HP: DnD Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Wrong Side of The Trial

[Make the choice, find the prince not the horse]

Damien’s heart raced as he realized he had wandered into the wrong side of the mission.

“R-Really?” the girl stammered, her voice trembling with a fragile hope.

Damien froze in place.

He couldn’t bring himself to refuse her. How could he turn his back on a helpless child?

But helping her wasn’t something he could afford to do lightly.

The trial’s single, unwavering rule echoed in his mind: Find the prince, not the horse.

“Will you help me?” she pleaded, her tearful eyes glimmering with desperation. Though her voice was small, her gaze held a quiet bravery, as though she had pinned all her hope on him.

At twelve years old, Damien was faced with one of the hardest choices of his life.

If he helped her, it meant abandoning the trial. But if he turned away, it would mean betraying the principles his father had instilled in him:

Be kind and just.

Do not lose yourself.

This wasn’t just a decision—it was a battle between his duty and his conscience.

Most would have taken the obvious path: ignore the girl and focus on the trial. But Damien wasn’t like most. He knew that leaving her behind in a jungle teeming with unseen dangers would be the cruelest thing he could ever do.

“I—”

He inhaled deeply, steadying himself. His fingers tightened around the edges of his book.

“Yes,” he said finally, a small but resolute smile forming on his face. “I’ll help you.”

He knew it was reckless. He knew he would regret it.

But Damien had promised himself and his father long ago: in the pursuit of magic, he would never lose his humanity.

And he intended to keep that promise, no matter the cost.

Even if it meant losing something precious.

And as the girl’s expression shifted—her tears giving way to the first flicker of joy—he didn’t regret his choice.

Instead, he smiled.

“So, tell me, Jewel,” he said, noticing how perfectly her name suited her golden hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and pale, radiant skin. “Which way should we go?”

Two directions were already ruled out.

“Left, or straight ahead?”

The clock was ticking, and he was no closer to completing his trial.

“I—I don’t know,” she admitted nervously.

Damien sighed. “Straight it is, then.”

He held out his hand. “Let’s go.”

Jewel hesitated for a moment, unsure about trusting a stranger. But after wandering alone for so long, injured and frightened, she knew this was her best chance.

She reached out, her small fingers wrapping around two of his.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, weaving through the thick jungle.

Finally, Damien broke the quiet. “Can you use magic?”

The question seemed natural. After all, they were in a dungeon—a place filled with magic. Surely, she must know something about it, even if she couldn’t use it herself.

“I know of magic,” Jewel said softly, “but I can’t use it.”

There was a hint of sadness in her voice. “I don’t have magic, but I still like it.”

Her sadness quickly faded as she smiled. “I like watching magic.”

Damien couldn’t help but smile back.

“Oh?” he said, a playful tone in his voice. “Then you’ll enjoy this.”

He tucked his book into his robes and raised his wand.

“Lumos.”

A soft light bloomed around them, illuminating the dense fog with shimmering glows.

Jewel gasped, her eyes sparkling with amazement. “Wahh! Are you a magician, big brother?”

“I’m a wi—” Damien paused, catching himself.

Back at Hogwarts, the term was wizard. But here, in the dungeons, every magic user had a specific designation based on their traits.

And Damien, by the way his abilities had been allocated, wasn’t a wizard.

“I’m a Warlock,” he corrected. “And yes, I can use magic.”

Her eyes grew even wider with admiration. “My grandmother told me about Warlocks,” she said, her voice filled with wonder. “She said Warlocks are people blessed by both demons and gods.”

Her words lingered in the air, both strange and intriguing.

Damien was confused by the Gods bit, but he didn’t pay much attention to the thought.

Instead, he gently ruffled her hair. He had already guessed that Jewel was very different from the children in his world, especially considering she had grown up with magic and creatures far beyond his experience.

They continued their walk for a long time, but didn’t come across anything of significance.

When they did, however, both of them felt a surge of excitement.

“Those footprints,” Damien said, crouching to inspect the soft soil. “Those are horse tracks.”

He was relieved to have found the creature she was searching for—the only one that could lead them out—but a new worry crept in:

The closer he got to the horse, the closer he came to failing his trial.

“Brother?”

But his concerns quickly grew as they noticed something more disturbing.

“What are those?” Jewel asked, her voice quivering as she pointed to a new set of footprints.

These prints were much larger than the horse’s, shaped like a human’s but with strange, feral traits.

The marks seemed human, but with nail-like impressions. What struck him as the most unsettling, though, were the four distinct finger marks—three facing forward, one pointing backward, as if from a reptilian creature.

A cold shiver ran down Damien’s spine. He tried to push down the growing anxiety that flooded his mind, overwhelmed by the countless troubling possibilities. He wasn’t sure how to voice any of them in front of Jewel.

‘With this many prints...’ he thought, biting his lip. ‘I doubt the horse is still alive.’

“Jewel,” he said, keeping his voice steady. “It might be dangerous. Stay behind me.”

