Chapter 927
Homeless
Chapter 927 Homeless
“Why didn’t you hand me over to that guy?” Abigail asked. “He’s one of your men, isn’t he? You should know that if you captured me, you would get a lot of information about the Purifiers.”
"Intelligence on the Purgers?" Braun gave a cryptic smile and said, "No, there's no need."
Abigail didn't understand, but she didn't want to say anything more to this person.
“If your UMNO party doesn’t intend to arrest me,” she said with a distant look and a flat voice, “then I should leave.”
Despite her still being weak, Abigail turned and left.
"Leave?" Braun's voice sounded behind her, calmly asking, "Miss Abigail, where can you go?"
Abigail stopped abruptly, her back stiffening.
Yes, where could she go? Back to the Purifiers? They probably wouldn't accept her there anymore.
Returning to the magical world? She vehemently rejected that possibility.
After a moment's hesitation, Abigail said, "I want to go back to New York."
"Oh?" Braun asked, "Go back to those comrades who betrayed you, and continue to risk your life for them? That loyalty is truly touching... I'm almost moved to tears!"
His sarcastic tone showed he knew how to stab people in the heart.
Abigail did not retort, but simply said expressionlessly:
“My companions…not all of them are heartless bastards! They need to know Brolin’s true colors! Otherwise, I might be the one betrayed today, and someone else could be tomorrow!”
Even if she couldn't fight Brolin's power, at least... she wanted to take her students away. They shouldn't be like her, wallowing in hatred and becoming tools to be used.
I heard applause behind me.
“That’s wonderful, Miss Abigail, but unfortunately…”
Brolin smiled, but the words that came out were exceptionally cruel:
"You still have nowhere to go."
Abigail frowned, but before she could speak, Braun casually tossed a folded newspaper into her lap.
"Take a good look. This is a major event that just happened while you and that vampire were on your way to Washington!"
Abigail looked down and her eyes widened in shock—
The front page of the newspaper prominently featured the emblem of the Magical Congress and a huge photograph—the very Purifier's secret base where she had once stayed, now reduced to ruins, with Aurors busily working on the scene.
In the corner stood the imposing Leila Picqueli.
"The day after you left the base, the old nest was uprooted by the Magic Congress."
"Except for Brolin who slipped away beforehand, everyone else, including those you know, has been captured," Braun said.
He looked at her face, which had turned deathly pale, and her shoulders, which were trembling slightly, and added:
"Congratulations, Miss Abigail."
“Now, you are not only a traitor to the Purifiers, but in the official records, you are also likely a ‘fugitive’ Purifier remnant. I believe your wanted poster is currently posted on the wall of Echo Alley.”
"The moment you show your face in New York, countless Aurors will descend from the sky to give you an unprecedentedly warm welcome!"
Abigail stood frozen in place, her trembling fingers tracing the familiar ruins in the photograph as she quickly flipped through the pages, her pupils contracting violently in shock.
“How could this be…” she murmured in disbelief.
The second page of the newspaper featured a lengthy account of Brolin, the escaped leader of the Purge, who was only shown in a slightly blurry photograph.
The third page lists Stern and the other members who escaped, including Abigail and Glenn White, as well as some members from other bases.
Under the Magic Council's methods, no one could keep a secret, and Abigail was not surprised to see her name appear on it.
But then, her fingers trembled violently again. She saw the student who had seen her off as she left, hoping she would return home soon.
The bewildered young girl, with Leila Picqueli's arm around her shoulder, looked terrified, her eyes wide open, like a fawn abandoned alone in the wilderness.
Abigail's heart clenched as she read the contents word by word:
A righteous iron fist and a benevolent heart—Lyra Piqueli, the Magic Congress Operations Commander, leads her team to crush the Purifiers' lair and save bewitched young souls.
...It is understood that these young people are between six and eighteen years old, and most of them come from Squid families or marginalized groups who feel alienated from magical society.
They were lured by the purgers with false promises of "providing a sense of belonging" and "creating a purer world," and subjected to long-term mental control and brutal training.
“…No,” Abigail thought to herself, “Most of us come from families destroyed by wizards!”
"They are also victims, the most direct victims of hate ideology."
In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Ms. Picqueli, who was calmly directing operations on site, spoke with a firm yet compassionate tone.
She emphasized that the Magical Congress's duty is not only to punish evil, but also to protect every wizard, especially the most vulnerable younger generation...
The Magical Congress will collaborate with the Ilvarmoni Magical School to help these rescued young people start new lives...
A senior member of the Wissengamo U.S. seat commented, "Assistant Piqueli demonstrated not only efficient execution but also a rare and valuable statesman's demeanor. She understands that true victory lies not in how many enemies are destroyed, but in how many futures are won."
"That's nice to say!"
Abigail said through gritted teeth, her body trembling slightly.
She knew Fontana was a good headmaster, and Ilvermorny was a decent school. But because she had grown up in a magic school, Abigail knew better what American wizards thought of the Purifiers.
This cannot be changed by some high-sounding words in the news or the attitude of one or two professors.
Her students were purgers, which, in the eyes of the wizards, was their original sin. Even if the child did nothing wrong, they would still be ostracized, hated, and oppressed by those around them.
In that kind of environment, even if you have enough to eat and wear, every minute is painful.
Braun observed the changing expressions on her face, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
"If you have nowhere to go, why not find something to do? For example, come with me to catch Brolin who escaped. Or, go dig into the secrets of Prometheus."
Abigail looked up at him and asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you know what I want?"
Braun smiled and said, "I can probably guess."
"If you can get something of sufficient value and offer to exchange it for a few children that no one else cares about except you, those officials will probably be happy to make the deal."
"Do you think... if they didn't want to maintain a good public image, they would be happy to take care of these troublesome children?"
"Once things calm down, even if you ask to raise and care for your own child as a relative, do you think the Magic Council can refuse?"
"Of course, I guess you... probably can't wait that long?"
A glimmer of hope flickered in Abigail's eyes, and her resolve wavered.
Rather than pinning her hopes on the mercy of others, she naturally wanted to rely on her own abilities to bring back the children under the supervision of the Magic Congress.
Although she loathed this kind of transaction that used human lives and freedom as bargaining chips, she also loathed Braun's nonchalant manipulation of other people's fates.
But...did she have any other choice?
Abigail's nails dug deeply into her palms, the pain keeping her sliver of consciousness.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, only indifference and composure remained in her eyes.
"What's next?"
(End of this chapter)