"What nonsense are you spouting, Baggins?" Malfoy's voice trembled violently. "Stop trying to scare me."
Rove ignored him. He stood by the roots of the oak tree, abruptly raising his left hand in a "Halt" gesture. His gaze was locked dead ahead.
In the clearing before them lay a pure white unicorn. Its beautiful mane, which should have shimmered like pearls, was now matted with filth and silvery blood. Under the moonlight, the blood glowed faintly, like shattered stars scattered across the ground.
And crouched over that sacred corpse was a black shadow.
It was a humanoid figure cloaked in tattered robes, looking like a giant vampire bat or a mass of sludge crawled out of hell. It was hunched over the unicorn's torn wound, making slurping sounds—gurgle, gurgle—as it drank greedily of the magical blood.
> [WARNING! High-Tier Dark Creature Detected!]
> [Race: Nazgûl / Projection of Sauron]
> [Threat Level: Skull Class (Risk of Instant Death)]
> [Status: Thirsty / Weakened / Desecrating a Holy Spirit]
Red warning boxes flashed frantically on Rove's retina.
"AAAAHHH!" Malfoy also saw the feeding monster and let out a scream.
The shadow paused.
The next second, Malfoy turned and ran. Fang, not wanting to be outdone, followed close behind, tail tucked between his legs, vanishing into the darkness.
Only Rove and Harry remained.
Harry stood frozen in place, clutching his forehead with both hands.
"Hurts... it hurts..." he groaned in pain. The scar on his forehead felt like it was splitting open, the burning sensation making it nearly impossible to stand.
The black shadow slowly raised its head.
Under the hood was an abyssal void; no features could be seen, only two points of ghostly green fire dancing in the depths.
It stood up and advanced toward Harry.
> [Fear Check: Initiating...]
> [Enemy Casting Skill: [Gaze of the Dark Lord] / [Screech of the Nazgûl]]
> [Your Willpower Attribute is being crushed...]
It was a fear from the depths of the soul, the instinctive trembling of a mortal facing a high-tier evil entity. His legs felt as heavy as lead, every muscle screaming "RUN."
Run! Run now! This isn't something you can handle!
You're just an 11-year-old wizard! You don't even know a decent offensive spell! That's Voldemort! That's Sauron!
But Harry was still there. He had fallen to his knees, moaning in agony.
If Rove ran now, the Ring-Bearer would surely die.
If he didn't run, he might die too.
"Damn system... damn hairline..."
Rove bit his lip hard. The taste of blood spread in his mouth, the sharp pain helping him claw back a shred of reason from the freezing fear.
> [Willpower Save Check in Progress...]
> [Check Passed! Willpower Save Successful!]
> [Temporary Buff Acquired: Fearless Hero (Courage Attribute Doubled)]
"NO..."
Rove squeezed a low growl from his throat.
He took a sudden step forward, placing himself between Harry and the terrifying shadow.
He spread his feet into a horse stance, gripping his rough Blackthorn wand tightly with both hands—no, in this moment, it was a two-handed greatsword meant to cleave the darkness!
"BACK! SPECTER!"
Rove's voice was deafening in the silent Forbidden Forest.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
The incantation-like roar seemed to carry a magic of its own.
The shadow stopped. It seemed momentarily confused by this tiny bug daring to block its path. Its cold gaze shifted from Harry to Rove.
Rove felt like he was standing naked in a Siberian blizzard; his very soul felt frozen.
But he didn't back down. He took a deep breath, marshaling every ounce of magic in his body and channeling it to the tip of his wand.
"LUMOS!"
Rove roared, swinging the wand down with both hands like a heavy chop!
This wasn't just a lighting charm.
Under the System's epic rendering, the tip of the wand didn't just emit a weak glow, but exploded with blinding white light like a supernova!
> [Skill Cast: Light of Eärendil]
> [Effect: Causes Blindness and Holy Damage to Dark Creatures]
The light instantly illuminated half the Forbidden Forest, casting long, distorted shadows from the surrounding trees. It was the Starfire most loathed by evil creatures, a judgment from the Valar!
Blinded by the sudden intensity, the shadow let out a strange hiss like a venomous snake and retreated half a step.
But only half a step.
