Chapter 403: Fiancé

Hoffa frowned deeply.

He instinctively felt that something was wrong.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Seeing his furrowed brows, the nurse beside him thought she had hurt him and comforted him, "Just bear with it for a moment, it'll be over soon."

With swift movements, they unbuttoned Hoffa's shirt and applied medicine to his bruises. As they worked, they chatted.

"Headmaster, your friend is really strong. With injuries like that, he's already almost fully recovered."

The nurse kneaded Hoffa's arm and back repeatedly, clicking her tongue in amazement. "He's as hard as iron! I really wonder how he trains."

Osivia crossed her arms, half mocking, half teasing. "That's what happens when you get beaten up a lot."

As she spoke, the infirmary door suddenly swung open. A young man with golden hair strode in quickly. His face was pale, and he wore an uneasy smile.

"O-Osivia," he stammered as he faced her. "The ship... the ships are ready. W-where are we sailing to?"

"A tour of the Black Sea in the Gulf of Aden. No need to come all this way just to ask me that."

Osivia responded indifferently.

"O-okay…"

The blond man received his instructions but didn't leave. He hesitated, glancing at Hoffa, whose muscular frame lay on the bed. He seemed to want to say something but struggled to get the words out.

"If you have something to say, just say it, Vladimir!"

Osivia said impatiently.

"O-Osivia, a-aren't you going to introduce us?"

The man stammered.

Osivia frowned but still introduced him. "This is Hoffa. Hoffa Bach. The legendary student of Hogwarts, the pride of Ravenclaw, and a rare master of Transfiguration."

She spared no praise in her introduction.

Just like when he was at Beauxbatons, Hoffa only felt embarrassed upon hearing these titles. But he couldn't refute them and could only accept them in silence.

Then, Osivia pointed at the blond man.

"This is Vladimir Urikin, the school's logistics director," she said. "And also—my fiancé."

Hoffa was momentarily stunned before quickly standing up and extending his hand to the man before him. Vladimir, who seemed to have been preparing for this moment, immediately grabbed his hand enthusiastically.

"Oh, oh, no need to stand! No need to stand! You're injured!"

He pressed down on Hoffa's shoulder, pushing him back onto the bed. "I-I've heard a lot about you from Romanova! I-I thought you were around my age, but you—you look so young! Almost like a freshly graduated student!"

Hoffa carefully examined his senior's fiancé. He noticed that Vladimir had a slight stutter, was starting to go bald, and wasn't particularly handsome. He couldn't help but wonder—was this really the type of man his senior liked?

Also… Urikin. Wasn't that the name of the headmaster mentioned in Dumbledore's letter?

Despite his thoughts, Hoffa firmly shook Vladimir's hand and said, "Senior Osivia is like a sister to me, so I suppose I should call you brother-in-law."

Hearing this, the man immediately burst into laughter, rubbing Hoffa's hand continuously. "Ah, ah! No need to be so formal! I don't—I don't have any gifts for you, but—but I do have two bottles of vodka!"

He was genuinely overjoyed, but Osivia, on the other hand, remained indifferent. She coughed twice.

The sound made her fiancé's laughter gradually fade. He scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I—I heard that B-Bach lasted a full ten minutes in the hunting trap before getting caught. H-how bad are your injuries?"

Hoffa felt a little awkward and replied, "Indeed, the trap was strong. But I recover quickly, so I should be fine."

"A-amazing! T-too amazing! I—I wouldn't last even ten seconds in there! Y-you should rest well! I-I'll get some vodka! This—this is the strongest liquor from Moscow! Tonight, we'll have a proper drink!"

"Oh, no need to be so polite. I don't drink," Hoffa quickly said. The memories of the Beauxbatons dining hall were still fresh in his mind—he didn't want to go through that again.

"A man who d-doesn't drink!?"

Vladimir slapped Hoffa's shoulder hard. "A legendary wizard c-can't have a legendary status w-without a legendary tolerance!"

Hoffa didn't know how to respond and could only look at Osivia.

"Enough, Vladimir. Keep your hobbies to yourself."

Osivia said coldly and firmly, "Go check if everyone has boarded. The moment the check is done, we're leaving. We can't stay in one place too long."

Osivia's tone made Vladimir flinch, as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. He straightened up, and his speech suddenly became smooth. "I understand. I already arranged for it. But about dinner—"

He pointed at Hoffa, his tone carrying a trace of pleading.

