When it got later, Charlie also came over. He looked more exhausted than anyone else, his complexion as bad as an overcooked cabbage.
"I flew for over thirty hours!"
While eating dinner, Charlie couldn't help but grumble, "And I have to always keep an eye on the dragons' positions, lest they bite me in half or send me flying.
I think those Quidditch team members should come here for special training; broom riding among seven or eight dragons is much more useful than training on a field."
"People just want to play Quidditch, not risk their lives..." Kael laughed, "Plus, the reserve wouldn't agree to it, I guess."
"Yeah, you're right, what a shame. They've missed a perfect training opportunity."
Seeing Charlie's listless look, Kael handed him a mint-flavored Explosive Candy.
"Want some? Though it's not as good as an Awakening Potion, it should boost your spirit a bit."
"Thanks, I really need it," Charlie said as he took the mint candy.
Soon, a muffled bang came from his mouth, and his whole face puffed up, looking like a giant toad.
Charlie shivered all over, hurriedly rubbing his face with his hands.
"Feeling much better." He took several deep breaths, "Amazingly enough, I used to hate mint candy the most."
"Tastes always change," Kael replied.
Charlie raised his eyebrows and laughed, "So, you'll learn to love licorice candy someday?"
"Let's skip that one!" Kael answered immediately.
"Too bad, you're missing out on a quite tasty treat."
The Weasley kids are all loyal fans of licorice candy, including Harry. On the train, it's a must-have snack for him and Ron, like the licorice wand.
So, usually, Kael would pick out the licorice candies he received and gift them as extras on certain days, like Christmas or birthdays.
And now...
Since Charlie still had to patrol the reserve that night, he left shortly after dinner.
Kael gave him a big bag of candies.
Near the Romanian Fire Dragon Reserve, there may be wizard communities and shops, but they mostly offer alcohol, ores, magic potions, and magic tools.
Candy that's easily found at school is a rarity here.
It's not that it doesn't exist; buying it is quite a hassle, not only needing owl delivery from far away but also lesser varieties and flavors than Honeydukes.
After Charlie left, Kael also returned to the camp.
There were quite a few people here, including Newt.
They showed no traces of fatigue, just like when they came a few days ago, sitting together and chatting happily.
The topics were about Fantastic Beasts, everything from dragon treatment experiences to postpartum care for Tebo.
Kael stood silently beside Newt, learning a lot of useful trivia.
Professor Rockneil even said he accidentally discovered a new kind of Fantastic Beast in the Barisan Mountains, huge with four arms.
Before coming to Romania, he organized all the related data and images, and it wouldn't be long before he published it.
Everyone appeared very interested, and Newt seemed quite tempted, clearly wanting to go there.
Of course, that has to wait until Rockneil publishes the related information.
...
This time, the dragons' rest lasted a bit longer.
Everyone stayed at the site for three whole days before the surroundings became lively again.
Kael and Newt returned to the previous hill.
The area they were responsible for was arranged beforehand, probably considering Newt's age; it was a bit further from the highest cliff, and much safer.
Just a bit dull...
Still several days of continuous mixed battles.
But this time, more dragons were eliminated than before, and Kael could hear the cries almost every day.
However, there were exceptions.
On the second day, a Romanian Longhorn, exhausted, got smacked on the head by a Ukrainian Ironbelly's tail, then its eyes rolled back, and it fell straight from the sky.
The location was right near the hill where Kael and Newt were.
Perhaps its surrender wasn't heard, or maybe it got carried away; after a momentary hover, the Ukrainian Ironbelly dove down too.
Newt furrowed his brow, Disillusioned next to the Romanian Longhorn, and pressed his wand to its throat, trying to express surrender with short, quick sounds.
But it didn't work; his sounds differed greatly from the dragons', meaning he had a strong accent.
Under normal circumstances, the Ukrainian Ironbelly might understand, but now it seemed hyped up, completely missing Newt and Kael's voices.
"This is trouble!" Newt's expression turned serious.
If it crashes down, just its weight nearing six tons could crush the unfortunate Romanian Longhorn to death.
Moreover, the spells to stop it mostly couldn't be used.
Because they would injure the Ukrainian Ironbelly, affecting its subsequent battles.
As previously mentioned, human wizards can't interfere in dragon battles for any reason.
"Thick mist!"
No choice, Newt could only conjure a dense fog around, trying to obscure its vision, then with a flick of his wand, forcibly pushed the Romanian Longhorn forward some distance.
Kael also cast Softening and Swamp Charms on the ground beneath it, this should provide some cushioning.
Almost simultaneously.
The surrounding trees suddenly stretched out, like series of enormous thick "ropes," extending into the mist to weave a giant net.
"Crunch..."
Accompanied by a firecracker-like, teeth-gritting sound, the "tree ropes" successively snapped, but were quickly replenished.
Finally, the Ukrainian Ironbelly stopped less than two feet from the ground.
Its claws almost touching the Romanian Longhorn's tail; if it really fell, the reserve might end up with a tailless dragon.
The Ukrainian Ironbelly struggled for a while and gradually sobered up; it growled discontentedly, then broke free of the obstructing tree net and flew back up.
"What a close call, just a little more." A familiar voice sounded from behind.
Chris put away his wand and approached the two; the tree net just now was his work.
...