Giovanni and Francesca ran wildly through the forest, their faces pale, and Giovanni's arm visibly broken.
As for their teammates, whether Giovanni or Francesca, neither had time to think while they fled, though cruelly abandoning them was the only option for the Florence team to stay in the first trial of the Tournament.
"Brother, we can't find another team in this state." Leaning against a tree, Francesca spoke between gasping breaths. There were many cuts on her clothes and body, some with blood oozing from the wounds. It was clear the French Team had shown no mercy in their attacks when they ambushed them.
Recalling Fleur, a shiver ran through Francesca's body; she never imagined someone so beautiful could be so cold and deadly, almost like a completely different person from the one she knew.
Giovanni nodded, looking at his broken arm. If it were the second phase of the King's Game, they could ally with another team, but at this moment, it was impossible. This was the first phase, the elimination phase of the King's Game. If another team found them in this condition, there was no doubt they would be eliminated directly without even getting a chance to speak.
"Sister, how much magical energy do you have left?" Giovanni asked, ignoring the agonizing pain in his arm every time he moved slightly.
"Thirty percent," Francesca responded without hesitation, her voice tinged with seriousness and regret. During the ambush, they managed to escape after she cast a high-level spell, a fire spell that cost much of her magical energy.
The spell had severely injured one of the French team members, giving them a chance to escape the ambush. As for whether the student was killed, it wasn't something she cared about, especially since they weren't disqualified at that moment. This showed that the student was at least partially fine.
"Sister—" Just as Giovanni was about to speak, his expression changed drastically. Beside his sister, he saw an incredibly beautiful woman smiling coldly at him.
Before he could say anything, his thoughts slowed and became confused. A smile appeared on Giovanni's face, and in his mind, there was only one person more important to him at that moment.
Seeing her brother's expression, Francesca was confused and looked back. Her face turned even paler upon seeing the young blonde woman. She didn't try to run, not when a wand was at her neck.
With a bitter look, she wanted to say something, but Fleur didn't give her the chance.
"Confundus."
"Brother…"
It was Francesca's last thought before shadows consumed her consciousness.
Seeing Francesca's unconscious body fall heavily to the ground, the smile on Fleur's face grew as she saw the fascinated look in Giovanni's eyes.
"Can you help me, Giovanni?" Fleur spoke with a moving and pleading tone, her dazzling face causing Giovanni, enslaved by Fleur's charm, to become completely euphoric. He beat his chest forcefully and spoke in an excited tone full of loyalty.
"Just tell me where to go, and I'll point my wand for you."
Fleur's smile deepened. "Please, join your companions and prepare to fight alongside me against Asterion Black and Rose Potter."
That was her plan: use the other teams as cannon fodder to exhaust Asterion and Rose. When both could no longer use the allowed amount of magical energy, she would appear and win! The only problem was that charming all the men wasn't so easy. The Florence team was a good example of this; even though they weren't very strong, they still managed to severely injure her teammate. It showed how risky her plan was.
Unfortunately, this was the only method for the French team to win the first trial of the tournament. There was no way they could face two Special Grade Wizards head-on, even if those two were limited to using the power of a Grade 2 wizard.
As Fleur summarized her plan in her mind, her teammates arrived. The only male student on the team, Jean, didn't look well; from his shoulder to his arm, his skin was severely burned. If it weren't for a healing potion Jean had brought earlier, his entire arm might have been amputated by now.
Seeing the unconscious Italian girl who had done this to him, Jean's face darkened instantly. As he was about to vent his anger by kicking the girl, he was stopped by Fleur.
"Control yourself, Jean. You're in front of the audience." Her cold and indifferent voice made Jean clench his fists in frustration. He glared furiously at the unconscious girl but stepped back, visibly on the verge of exploding with rage.
Giovanni's other teammate, Matteo Romano, seemed to be in the same state as Giovanni, enslaved by Fleur's charm. However, if one looked closely, they would see he didn't appear as hypnotized as his captain. Matteo, proficient in Occlumency, was only pretending to be hypnotized while waiting for the right moment to stab the French witch in the back and make her plan fail completely.
Looking discreetly at his captain, who seemed like an idiot madly in love, Matteo sighed sadly at how terrible a Veela's charm was. If a woman with 1/4 Veela blood had such a powerful charm, he didn't want to imagine how terrifying a pureblood Veela would be.
"Let's rest a bit and then start hunting other teams; we need more cannon fodder." Matteo listened carefully to Fleur's words and understood the French team's captain's plan. She wanted to use them to fight against someone.
As for who that someone was, Matteo had already guessed. It was impossible not to guess when two giant mountains named Asterion Black and Rose Potter stood before all the teams.
Although it was a cruel plan for those who were the cannon fodder, namely himself, Matteo still admired the strategy. Asterion and Rose had a limit to the amount of magical energy they were allowed to use. They would definitely be worn out fighting against numerous wizards.
If they exceeded that limit, they would be disqualified directly, which was great news for all the remaining teams. Even if they didn't exceed the limit, they would still be very exhausted, which was also good news.
There were no disadvantages to Fleur's plan, which is why Matteo admired the cruel plan orchestrated by the woman.
'The prettier the woman, the more dangerous she is.' He never thought his mother's words would be so accurate at this moment. Fleur Delacour was a snake in sheep's clothing. Cruel, cold, and indifferent, she didn't mind enslaving others to achieve her goal.
'When I marry, I should choose a woman with a normal appearance.' Matteo thought, looking at the incredibly beautiful face of the woman. From that day on, he would never trust a beautiful woman in his life.
Looking at the unconscious Francesca, Fleur thought about what to do with her. The other girl from the Florence team was still unconscious and would take a long time to wake up again, plus Fleur had taken her wand.
Other than simple reinforcement, the girl couldn't cast any spells besides her innate technique.
After thinking for a bit, Fleur did the same thing she did with the other girl. She took her wand and stored it, transfigured some chains, and tied the young girl to a tree.
"Let's go." Watching with satisfaction her masterful work, Fleur spoke, reinforcing her legs with enhancement magic.
Everyone, including Matteo and Giovanni, nodded and followed Fleur, disappearing quickly into the forest.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 138 - King's Game (6), 139 - King's Game (7), 140 - King's Game (8), 141 - King's Game (9), 142 - King's Game (10), 143 - King's Game (11), 144 - King's Game (12), 145 - King's Game (13), Chapter 146 - Second Phase of the King's Game (1), Chapter 147 - Second Phase of the King's Game (2), Chapter 148 - Second Phase of the King's Game (3), 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).