Chapter 1475: Failure
Chapter 1475: Failure
In a highly secluded room, a group of people gathered by the window, illuminated by a lush green light, watched the righteous siege outside. They were cheering one moment as they believed no one could survive such an attack, not even Voldemort.
They expected to collect the bounty on the Dark Lord's head once the green light outside dissipated. The prospect of the hefty reward filled them with excitement.
"I wonder if the International Confederation of Wizards will regret offering such a high bounty," someone mused, concerned that the task had been too easy.
"Don't worry," another voice reassured, "the ICW will keep their word, even if it's just to maintain their credibility."
It was a given.
"Anyone for champagne?" someone suggested. "Let's celebrate!"
"Now, now, don't get carried away," a more cautious voice interjected. "We can hold a proper celebration after this is truly over."
As the bounty hunters indulged in their lighthearted conversation, a terrifying devil's fire emerged from the green light outside, sweeping through the area in a violent surge. It engulfed the despicable ambushers, turning them into human torches that writhed in agony before collapsing.
The bounty hunters were stunned, their minds blank as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
"How... How is this possible?" They stared, transfixed, at the lone figure still standing.
Voldemort! It was him.
He was alive.
How could he have survived such an assault? Could it be that even the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra, could not kill him?
An eerie silence fell upon the room.
After a moment, a voice broke the quiet, asking, "What do we do now? Do we go out there and fight?"
No one responded.
Clearly, no one was eager to face certain death.
If Avada Kedavra couldn't kill Voldemort, there was no point in rushing out to meet their end.
"He must have dodged it," a seasoned hunter suddenly spoke up. "Remember, we can use Disillusionment Charms here. He probably cast a Disillusionment Charm just before the Killing Curse hit, moving to a safe location, and then returned after the spell ended, making it seem like he survived the curse."
This explanation made sense, but still, no one volunteered to go out and face the Dark Lord.
Why risk their lives?
They silently watched as Voldemort, frustrated and empty-handed, stormed away from the house protected by the Fidelius Charm. The bounty hunters remained hidden, observing the utterly enraged Dark Lord from their safe haven.
As for the unfortunate souls outside who had been incinerated by Voldemort's fierce fire curse, no one paid them any mind. They were merely disposable Dark Wizards controlled by the Imperius Curse—pawns brought along by the bounty hunters before their journey to Britain.
Since the ICW had allowed them to use the Unforgivable Curses, including Avada Kedavra, there was no issue with employing other dark magic. As long as it served the purpose of stopping Voldemort, any spell was temporarily permissible.
After all, the bounty hunters had no intention of personally assassinating Voldemort, especially after witnessing what had just transpired. Their own safety came first; there would be no compensation for death.
If the ICW could use them, they could certainly make use of others.
And so, unfortunate Dark Wizards with some power were controlled and used as cannon fodder.
The ICW turned a blind eye to this, for who would mourn the loss of Dark Wizards? Their deaths, especially if they contributed to the cause of world peace, were considered a welcome bonus.
Indeed, this strategy had proven crucial. Without it, the bounty hunters knew they would have likely been wiped out by Voldemort, rather than discussing whether to risk their lives further to complete the task.
The power Voldemort displayed had indeed exceeded their expectations. Whether it was escaping their siege at the last moment or instantly killing the puppets under their control, every action showcased his extraordinary power. At the very least, no one present could have survived the situation they had just witnessed.
The Death Eaters' corpses lying on the ground were testament to that.
"Let's go. Use the Portkey to leave Britain as soon as possible. There's no point in us staying here any longer, even if we want to launch another attack. We'll need new intelligence, and besides..."
The suggestion to leave Britain was met with agreement from the bounty hunters. They were indeed intimidated. There was something eerie about this place, Britain.
As seasoned bounty hunters, they were well aware that without sufficient intelligence, their mission could have easily ended in disaster.
Manipulating Dark Wizards to carry out the attack and hiding within the protection of the Fidelius Charm had been their main reasons for still being alive.
The evacuation from Britain went smoothly, and they immediately sought out Conrad.
After hearing the whole story, Conrad fell silent.
To be honest, while he didn't particularly approve of the bounty hunters' methods, since the victims were Dark Wizards, he couldn't really fault them.
Most Dark Wizards got what they deserved.
"So, what you're saying is..."
"The bounty isn't enough to compensate for the risk we had to endure."
As the representative chosen to communicate with Conrad, Maurice, a fellow Frenchman, voiced the sentiment of his colleagues. While they did want the substantial reward, after facing Voldemort directly, they doubted their ability to secure it. The best option now was to turn the bounty into a bounty-plus-employment arrangement, where the ICW would hire them, thus avoiding the risk of losing their lives for nothing.
Where in the world would they find such willing cannon fodder?
Yes, cannon fodder.
That was the term the ICW used to refer to bounty hunters.
But no one wanted to be cannon fodder without proper compensation. The idea of working for free was out of the question, and it was better to abandon the mission and go their separate ways than to lose their lives.
However, things took an unexpected turn as the ICW rejected the bounty hunters' proposal.
And so, the negotiations fell apart.
"You won't reconsider? I truly believe it's worth spending some money to hire them," Conrad said, unable to comprehend the reasoning of those high-ranking officials.
"They're unwilling to spend that money," Babajide replied, equally frustrated. He chose not to hide the truth from Conrad. "As for the compensation you mentioned, I agree with you, but I don't have the authority to approve it."
"Why not?"
Conrad's eyes widened in surprise, finding it hard to understand. In his opinion, appeasing these bounty hunters was necessary.
After all, they had made an effort, even if they hadn't succeeded.
While not providing compensation was technically fine, Conrad felt it could lead to potential problems, and being stingy with the reward money seemed unnecessary.
These people had put themselves at risk.
"Because the ICW doesn't have any extra funds beyond what's needed for operational expenses. Even if I wanted to do so, I wouldn't be able to offer a substantial reward to compensate them."
"If you can persuade the bounty hunters to wait a few more days, I can try to push for some form of compensation for them, although the amount might not be significant." Babajide also felt that some appeasement was necessary, lest the infuriated bounty hunters resort to other means to let Voldemort know that the ICW had orchestrated the attack.
(End of Chapter)
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