"Hahahah!!!!" Rose pointed at Asterion and said, still laughing, "You let an ant slip right under your nose!"
Hearing Rose's laughter, Asterion's already dark face became even darker. He clenched his teeth and vowed that when he found the warlock or witch with an innate shadow-related technique, he would make them suffer greatly before expelling them from the competition.
Luna also didn't care about Asterion's dark face and laughed playfully while petting Baskerville. Only Cedric didn't laugh at Asterion; instead, he gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Asterion. In the end, we'll find them all, and you can vent your frustrations," he said kindly with a gentle smile.
Seeing his friendly and close smile, Asterion looked at the young man strangely and spoke expressionlessly, "I don't like men, but don't worry, I don't care if you shove something up your butt."
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Rose heard his words and couldn't help but burst into laughter. She held her stomach and laughed unscrupulously at Cedric's discomfort.
Cedric was embarrassed and quickly removed his hand from Asterion's shoulder, stammering nervously and incoherently, "I-I don't like m-men either!!!! I like women!!!"
Cedric's awkward appearance only increased suspicions about him at that moment.
Cedric looked at everyone and gradually fell silent. He crouched beside Luna and joined her in drawing something with an extremely dejected expression.
"You're mean," Rose commented beside Asterion, her smile very amused by the whole situation. "Don't worry, I'll defeat all the enemies you can't," she said confidently, subtly provoking Asterion.
"I don't need your help," Asterion replied coldly, looking at Rose before turning his gaze to the other team members.
"Let's head to the highest mountain; we'll start the second phase of the King's Game."
"Yes, Sir." Luna stood up and saluted like a soldier reporting to her superior.
"Yes, Sir~" Rose responded casually, her voice full of laziness and sleepiness.
"We're going to win and bring glory to Hogwarts!" Cedric said, returning to his cheerful and friendly demeanor, apparently the most enthusiastic at the moment.
Everyone smiled at Cedric's excitement; the young man seemed to be the soul of the team.
However, after being unexpectedly selected to participate in the tournament, only Asterion knew that Cedric wanted nothing more than the fame brought by the tournament.
For ordinary people, fame means just attention, but for powerful people, it is a legacy.
It might seem strange, but people tend to trust those who possess fame and prestige.
If there were two people side by side, one being a highly qualified professional and the other being a regular professional but very famous, who do you think people would trust more? The answer is clear: the regular professional, because fame has an almost supernatural glamour to people, making them seem almost like gods.
So, even if the other one is highly qualified, few would give him a chance because he is not as famous as the regular professional.
Asterion wanted this from the beginning; he had been building a good but powerful and wise image. Especially at this moment, when hundreds of thousands of witches and wizards were watching him.
If possible, Asterion wanted his fame to help his children in case he passed away. His fame would help Daphne and her descendants unite the country and keep them safe if something happened to him in the future.
After all, the God-creation plan orchestrated by his ancestors was, at the very least, insane. Asterion had no idea what he might create if he failed. At the very least, he estimated it would create a virtually invincible cursed spirit.
He had to leave some things to protect Daphne and her family. It wasn't that Asterion was pessimistic; he simply knew that this was the real world, and in the real world, things often don't go as one wants.
Asterion wanted to be prepared in case something went wrong with his plan. After all, he knew he had made numerous enemies by creating the Clock Tower, even though most smiled kindly at him in most cases. But he knew the murderous intentions hidden behind calm and gentle looks.
Holding Luna like a princess in his arms, Asterion looked at everyone and nodded. In the same second, everyone reinforced their bodies and ran towards the highest mountain.
Asterion, who carried Luna like a princess, was the fastest in the group and was in the lead to protect against any possible attacks. Rose was at the back, protecting their rear, with Cedric in the middle. It was the same strategy that wolves in a pack used to protect themselves while hunting and moving from place to place.
The four of them crossed high rocks, trees, and hills with almost supernatural ease. It was only when the sun began to set that the group stopped, but it wasn't because of Asterion or Rose; it was because of Cedric.
"Sorry," the young man said with an embarrassed expression as sweat covered his body. Using reinforcement magic for such a long time was extremely exhausting. There was less than 10% of magical energy left in the Hufflepuff's reserves. If he continued, he would simply collapse from exhaustion.
Placing Luna on the ground, Asterion shook his head and spoke calmly, "Don't worry, we're not in a hurry. Even if someone arrives before us, we'll just drive them away and start preparing the ground to protect Luna."
"Yes, don't worry about it," Rose said with a smile, patting Cedric on the shoulder.
Cedric looked grateful and remained silent, focusing on recovering his magical energy. Meanwhile, Asterion, Rose, and Luna made a campfire, around which they sat, eating the provisions given at the beginning of the first phase of the King's Game. The supplies would last three days if rationed.
"I hate jerky; it's too salty," Rose grumbled, very dissatisfied with the food as she swallowed a piece of jerky. She ate it out of necessity; otherwise, she would never touch something so salty.
"It's not that bad," Cedric commented after tasting it. He actually didn't find it too bad.
Luna remained silent, eating like a hamster and then swallowing without showing much reaction.
"You seem used to eating this, Luna," Rose asked curiously, seeing her expressionless face while eating.
"I used to spend days in the forest trying to find magical animals," Luna looked up and answered adorably as she swallowed her food.
Just as Rose was about to ask more, she smelled something pleasant in the air. She turned to Asterion and pursed her lips at the sight before her. It wasn't just her; Cedric and Luna also looked at Asterion with somewhat accusatory gazes.
Asterion was sipping a glass of wine while biting into a delicious piece of roasted chicken. Rose looked at the hard, dry jerky in her hand and then at the succulent roasted chicken in Asterion's hand. Her gaze grew increasingly dangerous at the disparity in their food.
"As-Te-Ri-On," Rose said each syllable with a tone full of accusation.
Seeing the eyes of his teammates, Asterion remained indifferent. He ate even faster, fearing someone would ask for a piece of his roasted chicken. When he finished, he tossed the bone into the fire, making the air even more fragrant.
Seeing Asterion's actions, Rose's eyes widened. She never imagined Asterion could be so stingy as to eat quickly and not leave any for her!
Even Luna looked at Asterion with a deadly gaze, although it seemed more adorable than threatening.
Under heavy pressure, Asterion reluctantly asked Baskerville to distribute the food and drank his wine in silence, apparently very upset about sharing his meal. Yet, for some reason, the atmosphere around the campfire was filled with laughter and teasing.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 149 - Second Phase of the King's Game (4), Chapter 150 - Second Phase of the King's Game (5), Chapter 151 - Second Phase of the King's Game (6), 152 - Second Phase of the King's Game (7), 153 - Second Phase of the King's Game (8), 154 - Second Phase of the King's Game (9), 155 - Second Phase of the King's Game (10), 156 - Second Phase of the King's Game (11), 157 - Second Phase of the King's Game (12), 158 - Second Phase of the King's Game (13 e And), 159 - Death of Arcturus (1), 160 - Death of Arcturus (2), Chapter 161 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (1), Chapter 162 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (2), Chapter 163 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (3), Chapter 164 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (4).