Bloren's tone carried with it a sense of pain and disappointment, as Abigail clenched her teeth and said nothing, her eyes turning red.
She didn't think she had forgotten; she simply... had found some breathing space while interacting with the children...
However, the Guardian God had indeed changed, and this was something she could not explain.
Byrd slightly averted his gaze, looking at the bottles on the shelf reflecting the light.
A wizard educated in the system, with a legitimate identity, joining their anti-wizard organization naturally had a reason—
Either they grew up in the organization, with family members who were also part of it, identifying with the organization more than with the teachers and classmates at the Magic School.
Or they were like Abigail, filled with hatred towards the wizard community, even secretly wishing for herself and the world to be destroyed together.
After a moment of silence, Bloren sighed and softened his tone.
"Serra, you're tired, go back and rest for a while." He said, "You don't need to return to that school."
"My task isn't finished yet," Abigail suddenly raised her head and said unwillingly, "I am willing to prove myself through actions!"
"I remember you mentioned in your letter that Vid Gray has already handed over the poppet to you?" Bloren asked.
"... Yes."
"Then your task is already complete," Bloren said.
The faint smile on his face had completely vanished, replaced by obscured suspicion and distrust in his eyes.
Aligier felt a chill in her heart, clenched her fists, lowered her gaze and said, "I understand."
...
Watching his companion leave in a daze, Byrd finally spoke: "Serra just rescued the students on the train, at the peak of her prestige, and the students have great trust in her... Her departure now is greatly unfavorable to our mission."
Bloren let out a deep sigh.
The grey-haired bartender beside them spoke up while wiping a glass, "Better a failed mission than risking a comrade's betrayal."
"Abigail has too much confidential information; her betrayal would cause immeasurable damage to the organization."
"And wizards like her, who have mastered most of the magic system and are highly accomplished, are scarce within the organization. Even if not dispatched, keeping her at the base to teach the children is better than a potential change in stance."
"I understand," Byrd nodded.
"How is that child you're guiding?" Bloren asked, "The task seems to be progressing unsatisfactorily?"
"Yes," Byrd said shamefully, "Vid Gray remains elusive even at school, very difficult to approach. Carrel ended up in a different house, so there's rarely an opportunity to interact."
"It seems I may have chosen the wrong person," Bloren gently shook his head, "Thinking that with that child's affinity, it'd be easier to establish a relationship and exert influence. But I forgot that if the opposite side is a snow mountain, a mere torch cannot ignite it."
"I heard that even students from Ravenclaw find it difficult to get a word in with Gray."
Byrd frowned, "He has very few friends and pulls them into a small group to focus on studying and research."
"No games, no romance, no parties, no matches – he barely appears in the house's common room; even his closest friends don't know his whereabouts when there are no classes."
Byrd's face was incredulous, unable to comprehend how any teenager could live like this, pondering the meaning of such a life?
In the past six months, Byrd hadn't been idle; he opened a snack shop in Hogsmeade, where numerous students visited during the weekends. Even without deliberately eavesdropping, he overheard lots of school gossip.
After hearing about it for a long time, he forgave Carrel's slow progress—he himself wouldn't know how to approach someone impossible to find.
"Vid Gray accomplished so much, surpassing most adult wizards in just two or three years, without a heart content with solitude, enduring loneliness, it's impossible," Bloren said in an admiring tone, "Our organization has thrived due to that spirit. From a different perspective, such a pure scholar is actually easier to exploit."
— A pure scholar?
Byrd recalled some rumors he'd heard—like turning cockroaches into cockroach bulls, terrifying classmates into wetting their pants—which made him feel this "scholar" wasn't that pure.
But he still bowed, saying: "Yes, you are right."
"Don't worry too much about the mission—you will have new collaborators," Bloren said.
Byrd hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is it... the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"
Serra needed to return, so naturally a new professor would assume this position.
At Hogwarts, only the professor of this subject often changed, making it the most frequent spot to place personnel.
Bloren shook his head, "We can't keep revolving around the same position... go back and wait patiently."
"Yes."
...
Considering the parents' presence would make the children feel constrained, during this holiday Ferdinand had one of Westminster's residences cleaned up ahead of time. Vid, Harry, and Michael moved in on the third day of their holiday.
This time each of them had their own bedroom and didn't need to wake up on time for breakfast. On the second day after moving over, Michael slept until noon.
Located in the central area of London, Westminster was far livelier than the remote town where the Gray family previously resided. The group went to see movies in the morning when it was less crowded and watched operas in the evening.