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The moment Professor Isabella, the Castelobruxo professor of Special Potions, confirmed that the unexpected intruders were vampires, her first reaction was shock.
Her second was confusion.
In South America, vampires were incredibly rare. Nearly all vampire bloodlines originated in Europe, making them an imported species as far as the continent was concerned.
On top of that, several major vampire families had established settlements in North America, drawing most of their kind there.
Yet now, more than a hundred vampires had appeared in the Amazon rainforest without warning.
And somehow, they had followed Castelobruxo's team all the way into the ruins.
A bad feeling immediately settled in Isabella's stomach.
Their movements... Had they been under surveillance by these dark creatures the entire time?
And now that the path had been cleared, were the vampires planning to swoop in and reap the rewards?
"Professor Isabella, greetings. My name is Ternier."
The lead vampire gave a polite bow, carrying himself like a refined gentleman.
Oddly, however, his eyes remained completely shut as he spoke.
Not just him. Every one of the hundred-plus vampires behind him stood with their eyes closed.
"Please forgive my discourtesy," Ternier said with a faint smile. "But the Basilisk's Eyes of Death are not something my kind can safely look upon."
Although their eyes were shut, vampires were creatures of the night. Their hearing far surpassed ordinary sight, and fighting this way barely affected their combat capabilities.
"If you know you're being discourteous, then why have you been following us?" Isabella demanded. "What exactly do you want?"
She had no time for pointless pleasantries.
Even in its improved form, the basilisk transformation placed a tremendous burden on the professors. Whether they moved or stood still, their magic was constantly being drained. They could only maintain the form for a limited time.
Their potion supplies were limited as well.
If those resources were wasted dealing with vampires, then even if they survived unharmed, they would no longer have enough strength left to explore the ruins' core. This had to be settled quickly.
"Naturally, we wish to explore these ruins of the Amazon Tribe alongside your esteemed school."
Ternier's pale face spread into a smile. "Though it seems we've arrived a little late. The serpent hordes that once guarded the approach have already been dealt with by all of you."
"Vampires... You think you're qualified to cooperate with us?"
One of the older professors, famous for his explosive temper, immediately pointed his wand at Ternier. "Get lost. These ruins belong to Castelobruxo. They're not something filthy dark creatures like you have any right to touch."
Throughout the wizarding world, dark creatures were looked down upon by virtually all wizards. Even centaurs enjoyed a higher status.
And among dark creatures, vampires sat near the very bottom.
Werewolves were different. Some werewolves were still wizards. But vampires, whether born that way or turned later, were incapable of wielding magic at all. As far as most wizards were concerned, they belonged at the same table as magical beasts.
At Hogwarts, students learned anti-vampire spells before reaching their third year. Vampires simply weren't considered a serious threat.
The numbers here were unusually large, certainly, but that only made them troublesome.
Not dangerous.
That was why the elderly professor was so openly hostile, voicing exactly what everyone else was thinking.
Any patient person would have been angered by such blatant contempt.
And as expected, Ternier's gentlemanly demeanor had never been more than a mask to begin with. The moment he heard those words, his expression darkened.
"I'm afraid that's not your decision to make." His smile vanished completely. "You claim these ruins belong to you, and somehow that makes it true? In that case, I could just as easily claim they belong to me."
Then he added calmly, "Besides, I know how to enter the core area. You don't."
That immediately caught Isabella's attention.
She and several of her colleagues had already spent considerable time examining the temple, yet none of them had found a way to open its gates.
Did these vampires really know something they didn't?
"If you can tell us how to unlock the ruins," Isabella said, looking up at Ternier, "then I may be willing to consider cooperation."
A sinister smile curled across the vampire's lips.
"Of course. Consider it a gesture of goodwill."
"The truth is, opening the temple gates is quite simple. All you need is a sufficient offering. Once the 'god' senses your sincerity, the doors will open on their own."
"An offering?" Isabella asked.
"Exactly. An offering."
With an amused expression, Ternier pointed toward the gathered professors, including the two basilisks.
"The blood of wizards makes the finest sacrifice. All we need is a little more help from Castelobruxo. Once about ten of you are dead, that should be enough."
"Damn it!" Isabella's expression darkened instantly. Without hesitation, she flicked her wand, releasing a cloud of yellowish powder from its tip.
Another professor immediately followed up with a powerful Windy Spell, sending the cloud racing toward the vampires.
Contrary to popular myths, real vampires weren't afraid of silver or crosses. What they truly hated was the smell of garlic.
Many dark creatures shared that weakness. Back in the day, the garlic odor surrounding Quirrell had supposedly been explained away as protection against vampires and ghouls.
Sure enough, when the garlic powder drifted toward Ternier and his followers, disgust flashed across their faces.
If the powder settled on them, their agility would be severely impaired. And a group of vampires who couldn't use magic and whose physical abilities were weakened were little more than lambs waiting for slaughter.
But then something shocking happened.
Led by Ternier, more than a dozen vampires reached into their robes and pulled out wands.
Yes, wands.
Together, they chanted the incantation for the Windy SpellβVentus.
The combined force of their spell created a gale that completely overwhelmed the professors' magic. Not only did it blow away the garlic powder, it nearly knocked the professors off their feet.
"Impossible!"
Steadying herself, Isabella stared at them in disbelief. "How can that be? How can vampires use magic?"
"Hahaha!" Ternier threw back his head and laughed. "It seems your are still just as ignorant as ever. Hmph, under our lord's guidance, we've long since stopped being the trash you looked down on."
His grin widened. "Now it's your turn to witness the true power of vampires. The world will give us the fear and respect we've always deserved."
"...Kill them. Leave no survivors!"
At Ternier's command, even more vampires drew their wands and unleashed a barrage of spells at the professors.
For a moment, the Castelobruxo faculty could only band together and raise Shield Charms to defend themselves.
At the same time, the vampires who hadn't drawn wands blurred into motion like phantoms and charged forward at terrifying speed.
"Hey, hey, country girl." Jalter's voice echoed inside Jeanne's mind. "See that? The situation's changed."
"But that's actually not a bad thing. Maybe these guys are connected to the group that attacked Teacher Tom."
A mischievous note entered her voice. "How about we grab a few and interrogate them? If you don't know how, you can leave it to me."
"Be... Be quiet."
Jeanne's response was weak, almost lacking conviction.
Outwardly, however, her expression remained grave.
A fierce internal struggle was unfolding in her heart.
What Ternier had said about opening the ruins didn't sound like a lie.
So what should she do now?
Stand by and watch as the vampires wiped out Isabella and the others? Or intervene and subdue the vampires herself?
For the first time in a while, Jeanne found herself completely at a loss.
In the end, she could only turn to Tom for guidance.
.
.
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