The sudden shouting from outside made Norton's hand jerk violently.
He stood there in silence for a long time, his expression grim.
He truly hadn't expected that he would just finish thinking about an evacuation plan in case Beauxbatons came under attack, only for Link Flamel to launch an attack right afterward.
Wasn't this happening a little too fast?
Link Flamel.
That was an opponent who wasn't the least bit weaker than No. 1.
No, in some ways, Link Flamel was even more terrifying than No. 1.
After all, Link Flamel was still young!
Neither his body nor his mind had yet reached their peak, yet he already possessed such incredible power.
That meant it was almost certain he would reach the legendary high-tier Legendary realm within his lifetime.
Even Dumbledore and Grindelwald probably couldn't match such terrifying talent.
And now, he was standing against that terrifying genius.
The pressure of fighting him to the death was almost unimaginable.
Thinking that, Norton let out a bitter laugh. He barely managed to compose himself before raising a hand and opening the office door.
A young man immediately rushed into the office.
Norton knew every remaining student at Beauxbatons, and the boy before him was no exception.
He was a seventh-year student about to graduate, named Josh Wendell. He was the best among this year's graduating class, the wisest and most composed, and had always been the pillar the other students relied on.
Yet now, the usually steady young man looked completely flustered. His bangs were soaked with sweat and stuck messily to his forehead.
"Headmaster Norton, something terrible has happened! Link Flamel... he... he..."
Seeing Wendell breathing so hard he couldn't even finish a sentence, Norton stepped forward and comforted him gently.
"Don't panic. Take your time, my child. Don't let outside events disturb your mind. Stay as calm as you've always been. At a critical time like this, calmness is essential."
Wendell seemed to take his words to heart. He began taking deep breaths to steady himself.
Norton sighed.
"You were saying outside that Link Flamel has attacked, correct? If that's the case, then it's time for us to leave Beauxbatons. I've already bought an apartment near the American Magical Congress. We'll find a way to transfer there first. I believe that no matter how arrogant Link Flamel is, he'll still have to give the American Magical Congress some face."
The moment those words left his mouth, Wendell's breathing became uneven again.
Panting heavily, he said,
"Headmaster Norton, I'm afraid the special Floo Network and Portkeys we prepared earlier can no longer be used. Before I came here, we already had the house-elves try them. Even they couldn't Apparate out of the castle."
"That's impossible!"
Norton immediately refuted him in disbelief.
"Setting up an Anti-Apparition Charm isn't simple, especially one powerful enough to stop even house-elves. Counter-spells or barrier spells like that normally require enormous manpower, resources, and a very long construction period."
"If Link Flamel's people really set up an Anti-Apparition Charm around Beauxbatons, then the castle's outer defensive wards should have detected them the moment they started. So that's simply..."
Norton's words stopped abruptly, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
He suddenly remembered the mediation meeting between the French Ministry of Magic and Link Flamel at the International Confederation of Wizards.
According to the French Minister of Magic, Link Flamel had not only received the Dawn Potion and a huge amount of resources as compensation, but had also demanded the Mass Spatial Transition Technology from the International Confederation of Wizards.
Although it was only a basic technology used in Sky City, its academic value in the field of spatial magic was extremely high and had enormous research and development potential.
It wasn't strange that the British Ministry of Magic had developed temporary spatial lockdown technology based on it.
It all made sense.
But for Beauxbatons, it was terrible news.
At this point, they had no way to evacuate from Beauxbatons anymore.
"...Sigh. Looks like I was still too naive."
Norton let out a long sigh. As if making up his mind, he slowly removed his outer robe before picking up his wand with a cold expression.
"Wendell, go inform the other professors. Tell them to prepare to lead the students in breaking through the encirclement. Once you're outside the spatial lockdown, don't stop for even a moment. Use the Portkeys immediately and transfer to the location we designated earlier."
"The most important thing is this...don't worry about me. No matter what happens, don't come back for me. Understood?"
Norton spoke sternly.
Hearing that, Wendell asked, "Headmaster Norton, are you planning to face the enemy alone?"
"We all have our own responsibilities." Norton smiled. "As Headmaster of Beauxbatons, my responsibility is to stand forward at a time like this, no matter the cost. As for you students and professors, what you need to do now is survive. So, Wendell, look after everyone. Don't do anything foolish."
With that, Norton took a deep breath and prepared to leap out through the window.
But in the next moment, Wendell reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
Norton frowned.
"I already said, Wendell. This is something I should do. Please don't stop me. As for you, you should go..."
"But..."
Wendell suddenly cut him off with a shout.
"But Link Flamel isn't attacking Beauxbatons!"
"Huh?"
Norton froze and stared blankly at Wendell.
"Didn't you say Link Flamel had arrived?"
"Yes, Headmaster Norton, Link Flamel has indeed arrived. He brought over a thousand British wizards into France. In just two hours, they completely captured the French Ministry of Magic. They've made it their base and have begun scouting and attacking key locations throughout the French magical world."
"...Oh? So that's what you meant. You really need to stop speaking in fragments, child."
Norton glared at Wendell helplessly.
"But that's actually good news for us. At least we still have some time to..."
"We don't have time, Headmaster Norton!"
Wendell interrupted him again.
"Just as I said, after Link Flamel's followers captured the French Ministry of Magic, they began scouting and attacking other important locations in the French magical world. Beauxbatons is one of those locations!"
"Right now, Link Flamel's advance force has already reached the tidal flats outside Beauxbatons. They've only set up an Anti-Apparition barrier and haven't entered the range of the alchemical rifled cannons."
