Chapter 172: Chimera Society
Chapter 172: Chimera Society
"By the way, what was the point of this test?" Liam finally remembered that he wasn't here to investigate the Saints. Instead, he was trying to figure out why the Shopkeeper had attacked him and claimed it was a test, and what the purpose of that test was.
Earlier, while Headmaster Fernando was treating the Shopkeeper, Liam had picked up the wooden spike. Using his knowledge of Herbology, he easily identified that it was coated with a common sedative, not a poison. This made him think the Shopkeeper's words might be true.
"Shopkeeper is my godfather", Headmaster Fernando explained. "I intended for him to use a pretext to lure you to the backyard and ambush you to gauge your skills. However, you accidentally saw the Saints emblem, and the misunderstanding led to this situation. The reason for this test is that the task we want to entrust to you is quite dangerous. If your skills weren't up to par, we wouldn't involve you."
"You two are powerful Wizards. What could be so difficult that it requires the help of a student like me?" Liam asked curiously.
The Shopkeeper coughed a couple of times and replied, "I was just telling you about the history of the Saints to explain that most of us are fighting for a noble cause. Although we made mistakes at the beginning, not all Saints have the same goal. Especially in the later stages of the war, we recruited many people whose backgrounds we didn't fully know. Some of them used the Saints' name and the chaotic situation to achieve their evil goals. The Chimera Society is one such group."
"What is the Chimera Society?" Liam asked, curious, as he had never heard of it before.
"It's a very old club, dating back to ancient Greece", Headmaster Fernando added. "They have always dreamed of creating powerful magical creatures through magic, so they've used various evil methods to modify magical creatures. The legendary Chimera was one of their creations, which is why the club is named after it."
"During Grindelwald's war, many members of the Chimera Society infiltrated the Saints under false identities. They then used the Saints' name to commit numerous atrocities, such as several significant Muggle massacres."
"Grindelwald believed that Wizards should lead and manage Muggles but opposed the arbitrary killing of Muggles. So, my godfather and his father discovered a group of Chimera Society Wizards hiding in South America and organized former Saints in the region to purge these individuals who were tarnishing the Saints' reputation."
"But I failed", the Shopkeeper said regretfully. "They joined forces with local black Wizards who practice blood sacrifices. With the protection of the indigenous people, even local Wizards found it difficult to track them down, let alone us outsiders. It wasn't until recently that we saw a breakthrough."
"Perhaps they felt they had been in hiding long enough and believed they had grown strong enough. We learned that they plan to launch an attack during the British exchange students' visit, hoping to create a significant impact in the wizarding world."
"Why would they do that? Shouldn't an evil organization keep a low profile? What's the point of stepping into the spotlight like this?" Liam asked, puzzled.
"Let me explain it this way", Headmaster Fernando said. "Just like the Death Eaters in your European history during their peak, evil organizations need to display their power once they reach a certain level of development. This helps them break free from constraints and further expand. After all, the growth of an organization relies not only on internal potential but also on bringing in fresh blood from the outside. If outsiders don’t even know about you, how can they join you?"
"Doesn’t the Brazilian Ministry of Magic step in to handle such situations? From what I understand, both Ministries of Magic put a lot of effort into this exchange program."
"We have already warned the Ministry of Magic, but since I don’t have concrete evidence, the bureaucrats there think we’re just being overly cautious. The only support we can get from the Ministry is that an Auror squad will patrol the area around the School irregularly."
"Alright, it seems no Ministry of Magic is reliable. It looks like I’ll have to figure out a way to protect myself. What do you need me to do?" Liam asked.
"At our school, Castrobrusso, we have a special course where students go into the wild to observe magical creatures in their natural habitat. As official exchange students, you will definitely be scheduled for this course. Naturally, this class will take place outside the School’s protective boundaries. Even though the destination is pre-arranged by the School and has some level of defense, it’s far less secure than the School itself. For the attackers, this is their only opportunity."
"So we hope you can help monitor the British students. If you notice anything unusual, you can immediately inform us." Headmaster Fernando then took out a leaf-like, translucent green leaf and handed it to Liam. Upon closer inspection, Liam realized it was a beautiful brooch.
"What’s this brooch for?" Liam asked curiously, as it appeared to be just a simple leaf with no magic runes, making it seem like an ordinary object.
"This leaf comes from a Windchime Tree planted in the Headmaster’s office. Its leaves grow in pairs on the branches, and the paired leaves have a mysterious connection. When one leaf is activated, it can make the other leaf resonate, replicating all the sounds around you. This tree is known only to the Headmasters and a select few. You can use this to communicate with us if the attackers somehow cut off your external communication."
"I understand." Liam took the brooch and pinned it to his chest. "Thank you for trusting me. Since I’m directly involved in this, it’s better to be prepared than to face unexpected situations unprepared."
"Even so, we still appreciate your help", the Shopkeeper added. "After all, the other side is also skilled in magical creatures. Wearing this brooch means you’re taking on some risk. So I promise that after this operation, regardless of the outcome, I will share some of the things I learned when I was a Saint with you."
After discussing some additional details, everything was arranged. The Shopkeeper then said, "Ah, right, your companions are waiting for you outside. You should probably head over there now. If there’s anything important later, I’ll ask the Headmaster to inform you."
(End of Chapter)
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