Chapter 523: What Kind of Magic Is This?
Chapter 523: What Kind of Magic Is This? (Combined)
"Let's go!" Ivan took one last glance at the Galleons on the ground, then disappeared with Dawgert using Apparition.
After Ivan left, Old Rosier hesitantly raised his head, looked around cautiously, and slowly let out a sigh of relief. He then tried to stand up.
However, as he got up, Old Rosier suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist.
"Ouch~"
He winced and looked down, noticing a small tear in the side of his Wizard Robes, from which blood was steadily seeping out.
Earlier, due to fear and anger, he had completely failed to notice this. Now, as he relaxed and moved, the pain returned with a vengeance.
Old Rosier, holding his wound and gritting his teeth, walked over to the House-Elf and kicked it, angrily saying, "Are you dead, Lar? If you're not, get up!"
Old Rosier's kick was heavy, jolting the dazed House-Elf back to consciousness. He ordered it to heal his wound.
The poor servant, who had nearly been killed, dared not complain. Trembling, he pressed his hand against Old Rosier's wound and began to cast a spell. However, when his fingers passed over the wound, nothing happened.
"Are you playing with me?" Old Rosier glared at him, his pent-up anger about to explode.
The House-Elf shook his head in terror, quickly explaining, "Master, Lar is really trying his best!"
Old Rosier stared at him for a moment. Seeing Lar's tear-streaked face and his obvious fear, he believed him. He looked at his still-bleeding wound and then at the Galleons scattered on the ground.
"Lar, I command you to use Reparo to fix the Galleons!" Old Rosier said, testing the situation.
The House-Elf dared not disobey. Sobbing, he extended his right index finger, and a white light appeared at the tip. The damaged Galleons, as if wrapped in some mysterious force, slowly rose and began to piece together.
Strangely, the cracks in the middle did not heal. When the magical force faded, the Galleons fell to the ground, breaking back into two pieces.
"Sorry, Master, Lar can't do it, Lar can't do it!" The House-Elf trembled, then, like other House-elves who had made mistakes, grabbed a small wooden stick and began beating himself on the head to punish his incompetence.
"Bad Lar, bad elf!" The House-Elf shouted as he beat himself.
Old Rosier ignored him, squatting down to pick up one of the Galleons split in half. He examined the cut carefully.
"What kind of Magic is this?" Old Rosier's face changed, a chill running down his spine as he muttered to himself.
The Magic Ivan had used seemed even more terrifying than he had imagined. Not only was it wide-ranging and extremely penetrative, but it also carried some unknown force that inhibited healing!
This meant that if someone was injured by this Magic and didn't have the appropriate counter-curse, the wound would never heal. Even if they didn't die immediately, they would bleed to death over the next few days.
Thinking about this, Old Rosier couldn't help but shiver. He hurriedly decided to find Ivan and ask him to remove this bizarre Magic.
However, Old Rosier quickly stopped in his tracks. He realized that, given the other party's demonstrated strength and control, it was impossible for the injury to have been accidental. If Ivan had wanted to remove the curse, he would have done so already.
So, there was only one possibility: the wound was left intentionally as punishment for his previous offenses!
After all, the wound wasn't large. With some emergency treatment, he wouldn't die within a day.
Once they captured the Wizarding Market the next afternoon, his contributions might offset his faults, and he would likely get the curse removed then!
Old Rosier sighed and shook his head, then ordered the House-Elf to gather the Galleons and take him back to the estate.
He needed to treat his wound as soon as possible.
Lar, though not very smart, was quick in his actions. He dropped the stick he had been using to punish himself, tore a piece of his ragged clothes into a pouch, and scooped up the Galleons, which shone brightly in the light.
Old Rosier looked at him and sighed, shaking his head.
He had originally thought that the allure of money was irresistible to anyone, which was why he had made that probing move. However, he hadn't expected Ivan to be so uninterested in money.
But it made sense; young witches and wizards like Ivan must have higher aspirations and wouldn't be as vulgar as himself.
"Looks like not everyone likes money! I'll have to try something else next time." Old Rosier sighed as he dragged the House-Elf Lar away from the place.
Meanwhile, back at the Dark Magic Shop, Dawgert looked at Ivan with an appreciative expression. "You did well just now! That old man will probably be more obedient after being scared like that."
"I hope so", Ivan rolled his eyes and said casually.
If it weren't for Dawgert's excessive boasting, which had elevated his status to be on par with the Dark Lord, he wouldn't have had to pretend to be so high-minded, making it awkward for him to stoop down and pick up the money.
After all, five hundred Galleons was no small amount!
Thinking about it, Ivan felt a bit regretful. If Old Rosier had begged him to accept the tribute, would he have refused?
Dawgert, however, didn't understand Ivan's thoughts and didn't care much about the five hundred Galleons. Instead, he continued with the main topic.
"The information Old Rosier provided should be reliable. When do you plan to attack the Wizarding Market tomorrow, and should I inform Fenrir and the others now?"
"No, that's not necessary! The fewer people who know, the better!" Ivan shook his head, rejecting Dawgert's suggestion.
Despite his recent actions of intimidation and favor, he had only been in contact with the thirty-odd wizards for a short time. There was no guarantee that there weren't any spies among them. If the news leaked, it could cause problems.
So he believed that only Asia, Dawgert, and himself should know. They would need to split into three teams to block the entrances, exits, and the Secret Passage.
As for the other members, he could brief them ten minutes before the operation began.
"I see", Dawgert quickly understood his reasoning. Being cautious was better to avoid mistakes.
