Chapter 66: Decisive Helen

The Chang Family Home

David directly poured Erwin a small half glass of wine, pouring himself an equally modest amount.

"Come on, Erwin, share a drink with me."

After speaking, he immediately downed the contents of his glass in one gulp, approximately two ounces of liquor.

Erwin glanced at the glass, then reluctantly followed suit, draining his portion in a single breath.

Mr. Chang observed this exchange and immediately sensed something was amiss.

'How can this boy drink two ounces in one breath without even flinching?'

The thought that he, a dignified adult, might be outdrunk by a child sparked immediate dissatisfaction in David's mind.

This time, he filled both glasses to the brim.

Ten minutes later...

"Erwin, my boy, my brother, I'm not saying this to lecture you, but if you ever use magic in front of Muggles, don't panic. Come to your brother, I promise I'll handle it properly for you."

All three remaining diners at the table fell into stunned silence.

Helen and Cho exchanged embarrassed glances.

David had been the one insisting on drinking with Erwin, yet somehow, he was the first to start talking nonsense.

Erwin, sitting beside him, remained perfectly composed.

His mouth twitched slightly.

'I actually want to be your son-in-law in the future, not your brother.'

As the alcohol took effect, David continued pulling Erwin into conversation, regaling him with stories from his work at the Ministry of Magic.

He even mentioned that one of his subordinates had been giving him suspicious looks lately.

Erwin hastily raised his glass, clinking it against David's to interrupt what was clearly becoming a damaging confession.

He feared what might slip out if the man continued talking.

Couldn't he see that Helen's expression was growing increasingly dangerous?

Finally, Cho could no longer tolerate the situation.

"Dad. You're drunk. Stop it already,"

She huffed indignantly.

"Nonsense. I'm not drunk," David immediately protested, though his flushed face made his denial utterly unconvincing.

Then he turned to Erwin with earnest intensity.

"Look, my daughter has been spoiled by us since childhood. If she doesn't understand anything, tell me and-"

"[Stupefy]!"

Helen beside them swiftly drew her wand and forcibly ended the family dinner with a well-placed stunning spell.

She looked at Erwin with gentle concern.

"Erwin, your Uncle has had a bit too much to drink. It's getting late, shall we call it a night?"

Erwin felt a cold sweat break out across his brow.

'Is Cho's mother always this decisive? She'll cast a stunning spell at the first sign of disagreement?'

He didn't dare utter a word, nodding repeatedly as he stood up, preparing to leave.

"Aunt, you're absolutely right. It's time for me to head home."

"Shall I have Cho see you off?"

"No, no, I'm from the Muggle world, I'll just take their bus transportation."

Erwin hastily declined the offer.

However, Helen insisted that Cho accompany Erwin for at least part of the journey.

Cho was genuinely concerned about Erwin having consumed so much alcohol and agreed to walk him out.

The two departed together.

Once they were outside, Erwin looked at Cho with lingering apprehension.

"Your father's... should have crossed to our side of the fence, right?" (T/N: he’s making a joke that they got his blessing for the future)

Cho didn't immediately grasp what Erwin was implying, but with her natural intelligence, she understood his meaning within moments.

She burst into delighted giggles.

After her laughter subsided, she playfully punched his arm.

"How do you come with such nonsense?"

"Am I wrong though?" Erwin replied with mock seriousness.

Under the warm glow of the street lamps, the two walked side by side, their elongated shadows stretching behind them and gradually overlapping.

"This is far enough."

They reached an intersection, and Erwin turned to Cho.

"I can Apparate home from here, you don't need to walk any further."

Cho nodded, unsurprised that Erwin had mastered Apparition.

In her heart, her extraordinary friend/crush was so capable that she wouldn't be shocked if he managed to defeat Voldemort himself the very next day.

After sharing a gentle embrace with Erwin, Cho began walking back toward her family home.

Watching until Cho's figure safely disappeared through her front door, Erwin finally Apparated away.

****

For the following days, Erwin lived a particularly fulfilling routine.

Not only did he continue his magical studies, but he also handled various Arya related business matters.

Arya had proven remarkably efficient in her work, quickly transforming the medicinal herb shop into a thriving finished potions store.

A significant quantity of potions had already been sold.

Erwin made time to visit Arya's residence, bringing a fresh batch of several potions he had personally crafted.

As compensation for her excellent work, Erwin rewarded her with two enhanced spells: [Iron Armor Charm] and [Blasting Curse].

Although Arya had known these spells previously, simply knowing them didn't guarantee maximum effectiveness.

Every spell contained numerous casting techniques and variations, and the versions Erwin provided had been personally improved after his studies of ancient magic.

Each spell delivered more than double the power when cast with equivalent magical energy.

These enhanced versions could easily serve as the inheritance of established pureblood families.

Why did pureblood families maintain their positions of power?

One reason was their tendency toward intermarriage, creating such strong mutual interests that offending one family often meant antagonizing most pureblood houses.

The second reason was that each family possessed unique magical spells or special techniques as their inherited legacy.

This represented one of the primary reasons they looked down upon half-blood wizards or those of Muggle origin.

'Do you think that learning the same basic spells as us makes you our equal? How naive.'

Arya gazed at Erwin with sparkling eyes full of gratitude.

"Are you truly giving me these two enhanced spells as rewards?"

With his legs crossed comfortably, Erwin reclined on the sofa, leisurely eating some grapes.

"Naturally. As I've said before, as long as you perform your duties well, rewards will never be lacking."

"May I pass these techniques to my subordinates? Don't worry, I'll have them sign binding contracts to prevent any unauthorized distribution."

Arya asked with hopeful anticipation.

"Of course. That was always the intention behind giving them to you. In the future, you'll command more and more subordinates, and you'll need to have trusted lieutenants to maintain overall control."

Erwin cared little about such matters.

What they considered priceless treasures were merely rewards from his daily check-in system.

"By the way, this is for you as well."

Erwin produced an exquisitely crafted ring and handed it to Arya.

Setting down her handful of grapes that she was also eating, Arya examined the ring with curiosity.

"What is this?"

Erwin explained the protective ring's capabilities and proper usage, causing Arya to regard him with increasingly gentle and appreciative eyes.