chapter 70

He fought one against eight and still held his own. He is worthy of being my favorite."

As Robert passed by Tom, his left hand easily bypassed the armor spell around Tom and patted his shoulder hard.

"Why are you here?" Tom asked sternly.

"Well... I just happened to walk by, and I noticed your magic power fluctuating quite violently. I couldn't help but come over to take a look... Oh, this fuchsia is well used."

As Robert spoke, he glanced at the unfortunate people lying in various positions around them.

"Where's Annie?" Tom noticed Robert came alone and couldn't help but ask.

It was clear something was wrong with Annie, especially considering her focus seemed to be on Robert. Tom had already noticed that.

That's why he was curious why Annie didn't follow him.

"Well... when we were passing a certain staircase, it suddenly moved, and she happened not to follow. So, we separated for a while," Robert said casually.

Tom, who knew Robert's abilities very well, figured it was very likely that Robert had silently ditched Annie somewhere along the way.

Sure enough, his brief worry was unnecessary. How could someone who had been causing trouble for thousands of years possibly fall so easily?

"You two, do you think we're nothing?" a senior student said coldly.

He had been putting up with the two of them for a long time. If he hadn't seen Robert use an armor spell with ease, which made him slightly afraid, he would have already thrown several evil curses at them.

"Who are you?" Robert asked.

"Andrei Shafik," the senior student answered proudly.

"So you're from the Shafik family..." Robert nodded, then smiled. "You managed to stand your ground in the fight with Tom, which means you're quite skilled. How about it? Want to join me?"

Tom looked at Robert in surprise. He thought Robert was here to save him, but instead, it seemed like he came to recruit him as a subordinate?

Andrei sneered at Robert. "Just you?"

"Yes, just me."

Andrei's smile froze instantly when he realized the voice he just heard was coming from behind him!

Robert, who had been standing in front of him a moment ago, was now standing behind him without him noticing!

At that moment, Andrei understood why Abraxas, a third-year student, needed the help of a fifth-year student to deal with a freshman! This guy really was something!

Without hesitation, Andrei turned around and cast a stunning spell.

"Bang!"

The sound of the spell hitting a body echoed in the air.

But Andrei's pupils suddenly contracted.

Only then did he realize that the person standing behind him wasn't Robert, but the first-year student who had been standing behind him earlier.

The unfortunate guy had already been knocked unconscious by his stunning spell.

And Robert... was still standing beside Tom! It was as if everything he had seen just now was an illusion!

"This... How is this possible? What did you do?" Andrei stared at Robert, his eyes filled with fear.

If Robert could directly affect his senses, that meant he could knock him down at any time or even control him to do things he would never normally do!

Andrei's mind raced with horror. He felt an unprecedented sense of pressure from Robert.

Tom was equally shocked as he watched this scene unfold.

Even though he had witnessed it before, he could still feel the terror of Robert's unnamed magic!

Robert didn't even move, yet Andrei fell into an illusion! This ability was truly unbeatable!

Tom now felt more certain that Robert didn't take his clumsy plots seriously at all. Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing there unharmed!

Just as Andrei couldn't bear the pressure anymore and was about to give in, a voice came from the other end of the corridor.

"Merlin! What on earth is going on here?"

It was young Professor McGonagall hurrying over.

Tom turned pale when he saw the professor coming.

When Dumbledore spoke to him at the orphanage, he specifically told him not to use magic to attack others without cause.

Since then, Dumbledore had kept a close watch on him, fearing that he would misuse the magic he had learned...

Though there were reasons for what happened today, it was still true that he knocked out a classmate on the very first day of school.

Tom wasn't afraid of punishment, but he feared that Dumbledore would monitor him even more closely after this. If that happened, Dumbledore might decide to find him a guardian, which would be terrible...

Most of all, Tom feared that Dumbledore would expel him from Hogwarts for this!

At that point, Tom didn't know Dumbledore well, only that he was very strict with him. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.

"You two have really grown in power! Fighting on the first day of school! And with classmates from the same house! Since you're so full of energy, how about going to detention? For a month! It just so happens that Mr. Ogg has been complaining about being short-handed while patrolling the Forbidden Forest recently!"

Professor McGonagall never tolerated fights or magical disturbances, especially when students from the same house were involved. The fact that they were all from Slytherin gave her no reason to show mercy!

The other students, who had just been rescued, were terrified at the mention of detention in the Forbidden Forest.

Slytherin students, with their sense of self-preservation, always avoided the Forbidden Forest—rumors claimed it was filled with dark creatures at night. They weren't Gryffindors, after all!

When they heard that they might be sent into such a dangerous place for a month, they fell silent.

But Robert's eyes lit up when he heard this.

Of course, he had been to the Forbidden Forest before and had a strong interest in it.

However, he wasn't familiar with the routes or aware of where specific potion materials were located. He didn't know what magical creatures roamed where. But now, if they were confined there, someone would lead them through the forest.

That meant he could gather important information about the Forbidden Forest from Mr. Ogg!

In fact, Robert actually wanted to be punished!

But... he had just arrived and hadn't done anything, so it wasn't certain he'd be punished yet.

Robert turned to Tom, only to find him pale and panicked.

Robert knew Tom's background well, so he quickly understood what Tom was worried about.

While Professor McGonagall sternly questioned Andrei about what had happened, Robert leaned in and whispered to Tom, "I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, just let them blame it on me. I'll take the fall!"

Tom stared at Robert in shock. "How is this possible? I was the one who injured them... Besides, they're not idiots. They'll tell the professor soon. How can she not know it was my fault?"

"Don't worry, I'll make them say what I want them to say," Robert replied lightly.

Tom immediately thought of Robert's magic—the one that seemed to cause hallucinations.

Indeed, Robert could probably do this!

Tom quickly spoke up again, anxious. "If that's the case, why not just blame it on them? Just say we arrived late, right?"

"They came here with a purpose—to deal with someone, I'm sure... Oh, never mind, just blame it on me."

Robert paused halfway through explaining his reasons for wanting to enter the Forbidden Forest. He got tired of making up excuses for Tom. Tom was sharp, and it was becoming harder to fool him. Robert decided to stop offering explanations altogether.

Tom, however, started to understand. At that moment, he realized Robert's magic might not be perfect.

The reality was that they were indeed being targeted, but shifting that perception from themselves to Robert could work.

So, Robert was truly willing to take the blame for everything!

"You... Why are you doing this?" Tom said in a low voice. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"Why all the questions?" Robert said impatiently. "Just say what I tell you, or I'll make things difficult for you!"

Tom went silent.

It dawned on him that Robert really did consider him a friend!

Otherwise, why would Robert willingly take the blame, guessing Tom's worries and acting to help him?

Thinking back on how he had nearly defeated seven or eight people just now, using nearly all the magic Robert had taught him, Tom felt confused. If Robert truly despised him, how could he have taught him so much useful magic?

Suddenly, Robert asked, "By the way, you didn't do anything too harsh, did you?"

"No," Tom shook his head.

"That's good... At least, I don't have to worry about being expelled."

Tom:?!

Tom's thoughts became even more complex.

(End of this chapter)

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