Chapter 830: Unreliable Nicole
Chapter 830: Unreliable Nicole
Vandarozier didn't even glance at Kyle as she chose to dispel the Fiendfyre, intending to save Grindelwald. Kyle, without hesitation, leaped onto his broomstick the moment she turned away and flew off without a backward glance.
He had considered striking her from behind while she was dispelling the Fiendfyre, but upon further thought, he decided against it. He couldn't guarantee that he would be able to kill Rozier, even with the assistance of the snake.
If she didn't die, the most likely scenario was that she would prioritize dealing with him first, and everything would return to square one. The effect of Nurmengard would be minimized.
Moreover, if Grindelwald were truly burned to death by the Fiendfyre, he would also face endless pursuit... These guys were far more challenging to deal with than Death Eaters, and this deal seemed increasingly unprofitable.
Therefore, it was better to end this game right now, and he could consider it a victory.
As for what to do next... As long as he could bring Dumbledore back, he could just hand over all these messes to him... Kyle had gotten into trouble with Rozier and the others to save him, and this was originally his responsibility.
"Stop!" Tinus initially wanted to stop Kyle, but a stream of Fiendfyre suddenly changed direction, slowly drifting towards the few people still lying on the ground. Helpless, he could only grit his teeth and give up on Kyle, turning to save the others.
Since no one was chasing them anymore, Kyle directly chose to fly to a higher altitude and fully activate the Firebolt Arrow.
About ten minutes later, behind him, the light of spells lit up again. It seemed like the people who had been deceived earlier had returned, but at the same time, Kyle also felt that a certain restraint that had always been around him had disappeared.
A second before the spell hit him, Kyle smiled faintly, and his entire body instantly vanished in mid-air.
He Apparated.
When he reappeared, the scenery around him had transformed from a forest into towering peaks, seemingly a mountain range.
Since he wasn't familiar with Austria and didn't want to return to the forest entrance, Kyle could only choose to move randomly, which would also prevent Rozier and the others from locating him.
Fortunately, this destination wasn't bad; it was likely far from the forest, and there were no Muggles around.
Kyle jumped off his broomstick and sat on a rock.
He was a bit relieved that his mind had been clear all day, unlike before when he always felt sleepy and groggy.
After all, he was facing twelve battle-hardened wizards, and the slightest mistake, even a single wrong decision... might have led to them capturing him.
Kyle sat for a while, preparing to drink something to ease his constantly tense nerves.
Just then, it was also time for the 'Raspberry Juice' that Nicole had given him to take effect.
Although it was a potion, the taste was genuinely excellent, far better than pumpkin juice.
However, when Kyle took out the bottle, he discovered that it was empty. The potion that had been refilled after he drank it in the morning was no longer there.
"It's already finished?"
Kyle shook the cup, confirming that the 'Raspberry Juice' wouldn't overflow again, before putting it away and taking out another bottle of light blue potion to pour into his mouth.
The cool potion also slightly eased his tense nerves. He stopped thinking about Vandarozier and began pondering how to return.
He took out the 'Ticket' that Nicole had given him, the two-faced mirror.
"Nicole, Nicole... Are you there?"
Kyle called out tentatively, initially thinking it would be futile, but a few seconds later, the two-faced mirror suddenly lit up, and Nicole's face appeared.
"Oh... Is the matter resolved?" Nicole asked, surprised. "It's a bit slower than I imagined."
"If you had placed the key somewhere else, it would have been much faster," Kyle said irritably. After being chased for nearly an entire night, he couldn't help but feel a bit resentful.
If Nicole hadn't set the key's location in Rozier and the others' base, none of this would have happened.
"What happened?" Nicole asked, surprised.
"You don't know?"
"Should I know?" Nicole blinked. "In fact, I haven't been to that place in sixty years. The key's location is where I emerged after completing the Nurmengard transformation. How is it not a forest now?"
"Yes, but with a few extra people," Kyle explained, recounting the previous events.
"Twelve people chased me for an entire night. If I had been a bit careless, forget about rescuing Dumbledore; I might have died right there."
"Vandarozier?" Nicole realized.
"Yes, even with so many Aurors, they couldn't find her. I never expected her to be hiding near Nurmengard, but thinking about it carefully, it seems that's the safest place. After all, the wizards who experienced that period dare not approach Grindelwald, even though he's been locked up."
"Why, can he escape from Nurmengard?"
