Chapter 40: Transfiguration, Mate!
Hermes glanced at the oddly shaped object in Regulus's hand and felt dismissive.
He conceded the importance of foundational magic, and he conceded that Regulus's foundations were terrifyingly solid.
But he clung to the conviction that in a real fight, the deciding factor was whether one possessed spells powerful enough to determine life and death in an instant.
The Transfiguration and Charms parlor tricks taught in school were mere flashy juggling when set against genuine Dark Magic.
He could see no point in what Regulus was practicing, nor could he grasp the horrifying potential inherent in microscopic material-restructuring — an entirely different plane of power.
To his eyes, it was just making a rock harder or shinier. What practical use was that?
Was one supposed to throw a hardened stone at an opponent in a duel?
Absurd.
He ignored Avery's silent-eye attempt to signal him to be quiet and let his footsteps fall deliberately heavy.