‘The prints are fresh,’ he noted to himself. ‘They couldn’t have been made more than a few minutes ago. If the horse is alive, it’s nearby. But those creatures definitely are.’

With Jewel close by, he moved forward. He considered leaving her behind for safety, but with no secure place around them, staying together was the safest option in this jungle.

‘They’re not goblins,’ Damien concluded as he examined the prints. The marks were slimmer and had a different number of fingers. ‘But are they stronger or weaker than goblins?’

Judging by the footprints, they were thinner than goblins and possibly weaker, but considering the terrain, Damien didn’t trust that they’d be any less dangerous.

He didn’t have to wait long for confirmation.

“B-Brother,” Jewel whispered, trembling, her finger pointing ahead. “Something’s there.”

Damien immediately pulled her back and raised his wand, expecting a hidden creature to spring at them. But what he saw ahead was even worse.

“Blood…” he murmured, following a trail of crimson that led toward a hole in the ground.

“Jewel,” he said, his voice tense. “Keep watch behind us.”

He didn’t want to be caught off guard, and in this unfamiliar forest, any creatures lurking in the trees would have the upper hand.

Jewel, gripping his robe tightly, stayed close, her wide eyes scanning the area behind them.

Damien, however, couldn’t take his eyes off the hole. As he moved closer, a foul stench hit him, and his stomach twisted, nearly making him gag at what lay inside.

“Brother w—”

“Don’t look!” Damien quickly covered her eyes, blocking her from seeing the gruesome sight within the hole.

The creature inside was a half-eaten deer, its flesh torn apart as though its attacker had savored every moment. The bites were brutal, long and deep, resembling those of an alligator.

Damien carefully moved aside, ensuring Jewel couldn’t see the horrific scene.

“A-Are we okay, big brother?” she asked, her voice small and fearful. Damien didn’t answer directly, instead offering a soft, reassuring pat on her head.

But the worst was yet to come.

As they continued walking, Damien began to notice more of these horrifying holes.

‘Traps,’ he thought, clenching his teeth. ‘Too many of them.’

The ground was littered with spikes, hooks, and other deadly traps—each one designed to capture, injure, or kill anything that stumbled upon them.

‘Dungeon goblins are clever, but not this clever,’ Damien mused as he expertly avoided each trap. Some of them were so deadly, they would have sliced his foot clean off if he made even the smallest mistake.

Minutes stretched on as he carefully navigated the traps, but then he heard something—sounds that made his heart race.

Chittering, like rats, mixed with hissing and growling, like a snake or badger.

Multiple creatures were ahead, and Damien could feel the weight of the situation settling on him.

“Jewel, stay here for a moment,” he instructed, urging her to remain at a safe distance. He moved forward, making sure to remain completely silent.

Ahead, a wall of shrubs blocked his view. As he neared it, the sounds grew louder, and he realized that the creatures were just beyond the barrier.

When he peeked through the leaves, his blood ran cold.

Behind the shrubs, dozens of creatures—snake-like, lizard-like, reptilian—fought, hissed, and snarled at each other.

But what made his stomach drop was the fact that these creatures weren’t animals.

They were humanoids.

Standing only two or three feet tall, with scales covering their bodies and terrifying, predatory eyes, they were armed with various daggers and crude weapons.

‘Absolute horrors,’ Damien thought to himself, his mind racing. ‘If they charge at me, no spell will save me.’

Just as Damien thought about turning back, something caught his eye.

White as snow, injured yet still magnificent, and caged beside the horrifying beasts.

The horse.

Damien’s eyes widened. ‘There it is.’

He knew immediately that he had failed the trial the moment he saw the horse. But he also knew that saving it was crucial—not only for helping the girl, but for helping himself. The horse was the only way into human shelter, away from the monsters.

‘I need to find a way’, he thought, stepping back cautiously. He had to inform Jewel and prepare her to escape.

But just as he took a step back, he made a mistake.

"Kree?"

The moment he moved, his luck ran out.

“Kree!!!”

Despite the damp ground, there were still dry leaves and twigs untouched by the dew. Damien accidentally crushed one, alerting the reptilian creatures guarding the area.

Damien knew there was no time to hide. There was nowhere safe, and even if he tried, it would lead to a trap.

“Jewel!” he shouted, seeing the reptiles rush toward him through the gaps in the shrub wall. “Run!”

He quickly cast a spell.

“Revelio!”

The charm lit the ground beneath him, revealing the hidden traps—white lights glowing where the dangers were buried.

“Don’t step on the white lights!” he yelled. “Run and hide!”

Jewel, still confused, hesitated. But the shrieking noises quickly clarified the situation. They were being chased.

Without wasting another second, Jewel ran for cover behind the trees.

Damien remained focused, determined to keep the creatures off her.

“Incendio!” he shouted, setting the surrounding wood and leaves ablaze. However, the fire wasn't strong enough due to the moisture.

