Fleur Delacour had no idea how shallow her "charm" appeared in Lucian's eyes.
Through his Eye of Truth, Lucian had already analyzed her completely.
What he saw was not a breathtaking beauty.
What he saw was a lifeform with mixed human and magical creature blood.
The alluring aura surrounding her—so irresistible to other boys—appeared in his perception as nothing more than scattered mental energy waves produced by her bloodline.
Its mechanism was simple.
It subtly influenced hormones and perception in others, creating attraction.
Lucian gave it a precise internal evaluation.
"A low-level mental influence produced by bloodline instinct."
The energy control was crude.
The range was limited.
And it could easily be suppressed by stronger spiritual power.
Compared to true soul-level laws, it was childish.
Lucian didn't even bother blocking it.
The effect was far too weak to disturb his mind.
The Moment Their Eyes Met
Feeling Fleur's curious gaze, Lucian finally looked up.
Their eyes met.
His gaze was calm and deep, like a silent starry sky.
There was no fascination.
No admiration.
No interest.
It was the kind of gaze one might give a stone… or a plant.
Just another existence.
Nothing more.
Fleur's heart skipped.
A strange feeling rose within her.
Confusion.
Frustration.
For the first time in her life—
A boy had completely ignored her beauty.
The Goblet Is Revealed
As the welcome feast came to an end, Dumbledore slowly stood.
The Great Hall fell silent.
Everyone knew the real event was about to begin.
"I hope our guests have enjoyed Hogwarts' hospitality," Dumbledore said warmly.
"Now, the exciting moment has arrived."
"The selection for the Triwizard Tournament will begin."
Excited murmurs spread across the hall.
Filch stepped forward carrying something covered by velvet.
Dumbledore removed the cloth.
Revealing—
A large, ancient wooden goblet.
It looked plain, almost crude.
But it radiated powerful, primal magic.
Dumbledore tapped it with his wand.
WHOOSH
Blue-white flames erupted from the cup.
"This… is the Goblet of Fire."
Students leaned forward eagerly.
"Any student wishing to compete must write their name and school on parchment and place it inside."
"You have twenty-four hours to decide."
"Tomorrow night, the Goblet will choose three champions."
One from each school.
The winner would earn:
1000 GalleonsEternal glory
The hall erupted in excitement.
But Dumbledore raised a hand.
"There is, however, an important rule."
"The tournament is dangerous."
"There have been deaths in the past."
Therefore—
"Only students aged seventeen or older may enter."
Groans exploded across the hall.
Fred and George jumped up instantly.
"That's not fair!"
Many younger students protested loudly.
Dumbledore calmly raised his wand.
A glowing golden age line appeared around the Goblet.
"To prevent reckless attempts," he explained.
"No one under seventeen will cross this line."
The Goblet would remain in the Entrance Hall until the following evening.
The feast ended.
Students rushed off, excitedly discussing how to cheat the age restriction.
Lucian's Thoughts
Lucian left the hall early.
To him, the entire selection process was somewhat boring.
Through his Eye of Truth, he had already analyzed the Goblet's mechanism.
The Goblet wasn't a magical judge.
It was simply a high-level magical contract artifact connected to Hogwarts' magical core.
Its function was straightforward:
Read magical signatures from submitted parchmentsAnalyze magical power and willpowerSelect the three strongest candidatesBind them to a magical contract
Even the age line was simple.
It didn't measure physical age.
It measured magical maturity.
For someone like Lucian, whose magical core far surpassed adult wizards…
The barrier was weaker than a spider web.
He walked down an empty corridor and smiled faintly.
"Eternal glory… is just a carrot adults use to motivate children."
For him, both the money and the title were meaningless.
Why compete with children?
It would be a waste of time.
Halloween Night
The Great Hall was filled with anticipation.
Decorated pumpkins floated overhead.
Magical bats circled beneath the enchanted ceiling.
Yet no one cared about the feast.
Every eye was fixed on the same object.
The Goblet of Fire.
Its blue-white flames flickered quietly.
As if a sleeping ancient creature.
Waiting.
Finally, Dumbledore stood.
The hall went completely silent.
He waved his wand.
Most candles were extinguished.
Only the Goblet's glow remained.
Then—
The flames suddenly turned bright red.
The fire surged two meters into the air.
Gasps echoed across the hall.
A burst of sparks shot upward.
A charred parchment flew from the flames.
Dumbledore caught it smoothly.
He read the name aloud.
The First Champion
"The champion of Durmstrang…"
"Is — Viktor Krum!"
The Durmstrang table exploded with cheers.
Students slammed their fists against the table like war drums.
Karkaroff beamed proudly.
Krum stood calmly and walked toward the champions' chamber.
The Second Champion
Moments later, the Goblet flared again.
Another parchment shot out.
Dumbledore read:
"The champion of Beauxbatons…"
"Is — Fleur Delacour!"
Elegant cheers erupted from the Beauxbatons table.
Fleur stood gracefully.
Her silver hair shimmered in the firelight.
With a proud smile, she walked toward the chamber like a queen.
The Third Champion
Now the hall held its breath.
Only one name remained.
The Hogwarts champion.
The Goblet roared again.
A final parchment flew out.
Dumbledore read it and smiled.
"The champion of Hogwarts…"
"Is — Cedric Diggory!"
The Hufflepuff table exploded.
Students jumped, shouted, and hugged each other.
Cedric stood, flushed and smiling modestly.
Applause thundered through the hall.
He walked proudly toward the champions' room.
Lucian Notices Something
From the corner of the hall, Lucian watched quietly.
His expression never changed.
Through his Eye of Truth, he saw what no one else could see.
Each time a name was chosen—
An invisible magical contract rune appeared.
It burned itself onto the champion's soul.
Binding them to the tournament.
Until it ended.
Or until death.
Lucian's gaze returned to the Goblet.
He saw something else.
A fourth parchment still remained inside the flames.
He shook his head slightly.
"Three champions…?"
"No."
"Four sacrifices."
If nothing unexpected happened—
That final parchment would contain the name:
Harry Potter.
~~--------------------------
Visit my patreon for advance chapters:patreon.com/DevilWarden