Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 239 Traveling Alone

If there's one time when leaving the UK would be the best practical option, it's probably now.

The battle within the Department of Mysteries threw the entire wizarding world into chaos. The public, politicians, and media were in complete disarray, unanimously calling for Fudge's resignation. People desperately needed a strong new minister to lead them to victory against the Dark Lord.

The confrontation between the two sides' politicians easily made things worse.

Without waiting for Draco to return from Hogwarts, Ike quietly left Malfoy Manor the day after Voldemort issued the mission.

With the existence of the Seamless Stretch Spell, one can travel light; a shoulder bag plus two or three small boxes in the pocket are enough to hold all their belongings.

This time, Lucius wasn't there to plan the route for him, but it wasn't too much of a hassle. Ike already knew the route to the giants' village by heart; the only difference was which route to choose.

Heading west, Ike's magic power is now sufficient for him to maintain the Disillusionment spell for a long time. Neither Aurora nor the patrolling officers can find Ike's whereabouts, as long as he avoids places protected or guarded by magic.

He easily arrived in London and boarded a mail ship bound for France. It was easy; a simple Confusion Charm would have sufficed.

By changing his clothes to better suit the British style of the time and putting on a black bowler hat, he blended in naturally.

Instead of hiding in the cabin, I went up to the deck, found a seat at random, ordered a cup of black tea, and just stared blankly at the sea.

This was a rare opportunity for rest. For the past year, his nerves had been on edge, maintaining his brain-sealing technique around the clock. After all, he was right next to the Dark Lord; if he were discovered, the consequences would be dire. This time, traveling alone, he was finally free from those constraints, and some plans could be implemented along the way.

Unfortunately, Voldemort didn't take him to find the Elder Wand, otherwise he really wanted to meet the Dark Lord who had swept across Europe in the previous generation.

Six hours later, the cruise ship docked, and Ike stepped onto Parisian soil. He followed the flow of people out of the pier and began to explore. Last time, he'd rushed through and hadn't seen anything.

But he didn't go to many places, just the famous Muggle tourist spots. Time was still a bit tight, especially since he also had to cover for the group of big guys back to England.

That would undoubtedly be a very troublesome matter.

After traveling through the vast mountains for more than a week, Ike finally returned to the valley where the giants' tribe lived. As soon as he entered the valley, he saw Tall Horse sitting there in full suits of armor, gleaming silver, leaning on a tall axe, with a greatsword stuck straight in the ground beside him.

"The Dark Lord sends his greetings to Gugo." Ike stepped forward and bowed.

Gao Gaoma slammed his battle axe and said something. The translator he had met before stepped forward and said, "Gugo is also pleased to see the Black Demon King's messenger and inquires about the purpose of the messenger's visit."

"The Dark Lord wants Gugo to accompany the messenger to England. He will provide land for the giants as agreed, and the giants should fight for the Dark Lord."

Gao Gao Ma snorted and muttered a lot of things, but the translator said with an inconsiderate expression, "Gugo believes that the conditions proposed by the Black Demon King do not meet the current needs of the giant tribe. Gugo demands more land."

"If the Dark Lord wants the giants to fight for him, he needs to show more sincerity."

Ike smiled upon hearing this, ignoring the translator, and looked directly at the tall horse, speaking in fluent and authentic Titan language: "So, you're going to back out? After we help you become a Gugo and secure this position?"

"Human!" Gao Gaoma slammed his battle axe to the ground, causing the earth to tremble. He stood up, his height of over twenty feet seemingly blotting out the sky.

"Are you provoking us? You've insulted the glory of giants!"

"Ha, the glory of giants?" Ike looked up at the tall horse, his hands casually folded in front of him. "You filthy, primitive, and foolish creatures, have glory?"

He drew his wand and held it by his side, staring coldly at Gao Gaoma: "You've got one thing wrong, Gao Gaoma..."

"You became a Gugo because we made you a Gugo. A servant cannot disobey the master's will."

"I'm going to kill you!" Gao Gaoma was completely enraged. He swung his battle axe fiercely at Ike's head.

"boom!"

The battle axe slashed down, creating a sharp gust of wind; it was incredibly fast, reaching Ike's head almost instantly. A cruel expression appeared on Gao Gaoma's face, but it was quickly replaced by astonishment.

A silver shield suddenly appeared above Ekko's head. The battle axe draped over it only caused the silver light to scatter, but it did not harm Ekko in the slightest.

Ike coldly stared at the tall horse, then lightly waved his wand in his right hand, causing the ground to shake violently. It was a tremor equivalent to that of hundreds of giants running together. The tall horse lost its footing and stumbled back several steps, only managing to steady itself by grabbing the greatsword stuck in the ground with its left hand.

The violent tremors brought the giants out of the cave, but they were immediately transformed into the shape of tall horses: dumbfounded and terrified.

The ground surged violently, and a giant hand made of mud and rocks suddenly gripped the ground. Then another hand appeared, and with a forceful pull, Ike's body rose into the air, beneath which rested a massive head. The head had complete and lifelike features, but with each tremor, large amounts of rubble and dirt fell from it.

The stone giant's body slowly rose from the ground. It was a creature even larger than the tall horse, and standing in front of the tall horse was like it had stood in front of Ike before.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After three punches, a barrage of stones and clods of earth rained down. Gao Gaoma was agile enough to avoid being hit, but his translator was not so lucky, screaming in pain as he was struck repeatedly.

Ike stood firmly atop the stone giant's head, looking down at the towering horse. He raised his right hand high, then swung it down fiercely. The stone giant roared, simultaneously slamming his right fist down towards the howling giant.

"boom!"

The ground trembled violently, but the howling ceased, and even other sounds vanished. All the giants stood frozen in place, especially the tall horse at the head of the group. He was covered in splattered blood and bits of flesh, yet he dared not move an inch.

"Now, Gao Gao Ma, tell me your answer." Ike's cold voice came out, and Gao Gao Ma struggled to raise his head. The figure that blocked out the sunlight filled him with fear.

"Gorgo is willing to submit to the great Dark Lord!"

"The giants are willing to submit to the great Dark Lord!"

"Very good," Ike replied, as the stone giant beneath him suddenly crumbled, the massive rocks crashing down and kicking up a high cloud of dust.

Gao Gaoma remained kneeling on one knee, his head bowed, letting the scattered stones fall on his back.

After a while, he saw Ike appear before him, spotless.

He waved his hand lightly, and the smoke and rocks vanished instantly, leaving only a huge crater behind him. He turned to walk towards the crater, but found himself walking on air.

"Let's go, take your people with you," he said.

"Yes," Gao Gaoma replied, head bowed.

(End of this chapter)