Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 240 Swimming Across

The giants had no possessions; all their valuables belonged to the Gogo. Ordinary giants only had a tattered, simple cloth to cover their bodies, which was the only thing that belonged to them.

Weapons, armor, and wondrous magical items—the treasures left behind by the ancient Goths were neither too many nor too few, but they were all carried on the backs of two towering giants.

Ike walked at the very front, followed by his tall horse, still clad in its armor, carrying its greatsword and battle axe, which hung limply to the ground as it moved slowly. Close behind him were two giants slightly shorter than him, each carrying a large bundle on their backs. After them came the group of ordinary giants. There were old and young, men and women, but without exception, they all looked wretched.

Unarmed, the Gugo never allowed ordinary giants to possess metal weapons. But that didn't mean they were without anything. As they left the valley, each giant reached up and plucked a tall tree, then stripped off all its branches and leaves.

The scene was absolutely brutal!

But in the eyes of all the giants, Ike, who summoned a stone giant as huge as a god, was the most ferocious. The splattered flesh was still hanging on the tall horse's armor.

Ike wasn't slow; with levitation and lightness spells, he didn't get tired while floating in the air. But the route was a problem; he could only lead this group of behemoths westward along the Alps.

Going up mountains and down valleys, that's a bit troublesome.

Moreover, the entire giant tribe consisted of dozens of giants, creating a huge demand for food. They only had half a day each day to travel, with the other half filled with hunting.

There was nothing they could do; no matter what, Ike couldn't let these giants travel on an empty stomach.

It's tough, but that's all we can do.

Two weeks have passed, and they've just left Austria and entered Switzerland. Next, they have to cross the entirety of France. The road ahead will be increasingly difficult, because it won't be as sparsely populated as it is now.

After careful consideration, it may take another two weeks before I can return to the UK.

It could take even longer.

As night fell, a few small campfires flickered across the valley. They were just for roasting food.

Around the campfire, the giants huddled together in twos and threes, close together, using their body heat to ward off the mountain chill. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow, and their shivering could be clearly seen.

Ike, of course, didn't have to suffer this hardship. He and Gao Gaoma were the only two who could enjoy the flames and the cave all to themselves. There was also a giant blocking the cold wind at the entrance of the cave, which was arranged by Gao Gaoma.

Although none of this was necessary—the warming spell would keep him warm—Ike didn't refuse. This was partly because he couldn't be bothered, and partly because it represented his authority.

Giants are a bunch of cowardly bullies who prey on the weak. They claim to hate wizards, yet they yearn for magic. As ruthless as they are, if you are even more ruthless than them, you will gain a flock of docile lambs.

It's primitive, and it's also realistic.

The cold wind was blowing outside, but Ike couldn't fall asleep. By the light of the fire, he was looking at a map of Europe. Clearly, the route they had taken was unusable; these guys would have to use the mountains for cover. But the reality was that the next stretch of road was a flat plain.

"What about taking the Rhine River route?" Ike traced his finger across the map. There were some low mountains on both sides, which would be feasible if they were to travel at night, but they would have to be more careful.

"Maybe another week..." Ike sighed helplessly after mentally calculating the distance. He casually stuffed the map back into his pocket and went to sleep.

In the days that followed, Ike led the giants, hiding by day and moving by night, carefully avoiding cities and villages, and slowly making their way towards England along the Rhine River.

He gave strict orders: everyone should move as quietly as possible, and food was rationed, just enough to keep them from getting too hungry. Ike even used magic to conceal the team's presence as much as possible.

It's troublesome, but it's the only way.

A week had passed, and they had only covered half the distance. The rest was all plains, so their pace would be even slower. Ike became more cautious. He had to make sure that the group wasn't seen by ordinary people, even though it was almost inevitable that some adventurous adventurers would wander in.

Fortunately, there's the Oblivion Curse.

But soon, trouble arose again. Ike discovered that his new route was problematic; if he continued along the Rhine, he would have to cross Germany and the Netherlands, which would undoubtedly increase the difficulty significantly.

After studying the map for a while, I gritted my teeth and decided to abandon that route altogether, heading straight across France towards Calais. The closest point there was to England was only about thirty kilometers away, which would save me a lot of trouble.

It just means I have to put in a little more effort; at least I need to make sure my whereabouts aren't exposed before I get to Canada.

The giants moved even slower. There weren't any particularly tall mountains along the way to provide cover, so during the day they could only lie flat and let Ike cast camouflage spells on them. They wouldn't set off again until late at night. In fact, they didn't travel very far in a day; they spent most of their time resting.

After traveling and stopping repeatedly, Ike finally led the group to Calais, which meant the most difficult thing was about to happen: as a port city, it was full of waterways and bays, but there were hardly any mountains!

After waiting outside the city for a day and a night, Ike finally made up his mind: full speed ahead!

Without thinking twice, cast concealment and silencing spells on each giant, making them run from the less populated areas outside the city and cross the river as quickly as possible!

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Dozens of giants strode forward, and even with Ike's magic concealing their movements, the earth trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. As they passed around the city, the river and even the harbor waters were affected, creating huge waves.

"Faster! Faster!" Ike's voice rang in the ears of every giant. Tall Horseman was at the forefront, the first to leap into the sea, creating a wave several meters high like a bomb. Then, like dumplings being dropped into a pot, one giant after another entered the water, swimming towards the other side of the strait.

Ike lagged behind, maintaining the magic cast on the giants while simultaneously using his sea control spell to suppress the surging waves. By the time all the giants had jumped in, the waves had grown quite large, even threatening a tsunami; they absolutely could not be allowed to wash ashore.

Seeing that all the giants had swum across the Channel and set foot on British soil, Ike finally breathed a sigh of relief and Apparated to the other side. Looking at the giants, he saw them all lying on the ground, panting heavily.

Swimming more than 30 kilometers in one go is not an easy task, even for a giant.

(End of this chapter)