Ivan called for Asia, took out the map of the Chamber, and explained the situation. The three of them then discussed the plan for the attack on the Wizarding Market and their respective areas of responsibility.
With such a good opportunity, no one wanted to see their efforts wasted due to avoidable mistakes.
The day passed quickly.
The next day, at 2:30 PM, Ivan issued an emergency assembly order, fully prepared.
According to the previous requirements, all members had to be present within thirty seconds of the order. Ivan kept a close eye on the clock to see how many would violate the rule today.
Seven seconds later, the first figure appeared a short distance ahead.
To Ivan's surprise, the first to arrive was Joseph, who had been the last to show up last time. It seemed he had learned his lesson.
Three seconds later, Fenrir, Walker, and the other werewolf wizards were all present. Then, every second, more figures appeared on the scene.
By the thirtieth second, the last to arrive, Grace, rushed in just in time. She looked disheveled, with messy hair and no makeup, as if she had just woken up.
Ivan suspected she had been sleeping until the very last moment.
Under Ivan's gaze, Grace shrank back like a frightened animal, unsure if she had arrived on time.
Fortunately, Ivan didn't linger on her for long and quickly turned his attention to the other wizards.
"Good job, you all arrived promptly and didn't disappoint me!" Ivan said, looking around the group with satisfaction.
He had thought it would take several rounds of basic training to teach these wizards the importance of punctuality, but they were more obedient than he had expected.
Hearing Ivan's praise, the wizards present breathed a sigh of relief.
They didn't want to experience Ivan's severe punishment, so they had been sleeping in their uniforms to be ready to respond at a moment's notice.
"Lord Hals, you summoned us with an emergency order. Is there something urgent?" Fenrir asked.
Ivan nodded and began to speak.
"I have received intelligence that the Nott Family will be holding a meeting in the Underground Chamber of the Wizarding Market at 3:00 PM today. Representatives from the Pureblood Families will be present. Your task is to breach the location and capture or eliminate all attendees."
Fenrir and the others were greatly surprised, speculating about where Ivan had obtained such crucial information. Normally, secret gatherings were almost impossible to leak.
They were even more worried that this information might have been deliberately released by the Nott Family. After all, the Underground Chamber of the Wizarding Market had been attacked before; it was almost like a small fortress. If they were restrained, the losses could be devastating.
"Rosier Family, one of the six Purebloods, has already joined us and handed over the map, signing a magic contract. This time, there is no possibility of failure!" Ivan saw their concerns and revealed another piece of information.
At this point, he naturally wouldn't hide anything anymore. Even if there were spies among the Wizards present, they wouldn't have the chance to report under everyone's supervision.
Moreover, revealing this information now had another purpose: to prevent friendly fire and avoid the unfortunate death of Old Rosier at the hands of his own people.
"Rosier Family has surrendered?"
Joseph, Grace, and the others found it hard to believe upon hearing this news. The battle hadn't even started, and one of the enemy's leaders had already surrendered and become one of their own. Didn't that mean they were guaranteed to win?
After Ivan nodded to confirm, the morale of the group surged, and they all began to clamor to immediately storm the Wizarding Market and capture Old Nott.
However, Ivan didn't let his guard down. His goal this time was not just to win, but also to ensure no one died!
After all, the compensation for a single death was a full three hundred Galleons, which Ivan, who had just lost five hundred Galleons, could not afford!
So, in the twenty minutes before they set out, Ivan patiently explained the traps in the Underground Chamber to prevent them from falling victim.
"If you need to split up to search for targets once inside, each group must have at least three people to ensure mutual support. Understand?" Ivan emphasized.
The Wizards present all nodded, feeling a bit moved.
Although the young witches and wizards in front of them were brutal and strict, they cared deeply about the lives of their subordinates. This was evident from the increased compensation, the personal funeral held yesterday, and the repeated emphasis on safety measures today.
After making all the necessary arrangements and conveying everything he needed to say, Ivan didn't hesitate. He divided the Wizards into three teams and sent them to the entrances of the Wizarding Market to wait for orders.
The Wizards, upon receiving their orders, all Apparated in unison, their figures disappearing as they had arrived.
Ivan was the last to move, waving his wand and teleporting to a magic podium. Only Fenrir and the other thirteen Wizards remained by his side, while the rest had gone with Asia and Dawgert to secure the other two exits.
"Lord Hals, the Wizarding Market is just ahead. Their Chamber is built underground", Fenrir pointed forward and said.
Ivan turned to look, feeling somewhat nostalgic.
Two years ago, he and Dawgert had come here once. Back then, the Wizarding Market was lively, like a large bazaar.
Now, it had changed completely, looking desolate with hardly anyone in sight. Only four Aurors were still on duty at the entrance.
"We'll start the operation at ten past three!" Ivan took out a stopwatch from his Wizard Robes and checked the time. It was already twenty to three. Considering the possibility of latecomers, he had delayed the start time slightly.
Fenrir and the others all gripped their wands tightly, hiding themselves while preparing to act at any moment.
The wait wasn't long. Ivan even saw a well-dressed middle-aged Wizard leading some subordinates into the Wizarding Market.
This undoubtedly confirmed Old Rosier's statement.
Ivan waited a bit longer, making sure no one else would come, then waved his wand at the Aurors guarding the Wizarding Market.
"Confringo (Explosive Spell)!"
After a few seconds of preparation, Ivan cast the spell. A hot flame gradually ignited at the tip of his wand, quickly expanding and hurtling towards the Wizarding Market.
(End of Chapter)
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