— — — — — —

None of the headmasters from the various schools had any objections to the results of this round.

Every rule had been laid out clearly from the start. Even if someone wanted to show favoritism, there was no opportunity to do so.

Compared to the scoring controversy in the second round, this one was far fairer.

According to the rules, Daphne ended up being the biggest winner.

The traitor’s solo victory bonus was worth fifty points. Add another ten points for each kill she secured, and she walked away with a full one hundred points from this round alone.

The other champions only received the standard kill scores.

While Bagman was announcing the results to the audience, Tom couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Pulling Daphne away from where she was happily bragging to Fleur and Quinta, he led her to a secluded corner of the platform.

"You really didn’t know you were the traitor?"

Tom lowered his voice. Just to be safe, he silently cast a soundproofing barrier around them. The surrounding space warped slightly, preventing anyone outside from hearing them or even reading their lips.

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Daphne could be absentminded at times, sure, but she wasn’t actually stupid.

Most of the time she simply couldn’t be bothered to think too hard.

When she wasn’t glued to his side, her intelligence usually made a respectable comeback.

There was no way she should have been that clueless.

Which left only one possibility. Tom suspected Daphne had successfully fooled everyone.

"Hehe, you really do understand me. Hehe~"

Daphne immediately threw her arms around him and rubbed against him affectionately, looking even happier than she had after winning the match.

This was what people meant by being on the same wavelength.

They really were made for each other. Only Tom had seen through her.

"So you were pretending after all." Tom laughed and ruffled her hair. "You almost fooled me too."

"That just means my acting’s gotten better." The young lady looked extremely pleased with herself. "You taught me this, remember? What was it called? Playing dumb and then stabbing them in the back?"

"Not quite." Tom corrected her with a grin. "It’s called the wolf pretending to sleep in order to lure its prey."

"Oh, same thing. And mine’s better." Daphne waved her hand dismissively.

"Anyway, I figured the more I thought about it, the more chances I’d have to make mistakes. So I just acted as if I wasn’t the traitor at all. I focused entirely on helping the Blue Team and played however I wanted."

"Ariana and Kamio are both really smart. I knew they’d find a way to win without me worrying about it."

"Later, when I noticed Kamio wasn’t defending the base, I had no idea what she was planning. But if I stayed out of it, she’d probably succeed."

"So I kept Fleur and the others occupied on the front line and tried stealing a few kills while I was at it. Somehow it actually worked. Guess I got lucky."

"Good, my little witch has really grown up..." Tom looked genuinely pleased. Then he asked, slightly curious, "So why didn’t you just say that earlier?"

Tom could understand her strategy.

It wasn’t some brilliant master plan, but it was definitely smart.

The more actions you took, the more opportunities you had to make mistakes.

When events were already moving in your favor, adding a subtle push here and there was often the most effective approach.

What he didn’t understand was why she had continued pretending after the match was over.

"Because the tournament isn’t over yet." Daphne’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. At that moment, she looked even more fox-like than the actual fox girl.

"If I told everyone the truth, what if they all started treating me as a major threat during the finals? So I figured I’d commit to the act."

"That way, everyone will just think I got lucky. The people they’ll really focus on are still Ariana and Kamio."

She lifted her chin proudly, her eyes sparkling as she waited for praise, "So? Pretty smart, right?"

Tom immediately nodded with exaggerated enthusiasm, "Smart. Incredibly smart. Even I didn’t think of that angle. If you’re not smart, who is?"

The sweet, innocent airhead turned out to have a sneaky black heart hidden inside after all.

Tom was delighted.

He even pulled out a handful of candy and pressed it into Daphne’s hands before patting her on the head, "We’ll throw you a celebration banquet tonight. I’ve got work to do now."

...

By then, Bagman had already finished announcing the scores.

Next came the professors’ turn.

The professors, who normally carried themselves with calm confidence and wisdom, all looked somewhat nervous.

None of them knew what kind of challenge awaited them.

After all... Over the past several months, they had developed a very thorough understanding of just how inhuman Tom could be.

The one with the grimmest expression was undoubtedly Snape.

The old bat stood with his arms crossed, lips pressed tightly together, radiating an aura that warned everyone to stay away.

Compared to most people, he understood exactly how "outstanding" his student truly was.

Which only made him worry more. What if Tom served up something truly outrageous? Would he have to swallow it... or not?

While the professors nervously speculated, Tom flew back into the Rift.

The entire valley was now hidden beneath a thick blanket of fog.

Nobody could see what was happening inside.

Only the constant roar of machinery and the shrill screech of metal echoed through the arena and reached the ears of the audience watching through the Lume-Lenses.

About fifteen minutes later, the fog finally began to clear.

Tom rose into the sky once more.

"Thank you for your patience. The final preparations have been completed."

He tapped his throat, magically amplifying his voice until it echoed throughout every corner of the Dream Arena.

The battlefield had changed dramatically.

The defensive towers were gone. The bases were gone. Even the three lanes had disappeared.

Only a single, much wider road remained.

On either side of it stretched bottomless chasms. Every so often, the phantom silhouette of an evil creature flickered through the darkness below.

The fog that had previously covered the valley had transformed into heavy clouds drifting overhead, scattering snowflakes across the land.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the battlefield before you is known as the Howling Abyss."

Tom’s voice rang out clearly. "If Summoner’s Rift tests teamwork, strategy, and battlefield management, then the Howling Abyss is pure confrontation. The grandest stage for traditional dueling."

"Today’s Wizard Ranking Examination will take place here as well. But this time, the duel will not be wizard against wizard, nor against weak puppets."

"The professors’ opponents will be..."

Tom suddenly stopped speaking.

Just as the audience began wondering why he had paused, a massive iron gate slowly creaked open at one end of the Howling Abyss.

Then came the sound of heavy footsteps.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

A Hungarian Horntail emerged from the gate.

No. A monster twice the size of an ordinary Hungarian Horntail.

The enormous dragon strode forward with ponderous steps.

Every footfall made the ground tremble.

Sulfurous mist billowed from its cavernous nostrils with every breath.

Its scorching breath melted the falling snow into rain, only for the droplets to evaporate into steam the moment they touched the dragon’s blazing scales.

"Dragons."

Tom spoke leisurely as the beast advanced.

"No outside assistance. No room to dodge. Only a direct clash of strength."

His gaze swept across the professors.

"Anyone who defeats a dragon head-on..."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"...will earn the qualification to be ranked as an Apex Wizard."

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