Although she said out loud that she absolutely trusted Link, Emily clearly didn't really think that way in her heart.
Because starting from the next day, she went crazy collecting all kinds of knowledge about fire dragons, wanting to help Link find tricks to deal with them.
This wasn't something easy.
Fire dragons, although once completely subdued by wizards and even hunted to the point they had to be listed as protected creatures and raised in captivity, that didn't mean they were weak.
In fact, just their dragonhide with its strong anti-magic properties, and their dragonfire that could melt most metals, were enough to crush 90% of wizards in this world.
For this, Emily even secretly went to consult Krell, and got for Link a whole pile of things like large-scale traps, dragon-hunting spearguns, and powerful sleeping potions, along with various plans.
These were all things Krell's group had used when poaching fire dragons before, so their effectiveness was beyond doubt. The pity was, the judges of the Triwizard Tournament would never allow Link to use any of it.
But Link still gladly accepted Emily's kindness, only to let it go in one ear and out the other.
He treated it as Emily's way of easing her own nerves.
Days passed like this until the day of the competition.
That day, Hogwarts stopped classes from noon onward, and all the students, under the lead of their prefects, gradually headed toward the enclosure at the edge of the Forbidden Forest where the fire dragons were.
Of course, the students didn't know what they would be seeing there.
As for the champions, Link didn't go with the crowd but stayed in the Hufflepuff common room.
Emily had gotten special permission from the professors to stay by his side.
Maybe because he was about to face a fire dragon, the two of them didn't talk like usual but just sat together in silence.
If someone who didn't know the situation walked in right then, they would probably mistake Emily for the real champion about to compete.
Because at that moment, she looked even more nervous than Link.
"Link, time's up, you need to head to the grounds and complete the first task." Professor Sprout pushed open the door and called.
Link and Emily stood and followed her outside.
All along the way, Hogwarts, normally bustling, was now empty. In the vast castle, only the echo of their three sets of footsteps remained.
Professor Sprout clearly knew what Link was about to face.
She frowned, hesitated for a long moment, then helped straighten Link's robes and said, "Link, don't push yourself too hard later. Honor and such are really all nonsense, they're nothing compared to our lives. So if you really run into danger, don't force yourself, make sure to call out."
Professor Sprout wasn't pretty, her figure was plump, and her body was often dirtied from tending herbs all year round.
But her words were filled with concern and kindness.
Link gave her a sincere smile, and was about to agree along with her words when Emily cut in first, "Don't worry, Professor. It's just a fire dragon, Link will definitely have no problem!"
Emily's expression was confident and proud, completely different from the nervous girl back in the common room.
Sprout looked at Emily and Link, sighed, and said nothing more.
Teenagers, with their bodies and magic growing so fast, always carried an illusion that they were the center of the world, that they could do anything.
In Sprout's mind, Emily was exactly like that.
After all, Link had performed so outstandingly before, so for Emily to believe her little boyfriend could do anything wasn't strange.
But Link didn't think the same way as Sprout.
Emily had been so anxious she was grasping at straws, and now she suddenly flipped her attitude?
Her drastic change of demeanor was probably just to let him focus on the competition.
Link held her hand, and immediately felt her palm was covered in cold sweat.
That made his smile turn even gentler.
The three walked on in silence. When they rounded the edge of the Forbidden Forest and saw the finished fire dragon enclosure, the faint roars of cheering crowds carried over from there.
Emily gripped Link's hand tighter, her body stiff, her forced confident smile gone, her face pale as she whispered to him, "Good… good luck! Da… Darling!"
Her voice was barely audible. She finished and ran off like she was fleeing.
Link just laughed even more happily.
He stood watching her back until she disappeared from sight, then stepped into the champions' tent.
Link was the last to arrive.
The other three were already there, though none looked good.
Krum's already stern face was now harder than stone.
Fleur sat alone at a corner table, clutching her robes tightly, pale and sickly looking. Clearly she was nervous to the extreme.
Normally, when Link appeared she would jump up with a giggle to greet him, maybe even tease him with a borderline joke.
But now, she acted like she didn't even see him.
Harry, though, gave Link a tense smile and greeted him.
It was just that his muscles were so tight with nerves that his whole face looked worse than crying.
Link's opinion of Harry had improved since the start of term.
Especially since Harry had immediately told him about the fire dragon after learning it from Hagrid, and even shared a few, though childish, methods to deal with it, found by Hermione.
That kind of sincerity made Link think Harry might be foolish, but at least kind.
So he immediately clapped Harry on the shoulder and started joking with him.
Thanks to his effort, Harry visibly relaxed a little.
"Wow! Looks like our champions are all here! Excellent!"
Bagman shouted as he strode into the tent, wearing a loose, shabby old Quidditch uniform, supposedly his from when he was a pro player.
