Cornelius Fudge, accompanied by Stirlinger and more than a dozen Aurors, hid in a small forest outside Merlin City, his face twisted with anxiety.
Wipe out the Fire Serpent Party?
He stared at the scene before him—over a hundred explosions echoing within Merlin City—and then shifted his gaze to the thousands of wizards clad in black robes with red trim, encircling the city's towering walls.
Fudge couldn't help but think the idea of the Ministry of Magic suppressing the Fire Serpent Party was laughable. They were too strong. With such power, they could raze the Ministry within minutes.
Still, he misunderstood their intent. One of the Fire Serpent Party's leaders had once said, "What good is a shattered Wizarding World?" They didn't want destruction—they sought total control. For that, legitimacy was essential. So, they exercised restraint, selectively eliminating only certain individuals.
Despite knowing their weakness, Fudge had still come. He had no choice. Almost all the wizarding world's wealthiest citizens had relocated to Merlin City. If the Fire Serpent Party committed atrocities there, global outrage would drown him, both as Minister of Magic and politically. An impeachment from the Ministry itself would be inevitable.
Even if they lacked the strength, at least their attitude had to be right.
Now, everything depended on whether the Earl could turn the tide.
Merlin City, like Hogwarts, had a reputation for being the safest place in the magical world—Fudge could only hope it wasn't just a boast.
"Minister, look!"
Stirlinger, head of the Auror Office, pointed toward the high wall.
Fudge squinted and saw hundreds of Fire Serpent Party members positioning dark metal boxes at the base of the wall.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
Ignorant fool. Stirlinger rolled his eyes privately but still explained, "Those are Buggit Alchemy Bombs. Back in the 13th century, a Spanish Dark Wizard named Buggit used them to destroy an entire Inquisition unit. No one survived within a two-mile radius."
Fudge's face turned pale.
"That powerful? What are we doing still standing here? Retreat! Quickly!"
Before they could get far, the bombs exploded.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave blasted through the forest, sending Fudge flying several meters, face-first into the grass.
Ptooey! Ptooey!
He sprang up, brushing away the twitching weeds. After confirming that all his limbs were intact, he let out a long sigh of relief.
When he looked back toward the city wall, thick smoke obscured everything.
"It's over... it's all over..." he muttered in despair. "If anything happens to Merlin City, we're finished."
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Merlin City
The explosions outside had emptied the store of all its customers, but the famous twins—Fred and George Weasley—stood unfazed.
They opened the shop doors, stepped outside, and clapped gleefully as bursts of color lit up the sky.
"George, wasn't Merlin City supposed to be impossible to attack?" Fred asked with a grin.
"Isn't that the fun part? If nobody dared to attack, we wouldn't get to see such an amazing show!"
Fred nodded. "The defensive arrays here are truly insane. I can't even begin to understand them. Leaving such powerful arrays unused would be such a waste."
Another explosion shook the outside walls. Dust rose ten meters high, but from inside the city, the blue hexagonal shields shimmered calmly, unmoved by the violence. Not even a speck of dust penetrated the shield.
"How strange," Fred muttered.
"Yeah," George replied. "Why aren't the bombs inside the city as strong as the ones outside?"
Fred narrowed his eyes. "Exactly. Even if the results are similar, wouldn't stronger bombs inside make more sense?"
Behind them, a few shop assistants started to sweat nervously. These two were a bit too sharp for comfort. Would they figure out that the entire attack was just a staged performance?
"Fred, look!" George suddenly gasped.
Fred followed his brother's gaze. Two wizards in red-trimmed black robes were struck by red light from a street lamp—and vanished instantly.
"That's..."
"What spell can erase someone without a trace?"
Fred narrowed his eyes. "It didn't kill them."
George nodded. "Exactly. If it didn't kill them... then it must have..."
The twins looked at each other and said in unison, "They were teleported!"
Fred's eyes lit up. "I knew some of those array patterns looked like the Floo Network!"
George beamed. "The Earl is a genius! He must be teleporting them straight into prison!"
"Of course! Why do I feel like Merlin City is even safer than Hogwarts?"
"Same here!"
On the noble platform, the panic gradually subsided.
The Earl and Ewoyn were both unusually calm, and that confidence started to spread. A few nobles leaned against the railing like the Earl, observing everything calmly.
What they saw was astonishing.
Wherever there was an explosion inside the city, a beam of red light would appear within two seconds. Those hit by it disappeared instantly.
The invaders were being wiped out one by one.
And the explosions outside the city? They didn't affect the walls at all. Instead, the jewels embedded in the city's outer walls glowed red—just like those inside the city. Only this time, the red light was wider, thicker, and lasted longer.
Wherever it swept, the attackers were erased—vanishing piece by piece, like pencil sketches rubbed out by an invisible eraser.
Even more unnerving was that multiple gems emitted the red light. This was no one-time defense—it was a network.
Five minutes later.
The smoke cleared. The city was unscathed. Streets were spotless. Houses looked brand new. Not even a window was cracked.
Had there even been an attack? The nobles blinked, wondering if it had all been a shared illusion.
Then the voice of Earl Dantes echoed through the square:
"Alright, the entertainment before the banquet has concluded. Now, with our most enthusiastic welcome, let us greet our new friend—Mr. Ewoyn!"
As his words fell, hundreds of long tables appeared on the platform, laden with rare magical delicacies from across the wizarding world.
"Mr. Ewoyn, I've prepared a few dishes from Huaxia especially for you. Please try them and tell me if they taste authentic."
Ewoyn smiled, nodding politely. "The Earl is most thoughtful. I will gladly taste them."
Hebrides – Behind Dentis Castle
On the vast lawn behind the castle, members of the Fire Serpent Party began arriving in waves—teleported directly from Merlin City.
Despite their abrupt arrival, they moved like a seasoned army. Within moments, they had formed four neat phalanxes by division.
At the front stood Jack Murray, once a nobody—now the captain of the party's Combat Division.
"Comrades!" he shouted. "Today's operation was a resounding success! The leader says he is very pleased with our performance—far more than with Ewoyn's awkward acting!"
A wave of laughter erupted.
Murray continued, "Now report in—any civilian casualties? Any comrades injured?"
"First Squadron—none!"
"Second Squadron—none!"
"Third Squadron—none!"
"Fourth Squadron—Second Squad's Gary Sterley slipped on a banana peel and pulled a groin muscle. He's gone for treatment."
Hahahahaha!
"Excellent! Everyone return to your posts!"
They quickly dispersed. The castle had numerous teleportation arrays connected to Earl Dantes' various properties. Many of today's "attackers" were actually security officers working undercover in Merlin City.
Jack Murray lingered a moment longer, then turned toward the castle interior.
He had urgent business in Diagon Alley. Due to a reckless decision by Gringotts, the Fire Serpent Party had lost 2,741 members in this operation.
That loss wouldn't go unanswered.
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