Everyone else is charging forward, and you two are nowhere to be seen!"
"It's not that we don't want to go up and help," the Augurey said, clearing her throat, "but right now, we have to prioritize keeping the goods safe."
She understood why Otis was so eager, but all she could do was try to calm him down.
When Otis heard her cough, he shivered and asked quietly, "Are you hurt? Have you been holding up all this time?"
Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, the Augurey nodded helplessly.
"Seth's Explosion Curse is incredibly powerful."
"Damn it!" Otis's face twisted with frustration. "If you're already injured like this, why do you want us to launch a counterattack? You know how strong Seth is, and that silent guy with him. How can we possibly stop them?"
"There's nothing else we can do," Sound Bird, who had been standing guard beside the Augurey, said, turning his head away. "Our reinforcements will be here soon. We just need to hold on a little longer."
Otis sneered bitterly to himself, wondering if those silver wands truly saw them as nothing more than cannon fodder.
"So, you traded our lives just to buy some time? Well, that time's been bought and paid for, what about the support you promised? Where are the reinforcements?" he snapped.
Augurey's face darkened at Otis's harsh words.
She had pinned her hopes on Thunderbird's backup to turn the tide, but things were only getting worse.
Their wizards were badly wounded, many had already died, and yet there was no sign of Thunderbird anywhere.
Could it be that Thunderbird was molting today of all days?
The thought crossed Augurey's mind with a grim sense of irony.
Before she could respond, Soundbird chimed in from the side, "Why the rush? You're supposed to guard the goods for us, we paid you, didn't we?
You can't just use that as an excuse to dodge responsibility. When the time comes, fixing this mess has to be the priority, right?"
Otis let out a bitter laugh.
"Fix this mess? Tell me how you expect us to fix things now. With your remnants and defeated generals? Sure, we got your money, but that doesn't mean my people are going to die pointlessly alongside them. Let me be clear: if your so-called reinforcements don't show up soon, we're done here."
With those harsh words, Otis turned and walked away without looking back.
He was seething. Losing four elite Death Eaters was a blow he couldn't accept.
Though exiled, these warriors still dreamed of striking back.
at Britain and bringing back the Dark Lord, only to end up dead in this forsaken place. How could Otis just stand by?
Meanwhile, as the tension between Augurey and Otis simmered, the Pure Land Society was wrapping up their close-quarters fight on the front lines.
"Avada Kedavra!" Seth roared, his wand flashing aggressively.
With a flurry of powerful spells, he crushed the last wizard who dared to fight back.
Not only did he kill them, but he showed no mercy, destroying even the corpses and wiping out any other resistance in sight.
After being petrified, the bodies were blasted into powder.
Seth slowly emerged from the cloud of dust, looking almost ghostlike, his face twisted with intense anger and determination.
"Knut, how are the family members? Are the losses severe?"
Seth's mood was a mix of rage and sorrow.
What angered him was the unexpected boldness of the enemy, who had launched a fierce counterattack, with many rushing forward and even breaking through to the rear lines.
But what troubled him most was the injury to his companions.
Everyone with Seth was a member of the Jacobsen family, his close relatives.
Nordic wizards hold family ties very dear, valuing blood relations and loyalty above all else.
This strong cultural bond means they always stand by their kin.
Now, seeing his relatives wounded or worse weighed heavily on him.
"Headmaster, three clan members died on the spot, four more are seriously injured and may not be able to continue fighting, and the rest have sustained minor injuries," Knut reported.
Knut, a librarian at Durmstrang School of Magic and Seth's longtime assistant, though not high-ranking, was someone Seth relied on for updates and trusted for his judgment.
"What? Such heavy losses? I led the charge against their army, how could we lose so many? Three dead?"
Seth's shock quickly turned to fury.
"Some of those wizards who charged were reckless. Later, we identified some as exiled Death Eaters and even werewolves. I was injured, and one of the seriously hurt was suspected of being bitten by a dying werewolf. I don't know if he's contracted lycanthropy from it," Knut sighed before continuing.
"On top of that, another wizard took advantage of our distraction and snuck behind us, causing a lot of trouble and drawing heavy fire, including at me. If Professor Karkaroff hadn't pushed me out of the way at the last moment, I'm afraid I would've been hit by that man's Death Curse."
Despite his fear, Knut gave Karkaroff a grateful look from where he stood nearby.
"Death Eater? Werewolf?" Seth muttered those words with a fierce expression, as if he wanted to crush them on the spot.
"These bastards are operating in our territory, and they even have the nerve to help outsiders against us. They're just a bunch of scum. When we get back, I'll make sure the family and the Pure Land Association put these two groups on the wanted list. I want them to understand the consequences of crossing the Jacobsen family!"
After giving that order, Seth turned to Karkaroff with a softer expression.
"Karkaroff, you really are someone I can count on. You've earned my trust. Don't worry, from today on, you're a benefactor and a forever friend of the Jacobsen family."
Then, leaning toward Knut, he whispered, "Karkaroff is a real talent. When we return, see if there are any witches or squibs of the right age in the family.
Let him charm us some more."
Knut nodded in understanding.
He himself had become part of the Jacobsen family through his quick thinking and flexibility, so it was clear Seth planned to use the same approach with Karkaroff.
After explaining all this, Seth continued, "Knut, you and Karkaroff take care of the seriously injured clansmen and the bodies."
Casting a fierce glare toward the silver wand camp in the distance, he barked, "As for the rest, follow me and attack! Those bastards caught us off guard just now because we weren't paying attention.
Now it's time for revenge. Let them know the true glory of the Jacobsen family!
I'll make sure they die with no place left to fall!"