Conrad entered Kailyn's room. Coincidentally, he was seen by Morrissey, who had come looking for her. Morrissey hesitated at the staircase for a moment, then quietly turned and left.
"It's truly a pity that your school lost to Hogwarts," Conrad said with a regretful tone. "That Sean Grylls certainly surprised everyone."
Kailyn cast him a sideways glance. She had no interest in exchanging pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"How do you want to cooperate?"
Conrad flashed his bright white teeth.
"In tomorrow's match between our two teams… we can lose."
"What do you mean by that?" Kailyn frowned slightly. "Do you think Ilvermorny can't defeat Uagadou?"
"You misunderstand, Professor Lindsay," Conrad replied calmly. "Your school's strength is obvious to everyone. It's just that your Daywalker probably hasn't shown his full strength yet."
"You know our Omar is a half-giant."
"If the two of them meet, your Daywalker might have to reveal his trump card."
Conrad smiled faintly.
"You actually know about the Daywalker?" Kailyn asked.
"So you're proposing to help us preserve that trump card?"
"Even though the probability of those two meeting is small, if our teams really fight with everything we've got, the outcome is still uncertain," Conrad said, his tone slightly irritating.
Kailyn fell silent.
She was seriously considering cooperating with Uagadou.
Claven's full power had originally been reserved for the fourth event. If it was revealed early, it would be disadvantageous for Ilvermorny.
"If you lose to us," Kailyn asked, "what do you want in return?"
"The trophy. Uagadou's trophy," Conrad said.
He paused before continuing.
"Since it now looks like we'll enter the Valley of Echoing Woods last after losing to you, I hope that if Ilvermorny finds Uagadou's trophy… you'll notify us."
Kailyn nodded.
Such cooperation was not unusual in past tournaments.
Teams ranked last often tried to seize any chance by negotiating with others.
Similarly, second-place teams sometimes allied with others to increase their chances of winning by obstructing the top-ranked team.
"You're sure you want this deal?" Kailyn said bluntly.
"Even though we'll enter before you, we might not encounter your trophy."
"And if another team takes it first, we won't help you steal it back."
The rules of the Valley of Echoing Woods were complicated.
Each team would receive a ring before entering. The ring served as the key to unlock the magical barrier protecting a trophy—and the rings were universal.
If Uagadou's trophy was taken by another team, then Uagadou would essentially lose out on this deal.
"That's fine," Conrad said.
"You don't need to retrieve it. Just inform us of its location."
"If you find it first, it would be even better if you could hold it for a while."
"And if another team takes it, simply tell us which team."
Kailyn leaned back slightly.
"This cooperation seems entirely beneficial to you."
"If I demand that Uagadou also keep an eye out for Ilvermorny's trophy, would you still agree?"
She had just added another condition favorable to Ilvermorny—almost like a one-sided contract.
Conrad's broad grin finally disappeared behind his thick lips. He shrugged helplessly.
"Such a strong Ilvermorny style."
"Very well. Let's hope for a pleasant cooperation."
Kailyn hadn't expected him to accept such unfavorable terms so easily.
First and foremost, they were competitors.
Only after that were they temporary allies.
"Why did you agree to such conditions?" she asked.
Conrad shook his head mysteriously.
"That's Uagadou's strategy. I'm afraid I can't reveal it."
Thinking back to Uagadou's earlier strategy in the second event, Kailyn wasn't impressed.
If they liked extreme tactics, they could continue using them. After all, it only benefited Ilvermorny.
"Of course," Conrad added, "I understand this is disadvantageous to us."
"So to prevent any breach of agreement, I need a guarantee."
"What kind of guarantee?" Kailyn asked.
"An Unbreakable Vow," Conrad replied.
"Let one member of your team and one member of ours swear it."
The Unbreakable Vow was indeed a reliable way to enforce agreements.
Breaking it meant death.
The punishment was severe, but Kailyn had no intention of violating the deal anyway.
"Very well," she said.
"I'll have our captain, Aigelbert, take the vow."
"And we'll have our captain, Vanessa Peroncel, do the same."
Although Morrissey admired Kailyn, as a Hogwarts professor he felt obligated to inform the team's leadership of what he had seen.
"Professor McGonagall, I think Uagadou and Ilvermorny have formed an alliance."
McGonagall looked at him calmly.
"David, you weren't here during previous Four-School Friendship Tournaments."
"You may not realize this, but alliances before entering the Valley of Echoing Woods are quite normal."
"It's simply part of their strategy."
David Morrissey was thirty years old.
The last tournament had been held in 1980, when he had already graduated.
The one before that was in 1970, when he had only been ten years old.
He had just barely missed witnessing the grand event.
"However," McGonagall continued,
"Uagadou has also formed an alliance with us."
"What?" Morrissey looked stunned.
"What are they planning?"
Before meeting Ilvermorny, Conrad had already spoken with McGonagall.
The conditions were almost identical—each team would keep an eye out for the other's trophy and notify them if they found it.
Similarly, two captains had sworn an Unbreakable Vow.
At breakfast the next morning, Sean was reading a copy of the Daily Prophet he had borrowed from Chris.
Chris subscribed to the paper annually, which meant Sean had been reading it for free for two years.
"Any news today?" Cassius asked casually, glancing at the paper.
"A Squib in Devon died," Sean said. "The Ministry claims it was caused by dark magic. The victim's blood was completely drained."
"Ugh, that's horrifying," Cassius grimaced.
"Dark wizards are seriously twisted. Say something more interesting."
Sean looked down again and read aloud.
"Flourish and Blotts is running a limited-time promotion. Buy a book and receive a signed photo of Gilderoy Lockhart."
"Oh no," Cassius groaned.
"What do I want with a man's photograph?"
"Though my sister would probably love it."
Apparently, his sister was a devoted Lockhart fan.
Before the Uagadou vs. Ilvermorny match began, McGonagall informed the team about the alliance between the two schools.
Everyone began speculating about Uagadou's strategy.
"I'm sure they also approached Castelobruxo," Zach declared confidently.
"Whether they formed an alliance or not, that's another story."
Everyone else rolled their eyes at his obvious statement.
That day's match was exciting.
But Sean quickly realized the two teams were deliberately throwing parts of the match.
"Looks like their alliance includes today's game," he thought.
In the morning's single matches, Uagadou scored two points.
But in the afternoon's team match, Ilvermorny won.
Uagadou was firmly placed last.
Ilvermorny continued competing with the other two schools for first place.
Monday, February 26
The remaining three teams drew lots.
Hogwarts and Castelobruxo were matched to compete.
Ilvermorny received a bye.
Hogwarts won the match.
Sean finally witnessed dual combination magic.
Two people casting a combined spell were indeed faster than a single caster—but Charlie used his superior Quidditch skills to disrupt them.
February 27
Ilvermorny faced Castelobruxo.
Surprisingly—
Ilvermorny lost.
No one knew whether the two teams had made some kind of deal.
With that, the order for entering the Valley of Echoing Woods was finalized:
Hogwarts
Castelobruxo
Ilvermorny
Uagadou
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