The reason was that the siege forces from Newland and Skefen weren't using simple noise harassment.
Instead, their attacks were half real and half feigned.
This meant that every time an attack came, Beauxbatons had to mobilize all of its defensive forces to stay on alert. If they relaxed even a little, the feint could very well become a real assault.
Norton, especially as Headmaster, didn't even dare allow himself a slightly longer sleep.
Right now, Norton was truly grateful that he had replaced his body with a younger one.
If he were still using the body of the old Norton, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep going by now, even with Buffett Wakefulness Potion.
Shaking his head, Norton withdrew his gaze from the window, where flashes of artillery fire continued to flicker, stood up, and left the Headmaster's office.
Although it was already night, the inside of Beauxbatons Castle was still bustling.
The castle's defensive formations and counterattack artillery arrays also needed maintenance and energy replenishment.
Those supplies could only be transported by the students themselves.
As a result, the hallways were filled with students hurrying along while using the Levitation Charm to carry large quantities of supplies.
Every one of them looked exhausted and busy.
Yet whenever they saw Norton, they would still immediately set down what they were carrying and formally bow to him.
Norton smiled bitterly.
Under normal circumstances, Beauxbatons' almost harsh etiquette system could be considered elegant.
But in a situation like this, it only got in the way.
He waved his hand, signaling the students not to mind him, then headed alone toward the Great Hall.
"Professor Norton, what brings you here?"
The moment Norton entered the hall, Wendell's tired and hoarse voice rang out.
The Beauxbatons Great Hall no longer resembled its former magnificent self.
It was piled high with all kinds of supplies and had practically become a warehouse. Many students had even laid bedding directly on the floor and were resting there.
The fact that they could sleep so soundly in such a terrible environment showed just how exhausted they were.
After looking around, Norton smiled at Wendell.
"My boy, if you're tired, go get some rest. I'll watch things here for you."
"No! How could I do that!?"
Wendell's swollen eyes widened as he said in a hoarse, strained voice, "I mean... I'm not tired at all. Actually, I just woke up, so I probably don't look very good."
Hearing that, Norton let out another deep sigh.
With the power of the King's Blood, he was considered a Legendary wizard himself, so he could tell that Wendell wasn't lying.
Wendell really had just woken up.
But how long had he slept?
As Student Council President, although officially he only needed to assist the professors, in reality he was responsible for coordinating the work of most of the students.
Norton, being an administrator himself, knew exactly how difficult that job was.
After all, unlike certain people, he hadn't become detached from the masses.
Under this kind of pressure, it would already be the limit if Wendell managed to sleep for half an hour at a time.
Looking at Wendell's haggard face but resolute eyes, Norton said with concern,
"Don't keep relying on Buffett Wakefulness Potion. It works well, but if you use it too often, you'll develop magical addiction. Sometimes, when it's time to rest, you have to rest. Remember, resting is so you can work better. You're a living person, not a machine!"
Wendell's eyes reddened slightly.
He merely nodded, acknowledging Norton's words.
But the next moment, he changed the subject.
"Oh, right, Professor Norton. We've just received new information about that last attack. This news is very important. I think you need to see it."
As he spoke, Wendell handed over a thin leaflet.
It was much the same as the surrender notices dropped by the siege forces from Newland and Skefen at the beginning.
However, starting from the third attack, besides the usual calls to surrender, these leaflets also included current news from the outside world.
A large portion of it concerned the battles taking place throughout the French magical world.
For example, the British Ministry of Magic had completely secured and restored trade on Lionheart Street.
Or that the French Ministry of Magic had restored its administrative functions under the control of the British Ministry of Magic and was now communicating with the Muggle President, attempting to work together to repair the information leaks caused by the war.
At the same time, it had begun restoring the lives of witches and wizards throughout France by providing a limited amount of free treatment and issuing wanted notices for those who had participated in the earlier riots.
It was worth mentioning that, according to these wanted notices, Beauxbatons had now effectively become the headquarters of the rioters.
Anyone in the French magical world who had ever been connected to Beauxbatons now had to report to the French Ministry of Magic and provide an explanation.
Anyone who failed to do so after a certain period would also be declared wanted.
As these surrender notices continued to be dropped into Beauxbatons, this psychological attack caused morale inside the castle to plummet.
It gave Norton and the rest of the leadership endless headaches, forcing them to work even harder to keep everyone's spirits up.
But there was no denying that it was also because of these leaflets that the people trapped inside Beauxbatons were able to learn what was happening outside.
For example, Norton and the others knew very well about the "Sky City Threat."
One could even say it had left a deep impression.
Because it was precisely this news that completely painted Beauxbatons as the "evil" side and gave legitimacy to the British Ministry of Magic's invasion of the French magical world.
At the same time, Norton and the others also knew something about how Link Flamel was gathering the Ministers of Magic from various countries for a conference on "Strategies for Responding to the Sky City Threat."
The surrender notice Wendell handed over now clearly contained the latest developments from that conference.
It read: [...As of now, the international conference held at the British Ministry of Magic has concluded successfully. During the conference, His Excellency Link Flamel, acting as both organizer and leader, strongly condemned Sky City and the mysterious shadowy figure, stating firmly that the British Ministry of Magic would never compromise and would take military action if necessary to prevent such a tragedy from occurring. At the same time... dozens of Ministers of Magic, including those from the Magical Congress of the United States and the Russian Ministry of Magic, responded one after another. Every ministry will dispatch its finest forces, all of which will be placed under the unified command of His Excellency Link Flamel, vowing to fight Sky City to the very end! The coalition army has now begun assembling at the British Ministry of Magic...]
The thin leaflet slipped from Norton's fingers.