"Oh, you probably don't know," Nicole explained. "Among those who followed Grindelwald, many were Aurors who had been responsible for capturing him, including him. He had been captured a few times, but he escaped with the help of the guards.
"The International Confederation of Wizards investigated those people and found that they started following Grindelwald during his capture period.
"There's a rumor that Grindelwald knows a special Soul Shackling Charm that can erode one's mind without a trace, and that's why the Aurors dare not approach Nurmengard."
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case, why did you send me here? Aren't you afraid I'll release him?"
"No, because that's just the International Confederation of Wizards' excuse." Nicolas said, "The real reason is probably not the Soul Shackling Charm, but as for what it is... I'm afraid only Grindelwald and the guards know."
"Alright." Kyle sighed, "Never mind that. How do I get back now?"
"Ah, this..." Nicolas hesitated for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
"Well..." Nicolas spoke softly, "I set a return time on the key I gave you."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kyle held the Two-Faced Mirror in his hand.
"What time?"
"Twelve o'clock."
"Noon?" Kyle frowned, "Do I have to wait that long? Why can't it be earlier?"
"No, not noon." Nicolas shook his head, "It's in the evening, or rather, at midnight."
Kyle's heart skipped a beat, but he still tentatively said, "Okay, even though it's later, it's just a day... I can wait, right?"
"No, it's midnight yesterday." Nicolas continued, "In other words, you've missed the return time."
"I didn't consider this carefully. I didn't expect you to encounter Vandarozier, which delayed your time."
So that's how it is...
Kyle sighed, "What should I do now?"
"Well... you'll have to figure it out yourself." Nicolas smiled awkwardly, "Or you can explore Austria. It's a great place, especially the music, which is captivating."
"And then wait for Rozier to find me?"
"Don't worry about that. They won't leave that forest easily." Nicolas said, and then he glanced to his left, "Oh, the Time Turner's repair has reached a critical stage. I must go and check on it. Good luck..."
As he finished speaking, the Two-Faced Mirror dimmed.
"Hey, Nicolas, don't go! It's a thousand miles back from here!"
Kyle called out twice, but the Two-Faced Mirror didn't respond at all, indicating that Nicolas had put his mirror away.
A thousand miles... and he wants me to figure it out myself? Kyle was so angry that he almost threw the mirror into the lake across the way.
If it were in Britain, it would be fine. He could Apparate a few times or make a Key himself.
But the problem is, this is Austria. If he uses Apparition or a Key, he might be caught by the Aurors of the countries along the way and be branded as an illegal immigrant.
Unless he uses an illegal Key, like the Two-Faced Mirror he used to get here, but he doesn't know how to make one, and he's not familiar with this place, so he doesn't even know where to buy one.
The only option now seems to be flying back on a broomstick.
Over a thousand miles... even with a Firebolt Arrow, it would probably take ten hours.
Strictly speaking, it's not that far. For a Quidditch player in a match that might last several days, a ten-hour flight is not a problem at all.
But Kyle isn't a professional player. Just thinking about flying for so long made his legs feel sore.
How about staying here for a while and waiting for Nicolas to finish the Time Turner and send it over...
No way!
Kyle immediately rejected this idea.
Although Nicolas said Rozier wouldn't leave the forest easily, Kyle didn't dare take that chance. It's better to leave here as soon as possible.
Nicolas's arrangement was too sloppy.
"I need to think of another way." Kyle complained in his heart while pacing back and forth... Suddenly, he saw a flock of birds flying from the mountain peak across the way.
A flock of birds wasn't unusual, but they gave Kyle an idea.
He quickly took out another Two-Faced Mirror and tapped it with his wand.
"Conna, are you there?" Kyle asked softly.
This time, the Two-Faced Mirror responded quickly, and Conna appeared in the mirror, rubbing her eyes.
"Kyle?" She seemed not fully awake, "What's the matter?"
"Sorry." Kyle said, "I'm in Austria now. Are you familiar with this place?"
"Huh?" Conna was immediately wide awake, "Why are you there again? For fun?"
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"No, it's not for fun this time. I have something important." Kyle said, "Are you familiar with this place?"
"No, I'm not." Conna shook her head, "I've never been there."
"What about Fengron? She should know, I remember during the Triwizard Tournament, she mentioned the music here and suggested we could visit."
"Really?" Conna thought for a moment, "Never mind, I'll ask her. She's right next door."