Still, it slowed the reptiles, forcing them to retreat and avoid the flames.

“Dammit!” Damien cursed, watching as the creatures split into two groups, flanking him from both sides.

They were armed—daggers, spears, even bows.

“Protego!”

Damien raised his shield just in time, deflecting most of the arrows. But he knew he couldn’t hold out much longer.

‘What can I do?’ he thought, his mind racing. Jewel was still behind him, and he needed to get her out of this mess. But he also had to secure the horse. It was their only chance to survive.

The creatures had all rushed at him, leaving only a few behind to guard the food. If he could reach the shelter before them, he could take down the guards. But there was no way he could run through the sheer number of enemies without risking Jewel's safety.

“Bombarda Maxima!” he cried, causing massive explosions around him. The blasts took out several creatures, but more kept appearing.

Damien’s magical reserves were draining fast. He couldn’t keep spamming the most demanding spells. Fiendfyre was still beyond his reach.

He needed to buy time.

Arrows continued to rain down on him, and his shield was weakening.

Determined, Damien ran toward Jewel, keeping his shield up to protect them both.

“B-Brother?”

“It’s alright,” Damien reassured her. “Trust me.”

He picked her up, his increased strength making it easy to carry her.

“Hold tight,” he said. “And don’t look.”

Jewel pressed her face against his robes, keeping her eyes shut.

Damien didn’t stop. He ran, leading the screeching beasts away from the shelter.

The creatures pursued them relentlessly, but Damien kept going, for nearly half an hour, until he reached a stream, where he slowed to a stop.

Jewel opened her eyes, fear evident in her expression.

“W-Where are we, brother?” she asked, trembling as the beasts closed in on them.

Despite the overwhelming odds, Damien smiled.

“We’re going to save your horse, Jewel.”

Jewel’s confusion only deepened as she looked at the monstrous creatures closing in, while Damien remained oddly calm.

“H-How?” she asked.

Damien raised his wand, pointing it toward the land where the creatures were coming from.

“Confringo!”

A massive explosion rocked the area, sending trees and debris flying, obscuring the creatures’ vision.

In the thick smoke, neither Damien, Jewel, nor the beasts could see each other.

That was exactly what Damien wanted.

Taking advantage of the smoke, he gently set Jewel down and pulled a magical book from his robes.

“Brother?” Jewel asked, still confused.

Damien, determined, flipped through the book and quickly found what he was looking for.

He ran his finger over the pages, revealing yellow parchment that appeared in his hand.

“Take this,” he said, handing a piece to Jewel. “Tear it while thinking of the bushy wall we saw earlier.”

Jewel was confused, but she trusted the man who had been helping her.

She nodded and took the paper in her hand, closed her eyes, and tore it down, all while focusing on the image of the scary place she had seen some time ago.

As she tore the paper, she felt a cold sensation surrounding her, but she kept her focus on the image of the bushy wall.

Soon, the cold feeling vanished, and strange noises echoed around her.

“Sectumsempra!” Damien yelled, followed by “Incendio!” and the screeching noises of the creatures. Then, once again, Damien’s voice rang out: “Stupefy!”

Damien unleashed spells upon spells, and Jewel kept her eyes closed, waiting for him to finally tell her to open them.

“You can open your eyes now, Jewel.”

The girl obeyed and slowly opened her eyes, immediately frightened by the sight of blood before her.

“B-Brother?” she asked shakily. “Are the monsters near us?”

She saw the blood and the burning bodies that Damien had roasted. He did this to spare her from seeing the severed parts. The fire was strong enough to reduce the flesh to ash easily.

“Don’t worry, they’re all taken care of, Jewel.” He gave her a reassuring smile and pointed ahead. “And look who we found.”

The girl’s eyes widened, and streams of tears began running down her face as she saw her horse.

“My horse!” she cried, forgetting everything else and running straight toward it.

As for Damien, he quickly glanced at the burning bodies of the guards he had slain and then at the book in his hand.

[Escape Talisman ×1]

It pained him to see two less Talismans in his inventory, but he knew they were one-time-use items, and one day he would have needed to use them.

“T-Thank you, brother!” Jewel exclaimed. “Thank you so much!”

Damien sighed, still looking at the book.

He had failed the quest, most likely running late for his class—if he managed to escape—and was starving. He didn’t even know how horrifying the punishment for failing the trial would be. Dantalion had almost killed him, and he didn’t see this trial ending any differently.

“But at least I saved a horse.”

“You certainly did, brother.”

What he never expected was for the little girl’s voice to suddenly sound so deep and authoritative.

“You went against the requirements of the trial to do the right thing, to do the good thing.”

He immediately looked up, stunned to see the little girl no longer there. Instead, standing before him was a man—a handsome, demonic man—rubbing the horse’s mane.

“Congratulations, Damien Butler.” The demon said with a smile, “You failed the trial of the book, but you passed the trial of the heart.”

Seere, the 70th Demon Lord and master of the trial, nodded in approval.