Osivia looked at Vladimir with a complicated expression. After a moment of hesitation, she sighed. "Fine, I'll call you at dinner."

"Ha! Then it's settled!"

Vladimir instantly brightened up again. He pointed at Hoffa with both hands, mimicking a drinking gesture before happily leaving.

Watching Vladimir's departing figure, Hoffa commented, "He's a nice guy—cheerful and warm. You two make a good match."

"Hah? What do you know, you little brat?"

Osivia said irritably, suddenly resembling the strict senior who once locked Hoffa in a hotel room to stop him from sneaking out.

"But… isn't Urikin supposed to be the headmaster? And why do they call you Headmaster Romanova?" Hoffa asked.

"Hmph." Osivia sneered. "Two years ago, when that infamous Sleeping Plague broke out, Headmaster Urikin died in his sleep, leaving the school in chaos. Durmstrang sought me out, hoping I'd take over. Since I had my own hunting plans, I agreed. But of course, they had some extra conditions. Until I fulfill those, I'm only the acting headmaster."

As she spoke, she showed Hoffa the wedding ring on her index finger. Hoffa instantly understood what that "condition" was.

"I see… So, that Vladimir…"

Hoffa asked tentatively.

"He's the late headmaster's only son. Don't expect him to be of any help in your quest to eliminate the Half-Blood King," Osivia said coldly. "Maybe he'll offer you vodka for courage before battle? If that's what you need."

Osivia's sarcasm was colder than the Siberian winter. Hoffa's lips twitched, but he said nothing.

If that was the case, then it made sense.

Still, for some reason, he felt a little sorry for Vladimir. His Slytherin senior hadn't even bothered to change her surname before taking the headmaster's seat—truly embodying the ruthless nature of Slytherin.

Thinking about this, his mind suddenly grew hazy. His body swayed slightly.

"The medicine has a mild sedative effect. You might feel drowsy, but don't worry. This place is safe," the nurse beside him reassured him.

Hoffa saw Osivia pull up a chair and sit beside him. Feeling at ease, he leaned against the pillow. The moment his head touched it, he fell into a deep sleep.

(In his drowsiness, he saw himself walking through an empty field under a pitch-black night sky. Someone was calling his name.

Hoffa turned around.

Behind him, he saw Miranda's frail figure. She was waving at him, struggling forward, her mouth constantly shouting something.

Hoffa stopped and waved back, motioning for her to come closer. But the girl suddenly tripped and fell to the ground.

Alarmed, Hoffa ran toward her, but when he reached the spot where she had fallen—

There was no one there.)

A simple dream startled him awake from his deep sleep in an instant. He wasn't sure whether it was the scene in the dream that scared him or the act of dreaming itself.

At this moment, the black ship was silently gliding through the deep ocean. By the light from the mast, he could see small deep-sea fish slowly following the vessel.

Osivia sat on a chair, legs crossed, reading a newspaper. As she flipped through the pages, she casually said, "Hoffa, are you alright? I heard you calling someone's name just now."

"I-It's nothing."

Hoffa covered his head and shook it vigorously, trying to forcibly dispel the unease from his mind.

"Shall we go for dinner? It's about time."

Osivia asked.

"Not too many people. Just give me two pieces of bread, that's enough."

Hoffa spoke with his eyes closed. He really didn't have the energy to deal with too much right now.

"How considerate of you, Hoffa. Given the current shortage of supplies, I don't have much to offer you anyway," Osivia sighed helplessly as she stood up. "It's just me and Vladimir. You know, he's my fiancé—an insecure fiancé, at that."

Hoffa quickly put on his black hunting suit and strapped his cross sword back onto his back. He followed Osivia out of the infirmary. Along the way, he saw many Durmstrang students practicing dueling with their wands in the ship's cabin.

"This is the best way to keep oneself from being corroded,"

Osivia said. "Always stay on the battlefield."

"Impressive," Hoffa praised.

Osivia led Hoffa to the upper deck, passing through several thick iron doors and cloaked wizard guards before arriving at an office. Inside, a golden-haired Vladimir was tidying up a table. Seeing Hoffa, he cheerfully waved at him.

"I usually eat in the office. Do you mind?"

Osivia asked.

"Not at all," Hoffa replied.

Osivia sat Hoffa down at a temporarily cleared small dining table.

Vladimir brought out several plates of thickly sliced bread, some dried salted fish, berries, and caviar. Of course, he enthusiastically took out a dust-covered bottle of vodka, intending to have a drink with Hoffa. However, Osivia gave him a single sharp glance, immediately shutting that idea down.

