Chapter 889
The Curse on the Heart
Chapter 889 The Curse on the Heart
The dim gas lamp flickered, and the sound of water droplets dripping from the vaulted ceiling was exceptionally clear in the silence.
Yodl Brolin, the new leader of the Purifiers, stood before a wooden table covered with an old map. His suit was still neat and elegant, but the surrounding environment was unusually dilapidated.
Because not long ago, their hideout had fallen into the control of the UMNO party.
Although more than a day has passed, and the UMNO members have probably already left the cave, no one has suggested sending someone to check it out.
Once a stronghold has been exposed, it must never be approached a second time—this is a lesson learned by the Purgers through blood and tears during their long struggle.
Although many wizards have joined them, possessing a wide range of magic, and even adult wizards like Sera Abigail who graduated from orthodox schools, the Purifiers can never truly ascertain the extent of the enemy's capabilities compared to the entire magical world.
Similarly, most wizards are also confused about Muggle methods.
The UMNO destroyed the surveillance cameras a few minutes too late, which was enough for Brolin and others who fled to the abandoned subway tunnel to figure out how they were exposed through the recorded video.
"A drunkard... a fool who couldn't control his tongue... almost ruined the situation we'd built up over many years!"
Brolin spoke softly, but a chilling anger seemed to surge within the tunnel's hollow walls.
Rolando Stern sighed and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, it's my fault... I should have thought of it sooner. It was too reckless to put such a student, who just came out of the training base, in such a heavy responsibility."
But they had no other choice, because there were not many wizards among the Purifiers, and most of them held important positions.
Those who spread rumors in the magical world must be wizards or people with wizarding blood; otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to find the entrances to those hidden shops in the magical world.
Over time, the students who had just come out of the training base became the only choice, and their innocent and naive temperament made it easier to gain people's trust.
Who would have thought that such a simple task as chatting with someone could turn into such a huge mess?
Upon hearing this, Abigail, who was standing against the wall, quickly straightened up and said remorsefully:
"No, it was my fault. I... I only taught them how to gather magic and how to use spells, but I forgot to train them in the caution and self-control they should have when carrying out missions... I'm sorry."
She lowered her head, and images flashed before her eyes of Oliver's admiring voices as he learned magic from her at the training base:
"Teacher Abigail, you are amazing!"
"Teacher, I've mastered a new magic spell! Come and see how good it is!"
"Teacher, teacher, what interesting things happened to you after you went out this time? Please tell us...please!"
Abigail felt a sharp pain in her heart, and in a daze, she seemed to hear other happy, chaotic voices shouting:
Merry Christmas, Professor Abigail!
"Haha, dear Sera, you're going to be the students' favorite professor!"
"Dementors are terrifying! Professor, thank goodness you saved us in time!"
A voice pulled her out of that hallucination that felt both real and unreal—
“This is not your fault, Sera.”
Brolin, suppressing his anger, said, "Teaching the next generation how to behave wasn't originally your job." "This failure also serves as a reminder: for children with too many ideas, discipline alone isn't enough. They need regular exposure to the outside world, lest a drink or two make them forget who they are!"
"Yes," everyone replied, bowing their heads.
Nobody's foolish enough to remind Brolin at this time—
Bringing underage wizards to isolated training bases was intended to facilitate brainwashing and cultivate their loyalty to the organization, as well as to prevent the dazzling and colorful world from causing them to forget their initial... hatred for the magical world.
"As for that kid Oliver Hornby... find him! Make him pay for his loose tongue! We'll let everyone know the consequences of betraying the Purifiers!"
“No problem.” Stern nodded. “However… if I’m not mistaken, he should be dead by now.”
"Why?" Abigail asked, frowning. "Wouldn't a wizard rather keep him alive to extract information than kill him to vent his anger? Besides, the Magical Congress of America, like Britain, doesn't easily sentence people to death."
“Sera…” Stern called softly, his eyes filled with barely perceptible sympathy and pity.
Abigail suddenly felt extremely uneasy. She quietly withdrew her trembling fingers and said as calmly as possible, "Rolando, what do you want to say?"
There's something I've never told you before.
Stern hesitated, then slowly said, "When those children were sent to the training base, the leader... I mean, Leader Thorne... would have a curse placed on their hearts..."
Abigail felt a buzzing sound in her ears, as if hundreds of people were ringing bells. Her pupils constricted instantly, and she instinctively wanted to refuse to listen, but some invisible force held her firmly to the ground.
Stern's voice seemed to drift across the lake, faintly and indistinctly:
"If they choose to betray the organization and leak secrets in the future, the curse will be activated immediately, causing them to die from internal bleeding."
"This process is very rapid and occurs inside the body, so even a wizard... cannot stop it."
"So...if Oliver hadn't survived the interrogation and had revealed the secret, or had been forced to take truth serum...either way, he's dead now."
“Oh, is that so!” Abigail heard herself say in a very cold voice. “That is indeed a good way to avoid leaks. So? Could it be that I also have such a curse on my heart?”
“How could that be?” Stern smiled gently. “You joined the organization of your own volition, and your conviction is stronger than anyone else’s. You don’t need any shackles.”
Abigail looked at him coldly: "Stern, don't think I'm as easy to fool as a three-year-old."
Stern silently observed her expression and saw that she seemed only concerned about whether she was cursed, showing no anger or dissatisfaction at the fate of Oliver and the others. His smile became more genuine.
"I am telling the truth."
He said helplessly, "Of course, the main reason is... you used to deal with powerful wizards who were already famous, like Albus Dumbledore and Fontana."
"People like them might have some means of detecting curses. In order to hide your identity, the curse will naturally not fall on you."
However, this "preferential treatment" is only available to a very small number of the most trustworthy wizards.
Stern glanced at Abigail silently, then swallowed the rest of his words.
(End of this chapter)