Yet even after his eyes left the page, the words lingered in his mind like maggots clinging to bone.
His head spun, and his body staggered backward.
Wendell quickly stepped forward and caught him.
Forcing out a smile, he comforted him, "It's all right, Professor Norton. Maybe they're just trying to scare us. You know this is a common tactic in war. They're only trying to crush our morale."
"No... no..."
Norton weakly shook his head.
"You may have learned something about war through history, but you absolutely don't understand Link Flamel. That man... he's far too proud. So proud that he would never tell a lie like this. So everything written on that surrender notice must be true. Link Flamel has already formed an alliance with the other Ministries of Magic, and they've even organized the coalition army."
"But their target is only Sky City. It doesn't really have much to do with Beauxbatons, does it?" Wendell still tried to argue.
Norton gave a miserable smile.
"My naive child. Link Flamel and the others already see us as being on the same side as Sky City. How could they possibly let us go?"
"T-Then... at least we still have our defenses. They won't be able to break through!"
"No, they can. The surrender notice made it very clear. Besides the coalition army, Dumbledore of Hogwarts has also joined the war. That means the enemy has at least two mid-level Legendary archwizards. If combat power on that level launches an attack together, do you really think Beauxbatons can stop them?"
Hearing this, Wendell's face completely lost its color.
He released his grip on Norton and looked at the busy people around him.
His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Norton's meaning couldn't have been clearer.
Beauxbatons was finished.
Completely finished.
Wendell desperately wanted to argue.
But he realized he couldn't think of a single point to refute.
Watching the home he loved about to be destroyed, his chest tightened painfully, and he felt the urge to vomit.
BOOM!
Another round of bombardment began.
The violent explosions made Wendell's body tremble.
Color returned to his face, staining large patches of his skin crimson.
"Then we'll fight them to the end!"
Wendell said viciously.
"It's only one life anyway! Even if I die, I'll defend Beauxbatons!"
Norton looked at Wendell with satisfaction.
This young man was the finest achievement he had produced during all his years at Beauxbatons.
Wendell was kind, brave, and full of wisdom.
He was practically the perfect student, someone destined to accomplish great things.
At the same time, Wendell was Beauxbatons' hope for rebirth.
If he had to name a flaw...
It would probably be that Wendell sometimes liked playing verbal pranks that left people speechless.
But in Norton's eyes, that wasn't really a flaw.
Because Wendell understood moderation.
His pranks, or rather his jokes, were always perfectly timed.
Instead, that so-called flaw only made him seem more human.
Rumble...
The explosions outside the castle grew increasingly dense.
Through the magical curtain wall that had been installed at the far end of the Great Hall, everyone could clearly see countless witches and wizards riding broomsticks, charging toward Beauxbatons beneath the moonlight.
"This number... something's wrong! Very wrong! This isn't a feint! They've sent out everything they have! This is the real final assault!"
Wendell's muttering turned into a scream.
He knew exactly what this change meant.
Especially after the enemy had just distributed surrender notices announcing that the International Magical Coalition Army had finished assembling.
Sure enough.
The moment Wendell finished speaking, a brilliant light engulfed the entire island of Beauxbatons.
Countless bewildered witches and wizards leaned out of the windows.
Above Beauxbatons Castle, an enormous circular magic formation was slowly taking shape.
Staring at the unmistakable emblem of the British Ministry of Magic at its center, Wendell clenched his teeth until they creaked.
At that moment, he could no longer tell whether it was fear or rage.
He only knew that this scene was exactly the same as what had happened when the French Ministry of Magic fell.
"Ahhh!"
A furious roar burst from Wendell's chest.
"Everyone, to your positions! We'll fight them to the end! Beauxbatons will never surrender! Show them the courage of France!"
His roar echoed throughout the Great Hall.
The students who heard it instinctively stopped carrying supplies and stared blankly at Wendell and Norton.
After a brief silence...
Their eyes quickly turned red.
Then countless voices rose in unison, shaking the entire Beauxbatons Castle.
Norton's own eyes reddened as well, filling with tears.
These were all good children.
They might not possess the talent of a genius like Link Flamel.
But their hearts were just as noble.
And precisely because of that... These children could not die.
Hiss!
A sound like steam erupting rang out.
Large amounts of translucent mist poured from the tip of Norton's wand.
The mist was so inconspicuous that the excited crowd in the hall failed to notice anything unusual.
Only when it had filled the entire hall, and the students who inhaled it began grinning foolishly while swaying unsteadily, did Wendell suddenly cover his mouth and nose.
He turned toward Norton in disbelief.
"The Imperius Curse!? Professor Norton! You..."
Wendell stopped speaking abruptly.
Norton shook his head and made a gesture for silence.
"Listen, Wendell. You've all done wonderfully. Truly wonderfully. Better than I ever imagined. After teaching at Beauxbatons for so many years, I've finally nurtured perfect fruit like all of you. I'm very satisfied."
Norton smiled gently.
"But compared to Link Flamel, you're still far behind. The gap between you is like the dust on the ground and the stars in the sky. You can see them, but you can never reach them. They may seem the same size, but in truth, they're worlds apart."
"You may not like hearing this, but Link Flamel doesn't even bother looking directly at you now, because you simply aren't qualified. And that will probably remain true in the future. His talent will continue widening the gap between you until you'll never be able to catch up."
"Don't doubt it, and don't be angry. That's simply the truth."
"I've lived for so many years, yet I've never seen a genius as brilliant as him."
"In his arrogance, he wants to trample everything beneath his feet and make it all his own."
"He can't hear the cries of ants, nor does he care about them."
"That's the driving force behind his ability to look down on the world."
"But at the same time..."
"It's also your chance to survive."