Chapter 898
Is it a magic puppet?
Chapter 898 Is it a magic puppet?
Victor's lips curled into a nonchalant smile as he asked, "Sorry, the chair isn't long enough."
Ezra Hughes' facial features appeared particularly hard and cold under the dappled shadows of the trees.
He said in a calm voice, "Then let's discuss your recent schedule."
"For example... how did you qualify for the alchemy competition?"
"Also, you were on the same flight to England as Wade Gray, the Purifier's assassins, and others. I remember that when you bought the tickets, your reason was that you wanted to learn more about ancient British culture."
"And the reason you told the other wizards was that you wanted to learn the alchemy of the British magical world."
"Have you finished your studies? Why did you return to New York so soon after arriving in England?"
"Also, when my people were investigating the Harrington family's deaths, do you know what they found in the memories of those Muggles?"
He didn't wait for Victor's reply and gave his answer directly:
"Before the body was discovered, someone saw two bodyguards patrolling in the rain in the courtyard. And one of them... for some reason, looked very similar to Mr. Victor."
Victor shrugged: "People can look alike! It's said that there are at least six strangers in the world who look almost exactly like you but are not related by blood."
As he spoke, he casually shifted his body to the side, causing the wooden bench to creak slightly.
"Please sit down," Victor said lazily. "Actually, I was just looking for someone to chat with."
Ezra Hughes calmly sat down, then his gaze fell on the black dog lying beside him.
Those obsidian-like eyes were watching it from below, but without the curiosity, wariness, or affection of an ordinary pet dog.
Ezra Hughes had a very clear intuition—it was watching him.
That gaze was so real, it seemed to fall on the skin, making the hairs on one's arms stand on end; its nostrils twitched slightly, as if a low growl was being suppressed in its throat.
Victor noticed his gaze and casually asked, "Mr. Hughes, are you interested in my dog?"
"what."
Hughes gave a vague reply, his previously certainty beginning to waver.
Are these lifelike creatures really man-made?
He had also bought a puppet pet for his youngest daughter, but those little guys were like Muggle plush toys—they looked very real at first glance, but once you actually touched them, you would naturally notice the fake parts.
He slowly reached out, wanting to stroke the black dog's head. However, the black dog suddenly turned its head away, revealing a fierce, baring expression.
"I'm sorry, it doesn't like strangers touching it."
Victor said lazily, reaching out to casually pat the dog's back, only to be promptly shaken off.
The black dog got up and walked to the other side of Victor, then lay down again, only its ears twitching slightly.
Hughes's hand hovered in the air for a moment, then he withdrew it, showing no surprise on his face. He simply said with certainty, "Is this the guy who saved people in the rain a few days ago?"
Victor chuckled. "What rescue? What, you've found... a similar dog that someone else has seen?"
Hughes ignored his excuses, simply looking at Victor and asking slowly and clearly, "Is it a... puppet?" "A puppet?" Victor raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like Mr. Hughes suspects I'm involved in... Harrington's death? And that my dog saved someone in the rain, and that it's a puppet..."
He chuckled softly: "Are you trying to label me a criminal, or are you trying to force me into becoming a hero? Or perhaps..."
He leaned forward abruptly, staring intently into Ezra Hughes' eyes with a dangerous smile on his face.
"Mr. Hughes actually wanted to... pin the blame for all the deaths on those British wizards?"
"Why don't you just say so? Maybe... I'll cooperate?"
Victor said in a low voice, his tone laced with amusement and provocation.
Ezra Hughes said calmly, "I just want to know the truth."
Victor, with his arm draped over the back of the chair, asked, "Mr. Hughes, do you think I can give you the truth?"
Ezra Hughes looked at him and said, "At least you... or rather, the people behind you, have information that we don't know about."
After a pause, he added, “I am not your enemy, Mr. Kravchuk. If I had come with ill intentions, I would not be the only one coming to see you.”
"To some extent, our goals are even aligned."
He looked at Victor's seemingly mocking and suspicious eyes, knowing that he would not be able to gain the trust of the man in front of him unless he presented something that hit the nail on the head.
After a brief silence, Hughes finally spoke slowly: "We heard about the existence of that organization from the survivors of the Harrington family..."
He slowly recounted the intelligence he possessed.
Victor's gaze shifted to Hughes's face, his tone cautiously inquisitive: "The Auror office accepted the testimony of two shaken young men without question?"
"...Before that, they drank a truth serum," Hughes said slowly. "Even just one drop is more potent than a Muggle could easily resist."
Victor wasn't too surprised by this answer, because they had used up a lot of their truth serum that night.
After a moment, Hughes let out a soft breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted: "Actually... we can't help but believe it. Because those words are like the last piece of the puzzle, explaining the mystery that has been scattered all over the years."
His fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees, his eyes heavy with memories and a bottomless weariness.
"The old wizard who lived in seclusion disappeared without a sound, and when we found out, the dust in the room was as thick as a nut."
“The foreign wizards who come to visit sometimes disappear midway through their trips. At first, we thought they were using illegal international key transfers. But later we found out… that wasn’t the case.”
"And the number of children enrolled in Ifamoni is less than we anticipated. Principal Fontana has investigated several times, but no matter how he investigates, he hasn't found anything unusual..."
"We've suspected it for a long time..."
Hughes gazed into the distance and said in a low voice, "There's a very large shadow looming over this land of America. It's just that we've never been able to determine exactly what it is..."
Victor didn't reply immediately, but just narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then, in a whisper, he said, "So, Mr. Hughes, regarding your all-out investigation that yielded nothing... have you considered that it might not be because the enemy is too strong, but because your own ranks are not clean?"
(End of this chapter)