Just as the duel between the red-haired eccentric and the alpha werewolf was about to begin, a bolt of green lightning tore through the night sky.
This sudden attack abruptly ended the duel before it even started.
No one expected Rey to strike first, let alone unleash such a vicious Killing Curse.
The ferocious green lightning slammed into the werewolf standing on Rey's right, blasting the creature out of the pack's encirclement. The massive body tumbled across the ground two or three times before coming to a complete stop. It didn't move again.
The werewolf hadn't even had the chance to react. Rey's timing was too perfect, his speed too fast.
It happened in a split second. Even the surrounding pack of wolves froze, stunned by the sudden death of their lieutenant.
"ROAR..."
After a brief pause, the alpha werewolf finally brought its massive claw down, lunging toward a panting Rey.
But the red-haired stranger was faster. He sidestepped the giant paw effortlessly. As the werewolf braced itself to charge at Rey, the stranger leaped into the air, his sword flashing in the firelight.
Thud.
The charging werewolf collapsed mid-stride, its headless body crashing to the ground.
The massive wolf head had been severed cleanly by the stranger's blade. Blood sprayed like a geyser.
At the same moment, Rey waved his dark purple wand. The fallen leaves on the ground instantly transfigured into a giant umbrella, shielding him completely from the shower of blood.
If Rey's sudden attack had surprised the red-haired stranger, then the stranger's effortless victory now left Rey in awe.
This man, wearing a black leather wizard hat and calling himself a wizard, had just decapitated a giant werewolf with a sword. In Rey's eyes, his swordsmanship surpassed that of any knight. He was convinced this guy was a knight pretending to be a wizard.
The duel was so stylish, so effortless, and he hadn't used a single spell. Aside from a high-level knight, Rey couldn't imagine who else could have such skill.
Maybe he really was just a knight who couldn't cast magic to save his life.
---
With the two giant werewolves dead, the surrounding pack let out a mournful howl. Their eyes turned from green to blood-red as they charged in a suicidal frenzy.
But at that moment, the red-haired "impostor" finally used magic.
He didn't chant a spell. He simply pointed his wand at the campfire and gave it a flick.
With that simple gesture, the flames exploded outward. As if given life, the fire transformed into a massive dragon, encircling him and Rey before surging forward to engulf the attacking wolves.
Fur catches fire easily. The wolves in the front didn't even have time to yelp before the fire dragon incinerated them. The ones behind caught fire instantly, howling as they turned tail and fled.
No matter how fierce the wolves were, once they were ablaze, death was their only destination.
The red-haired wizard's fire magic was incredible. Even from beneath his umbrella, Rey watched, dumbstruck.
After incinerating the pack, the fire dragon vanished into thin air. In the center of the inferno, Rey and the red-haired wizard stood unharmed. Not a single hair was singed. That level of control was something few wizards could achieve. Even Dumbledore would be hard-pressed to do better.
"This guy... is a seriously powerful wizard!"
Rey sighed inwardly, looking at the stranger with newfound respect. Even if he were alone, this man could have handled the entire pack without breaking a sweat.
"Hehe. How was that? Pretty amazing, right?"
However, the respect Rey had just formed collapsed instantly the moment the wizard opened his mouth.
The guy had the power of a top-tier wizard but none of the gravitas. When Rey didn't answer immediately, he asked the smug question a second time.
"I've seen wizards more powerful than you!"
Rey's annoyance flared up again. He pursed his lips and delivered the most ego-crushing line he could think of.
And it was true—Rey had seen a more powerful wizard, just in a movie from his past life. Merlin, the legendary figure of the magical world. He was definitely stronger than this red-haired show-off.
"Really? Or are you bluffing? Tell me, who is more powerful than me?"
The wizard grinned, clearly enjoying Rey's annoyed expression.
"Is it the person who taught you that Killing Curse? Is he stronger than me?" When Rey didn't answer, the wizard pressed on, his tone shifting slightly.
"No one taught me that spell. I learned it myself."
Rey replied flatly. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a sinking feeling in his gut.
"Expelliarmus."
With a soft incantation, Rey's wand flew out of his hand. Before he could react, his body defied gravity, flying backward and slamming against the large vertical rock behind him, pinned by an invisible force.
"Now... please tell me. Who is this wizard more powerful than me?"
The red-haired wizard wore a faint smile, his wand pointed directly at the pinned Rey.
Controlled instantly. Against this wizard, Rey felt completely helpless.
"Merlin. I was talking about Merlin. Isn't he stronger than you?"
Being pinned like a butterfly on a board didn't improve Rey's mood, so his tone was less than polite.
"Ah, Merlin. Yes, he was indeed much stronger than me. So let me rephrase the question: Who taught you the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra?"
This was what the wizard really wanted to know. An eleven-year-old wizard with genius-level reflexes and magical reserves was rare enough.
He had appreciated the boy's talent. But then the kid turned around and fired off a brutal Avada Kedavra.
That was Dark Magic. The wizard knew the spell, of course. But a child shouldn't. Young wizards didn't just stumble upon Unforgivable Curses. If he knew it, someone had taught him.
And anyone teaching an invisible, lethal curse to a minor was almost certainly a Dark Wizard with bad intentions.
---
"Really, no one taught me. I looked it up in the library."
After being asked repeatedly, a frustrated Rey could only repeat his answer.
Learning a Dark Art like that from library books before the age of twelve was astonishing. And where did he even get those books?
"If you don't believe me, use that mind-reading spell and check for yourself!"
Pushed to his limit, Rey finally snapped, shouting the challenge.
"Hehe. It's called Legilimency. I'm surprised you know about that too."
The wizard chuckled, lowering his wand. Rey dropped from the rock. Just before he hit the ground, an invisible cushion slowed his fall, allowing him to land gently.
It seemed he was being let off the hook. The wizard's control was so casual it was terrifying.
"You're not going to check my memories?"
Rey looked at the wizard warily. He was putty in this man's hands; he had to be careful.
"I'll ask you one last question. Think carefully before you answer. This decides your fate."
The red-haired wizard didn't seem evil. Rey sensed that his interrogation stemmed more from concern over the use of Avada Kedavra than malice.
Rey nodded, signaling he understood.
The wizard looked at the boy, sighed, and asked, "When you used the Killing Curse... did you feel anything different?"
"I..."
Rey opened his mouth to answer, but the wizard cut him off immediately. "Think carefully."
His tone was incredibly formal. It felt like he wasn't just giving Rey a chance to speak, but a chance to choose a path. The answer seemed to determine whether Rey lived or died.
If Rey's answer didn't satisfy him, the wizard—regardless of his personal feelings—would raise his hand and kill the boy right there. No second chances.
Rey could see the conflicted killing intent in the man's eyes.
After a long pause, Rey took a deep breath and answered truthfully.
"Every time I use that curse... I find that it tempts me to use it again."
---