Conna quickly stood up... The sound of footsteps could be heard from the mirror.
It didn't take long before the mirror showed a new scene, this time with Fengron,
She was probably woken up too early, and her mood wasn't good. She didn't give Kyle a pleasant look.
"What's up? Spit it out."
Kyle didn't waste any time and asked directly, "Where's the post office in Austria?"
"Which post office?"
"In Austria."
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I'm here," Kyle said, "and I urgently need to find a post office. Do you know where it is or not?"
"I don't know," Fengron replied with a huff, "I only went there to play, I've never sent a letter. But I do know there's a famous wizarding village there, you can go check it out."
Fengron gave an address, then rudely shut the two-faced mirror.
Kyle mounted his flying broomstick again and headed towards the location she mentioned.
...
It was a bit far, but compared to a thousand miles, it was much closer.
Kyle only took half an hour to reach a square on the south side of Vienna.
According to Fengron's description, there was a huge accordion statue here, with a gap in the middle that only wizards could see.
Kyle quickly found the opening.
Inside, there was a village similar to Hogsmeade, but much livelier than Hogsmeade. The wizards' clothing was diverse, and many of them were obviously foreign tourists.
As soon as he entered, Kyle heard melodious music.
Near the entrance was a piano playing a tune, with no one sitting in front of it. The keys were moving on their own.
Further ahead, there was a string quartet, and in front of a clothing shop, the owner, dressed in unique attire, was happily playing a hand drum.
Even at the entrance of a pub, there was a small band, also dressed in Austria's distinctive clothing. Three of them were wizards, and the other two were creatures similar to Cornish pixies, with transparent wings and serrated tails, playing a cello that matched their size... It sounded quite pleasant.
What was even more amazing was that each piece of music had its own style, yet they didn't interfere with each other.
It was no wonder this place was known for its musical atmosphere. If you had the time, it was indeed a great place to visit.
Even though Kyle had been in a hurry before, upon arriving here, he unconsciously slowed down, strolling between the various shops.
The village wasn't large, but it took Kyle over an hour to finally enter the Owl Post Office next to the pub, still feeling eager to explore more.
"Hello, customer."
The clerk examined Kyle for a moment and greeted him in a pure London accent, "Do you need any assistance? Sending a letter, postcard, or a gift?"
"A gift," Kyle said, "But it's a bit far."
"You're overthinking it, customer. If you want to send it to the UK, our messengers will have no problem at all."
"You know?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?" The clerk smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, you're a recent graduate from Hogwarts, here for a visit, right?"
"But there's something I must inform you, customer. Due to the current situation in the UK, the cost of hiring a messenger might be slightly higher than usual. I hope you can understand..."
"I only care about speed, price is not an issue." Kyle placed a heavy bag of Galleons on the table.
Hearing the jingling sound from the bag, the clerk's smile widened.
"Such a generous customer, allow me to recommend Kab." The clerk waved, and a robust owl immediately flew over.
It was slightly smaller than Ratton, but it stood out among other owls. It was clearly the shop's top messenger.
"So, where do you need to send this?"
"The UK, the Ministry of Magic."
"In that case, it will cost ten Galleons," the clerk said with a smile.
Kyle's hand paused as he reached for his money.
"That's a bit expensive. As far as I know, sending a letter over this distance shouldn't cost more than one Galleon."
"There's no other way. Many messengers are unwilling to go to the UK... Those creatures in cloaks will freeze their wings."
Creatures in cloaks... Could they be Dementors? Kyle wondered.
But weren't they all taken care of over a year ago? This place's information seems a bit outdated.
"Or you can choose another messenger," the clerk continued, "It might take longer, but the price is only five Galleons."
"This one will do."
Kyle didn't explain further and placed ten gold coins on the table.
"But I might need to buy some things. Can I take it with me? That way, I won't have to make another trip later."
"According to the rules, it's not allowed," the clerk said, "But it's hard to refuse such a generous customer's request... As long as it's not too long."
"Don't worry, I won't make it difficult for you." Kyle took a few steps and turned back, "Oh, I also need an envelope."
"It's on the house." The clerk placed a standard envelope on the table.
Kyle took the envelope without saying a word and left.
He had spent ten Galleons, it would be too much if they charged for the envelope too.
A few minutes later, the messenger owl, holding a plump envelope, left the village, and Kyle disappeared as well.
...
(End of Chapter)
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