Best two out of three?
That…
actually sounds reasonable.
Gryffindors might be reckless, but they weren’t idiots.
If this escalated into a full-scale inter-House brawl, no one knew what the outcome would be.
The ever-mischievous Fred asked curiously,
“But how do we make sure it’s fair?”
Adrian Ambrosius thought for a moment before replying,
“If no one objects…”
“I’ll serve as the referee.”