Chapter 827: Letter Paper
Chapter 827: Letter Paper
Austria, a place with some renown in the magical world.
However, this fame does not refer to the location of Nurmengard. While Grindelwald's reputation is significant, it's been over sixty years since then, and after half a century, his fame has gradually faded.
Especially among the young wizards still in school, very few know who Grindelwald is.
The reason this place is famous is because the International Confederation of Wizards has held numerous meetings here.
As for why they chose this location, no one knows."
As noon approached, in an unknown village in Austria, due to its remote location and proximity to the forest, where wild beasts often roam, very few people live here, totaling only a dozen or so.
No one noticed that as they finished their morning work and hurried home for lunch, a person suddenly appeared in the village, as if dropped from the sky.
Kyle stumbled, almost losing his balance.
He never expected Nicolas to turn the two-faced mirror into a key and set the timing so precisely.
Just as he put away the photo, before Kyle could react, the key suddenly activated.
Kyle looked around... It was a desolate place with nothing but an endless primeval forest and those towering peaks, as if someone had carved away half of the mountains.
It was hard to imagine that there would be people living in such a place, so far removed from city life. Perhaps it was to make hunting in the forest more convenient.
Kyle looked ahead. At that moment, smoke was rising from several of the houses built from wood and stone, and various smoked meats hung in front of them.
He didn't think much of it and glanced at the two-faced mirror in his hand again.
"Nicolas, Nicolas... Which way should I go?"
He called out twice, but there was no response from the mirror. Nicolas had already gone about his business.
"Why can't you finish what you're saying?"
Kyle rubbed his forehead. As expected, he had forgotten the address he had seen earlier, and now had no recollection of it.
The only thing he knew now was what Nicolas had said in a hurry after the key activated.
"Just keep going forward, and you'll always find your target."
Keep going forward, does that mean entering the forest?
Kyle wasn't sure if this idea was right, but he could only try it now.
With this in mind, Kyle took a big step into the village... No, it couldn't be called a village; it was more like a gathering place.
Perhaps it had been a long time since they'd seen a stranger, and Kyle's appearance instantly attracted everyone's attention. They stood at their windows or stepped out of their houses, but wherever they were, they all stared at Kyle without reservation.
Initially, Kyle guessed that the people living here were hunters who wanted easy access to the forest. But he soon realized his mistake.
Although the environment, with its wooden houses and smoked meats, resembled a hunters' gathering place, he didn't see any hunting tools, not even a knife or a pointed stick.
And the people were not right either. They were all elderly, the youngest looking about eighty years old. Muggles of this age couldn't possibly hunt in the forest with their bare hands.
"Something's not right," Kyle frowned, his hand on his wand, but he continued walking forward, appearing calm.
But before he could even leave, Kyle was surprised to find himself surrounded.
Their actions were swift, and although Kyle had been paying attention to his surroundings, he didn't realize how they had simultaneously encircled him.
"Are you all wizards?"
Kyle drew his wand, pointing it at the person closest to him, and a faint, silvery shield appeared around his body.
Living in such a remote place without hunting tools, they could only be wizards.
However, Kyle didn't understand why he hadn't sensed any magical reactions around him, which was why he initially thought they were hunters.
Just as he thought, the others also drew their wands. The leader, the one Kyle pointed his wand at, said something.
Kyle blinked.
He discovered an awkward situation; the person's words were not in a language he understood.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Kyle asked politely.
"He's asking who you are and what you're doing here."
Another person approached, an elderly witch with a dignified appearance and elegant demeanor, contrasting the surroundings.
As she walked over, the others made way for her.
This time, Kyle could understand.
"Ah, I am..."
Kyle paused, as if remembering something, and quickly changed his words, "I'm a recent graduate from Busbaron, and I'm also a herbologist." Kyle said, "I'm here to observe some rare plants."
"Busbaron." The witch thought for a moment. "Are you French?
