Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, the day of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament had arrived.
During this period, Arthur had been busy exploring Elphael and the Haligtree.
Worth mentioning was that somewhere within Elphael, Arthur ran into a familiar face.
Or rather—someone he had only met once before.
Knight Loretta.
Years ago, Arthur had fought Loretta's spectral form in Caria Manor. Back then, her title had been Royal Knight. Now, she bore a new one—
Haligtree Knight Loretta.
Loretta was a knight of remarkable integrity. She could not stand by as races rejected by the Erdtree were slaughtered by fanatics of Golden Order Fundamentalism.
She personally led those people through countless hardships, escorting them all the way to the Haligtree in the snowy north.
Among them were survivors from the Albinauric Village. Their ability to reach the Haligtree owed much to Loretta's efforts.
After guiding them there, Loretta chose to remain behind, dedicating herself to protecting this secluded sanctuary.
When Arthur encountered her, Loretta was still capable of normal conversation.
Clearly, she hadn't succumbed to madness after the Shattering—unlike most others Arthur had encountered.
Everyone else—regardless of race—had charged at him the moment they saw him, weapons raised.
Those without weapons simply threw themselves at him.
As if they all shared some blood feud with him.
The moment Arthur saw Loretta, he set his sights on her.
Not out of personal interest—but because he wanted her to return to Liurnia, to help his mother-in-law Rennala manage both the Carian Royal Family and the Academy of Raya Lucaria.
Liurnia was in desperate need of capable people.
Loretta had once been a Carian royal knight—asking her to return to duty was perfectly reasonable.
But after so many years, Loretta had come to see the Haligtree as her second home.
Being asked to leave it behind naturally stirred some reluctance.
So Arthur simply summoned Ranni, Miquella, and Malenia right in front of her.
Ranni, as a Carian princess, held unquestionable authority over Loretta.
And Miquella and Malenia, as the true masters of Elphael, sincerely thanked Loretta for everything she had done.
They also pointed out that Elphael no longer had many sane inhabitants—staying here served little purpose now.
With encouragement from all sides, Loretta finally agreed.
And so, Loretta returned to Liurnia, giving Rennala another valuable pillar of support.
Back to the Triwizard Tournament
The second task was held at Hogwarts' Black Lake.
Early that morning, students streamed out of the castle toward the lakeshore.
At the center of the Black Lake stood three wooden towers, built to accommodate spectators.
Students boarded small boats at the dock—boats that had once carried first-years across the lake during their arrival at Hogwarts.
Judging by their condition, these boats were at least a century old.
In some ways, Hogwarts was impressively frugal.
Hermione, Harry, and Neville walked together toward the lake—a rather rare combination.
Hermione was there because she couldn't find Arthur.
She asked Harry,
"Harry, have you seen my cousin?"
She was puzzled. Arthur had been beside her at breakfast, but when she turned around, both he and Ranni were gone.
Harry shook his head.
"No. Come to think of it, I didn't see Ron this morning either."
With the competition about to begin, Hermione had no time to search further.
She temporarily set the matter aside, deciding to deal with it after the task.
She wasn't worried in the slightest—Arthur running into trouble had an even lower probability than Seamus blowing up the entire castle.
Meanwhile, Harry was talking with Neville.
Neville placed a long, strip-like plant—resembling seaweed—into Harry's hand.
"Gillyweed," Neville said. "It lets you grow gills and webbed hands and feet."
Harry accepted it.
"I know. I'm the one who asked you to get it for me."
Ever since learning the second task would take place underwater, Harry had been searching for a way to breathe beneath the surface.
Bubble-Head Charm was an option—but too fragile. One poke and it was gone.
That day in the library, Neville had noticed Harry researching aquatic magic.
Thinking Harry shared his interest in Herbology, Neville struck up a conversation.
When Harry realized how knowledgeable Neville was, he asked whether any plants allowed underwater breathing.
That was when Neville mentioned Gillyweed.
Neville added,
"You probably don't know this, but its duration isn't fixed."
Harry frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"It's affected by whether the water is fresh or salty. The effect can vary."
Harry's expression tightened.
"It won't wear off the moment I hit the water, will it?"
Neville shook his head.
"Nothing that bad. At worst, it'll last a bit less than an hour."
Harry nodded.
"That's fine. Worst case, I'll use Bubble-Head Charm to top it up."
The Task Begins
At the center wooden tower, Barty Crouch Sr. stood delivering the opening speech.
"Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!"
"Last night, something precious was taken from each of our champions. Those treasures now rest at the bottom of the Black Lake."
"The task is simple—retrieve what was taken and return it to the surface."
Almost no one was listening.
All eyes were on the champions.
More specifically—on Fleur Delacour.
For the sake of the dive, Fleur had changed into a silver-gray one-piece swimsuit.
Her graceful figure drew the gaze of countless students.
Even some girls were captivated.
Veela charm didn't discriminate by gender—only by resistance.
Early spring in Britain was still bitterly cold, and the lake was freezing.
Requiring the champions to enter under such conditions was brutal.
Harry stripped off his excess robes, swallowed the Gillyweed in one gulp, and stepped to the edge.
Before he could brace himself, "Moody" shoved him from behind.
Fortunately, his gills sprouted the moment he hit the water—otherwise, he would've choked.
Still, the sensation was awful.
It felt like someone had slashed open his neck.
Painful… in a strangely intense way.
At that moment, Hermione swam over.
Seeing Harry sinking awkwardly, she thought he was drowning and rushed to check.
She wasn't worried about falling behind—her extended mental perception made searching underwater trivial.
Catching up wouldn't be a problem.
As she approached, Hermione noticed the gills and webbed fingers.
She relaxed.
"Gillyweed is a good choice. Impressive that you found such a rare plant. Just be mindful of the duration."
"Neville warned me about that," Harry replied. "He's the one who got it for me."
"He was right next to us earlier—didn't you hear?" Harry asked.
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Was he? I didn't notice."
She'd been too busy scanning the stands for Arthur.
Not wanting to dwell on it, she said,
"Never mind. Time's limited—go find your hostage."
With that, Hermione turned and swam deeper.
"Hey, wait!" Harry followed after her. "What's going on with you right now?"
A transparent film coated Hermione's body, separating her from the water.
Even her clothes remained perfectly dry, as though she were still on land.
Curious, Harry reached out and poked it.
The surface felt solid—hard as crystal.
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