Don't have your magic wand?
Amasta's words were like a fierce cold wind sweeping past, causing the guests who were eager to witness an evenly matched battle to be momentarily stupefied. Old Barty was no exception; his face stiffened, and then, his gaze at Amasta was laced with a bit of grinding teeth.
"I forgot my wand! How could that be possible? What a terrible excuse!"
In just a few seconds, Barty's appreciation for Amosta vanished, and he glared angrily at him. If it wasn't for the crowd of onlookers, he probably would have rushed up and punched the young man hard!
The wand is the life of a wizard, a more intimate companion than a partner. A qualified wizard should never forget his wand, not even when he goes to the lavatory for a bath!
Compared to Barty's terrible mood, Dredgeon was laughing heartily.
Now it appears that Amosta is indeed Dumbledore's puppet who took over the position, a guy with no real talent except for a smooth tongue.
"Oh, to forget one's wand – what a regrettable oversight that is."
Kakalov cracked his mouth, revealing a set of yellow teeth.
Earlier, he had been pondering about the heart palpitation caused by Amosta's glance a moment ago. Now it appears to be just an illusion. He hadn't expected Dumbledore to come up with such an idiot.
"Is there anyone kind enough to lend their wand to Mr. Breen for a moment?"
Kakalov blew his nose and affected a pose.
“Apparently, the anticipated match will have to end like this--” Dredgeon said with 'regret,' "I hope next time, there will be a chance--"
"Never mind, let's just go with this."
In such a short time, Amosta's image had already plunged in the eyes of the crowd. He rubbed his shoulders, and his sudden words pushed the atmosphere that had just relaxed back to solidity!
"Just go ahead and compare it?" What does that mean?!
Dredgeon seemed to guess what Amosta was up to, but he couldn't believe that he had been humiliated by such a young upstart who had only graduated a couple of years ago!
The image of friendliness that had maintained for an entire evening was finally breaking down. Dredgeon's face showed a hint of fierce expression. His anger had triggered a surge of magic, and the beard on his face seemed to have been electrocuted, revealing his bloodless lips embedded in the rugged face.
"What do you mean, Breen? Did you forget your wand, or not!"
Vipp Dredgeon loudly shouted.
"It's exactly what it says, Mr. Dredgeon——" Amosta seemed not to realize the great humiliation he had brought to a long-established wizard, he mildly smiled and said,
"You with your wand, me with nothing."
Bang!
For a moment, the chatter in the ballroom erupted like thunderous rumblings before a summer storm.
Now, everyone realized that Amosta Breen had not retreated in fear and made an excuse about not having his wand, nor was he truly without one; he was simply—restrating!
A counterattack against Vipp Dredgeon's targeting!
But, is this not too self-confident?
After all, Vipp Dredgeon is not some young wizard who can't even handle a wand properly. Although he is not renowned for his powerful magic, he is indeed a wizard who has participated in a war and survived. Even now, Vipp Dredgeon's skills are by no means inferior to the elite aurors of various magical departments.
For a wizard without a wand to confront an experienced wizard is simply too outrageous!
Every single person in the ballroom had this thought cross their mind.
Tongue lips slightly opened, she stared at Amosta Breen, who remained as still as a mountain amidst the clamor of the crowd, her deep blue eyes still showing confusion.
Amosta Breen thought to himself, "I'm sorry, is today April Fool's Day?"
"So--"
Amosta didn't care how shockingly audacious the words were that came out of his light-hearted tone; he still maintained his gentlemanly demeanor. However, there was an unnoticeable hint of aggression hidden in the lavender irises of his eyes.
"Are you ready, Mr. Dredgeon?"
"You'll pay for your stupidity, Breen!"
Such an insult even made Dredgeon forget that he was in a public setting. He suddenly raised his wand and growled softly.
Of course, Dredgeon hadn't completely lost his sanity. Otherwise, he would have cast the most powerful curse he knew upon this unbridled youngster to teach him a lesson. There are many spells that can humiliate someone in front of others, Dredgeon narrowed his eyes, ready to choose one with the most dramatic effect. However--
As his wand fell, the acute sense of smell honed in half a lifetime of fighting evil set off alarms in Dredgeon's mind. The spell he had prepared for attack was instantly turned into a stable defense as it landed when he felt the sharp light within Amosta Breen's icy gaze.
"Shield of Armor!"
A radiant, transparent wand appeared in front of Dredgeon, and at the same time, everyone in the ballroom heard a roar.
It was as if a colossal beast slumbering in the depths of the sea had been disturbed, causing a roaring rumble that shook the earth and turned heaven upside down. An invisible sea of magic, stirred by Amosta's own magical force, raised terrifying waves. The destructive magic shattered the stable magical formation of the shield spell!
Crack!
After the crisp and melodious sound of breaking, the magical barrier before Dredgeon, as delicate as an insect's wing, turned into a sea of falling petals floating slowly in the heavy air.
Before Dredgeon could even register his shock, he saw Amosta's right hand, naturally hanging at his side, suddenly clamp his thumb and index finger together.
Click!
In the ballroom, where the click sound of the wand echoed with the snap of fingers, a brilliant but tiny lightning bolt also shot out from Amosta's fingertips.
With his wrist stirred up and preparing to react, Dredgeon suddenly felt an unstoppable torrent of power wrapping around his wand. Then, his wand was propelled out of his hand as if it had been shot from a string. In the next blink, the wand was already in Amosta's hand.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The suffocating silence continued, the flickering candles and the spinning wand in Amosta's palm seemed to be the only things moving in the room.
Finally, breaking the silence was Amosta Breen.
"May I ask how long it took?"
Amosta looked over to the wizard responsible for timing and spoke in a cheerful voice.
"What? Oh, you mean the time!"
The wizard who was asked, upon realizing the question, frantically looked at his watch and found that, considering the time of silence, the second hand hadn't even moved past half the dial!
"I'm not too sure, Mr. Breen," the wizard said with a respectful tone, "It might have been three seconds or five, but definitely no more than ten!"
"How can that be?"
Dredgeon seemed to age ten years in an instant, his shoulders slumped, and he looked at Amosta in a dazed and forlorn state, "How could that be... Unarmed spells and silent spells are my signature Ironclad spell."
"This question is quite complicated--"
The wand, taken away from Amosta's palm, floated up and flew a certain distance to automatically insert into Vipp Dredgeon's pocket on his jacket. Amosta smiled courteously and said,
"If you're interested, Mr. Dredgeon, feel free to visit Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at any time. We guarantee teaching and mastery--"
(Chapter Complete)