"No, I'm just a student at Busbaron," Kyle replied with an innocent smile. "If you're more proficient in French, I can speak that too."
"No need, let's leave it at that," said the witch, sizing Kyle up. "You mentioned you came here to search for herbs?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "I read about the Dewdrop Flower and Iron Thornvine in a book. They're both native to Austria, so I thought I'd try my luck."
"You're in the wrong place," the witch said bluntly. "You're talking about the forest to the south; there's nothing here that you're looking for."
"Oh?" Kyle said, just as he was about to make up an excuse, but the witch suddenly spoke up, "But there are more herbs here, and we've even seen the rare Cedar Nectar Flower before. Are you interested in that?"
"Of course," Kyle smiled. "I'm a herbology major, so I'm interested in all kinds of herbs."
"Then we won't disturb you any further," the witch smiled. "Or you can stay for lunch. The forest can be dangerous, and you can't go in on an empty stomach."
"That would be wonderful," Kyle replied.
What the witch didn't expect was that after a couple of polite exchanges, Kyle would agree and even walk into a house with smoke coming out of it.
"This will do," Kyle said, "Smoked meat and mushroom stew, just the way I like it."
The person inside the house glanced at Kyle and then quickly walked over to the witch, whispering in German, "Vanda, he..."
"Then let's welcome our guest," the witch said, looking at the person. "I hope you'll call me by another name."
"Of course, Ms. Amara," the person replied hastily.
"I hope you remember that," the witch said, then also walked into the room, seemingly preparing to have lunch with Kyle.
She glanced at the wooden bowl on the table but didn't touch it. Instead, she used magic to create two exquisite plates and cutlery, and even served Kyle a bowl of smoked meat and mushroom soup.
"Thank you," Kyle said as he took the bowl. "May I ask another question? You are..."
"We study magical creatures," the witch replied. "We're all scholars in this field. This is one of the few magical creature sanctuaries in Austria, allowing us to observe and protect them more conveniently."
"That's so cool," Kyle exclaimed. "Do you know Mr. Newt Scamander? I've heard he's the best expert on magical creatures."
Hearing Newt's name, the witch paused abruptly, her right hand tightly gripping the cutlery. After a moment, she continued, "Of course, I'll never forget that name. He's like a Devil's Ivy, rooted in my heart."
"Rooted in your heart? Is he that important to you?" Kyle took a sip of the soup. "But I heard he's already married, what a pity."
The witch stared at Kyle, her expression odd, but she didn't explain anything.
The two sat across from each other, calmly finishing their lunch... at least on the surface.
Afterwards, Kyle walked into the forest under the watchful eyes of the group.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Next time we meet, I'll bring you gifts."
Only when Kyle's figure completely disappeared did the group quickly surround the witch.
"Vanda, you're letting him go just like that?"
"He's lying."
"What?"
"This person is not a student of Durmstrang," the witch said with a cold smile, wiping her hands with a cloth.
"If I'm not mistaken, he should be from Hogwarts."
"Dumbledore..." The old man's face filled with anger. "And you let him into the forest, what if he was sent to deal with us?"
"Why not?" The witch smiled. "For certain reasons, we can't enter that tower, so we can only wait endlessly in places like this. We've waited too long."
She turned to look in the direction where Kyle had disappeared, "Perhaps this is an opportunity to follow him..."
At the same time, Kyle, who had entered the forest, was unaware of what was happening behind him. He was struggling to navigate through the gaps between the trees.
Unlike the Forbidden Forest, there were no paths in this forest, so Kyle could only rely on his sense of direction and guiding magic to move forward as much as possible.
In this way, Kyle wasn't sure how long he had been walking, but he kept going from noon until evening, and then into the night.
"For a greater purpose."
Kyle took a deep breath and placed his hand on the door.
There was no magic involved; with a slight push, the door opened effortlessly.
The room beyond was pitch-black, as if a predator lurked in the darkness, waiting to devour its prey.
