Chapter 488: They Are Here!!
Fortunately, Darren was not the kind of person who would do such a thing in public.
As if he hadn't understood Fleur's hint at all, he reassured her calmly,
"I will definitely find a way to locate them. I won't let them keep sleeping at the bottom of the lake like this."
Yet as he said this, his eyes were already red with anxiety.
Clearly, although he kept comforting others, he himself was more worried than anyone.
By this point, he had already captured many mermaids.
They were tightly bound, strung together with ropes like skewered roast meat, and dragged along behind him.
While capturing the mermaids, Darren had also saved Krum.
Krum had been stabbed by a mermaid, and it was Darren who rushed over and cast a Healing Charm on him.
Krum was deeply grateful and kept thanking Darren.
After that, he followed Darren closely.
As time passed, everyone grew more and more nervous.
They all knew Darren was the strongest.
Only by following him did they have any hope of finding the hostages.
"Where are they?! Tell me!"
After forty minutes, Darren finally seemed unable to endure it any longer.
He raised his wand and approached the mermaids.
"Tell me now. I'll give you three seconds. If our friends die, I'll kill you—then kill myself. I mean what I say."
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding…]
Darren's threatening voice earned him a massive surge of Father value.
From the beginning until now, this was his greatest harvest.
At this moment, everyone's emotions had been completely stirred by him—even the Slytherins could empathize with his pain.
Whether that pain was real or not was another matter, but the Father value was very real.
Darren then showed a look of utter despair and stepped closer.
The mermaids closed their eyes in resignation.
Faced with this stubborn fool, what could they do?
The countdown had ended.
Darren raised his wand, eyes blazing red.
Madame Maxime looked toward Dumbledore, panic flashing in her eyes.
"Dumbledore, he—"
Karkaroff, on the other hand, was secretly thrilled.
He seemed to be expecting Darren to actually kill a mermaid, imagining the chaos that would follow.
Ludo Bagman began shouting loudly, preaching wizard–mermaid friendship, trying desperately to stop Darren.
Percy stood up as well, his face deathly pale.
He seemed to be imagining the punishment Darren would face if he killed a mermaid at such a moment.
Azkaban? Or something even worse?
Dumbledore raised his wand.
But his expression wasn't particularly nervous.
He didn't believe Darren would do it.
Even if Darren lost control, he would only hurt himself.
Whether out of schadenfreude or genuine concern, everyone was on edge.
Under the water, Darren had already pointed his wand at the bound mermaids.
His sorrowful voice echoed through the air.
For a moment, many people failed to react.
They thought Darren had truly cast a killing curse.
Until—
The ropes binding the mermaids suddenly fell away.
Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Dumbledore laughed softly.
"This child is always so kind."
Even he felt relieved.
After all, no matter how confident one is, there's always that one-in-ten-thousand chance.
"Tch."
Karkaroff sat back down.
"Good. Darren didn't do it. He just scared them."
Ludo Bagman exclaimed excitedly,
"Excellent! Darren didn't kill the mermaids. Let's see what other methods he uses to find the hostages! You know, there are only nineteen minutes left!"
Ludo's voice was clearly heard by Darren.
With reddened eyes, Darren looked at the mermaids and said,
"Let's go. I captured so many of you, and you still didn't tell me where they were.
Then it must be my fault—my fault alone. I'll keep searching. And if I can't find them, I'll stay here with them forever."
His face turned pale.
He rubbed his face hard, steadied himself, and said firmly,
"Come on. We can't give up. They're still waiting for us.
Even if an hour passes, I'll keep searching. And if they… then I'll be with them."
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding…]
He spoke with stubborn resolve.
He didn't break down or cry, yet his words brought tears to many eyes.
He was always like this—reckless, but unfailingly righteous.
"Huh?"
Just as Darren and the others were about to leave, a group of mermaids stopped them.
Krum and Fleur thought the mermaids were mocking them and raised their wands.
But Darren stopped them.
He asked gently,
"Is there something you need help with?"
The mermaids looked at him helplessly.
They kept pointing in one direction.
Others swam over and tugged at Darren, urging him to follow.
"Are they there?"
Darren asked hopefully.
The mermaids finally showed relieved expressions.
At last, this child had understood.
If he still hadn't, they truly would have collapsed.
When they led Darren and the others to the location of the hostages, it felt as though they were opening the gates of their own city to the enemy.
Even though mermaids had no city gates, the feeling was the same.
Looking at their own kin, they could only sigh.
What choice did they have?
This child had practically captured every mermaid in the Black Lake.
Coldly resigned, they led the way.
The place appeared to be the central square of the mermaid village, surrounded by houses.
Several mermaids were floating in front of them.
When they saw their companions leading the champions straight into the square, their expressions screamed betrayal.
No—more like:
Chief, you've betrayed us all!
Everyone else is still defending the tribe, and you've brought the champions right in—enthusiastically, no less.
The loyal ministers are still guarding the city, yet Your Majesty has already surrendered.