It advanced again. Something seemed to be writhing under its black sleeves. The scent of death washed over Rove; he could even smell the dusty odor of ancient tombs and the metallic tang of rotting blood coming from it.
"Useless, huh..." Rove's palms were slick with cold sweat. "Preparing for physical exorcism..."
He tightened his grip on the wand handle, ready to smash its skull with this S-grade hardness wand the moment it lunged.
Just in the nick of time.
Clop-clop—clop-clop—
The rapid sound of hoofbeats broke the deadlock. The sound rolled over the earth like thunder, getting closer and closer.
To Rove, this wasn't just hoofbeats; it was the horn of the Rohan cavalry charge, the earth-shaking rumble of thousands of horses! The reinforcements had arrived!
"GET AWAY! YOU MONSTER!"
A tall figure leaped from the trees, tearing through the darkness like a red lightning bolt.
His upper body was that of a strong human male, his lower body that of a magnificent chestnut horse. He had red hair and startlingly blue eyes, which were currently burning with rage.
Firenze the Centaur!
He reared high, his powerful front hooves kicking viciously at the black shadow.
The shadow clearly didn't want to face such a heavy physical blow. It let out an angry, reluctant hiss, its body instantly dissolving into a flowing black mist that slithered along the ground and vanished deep into the forest.
> [Combat Ended.]
> [Hostile Unit Retreated.]
The light on Rove's wand flickered twice and went out.
"Huff... huff..."
He gasped for air, soaked in cold sweat. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed. That single minute felt like it had drained a lifetime of courage.
"Are you alright?"
The centaur turned around, gently pulling Harry up from the ground.
"Thank you..." Harry said weakly, his face pale as paper.
Rove finally regained his composure. He stood up straight, supporting himself on his knees, and looked up at the towering creature.
> [Ally Unit Confirmed: Rohan Cavalry Captain / Messenger of the Valar]
> [Affinity: Neutral Friendly]
Rove straightened his messy robes, trying to stop his legs from shaking. He held the wand—which had just served as a greatsword—vertically against his chest, placed his right fist over his heart, and performed a solemn knightly salute to Firenze.
"Thank you for your aid, Ally of Rohan." Rove said in a deep voice, filled with the relief of surviving a disaster. "Had you not arrived in time, this forest would have been swallowed by darkness tonight."
Firenze paused. His azure eyes stared at Rove for a moment, a strange look in them.
"I am Firenze," he said. "Rohan? I do not know this herd. But I see your courage, young foal."
He looked up at the sky obscured by the canopy. Through the gaps in the leaves, an unusually bright red star could be seen.
"Mars is bright tonight," Firenze sighed, his tail swishing uneasily. "This usually means war and bloodshed. But the stars show... you are a variable."
"A variable?" Rove frowned. "You mean there's a knot in the spindle of fate?"
"The trajectory of the stars has been disturbed." Firenze didn't explain Rove's strange metaphor. He bent his front legs, lowering his body. "Climb up, Harry Potter. The forest is no longer safe, especially for you. As for you, Mr. Baggins, can you keep up?"
"Of course." Rove slapped his thigh. "Hobbits are famous for their endurance."
The three (or rather, two humans and a horse) began to retreat toward the edge of the forest.
Rove followed behind Firenze, his wand still gripped tightly, scanning the surrounding shadows vigilantly like a dutiful Guardian of the Fellowship.
When they emerged from the Forbidden Forest, moonlight spilled onto the grass, and the world seemed to return to the realm of the living.
Harry slid off Firenze's back. He looked back at Rove.
"Rove," Harry said softly. "Just now... thank you. That shout of yours really sounded like..."
"Like what?"
"Like a true Gryffindor," Harry said earnestly.
Rove froze.
The corner of his mouth twitched into a tired smile.
"No, Harry." He said silently in his heart, looking at the Boy Who Lived. "I'm just a Hobbit who wants to survive and keep his hairline."
The System Quest Interface updated at that moment!
> [Mission Settlement: Facing the Dark Lord]
> [Rating: S (Epic Courage)]
> [Rewards Distributed:]
> 1. [Title: "Fearless" (Equipped, Fear Immunity +10%)]
> 2. [Mental Resistance +5]
> 3. [Special Achievement: Torchbearer in the Dark (You did not flinch when facing the Projection of Sauron; this will be recorded in the System's Epic)]