Chapter 1473: Bounty Hunters
Chapter 1473: Bounty Hunters
The high bounty placed on Voldemort by the International Confederation of Wizards did bring no small amount of trouble to Britain. However, the substantial reward also attracted exactly what they wanted—not only dark wizards but also professional bounty hunters from all over the world who made their living hunting down dark wizards.
Naturally, as long as there is a demand for wanted posters, there will be wizards who make a living off of them.
Moreover, this particular bounty was endorsed by the International Confederation of Wizards, and after Albert's clever manipulation, the reward was tripled. The enormous sum had countless bounty hunters salivating.
Especially since this Dark Lord was only well-known in Europe, or specifically in Britain, so bounty hunters hoping to exchange his head for the reward came in droves.
The first batch of bounty hunters who rushed to take action against Voldemort after receiving the intelligence from the International Confederation of Wizards met rather tragic ends.
Voldemort was exceptionally annoyed by this damnable attack, and when he learned from the memory of a bounty hunter that there was a meddlesome fool informing these hunters of his precise location, he became absolutely furious.
How exactly had his location been exposed? Could that Mudblood really have a way to accurately predict his whereabouts through divination? Or was there a traitor among his Death Eaters?
While this was not impossible, most of his Death Eaters were unaware of his movements.
Voldemort had his suspicions about his right-hand men, but he deemed this possibility to be very low as he couldn't fathom a reason for them to betray him.
After all, Yaxley and Snape had both gained tremendously by siding with him, so it made no sense for them to easily give up what they had gained and betray him.
It wasn't strange for Voldemort to think this way, but if he knew that both of his right-hand men were traitors, he might have been so angry that he'd vomit blood.
At this moment, in a secluded manor in France, bounty hunters from all over the world who had come to challenge Voldemort were gathered. Before them was Conrad, once a defeated opponent of Voldemort, now sharing vital intelligence about the Dark Lord.
Everyone listened intently to this apparent Auror's report, some even taking notes in small notebooks. They all understood the importance of this information for their mission to eliminate Voldemort.
As experienced bounty hunters, they knew better than anyone that to complete this high-stakes bounty, they must first understand their enemy.
While many wondered where such detailed intelligence came from, it was clear that the International Confederation of Wizards had no reason to deceive them with false information.
After all, they had offered a substantial reward because they wanted these hunters to take down the Dark Lord.
"...Do not hesitate for a moment. Use the Avada Kedavra curse directly. Don't give that man any chance to breathe. If you face him directly, you have no chance of victory. If the plan fails, do not hesitate to retreat immediately."
Conrad, who had personally faced Voldemort, shared his invaluable experience with the bounty hunters before him.
"It's quite surprising that you would encourage the use of killing curses," a middle-aged man with a hoarse voice joked, his face hidden beneath a cloak.
"Because aside from that, you have no chance of killing the Mysterious One," Conrad replied. "I know what you're thinking, but as someone who has faced him, I can tell you clearly that he is even more powerful than you imagine. Otherwise, why would the International Confederation of Wizards offer such a high reward?" Conrad didn't know how many of these hunters would survive, but he wanted to provide as much help as he could.
After all, what if they succeeded?
"Can you give us a more detailed description?" someone asked.
They couldn't afford to underestimate Voldemort's true strength.
"If I had to make a comparison, I'd say he's on the level of Dumbledore," Conrad replied after a moment's thought, using Dumbledore as a benchmark to help them understand the enemy's strength clearly.
"I heard he died not long ago."
"Yes, supposedly the Mysterious One had someone infiltrate Dumbledore's inner circle and, after many years, finally succeeded in killing him."
Upon hearing Conrad's words, everyone fell silent as they realized the gravity of the situation with Voldemort.
"Indeed, if it weren't an extremely tricky situation, the International Confederation of Wizards wouldn't have offered such a hefty bounty."
"As for the substantial reward, I suggest you work together to spread the risk and then split the bounty. There's a greater chance of success with cooperation, and as long as you succeed, each of you will receive a substantial sum." Conrad picked up the newspaper on the table and waved it in front of the bounty hunters. "You've all seen the outcome of failure."
The hunters exchanged glances, well aware of the headline story.
Some fellows had ignored the advice and chosen to act alone after receiving the intelligence. As a result, they had failed and been killed by Voldemort, their desiccated bodies hung up in Diagon Alley as a warning to others with mischievous intentions.
They all wanted the bounty, but none of them wanted to die.
After some discussion, all the bounty hunters agreed to Conrad's proposal.
With more people involved, even if they encountered failure, their chances of escaping were higher.
Just as Conrad had said, they would share the risk.
As he listened to Conrad's report about the bounty hunters, Babbitt remained silent for a moment before asking, "Do you think they can succeed?"
"It's possible, but not very likely," Conrad replied. He didn't have high hopes for this group of bounty hunters with varying motivations. He had discussed Voldemort with Kingsley, and he knew just how dangerous that man was.
"How about... we ask them to wait a little longer?" Babbitt suggested.
"They won't take the risk if the bounty isn't substantial enough," Conrad reminded him. If the International Confederation of Wizards was willing to increase the reward, the idea wouldn't be bad. If each person used Avada Kedavra on the Mysterious One, they might be able to take him down... but, "It's unlikely that the bounty will be increased," Babbitt shook his head.
"In that case, I suggest we talk to Mr. Anderson. According to Kingsley, he's the only one who might be able to kill the Mysterious One."
Kingsley had mentioned Harry and Albert, but Conrad didn't believe in the concept of a 'savior'. Especially after investigating some of Albert's background, he had more confidence in this young man.
"That guy is very cautious and has no intention of revealing himself. Even Bud Broad, who could supposedly contact him, has gone missing," Babbitt said helplessly. However, the International Confederation of Wizards still needed to pay for Babbitt's services to scry Voldemort's location and provide intelligence support for the bounty hunters' ambush.
The suggestion to immediately use Avada Kedavra on Voldemort upon meeting him had come from Albert.
"Anyway, let's see how the situation unfolds. A well-planned ambush might just be able to take down the Mysterious One," Babbitt offered, not having a better solution at hand. He had considered asking Albert to deal with Voldemort, but that young man had said he wasn't Voldemort's match yet. However, he had agreed to accept the task and assured them that he could help take down Voldemort within two years.
Waiting for two years felt like an eternity.
But Babbitt had no other choice. It was already a boon that this person was willing to provide them with intelligence and help deal with Voldemort. What more could they ask for?
"There's also another matter," Conrad said, handing over a message he had received from Kingsley. "Kingsley complains that due to the wanted posters, more and more dark wizards are pouring into Britain, taking pleasure in murdering Muggles. The situation there is on the brink of collapse."
"This..."
Babbitt fell silent. Given the previous incident, it was unlikely they could send more Aurors to the UK, and he doubted any Aurors would be willing to go anyway.
The reason he hadn't been ousted as the president of the International Confederation of Wizards was largely because everyone needed a scapegoat to smoothly navigate the upcoming challenges.
"I don't have a better solution either," Babbitt admitted. "Perhaps we could try to contact Mr. Anderson and see if he has any suggestions. After all, Britain is his country." Babbitt thought about offering a sum of Galleons as a consulting fee. Forcing someone to provide help in exchange for lofty ideals was undoubtedly foolish, and only a simpleton would do such a thing.
(End of Chapter)
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