At this point, due to the restrictions of the main gate, the fire dragon couldn't enter. Kyle had to put it back into the box, but for safety, he released the cat-panther and the venomous panther, letting them follow behind him.
Although he wasn't sure if they could pose a threat to Grindelwald... it was highly unlikely, but at least they added a bit of intimidation.
Kyle lit his wand and slowly made his way up the stairs.
The staircase was long, winding around the central pillar and extending all the way to the top. As he climbed, an eerie silence enveloped him, and all he could hear were his own footsteps and the rapid beating of his heart.
After an unknown amount of time, the wand's light revealed a door.
It was an ancient door, unlocked, slightly ajar, and a faint light could be seen through the crack.
Kyle's tension heightened.
"You've finally arrived, Albus..."
A hoarse, aged voice came from within the room, as if the speaker hadn't uttered a word in ages.
"No, that's not right. Who are you? How did you find this place, and why are you here with those two adorable creatures?"
"Why don't you come in? Or are you afraid of an old man without a wand?"
Kyle silently cursed under his breath.
Was he afraid? Perhaps, after all, this was the man who had wreaked havoc across Europe sixty years ago.
But more than fear, Kyle felt a sense of annoyance. The person behind the door was nothing but trouble.
Yet, having come this far... he couldn't just turn back now.
"Dumbledore sure knows how to cause trouble," Kyle muttered, pushing the door open.
The room was much smaller than he had imagined, barely larger than a broom closet. A tiny window, or perhaps just a crack, was in the ceiling, the source of the light he had seen earlier. It was the only light in the room.
In the corner, a thin blanket lay on the floor, and a skeletal figure was curled up on it, its body reduced to little more than skin and bones.
At the sound of Kyle's entrance, the frail body stirred, and the skull-like face turned towards him, the eyes opening.
"Ha, ha..."
Without saying a word, Grindelwald burst into laughter.
"You've come... I knew it. I knew we would meet again..."
"Meet again?"
Kyle was taken aback, his previous emotions momentarily suppressed, leaving only confusion.
"Have we met before?"
"Not from your perspective," Grindelwald struggled to get up, leaning against the wall to keep himself from falling.
He glanced at Kyle once more.
"Go to Godric's Hollow, south side. There's an abandoned barn... you can't miss it, it's right next to a pine tree."
"Through the barn window, you can see an attic of a house. That's Albus' home. Go there, and you'll surely find him."
"You know why I'm here?" Kyle asked in confusion, taking a step forward.
He was certain that from the moment he entered, the person before him hadn't used Legilimency on him.
"If I say I know, will you believe me?"
"Why wouldn't I? After all, you're Grindelwald," Kyle said, scanning the room before sitting down on the floor.
He dared not take out his wand to conjure a chair, even though the person before him was little more than a skeleton. But still, he was Grindelwald.
"Ha, this is amusing. That foolish fellow, he thinks he can change something?" Grindelwald muttered to himself.
"How did you guess I'd come here and what I wanted to ask?" Kyle asked again.
"If you could give me a piece of parchment..."
"Never mind, I don't want to ask anymore," Kyle said, standing up and turning to leave.
He had been foolish to ask in the first place, now that he had obtained the information he sought.
Regardless of how Grindelwald knew his intentions, he couldn't escape from here and wouldn't be able to affect Kyle in any way.
If that was the case, then it didn't seem to matter if Kyle didn't know this secret.
"Wait." Grindelwald wriggled.
Kyle quickly took two steps back.
"Don't worry, mate. Do you think I can do anything in this state?" Grindelwald said self-mockingly.
"Not necessarily," Kyle replied calmly. "Perhaps this is just an act you're putting on to make me lower my guard."
"If you had come twenty years earlier, I might have done that," Grindelwald said. "Consider it a time-saving reward. Give me a piece of parchment."
He pointed to the thin blanket beneath him and a piece of cloth smaller than his palm. "I can't write on a sheet anymore."
...
(End of Chapter)
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