When Jabari Nwadike spoke, Wentworth instinctively looked up, and sure enough, Jabari wasn't holding a wand.
"Another wandless spell? Jabari Nwadike, you're really starting to impress me!"
Wentworth's tone was sincere, but Jabari only sneered in reply.
"Spare me the flattery. That's basic magic. Don't think sweet talk will get you out of this. Now, hand over the Dream Messenger's Token, or I'll show you just how warm the welcome is at Uagadou!"
Wentworth chuckled lightly at the threat.
"I'm sorry, Jabari Nwadike. I'll need to borrow your rune stone for a little while. You're welcome to come with me. Once we've entered Uagadou, I'll return it to you, after all, it's of no use to me."
Jabari furrowed his brow, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Wentworth Dumbledore, I knew you had an ulterior motive! Why do you want to enter Uagadou?"
Still holding the Dream Messenger's Token, Wentworth smiled brightly.
"You'll find out soon enough once we're inside."
At that, Jabari narrowed his eyes like a hunting leopard, clearly ready to strike. But in the next moment, his eyes widened in surprise, because now, in Wentworth's hand, gleamed a single Galleon.
Wentworth casually tossed the coin into the air, and Jabari ' gaze involuntarily followed its arc.
Jabari swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the Galleon, even as he asked,
"What's this supposed to mean, Wentworth?"
Wentworth's voice turned honey-sweet, almost seductive.
"Think of this token as something I'm renting from you. This is the rental fee. Once we're in Uagadou, I'll give it back. Fair deal?"
Jabari, still mesmerized by the coin, suddenly snapped back to reality and sneered.
"You think a single Galleon can buy me? I told you, I'm not letting you into Uagadou. I, Jabari Nwadike—wait, what are you...?"
As he spoke, Wentworth nonchalantly tossed the Galleon to him.
And true to Wentworth's expectations, Jabari instinctively caught it without thinking.
Realizing what he'd done, Jabari looked down at the coin in his hand and grumbled,
"Don't insult me! You think one Galleon is enough to buy your way into Uagadou? Dream on! Sure, I'll keep the Galleon, but I want my token back. At most… at most, I'll let you go this time, out of respect for the coin. But stay away from Uagadou!"
Wentworth didn't seem the least bit bothered. He simply chuckled. A second later, Jabari's eyes widened again, his breath catching, because now Wentworth was holding a pouch.
And from the soft clink of coins inside, it was abundantly clear: the pouch was full of Galleons.
Wentworth grinned, calm as ever.
"Ah, I didn't make myself clear. The rental fee is per minute, one Galleon per minute. Fair rate, wouldn't you say?"
Jabari stared hard at the pouch, eyes unblinking. When Wentworth spoke, Jabari nodded almost involuntarily, only to immediately shake his head again, as if catching himself.
Seeing this, Wentworth rolled his eyes.
"Look, I really mean no harm to Uagadou. You can come with me, keep an eye on me the whole time, and earn some Galleons while you're at it. Not a bad arrangement, is it?"
That finally brought Jabari back to his senses. He suddenly stood up straight, speaking with theatrical righteousness.
"Wentworth Dumbledore! You've misunderstood me! I've said it before, I, Jabari Nwadike, am known throughout Uagadou for my unwavering integrity!"
"Who knows what you're really after? Uagadou is home to my closest friends, my brothers and sisters, my family!"
"…Name your price!!!"
In the end, Jabari trailed after Wentworth, the two of them making their way up the mountain toward the Uagadou School of Magic.
At first, Jabari wore a conflicted expression, but he soon adapted to his new role.
"See that field over there? The school grows rare herbs there, practically impossible to find on the open market. That entire area is restricted. Any student caught trespassing is severely punished."
"And that smooth boulder you see? That's one of our official dueling grounds. If two students have a dispute, they can apply for a duel. With a professor overseeing the match, they settle things right there on that stone!"
With Jabari leading the way, he paused at every noteworthy spot to eagerly explain its history and significance to Wentworth.
You could say, everything even remotely connected to Uagadou, he sold it all, story and soul.
At first, Wentworth listened with genuine interest. But soon, the stories Jabari told became increasingly far-fetched.
"See that scorched forest? Looks like it's been burned black, right? That's where three fire dragons attacked Uagadou years ago. Our headmaster at the time took them on alone, right in that forest!"
"He pointed skyward and shouted, 'No flying here!' Boom—dragons dropped straight out of the sky and crash-landed in the woods. In a flash, our headmaster… Wait—Wentworth! Where are you going? That place is dangerous, residual dragon might still lingers from that battle!"
Wentworth had walked up to the forest edge and glanced at it nonchalantly. Then he turned, half-smiling at Jabari.
"Jabari Nwadike, it's a good thing you don't read Eastern fantasy novels. Otherwise, you'd probably tell me that forest is made of century-old lightning-struck wood! That was a wildfire caused by a lightning storm. I've seen more dragonfire than you've seen candle flames."
Wentworth knew perfectly well that Jabari was stalling, trying to squeeze out more Galleons from him. But he didn't mind. This was, after all, a magical world vastly different from Hogwarts.
Still, once Jabari started making things up… Wentworth wasn't buying it.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]