Compared to the lavishness of Beauxbatons, the environment at Durmstrang made Hoffa feel more at ease. He broke off a piece of bread and slowly chewed it.

Meanwhile, Osivia asked, "Hoffa, we haven't seen each other in so long. Why did you suddenly come to Durmstrang?"

Now that they were finally discussing serious matters, Hoffa straightened up and said, "Senior, Beauxbatons has been destroyed. Did you know?"

"Of course. The remaining Beauxbatons wizards have already been resettled in Britain. Are you here to warn us, fearing that we might face the same fate?"

"Exactly," Hoffa replied. "If possible, I'd also like to intercept the Centaur King here and kill him."

Osivia shook her head. "Hoffa, we are not like those pampered wizards from Beauxbatons. Pierre thought hiding in the school would save him from the magic drain, but we don't see it that way. We understand that unless the Centaur King dies, unless the wizarding world's mystery and fantasy are restored, this magic drain will never end.

For this reason, we have long set up an inescapable trap within Durmstrang. We are just waiting for him to come to us. Don't worry—once he enters, he won't be able to leave."

At this moment, Vladimir, who had reluctantly swapped the vodka for apple juice, sat down at the table and said, "You've seen the power of that trap yourself. It's the result of Osivia's meticulous planning over the years. Back then, even I was scared out of my wits... But it's definitely going to work. Don't worry—no one's getting out of it, hahaha..."

"Vladimir,"

Osivia called out coldly.

Her fiancé immediately straightened his expression, putting away his playful smile. With a serious tone, he said, "We will not be destroyed."

But Hoffa still wasn't reassured. He asked, "What about this ship? What if it's found? What if he doesn't go to Durmstrang but instead comes for this ship?"

Osivia shook her head. "Impossible. This ship is constantly moving through the Black Sea, with no fixed coordinates. He could never find it. Even if he did get coordinates, they would keep changing."

Is that so? Hoffa felt slightly relieved.

But only slightly. The fate of Hogwarts and Beauxbatons had already shown him just how terrifying Sylby's destructive power was. And with Fatiel's death, he had come to understand that no matter how well-prepared one was, everything could still be turned against them. Against that man, he dared not let his guard down for even a second.

"What's the worst-case scenario?"

Hoffa asked again.

"The worst-case scenario?" Osivia was momentarily taken aback.

"Yes, the worst-case scenario. Have you considered it?"

"Well..."

Vladimir, slicing a piece of salted fish, stammered, "That's... that's a bit unlucky to talk about, isn't it, Bach? We've been preparing for so many years. Surely, surely it won't come to that right away..."

"Vladimir."

Osivia called his name again.

Her fiancé lowered his head once more, falling silent.

"The worst-case scenario, I suppose, would be if the Guardian Spirit lost control," Osivia said.

"The Guardian Spirit losing control? What do you mean?"

Hoffa asked.

Osivia put down her utensils and explained, "Durmstrang has had a guardian spirit since ancient times. We call it the 'Living Spirit.' Within its domain, everything inside Durmstrang becomes a trap. It has always silently protected the school—that's why you were captured. In a sense, this school is alive."

Hoffa recalled the terrifying traps and nodded slowly.

"You're saying there's a possibility that the Living Spirit could lose control?"

"Virtually none. Since its creation, the Living Spirit has always been under the control of Durmstrang's headmasters, never once going out of control. It is exceptionally stable. So, I don't think there's any need to worry about that."

"Why shouldn't we worry about it?"

Hoffa pressed further.

"Huh?" Vladimir frowned unhappily. "Bach, if Osivia says it's fine, then... then it's fine! You—you don't trust Durmstrang's history and... and... its profound heritage?"

"Vladimir."

Osivia furrowed her brows.

"Oh, come on."

Feeling frustrated after being cut off multiple times, Vladimir stood up, wiped his mouth, and said, "You... you guys go ahead and eat. I... I'm going to check on the student dormitories."

Watching Vladimir leave in a sullen mood, Osivia sighed and said, "Sorry, Bach. He hasn't faced the Centaur King before, so he doesn't understand your concerns. But... he's not a bad person."

"I understand, Senior. I'm not here to pick a fight. I just... have to make sure there's no margin for error," Hoffa said.

"You're right. Let's eat first. After dinner, I'll take you to check the Living Spirit's status. Consider it... a routine inspection."

(End of Chapter)

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