Cedric glanced sideways and saw that the crucial kick had come from none other than Kirk.
Kirk then shouted at Cedric, "Don't just stand there! Do something!"
Only then did Cedric hurriedly raise his wand and aim at the wizard who was scrambling to retrieve his own wand.
"Stupefy!"
A flash of red light shot out, and the wizard collapsed onto the ground, motionless.
Seeing this, Kirk reacted quickly, rushing over to grab the unconscious man's arm while calling out to Cedric, "Hurry up, give me a hand!"
Cedric ran forward, lifting the man's legs, and together they carried him into an empty storage room. They took his wand and securely locked the door behind them.
It was only after completing this series of actions that both Kirk and Cedric exhaled deeply.
Cedric couldn't help but exclaim, "Kirk, that kick was brilliant!"
Kirk waved a hand modestly and said, "I learned it from Wentworth. I have to admit, kicking someone is way more satisfying than casting a spell at them!"
Just then, Cedric seemed to notice something and pointed behind Kirk. "Kirk, I remember Professor Ilona told us to find the restroom, right?"
Following Cedric's gaze, Kirk spotted a half-open door, through which the corner of a sink was visible.
The two exchanged glances, then drew their wands and cautiously approached the room.
Cedric, wand in hand, carefully stepped inside, while Kirk followed closely behind, scanning their surroundings.
Suddenly, Kirk bumped straight into Cedric, nearly toppling over. "You could at least warn me before stopping so suddenly..."
But before he could finish his sentence, a wand was already pressed against Cedric's forehead.
A figure emerged from behind the door—it turned out that someone had been hiding there all along, completely unnoticed by the two.
Just as Kirk found himself in a difficult position, the figure spoke, "Why are you here?"
With his heart pounding, Kirk answered, "For the greater good."
The moment he heard this response, the wizard immediately lowered his wand, muttering, "Took you long enough!"
Kirk and Cedric let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
They then watched as the wizard walked over to the side of the restroom, where a suitcase lay on the floor—the very same suitcase that "Kirk" and "Cedric" had brought in with Wentworth under the pretense of needing a restroom but had left behind.
The wizard tapped on the suitcase in a rhythmic pattern—three long, two short—before stepping back and opening it.
Moments later, a head popped out of the suitcase, scanning the room before swiftly pushing itself up and climbing out.
As soon as the first person emerged, another head followed, mimicking the first.
Within mere minutes, Kirk and Cedric stood frozen in shock as wizard after wizard climbed out of the seemingly ordinary suitcase. It wasn't until someone spoke up that they snapped out of it.
"Oi, mind making some space?"
Only then did Kirk and Cedric realize that the small restroom was already crowded, with more wizards still emerging from the suitcase.
Meanwhile, as Kirk and Cedric stared in astonishment at the continuous stream of Pureblood Party wizards exiting the suitcase, Rosier had already arrived outside the banquet hall of the Vole Manor.
Peering through a gap, Rosier observed the confrontation between "Cedric" and another wizard. Then, she heard Christine utter to Wentworth:
"Wentworth Grindelwald—the game is over. I think it's time we put an end to you."
Seeing this, Rosier hesitated no longer. She burst through the banquet hall doors, deliberately staggering in a panicked manner as she shouted loudly, "Something terrible has happened!"
The unexpected interruption drew everyone's attention. Even Christine, who had been moments away from giving the order against Wentworth, turned toward the entrance in surprise.
Recognizing the supposed "ally," Christine frowned and asked, "What's got you so flustered? Aren't you supposed to be standing guard outside?"
But before Christine could finish speaking, she noticed that the panicked "ally" wasn't looking at her at all—instead, his gaze was fixed firmly on Wentworth.
Just as confusion flickered across Christine's face, the disguised Rosier curled her lips into an eerie smile and nonchalantly said, "Oh, nothing… it's just that the Pureblood Party has broken in."
Christine's heart sank instantly. She immediately drew her wand and turned to look at Wentworth.
However, before she could react further, Wentworth casually waved at her while reaching for a button on his robe.
The moment Wentworth's fingers touched the button, his entire form distorted before disappearing from Christine's sight.
"Damn it!" Christine cursed through gritted teeth, then swiftly turned to the surrounding wizards and commanded, "Everyone, break out individually and retreat at once!"
Yet, as soon as she gave the order, a voice called out nervously, "We can't Apparate! There's magic preventing it!"
At the same time, the disguised Rosier spoke calmly, "Relax, you're only surrounded."
Christine turned back to Rosier with a furious glare. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Sure, Wentworth may have escaped, but you alone—"
Before she could finish, the sound of countless footsteps echoed through the hallway outside.
Moments later, two groups of people appeared from opposite directions, converging behind Rosier.
Meanwhile, far from the manor, Wentworth reappeared in the dense forest surrounding Vole Manor, having used a Portkey to escape.
As soon as he arrived, the wizards stationed there surrounded him warily, placing him at the center of their formation.
But Wentworth remained unfazed, smiling as he reassured them, "No need to be so tense. Everything is going according to plan. Grandma Rosier is taking care of the final steps."
"Come on, let's head inside. I want to see exactly who's been so eager to take my life time and time again!"
With that, Wentworth took the lead, striding confidently toward Vole Manor.
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