Bound to the tree, Grindelwald writhed like a trapped animal.
Night in New York meant daylight somewhere in Europe. Under normal circumstances, a prisoner transfer would involve a clean handover between Ministries.
But this… this abandonment in a forest was absolutely wrong.
His mind raced, have they struck a deal with Aberforth?
A cold wave ran down his spine.
Aberforth, who despised him for Ariana's death. Aberforth, who would not hesitate to snap his neck if given the chance.
Even worse, this forest.
The air crawled with the presence of something alive. Did the American Ministry intend to feed me to a magical creature?
He yanked against the magic-reinforced ropes, forcing his suppressed power to surge despite the shackles.
Move. Escape. Fight.
A sound cut through the woods…
Da-da-da-da
Fast footsteps.
"…"
A black blur streaked between the trees, moving with inhuman speed… skimming across branches, flickering behind trunks, vanishing and reappearing again.
Even with all his experience, he couldn't track it.
A heavy crack echoed and massive tree toppled just meters in front of him.
Grindelwald swallowed hard.
Without warning.
Shff!
A figure landed before him.
A girl no older than fourteen or fifteen stood panting lightly, sweat dripping down her brows.
Short brown hair and huge dark-brown eyes sharpened by battle.
Two violet markings painted her cheeks.
And in her hand… A curved dagger, unlike anything forged in the wizarding world.
She pointed it directly at his face, eyes full of killing intent.
Grindelwald's pupils shrank.
Her clothing, her movements… none of it matched any magical culture he knew.
Some kind of magical creature… disguised as a human? She radiated hunger or hatred… possibly both.
He tried to speak, to bargain, to charm, to manipulate, anything.
But Seraphina's silencing spell held firm.
"MMMPH! Mmmph!"
The girl's glare didn't waver and the murder in her gaze lit like flint. Nohara Rin remembered Garfield's words clearly, spoken with his tail raised.
'Grindelwald tricked a boy, shattered his heart, killed his beloved sister in front of him and his brother, and then sparked wars everywhere, causing chaos and pain.'
'Truly a terrible man.'
To a girl who had watched a world torn by war…
To a medic who hated those who manipulated youths into violence…
"Sinner," Rin whispered in her native tongue.
Grindelwald didn't understand the words. But the tone, he understood perfectly.
She despises me… sweat rolled down his temple.
Is she someone I wronged before? Someone left over from a past atrocity?
Am I about to die here like this?
He thrashed against the bindings.
"MMMMMPH! Dumbledore! Dumbledore, help me!"
Rin pressed the kunai to his cheek and a thin line of blood welled up.
Pain… utterly mundane shot through him. Even bound, the sting made him flinch.
Rin tilted her head thoughtfully.
"…"
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!
A roaring blast of flame scorched the tree beside his face.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
A spiraling torrent slammed into the ground, soaking him and ripping out roots.
A flurry of chakra-enhanced punches!
Thud. Thud. THUD.
Rin worked like a field researcher cataloguing a specimen.
Grindelwald felt like he had become the specimen.
After several minutes of torment, she finally stepped back, pulled a small notebook from her pouch, and began writing while he wheezed miserably.
"The subject's body is more durable than an ordinary human," She murmured in her language. "He has some resistance to elemental arts."
"Likely due to his magical core. Pain response is identical to that of regular humans."
She nodded, satisfied, and tucked the notebook away.
Grindelwald shivered. She wasn't a creature here to eat him, she was far worse.
Rin Nohara's stomach rumbled.
"…" Was she going to eat him?
She pressed one hand over her abdomen.
Her dark eyes slid toward Grindelwald, currently tied to the tree and looking very much like he regretted every life decision he had ever made.
Rin glared at him as if blaming him for her hunger, then turned and walked away.
Grindelwald was left alone in the forest, breathing shallowly.
Rin, however, wasn't worried in the slightest. This was Garfield's territory… no one would dare touch the prisoner.
She followed the hidden path and slipped through a concealed stone door into the underground passageway.
A minute later, she emerged into the back of Garfield's shop. Midnight light filtered through the windows of the second floor, warm and golden.
Garfield lay sprawled across a mountain of cushions like a pampered emperor.
Lilith and Vivienne were setting the table. And Queenie ever the professional chef, was adjusting the flame beneath a pan, the scent of something heavenly drifting through the room.
"King Garfield," Rin greeted with a slight bow.
Garfield flicked an ear. "How's the test?"
Rin stepped forward, placed her notebook beside him, and reported crisply.
"I performed low-level ninjutsu attacks on the villain. He shows moderate resistance to chakra techniques. This is the detailed report."
Garfield lifted the notebook with one paw, flipping through the pages. Lines of neat language characters filled the paper.
Fortunately, most major Earth languages had roots that Garfield could decipher, especially after a little creative guessing.
"Mm. I see. Nicely done."
He nodded approvingly. "Go wash up. Dinner's almost ready."
Rin smiled. "Thank you Garfield."
As she left, Garfield added, "And remember, bad men like Grindelwald are masters of manipulation."
"One sentence from him can scramble someone's mind. Half the U.S. Ministry is in prison right now because they fell for his charismatic nonsense."
"Rin understands." Rin blinked.
When she was gone, Garfield stretched, feeling strangely paternal.
Such a cute child, he thought. Cheap Obito and cheap Kakashi.
Eternal single dogs… serves them right.
"Sexy cat, she's adorable." Inside his soul realm, Pandora's voice suddenly chimed.
"Aren't you tempted to pat her on the head?"
"Pandora, I'm a cat of principles." Garfield's tail puffed dramatically. "I do not touch other people's snacks."
"She's a girl, not a snack."
"Hah! Says you! Also, have you seen the original Great Devourer illustrations? Fat orange."
"Then why aren't the others fat oranges? Hmph. You're just lazy."
"Don't tell me you are the director of my manga."
"Of course not."
"Then why are you huffing like that? Constipated?"
"Go. Away."
"I know a great clinic, psychiatric hospital~
Before he could finish, Pandora bit him sharply. Garfield clamped his mouth shut, teary-eyed.
Women, impossible to handle.
He was still nursing his wounded pride when a vortex opened outside the shop.
Seraphina and Tina stepped out, their cloaks fluttering. The door chimed as they entered.
Garfield, regaining his majestic composure, sat upright on his cushion.
"How is Grindelwald?" Seraphina didn't waste time.
Garfield lifted his paw casually. "Rin just finished evaluating him. He's resting in the woods."
"Resting?" Seraphina narrowed her eyes.
"No deception candy involved." Garfield deadpanned. "Come on, if I wanted to kill him, he wouldn't last long enough to file complaints."
Seraphina exhaled, shoulders relaxing. "Very well. We just came from the Ministry."
"There might be suspicions, but… nothing concrete. Grindelwald has too many secrets and too many people want answers."
Garfield shrugged. "They'll find out eventually."
"When the time comes, I'll give Grindelwald a full ideological and moral re-education. A total overhaul of his worldview."
He tapped his chest with pride. "New life outlook and new moral alignment."
"I'll fix him and turn him into a productive wizard instead of a troublemaker."
He paused dramatically. "I call this noble initiative~"
His tail swished with flair. "The Saving Grindelwald Project."
"…?" Seraphina stared.
"…!!" Tina blinked.
"Hsha…" Lilith covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
"…?!" Queenie almost dropped her spoon.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
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