Norton's expression changed.
He was about to speak again but suddenly held back, instead looking at Wendell with a strange expression.
He had a feeling Wendell still had something else to say.
Sure enough, after less than a minute of staring at each other, Wendell couldn't hold it in anymore.
"But they don't seem to have any intention of attacking. Instead, they've set up camp on the opposite cliff and keep launching harmless probing attacks every now and then. I have no idea what they're trying to do."
After saying that, Wendell waved both hands forcefully, signaling that he had finished speaking.
Norton looked at him with an unreadable expression.
He had never realized before that Wendell, someone he had always trusted, had such an annoying habit when speaking.
After thinking it over carefully, Norton reached a conclusion.
This had to be one of Wendell's bad habits.
He hadn't shown it before because the body Norton had occupied back then belonged to Old Norton.
Faced with such a respected old professor, Wendell naturally wouldn't dare act so casually.
But now, his identity was Old Norton's son...Young Norton.
Young Norton's body was very young, only a little older than Wendell.
The only reason he had been able to remain Headmaster of Beauxbatons was because Old Norton's suicide had earned overwhelming public respect. Everyone hoped to honor Old Norton's sacrifice by helping his son take over.
Overall, Wendell, and a large portion of the people inside Beauxbatons, didn't actually respect the current Norton as much as they had respected the previous one.
That explained Wendell's behavior.
Still, Norton didn't really care.
If Wendell wanted to be a little mischievous, then so be it. He was just a kid.
What worried Norton most right now was Beauxbatons' safety.
With that thought, Norton walked back to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Beautiful Beauxbatons was still beautiful.
The majestic island of Beauxbatons was still majestic.
But in the magnificent scenery where sea and sky met, several enormous W-shaped magical emblems and sea monster shield emblems had appeared.
More than a hundred uniformed Aurors rode broomsticks through the air, continuously firing magical emblems into the sky.
Before long, the entire sky above Beauxbatons was covered with emblem fireworks, blotting out even the sunlight.
"Those are the British Ministry of Magic's and the Flamel family's crests!"
Wendell clenched his fists in anger.
"They're acting so arrogantly! Aren't they afraid the International Confederation of Wizards will hold them responsible for violating the Statute of Secrecy?"
Norton lowered his eyes and glanced at Wendell without saying anything.
The International Confederation of Wizards had long since fallen under No. 1's control.
At a time like this, they probably didn't have the time to care about something so insignificant.
Link Flamel's side most likely knew that as well.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be acting so brazenly.
No.
Even if Link Flamel didn't know, he would still act this way.
That suited his personality perfectly.
He had always been bold and unrestrained, afraid of no threat.
Even Norton had to admit that Link Flamel had every right to act like this.
If he possessed Link Flamel's talent and strength, he would probably go even further.
Just as Norton was sighing to himself, the Aurors circling Beauxbatons seemed to notice him and Wendell watching from the window.
Newland, leading the group, let out a savage grin and immediately ordered the Aurors to raise their wands.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A dense rain of spells poured down, charging straight toward the Headmaster's office where Norton and Wendell stood.
The barrage was so overwhelming that it produced thunderous explosions before it even landed.
Wendell's face changed drastically.
He grabbed Norton and tried to pull him back.
But Norton stood where he was without expression, calmly watching the rapidly approaching storm of spells.
The protective barrier surrounding Beauxbatons Castle activated on its own, blocking every incoming spell.
At the same time, the alchemical rifled cannons were triggered automatically.
They locked onto Newland and the others in the sky as blue-green magical flames erupted from their barrels, launching alchemical shells.
But alchemical rifled cannons had never been designed for air defense.
Especially not against small, agile targets like wizards.
For a while, although artillery fire filled the skies above Beauxbatons, not a single shot struck Newland or his men.
Not only that, Newland and the Aurors under his command even used the incoming shells to show off their superb flying skills, performing one difficult maneuver after another on their broomsticks while firing attack spells from their wands.
Of course, those spells did nothing except create ripples across Beauxbatons' protective barrier.
They caused no real damage to the castle behind it.
This circus-like exchange lasted for nearly twenty minutes before finally ending with Newland's side withdrawing.
"They're toying with us!"
Wendell screamed in fury.
Not just him.
Everyone inside Beauxbatons Castle was probably caught between fear and rage.
Even from the Headmaster's office, Norton could hear screams and angry roars echoing throughout the castle.
The British Ministry of Magic Aurors' attack had completely ignited the emotions of everyone at Beauxbatons.
Yet now, Norton was the calmest person there.
It could even be said that after witnessing the British Aurors' attack with his own eyes, he had completely relaxed.
Shaking his head at Wendell, he said,
"Don't let anger cloud your judgment. Do you remember what I told you earlier? At a critical time like this, calmness is essential."
"But they..."
"I know. I know they're provoking us."
Norton raised a hand to interrupt him.
"And I also know there'll be more of this. They might even come several times in the middle of the night. But that's exactly what tells us Link Flamel has no intention of wiping us all out for now. At this stage, he simply wants to trap us inside Beauxbatons and leave us drowning in fear and tension."
"So instead of standing here getting angry, you should think about how we're going to keep Beauxbatons running under a complete blockade. As you know, we're still short on many supplies. Do you have any ideas about that?"
After Norton finished speaking, Wendell finally fell silent and tried to calm himself with deep breaths.
Unfortunately, it barely helped.
His eyes still burned with endless humiliation and anger.
That made Norton smile bitterly.