"Now, I'll explain. Shortly, you'll each draw lots to decide the order and the… ah, thing you'll face! Of course, we don't expect you to beat them. Your main goal is just to steal the golden egg they guard!"
His words made Harry tense back up again, Fleur and Krum too, while only Link nodded politely.
Bagman clearly understood their state, for he quickly slipped back out. When the noise from the stands outside grew louder, he returned, now holding a purple silk bag.
The bag bulged and writhed with something alive inside.
"Ladies first."
Bagman smiled, holding the bag toward Fleur.
She clearly hated the idea of sticking her hand into a bag of unknown live creatures, but after a long struggle, she finally gave in, looking lifeless as she pulled out a small, lifelike fire dragon model.
"Number two, Welsh Green!"
Bagman announced, then turned the bag toward Krum.
Krum drew number three, a Fireball. He showed no surprise, he'd clearly known about the dragons already.
And thinking of that, Link almost laughed.
Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had really fallen.
To get such scraps of information, Madame Maxime had seduced Hagrid, while Karkaroff had snuck to the enclosure like a thief at midnight.
Even if cheating was a Triwizard tradition, for headmasters to do it themselves was embarrassing.
While Link's thoughts wandered, Harry drew number one, the Swedish Short-Snout.
Finally, the bag reached Link.
There was no suspense, but he still drew out number four, the Hungarian Horntail.
The models were impressively crafted and animated. Link's Horntail flapped its wings and roared in his palm.
Thinking of Emily's fondness for dragons, Link nodded in satisfaction, then casually stuffed it into his Extension Bag.
Bagman pretended not to see, leaning close to whisper, "Hey Link, bad luck, you got the Hungarian Horntail, the strongest dragon here! I knew your mother… maybe I can help you…"
"No need, Mr. Bagman," Link rolled his eyes. "I can handle it myself."
Bagman froze, then forced a laugh, "Confidence is good, absolutely! We'll be waiting to see your performance. Don't worry, the judges' table, we've arranged things. As long as you don't go too far, you'll get high marks!"
He winked, then hurried over to Harry, probably to say the same thing.
Honestly, he was being too obvious.
But neither Fleur nor Krum cared, they were both trapped in their own worlds.
A sharp whistle suddenly blew.
"Merlin, we're late!" Bagman cried, dragging Harry out. "Come on!"
Seconds later, the noise outside swelled, Harry had entered, facing his Short-Snout.
The three left in the tent strained to hear. Too far away, they could only catch bits from Bagman's magically amplified commentary.
At last, with thunderous cheers, Bagman announced Harry had finished.
Fleur looked like she'd been struck by lightning, it was her turn.
She trembled all over, hesitated at the tent flap for a long while, then turned back with a hoarse, dry voice, "Lin… Link, could you give me a hug?"
Link rolled his eyes.
After the library seduction incident, he instinctively resisted contact with Fleur.
But seeing her despair and fear now, he sighed, stood, and opened his arms.
Fleur clung to him desperately, like she wanted to bury herself inside him.
Only then did Link realize how badly she shook, she could barely stand.
At last, only after Bagman's third call for the next champion did she loosen her hold.
"Thank you, Link."
Her husky voice drifted back as her figure vanished from the tent.
The process repeated, until Bagman announced Fleur's success to the cheers, and Krum finally stood.
Unexpectedly, he didn't leave right away, but stared expressionlessly at Link.
Link instinctively shrank back, wary, "You're not going to want a hug too, are you? I've got no interest in hugging a burly man!"
Krum's English wasn't good, but he read the meaning in Link's eyes clearly.
His face darkened, he snorted, then strode out quickly.
At last, only Link remained.
The faint fragrance of Fleur lingered in the tent, pleasant, making Link close his eyes for a moment.
It wasn't just Emily and Professor Sprout.
Hermione, Cedric, John, Madam Flamel, Krell, they had all advised him not to push himself against the dragon.
Even Snape, who knew Link's strength best, had hinted he could provide a potion to make Link temporarily sick and unable to compete.
That wasn't his usual sharp-tongued sarcasm, it was real concern.
Link, skilled in Legilimency, knew it for sure.
And yet, that very concern made him uncomfortable.
"Really now, why do none of you have faith in me? It's just a fire-breathing lizard."
He shook his head helplessly. "Since that's how you all feel, I'll just have to show you what true strength means."
"Right, Arkam?"
"Hissss~"
A tiny snake head poked from Link's collar, flicking its tongue.
At the same time, the ebony wand in Link's hand seemed to sense his emotion, its tip glowing faintly with ghostly light.
[T/N: 🔥A new book is up— "Emiya in Honkai: Star Rail". Make sure to check it out and support. Have a great read~🙇]
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