After classes ended, Ethan didn’t head directly to where he was supposed to meet Lily.
He first looked for his Head Prefect and confided in him, telling him about the invitation he received from the Pillar of Jaeger Manor. He had a nagging feeling that something was amiss, and it was better to be safe than sorry.
Henry listened to his explanation silently until he finished talking.
“Since she said that you are not allowed to bring anyone with you, it will be hard for me to follow you because they will be on guard,” Henry commented. “Do you have a plan in mind?”
Ethan nodded. “Sir Henry, if I’m not back before midnight, please tell the Professors about my meeting with Lily. Although I’m hoping that she really only wanted to talk to me in private, I just can’t shake off the feeling that something bad will happen.”
Henry pondered a bit before giving Ethan two red balls that were the size of a gold coin.
“If something happens, throw one of these into the air,” Henry stated. “These balls are like flares, and they will shine brightly for an entire minute before fading away. I will be paying attention in the direction of the Great Eagle Forest. The moment I see the signal, I will immediately come to your rescue.”
Ethan felt touched, not expecting that his Head Prefect would give him some kind of insurance just in case something unexpected happened.
“Thank you, Sir Henry,” Ethan replied. “I will be going now. I don’t want Lily to get suspicious or anything.”
“Go. Don’t worry. I got your back.”
“Thank you again, Sir Henry.”
Ethan no longer tarried and left the Dud Manor in haste. Just to be sure, he also brought the Sea God’s Trident with him just in case he would need something to protect himself.
Right now, he couldn’t use any magic. His body was still recovering from using Fae Magic.
If Lily were to really attack him in his current state, it would just be like an adult fighting a toddler in a boxing match.
Going to their meeting place wasn’t an easy feat, and it took Ethan nearly an hour to reach his destination.
Wizards and Witches could easily reach that place in just a few minutes if they used their brooms to fly.
The owner of the shop named Brooms For All Seasons, Mr. Carwell, had informed Ethan that he should meet him during the weekend a few weeks ago. However, at the time that he was about to go to Limeburgh Town to do the testing of flying broom, Wind Dancer, something came up and he had to cancel their meeting.
He told him that he would contact him again as soon as possible, but Ethan still hadn’t gotten any letter from him.
He also visited the Brooms For All Seasons, when he, Chloe, and Luna, went to Limeburgh Town, but the clerk only said that Mr. Carwell suddenly went somewhere without informing her when he would return.
“I wish he’d return soon,” Ethan muttered just as he was about to enter the clearing where Lily was waiting for him.
After checking his surroundings, Ethan confirmed that the cute First Year hadn’t arrived yet.
Because of this, he decided to just sit on one of the logs that were used as chairs by the people who use the clearing as their camp during the weekends.
Suddenly, and without any warning, two Dire Wolves and two Dire Bears charged at the clearing, encircling Ethan.
A few seconds later, more animals of different shapes and colors emerged from the forest and entered the clearing, gathering a few meters away from the teenage boy, giving him no place to run.
Ethan stood up and put his left hand in his robe pocket where the red balls were being kept, ready to throw them at a moment’s notice.
In his right hand, he was holding the Sea God’s Trident as a weapon, just in case the animals were to attack him.
The only reason why Ethan didn’t immediately use the Red Balls was because he didn’t forget that he was still within the boundary of the academy.
That meant that the animals in front of him belonged to the students of the academy, so they would most likely not attack him, unless he did something to provoke their owners. 𝐎𝗏𝐞𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t
“I didn’t expect to receive such a warm welcome,” Ethan said in a volume that was enough for anyone hiding within the forest to hear. “Is this what you want to talk about, Lily?”
At that moment, he heard the sound of several footsteps coming from the trees behind him, which made him turn around.
“Lily isn’t here,” a chubby teenager stated. “At least, not yet. My comrades are doing their best to delay her arrival.”
“Oh?” Ethan arched an eyebrow. “I came here because I have an appointment with her.”
“We know,” a young man wearing glasses replied. “That is why we are here. We can’t allow someone like you to taint our angel. Just thinking of you marking her with your colors makes me angry to no end!”
“That’s right!” another student shouted. “You better stay away from Lily! You already won the tournament, and you’re still making advances on her?”
“Don’t force her to go on a date with you just because you won.” A handsome young man glared at Ethan. “Forcing a girl to become your girlfriend just because you beat her in a duel isn’t very manly.”
“Scum!”
“Philanderer!
“You already have Chloe and you still want our Angel?!”
“Womanizer!”
“Trash!”
“Stinky Dud!”
The animals that were surrounding Ethan roared, growled, shrieked, and screeched accordingly.
Clearly, they sided with their owners and made sure to let the handsome young man know that they didn’t like him as well.
Ethan held his ground and scanned his surroundings.
‘Eight wizards, two witches,’ Ethan thought. ‘Are they part of Lily’s Fanclub, or do they just want to mess with me because of what happened during the tournament?’
While he was deep in thought, one of the First Years pointed in his direction and ordered his Beast Companion to strike.
“Teach him a lesson! Brutus!” the chubby teenager ordered. “Make sure that after this day, he will no longer talk to Lily again!”
One of the Dire Bears that encircled Ethan at the beginning stood on its hind legs and roared.
Just as the Dire Bear was about to pounce on Ethan, the teenage boy saw something big and white in the distance, which made his face turn grim.
That creature was more dangerous than the animals around him combined.