Chapter 166: Letting Up
Chapter 166: Letting Up
Felix kept pondering the origins of these attackers.
He suddenly remembered the intelligence about Dark Wizard Aladdin: "It's said that the attackers were extremely arrogant. They warned the woman and left a blood-stained badge."
"What kind of badge?"
"Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
...
Was that badge really a warning, or did they drop it by accident?
At that moment, the four formations of the attackers were in disarray, with only five or six of them still able to get up. The lead squad was down to one small, lucky Wizard.
But the small Wizard didn't feel lucky at all. He wished he had fainted, because the shadow that looked like a devil was less than two meters away, calmly watching him.
Felix slowly and steadily approached the small Wizard. He walked slowly to ease the dizziness from over twenty apparitions, but to the others, his steps seemed leisurely, his gaze gentle yet fierce, like a dragon freed from its chains, bristling with menacing spikes.
The air seemed to freeze. The surviving attackers struggling to their feet, the young Auror with a face full of anger, Celeste striving to remain calm, and the weathered man all seemed as if they had been paused.
The small Wizard's eyes were filled with fear. He instinctively turned to run but tripped over the unconscious body of a companion, hitting his forehead on a rock, and blood slowly seeped out.
By the time he managed to get up, Felix was already standing in front of him.
"Let me see who you are."
He reached out a hand toward the mask.
To the small Wizard, that outstretched hand seemed to contain a magical power that paralyzed him. He desperately told himself to run, but he remained as immobile as a cold statue, his heart sinking. His lips moved—
"Don't..."
"Don't!"
Two voices overlapped, one of them coming from Noelle Celeste, her gray eyes reflecting an unusual panic.
But Felix didn't stop. He decisively pulled off the mask.
For a moment, Felix was stunned, his hand frozen in mid-air.
He had expected to see a witch, not only because of the small stature and the sharp voice, but also because these traits made him think of a female.
But under the mask was a blood-stained, overly young face—no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, perhaps even younger than Percy Weasley.
The small Wizard stared at him, his expression suddenly becoming inscrutable, impossible to read.
He mustered his courage, snatched the mask, and stumbled backward.
Felix stayed where he was, not pursuing.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Another dozen black-robed wizards rushed into the Great Hall. One of them excitedly shouted, "The hostages are saved, we can withdraw! Did that old witch Celeste get caught?"
But the scene before them was different from what they had expected. The newcomers were taken aback, their gazes falling on Felix, who had just lowered his wand. Around him lay over a dozen companions.
Less than a third were conscious, and a few had just been woken by magic, their faces blank.
"Run", the small Wizard croaked.
"What?"
"Run!"
But the lead Wizard didn't want to abandon the others. He raised his wand, and the others followed suit.
A dozen red beams shot toward Felix. These new arrivals were clearly elite, their spells as hot as lasers, but they all bounced off an invisible barrier in front of Felix, a ring-shaped shield that flickered into view.
Delicate silver and gold lines continuously traced in the air, becoming clearer as the spells grew stronger—
It was an enlarged half-armor, faint and shimmering with magical light.
The armor, formed by a Shield Charm, enveloped him, allowing him to completely ignore the attacks.
The black-robed wizards futilely launched attack after attack, but their spirits inevitably sank into despair.
"Leave here, while I haven't changed my mind", Felix said.
After a brief silence, the attackers—
"He, he's trapped by his own magic, quickly take the unconscious ones away!"
The lead Wizard hastily made up an excuse. Regardless of the reason, this formidable opponent seemed to have no intention of attacking.
The others came to their senses. They used Levitation Charms and Transfiguration to drag their unconscious comrades away, quickly evacuating the dangerous area.
In this brief yet long minute, no one spoke. Celeste, the weathered-faced Wizard, the Aurors from the French Ministry of Magic, and even the Muggle research experts, all remained unusually silent, tacitly accepting Felix's actions.
Felix's gaze fell on the last few people, who were running while looking back at him, their eyes full of curiosity.
"Stop staring and get out of here!" a black-robed Wizard said.
The attackers left, leaving behind a hotel in ruins.
...
A handful of Muggle experts looked around in a daze, as if they had just experienced a bizarre dream.
From a calm meeting to a sudden attack, and then a powerful young man stepping in to end the fight in less than thirty seconds—wasn't this all just a dream?
Felix approached Maxwell and carefully examined his condition—he was unconscious, his face covered in small, dense bumps.
"Sir... is he alright?" the young Auror asked nervously.
"Not too bad, he was hit by too many Stunning Spells, and there's a nasty curse mixed in", Felix said, somewhat speechless. The curse seemed to mock everyone present.
Celeste, her hair disheveled and covered in dust, walked out, followed by the weathered-faced Wizard.
"You..." she hesitated before speaking.
"Who were the attackers?" Felix asked straightforwardly. He already had his suspicions.
"I'm not sure, maybe remnants of the Purge, or admirers of Grindelwald", Celeste said.
"I think you're playing me, Ms. Celeste", Felix took a step forward, his silver eyes completely covering the original light blue irises. "Look into my eyes."
Her expression froze, and images flashed rapidly before her—
"Intelligence reports show that the Reform Society has minors as members, further dividing our magical community because of that damnable law!"
"Cecil, we can't back down. One step back is ten, a hundred steps."
"But Muggle-born Wizards are part of us, and the laws we've set are hurting them! Since 1965, more and more people feel betrayed, Celeste. This tolerance has reached its limit, leading to the formation of the Reform Society, a group that shames us all. Our Congress members sit on a giant magical firework, sipping wine smugly."
"...The council families won't support it."
"So you cover it up, Celeste? We are the legislature, responsible for the laws of the American magical community!"
"Then how do you expect me to explain it to the council, esteemed council members, that due to our utterly foolish laws, Ilvermorny students and graduates have conspired to form the Reform Society, planning to rebel against the American Congress of Magic?"
"I'm reminding you, Celeste, this is already a fact."
"I can't appear like a fool in front of the council... at the very least, I need a list of names."
"What do you plan to do?"
"...Patience, Cecil. Wait until the summer, set a trap that looks harmless but has a sweet bait. Just catching one or two will lead to a string of names."
"Celeste, you yourself are an excellent bait; they are targeting you."
"Thank you, Cecil."
"I'm not complimenting you!"
"Cecil, remember to have the New York Ghostly Gazette release the news..."
(End of Chapter)
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