Kasenhis quickly brought Gedeir to an estate in the outskirts of London.
"That's my home. They're inside." Gedeir took a deep breath, his face slightly flushed as he spoke in a daze.
"Let's go in. I won't let them get hurt." Kasenhis patted Gedeir on the shoulder, intending for him to lead the way. However, noticing that he clearly did not want to walk in front, Kasenhis simply moved ahead himself, letting Gedeir follow behind.
"Professor, what if they point their wands at you?" Gedeir suddenly asked from the rear.
"They might suffer a tiny little injury. Don't worry, just a small one." Kasenhis explained as he slowly pushed open the castle gates.
Clang!
The crisp sound made Kasenhis feel something was off.
In the next instant, a pulling force surged from all directions, instantly suspending him evenly in midair.
"…Magnetism? Gedeir, you've really grown! Back when I taught you about Muggle science in class, you were the least interested. But I have to admit, this move of yours is the most impressive."
At this point, no matter how slow Kasenhis was, he had already realized he had been set up by Gedeir.
From the moment the boy tremblingly climbed onto the stands to ask him for help, he had been planning to lure him here and take him down.
As for the claim that he was some cotton ball that had popped out of a gutter, that might not have been trustworthy either.
At most, it was just a safer excuse to trick him into coming here.
"It's all thanks to your teaching, Professor." Gedeir pulled out his wand and gave it a casual flick. A sickly green light shot straight toward Kasenhis.
With a bang, the Beginner's Arcane Grimoire and the Arcane Manual appeared around him in perfect sync, blocking the Killing Curse.
"It seems your dear professor still kept a few tricks from you." Two figures descended the staircase at the far end of the hall. Kasenhis twisted his head to look. They appeared to be Gedeir's parents.
"Can't be helped. This thing mainly depends on talent. Ordinary people… can't be taught." he said casually.
"But Professor, you should be happy. I couldn't learn those two little things around you, but this one, I mastered it!" Gedeir revealed a smile. Behind him, a folded mechanical arm suddenly appeared. It didn't look metallic at all. Instead, it resembled… some kind of stone?
"This is the triumph of an ancient pure-blood family's heritage!" Gedeir sneered as he drove the mechanical arm to stab toward Kasenhis.
The latter forcefully seized control of the mechanical arm despite the powerful magnetic restraint, yanking it free in one motion and violently knocking Gedeir's arm aside.
In that split second, Gedeir felt confused. He thought he saw a sudden smile curl at the corner of Kasenhis's mouth.
Then his expression changed drastically.
Because the mechanical arm behind him had already slipped out of his control. In just a few seconds, the arm he had been commanding moments ago became the cage that restrained him.
"Gedeir… you actually dared to use my own move against me."
Floating midair, Kasenhis smiled as he took full control of the mechanical arm, instantly locking Gedeir's hands and feet before forcibly snapping them apart.
The remaining mechanical arm segments rapidly split into section after section, shooting straight toward Gedeir's parents.
Squelch~!
In almost an instant, the two of them had their hearts pierced through.
Only then did Kasenhis manipulate the Beginner's Arcane Grimoire, using gravity magic to forcibly press himself down to the ground.
When his feet finally touched solid earth again, he began walking step by step toward Gedeir, who was pinned to the floor by his own mechanical arm.
"Your former professor, Remus Lupin, once gave me a book. It recorded how to tell whether someone has been placed under the Imperius Curse. One of the signs is whether there's any spark in their eyes… Unfortunately, Gedeir, your eyes are among the most striking in Slytherin."
"I used to like all of you. I treated you equally." Kasenhis murmured as he pulled a small vial from his robes.
"This is a potion Grindelwald gave me. It can temporarily block the control of the Imperius Curse. He told me to use it together with Veritaserum. Do you think I need Veritaserum? No… do you think you need Veritaserum?" Kasenhis first fed Gedeir the anti-control potion, then took out a small silver vial and asked.
"You just... killed my parents! You killed them!" Gedeir roared. The words clearly carried a double meaning. On one hand, it was vicious condemnation. On the other, it proved he was not under the Imperius Curse.
"I said drink the potion," Kasenhis said coldly.
"You already know the answer!" Gedeir shouted.
This time Kasenhis did not waste words. He reached out, forced Gedeir's mouth open, and used a rubber-tipped dropper to drip three or four drops of Veritaserum into it.
Instantly, Gedeir's gaze turned hollow and vacant.
"I'm asking you, were you under the Imperius Curse!" Kasenhis demanded.
"No."
"Were you coerced? Coerced by any means!"
"No."
"Did anyone brainwash you into ambushing me? Or use memory magic!"
"No."
"You defected to Voldemort?"
"Yes."
"Who forced you to join him? Who guided you to join him?"
"No one forced me. No one guided me."
"All of this was your own choice?"
"Yes."
"..I.. wow..." Kasenhis slowly stood up. He pulled out the small hip flask from his pocket and took a fierce swig. In an instant, a scorching breath surged up from his lungs, making him want to cough, but he forcibly suppressed it by sharply drawing in more air.
"Tell me why," he asked the final question.
"Because I am a noble pure-blood. I don't want filthy Mudbloods to defile the wonder of magic, nor do I want stinking Muggles to share this world with us," Gedeir said hollowly.
"…I understand." Kasenhis spoke softly, not caring whether Gedeir in this state could comprehend him. As he spoke, he guided the mechanical arm to press against Gedeir's forehead.
With a faint tremor, a drop of blood slid down from his brow. The eyes that had already been hollow now held not the slightest trace of light.
"…Let's just say… I was blind." Kasenhis murmured quietly as he looked at Gedeir, whose brain had already been shattered by the vibration of his mechanical arm.
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