"…At that time, I remember the various regional Ministries of Magic gave their recommendations on how to handle those 'Saints.'"
"The plan was to send them back to their original places of residence, then let the local Ministry conduct trials, lock up whoever needed to be locked up, release whoever could be released."
"You get what I mean, right? Imprison the diehards, and then squeeze a fat pile of money out of the ones with weaker wills before letting them go. That way, the Ministry people could pocket a handsome profit."
"Unfortunately, the people at the International Confederation of Wizards weren't so softhearted. Especially when facing the diehard Saints, they didn't even bother with imprisonment, they went straight to the death penalty! So, all the tough ones died."
"As for the ones whose spines weren't so stiff but who still held a glimmer of hope for Lord Grindelwald, they decided to pretend to surrender, pay a huge amount of bail to the Confederation, and wait for a better chance later on."
Hearing this, Link's lips slowly curved upward. In a mocking tone, he said, "And then, your fake surrender slowly turned into a real one."
Beckman froze for a moment, then his expression turned sorrowful. He pulled at his hair in anguish and said painfully, "I should have died with the other Saints back then. But I was too foolish. I actually believed what they said."
Link didn't respond. He simply watched Beckman's display of pain in silence, feeling no emotion, if anything, he even felt a little amused.
Whether Beckman was telling the truth or not was hard to tell. After all, among those who had once said 'the water's too cold', there were indeed some who later tried to make small amends out of guilt.
Good or bad, it was always hard to judge.
But Link wasn't interested in judging. He only cared about profit.
After pulling his hair for a long while, Beckman finally calmed down.
He patiently smoothed his hair back into place before continuing, "Those people did a lot of things to betray Lord Grindelwald, and in doing so they reaped plenty of benefits from both the German Ministry of Magic and the Confederation."
"At first, for the sake of our old brotherhood, I kept hoping they would turn back from their mistakes. But this time, I really can't take it anymore. Link, do you know what they're planning to do?"
Seeing that Beckman was serious, Link sensibly followed up, "What?"
"They're all living comfortable lives now, so they're terrified that Lord Grindelwald might one day come back for revenge. So they've decided to go and meet him one last time, to talk with him, to see if they can make him understand their situation, maybe help him 'save face.'"
"I'm guessing if Grindelwald doesn't want to save face, they'll 'help him' save it, right?"
Link sneered.
Because unlike normal prisoners, Grindelwald still retained a certain degree of freedom and refused visits from most people.
For that group of traitors to use the excuse of a 'visit' or 'talk' about face, they were clearly planning to kill him.
"Exactly. That's why I can't stand by anymore." Beckman's face twisted with rage.
"They've grown too powerful, and I alone can't punish them. That's why I came to you, Link."
"If the Beckman family joins forces with the Flamel family, that should be enough. As long as you agree to cooperate, after it's done I'll hand the Beckman family over to you."
"And perhaps we can even take a bite out of those traitors' estates. Also, if possible, I'd like you to go meet Lord Grindelwald."
"I can agree to the cooperation part. That's not difficult for me. As for meeting Grindelwald…"
Link waved his hand.
It wasn't that he didn't want to meet Grindelwald.
He was actually quite curious about the original Dark Lord.
Not to mention, Grindelwald might have a golden skill point up for grabs, and Link was only one point short of upgrading Sectumsempra to Level 7.
The problem was, Grindelwald might not want to meet him.
If Link went and Grindelwald refused to see him, and then Beckman turned on him afterward, that would be a mess.
"You don't have to worry," Beckman said, shaking his head.
"That's just a personal request. Whether or not you meet Lord Grindelwald won't affect your inheritance of the Beckman family."
"Of course, it'd be best if you could meet and chat with him. After all, someone has to carry on the honor and ideals of our generation. I can't convince you, so all I can do is pin my hopes on Lord Grindelwald."
"In that case, I agree." Link sighed in relief and nodded. "Then let's make an Unbreakable Vow."
"No rush. I mean, let's wait until we get back and have your mother act as witness. Do you think she'll come if we tell her that's the reason?"
"Of course."
"Good. Honestly, I miss her. We'll handle that when we return. But for now, we have another more urgent matter to deal with."
As Beckman spoke, he waved his wand forcefully. The pitch-black forest before them split open on its own, revealing a small, shabby thatched hut.
Beckman led Link to the hut, then solemnly said again, "There's a banquet going on in there right now, held by those traitors."
"They're discussing the details of the plan to assassinate Lord Grindelwald and rallying support for it. As one of the cowards who once surrendered, of course I was invited too."
"Tonight, the main purpose of bringing you here is so you can take a good look at who they are, it'll make things easier when it's time to punish them later."
"But before we go in, I have to confirm again, are you really willing to step into this mess?"
"Of course!" Link said with a smirk. "Otherwise what do you think we've been standing here talking for?"
Hearing that, Beckman smiled faintly, nodded, and finally pushed open the rickety wooden door that looked like it would collapse with a gust of wind.
Contrary to its shabby exterior, the inside of the hut was enormous and extravagantly decorated.
Under the bright glow of magical lamps, towering piles of wine glasses and countless dishes were laid out casually across a long table draped in white cloth.
Around the table hung expensive magical paintings, gem-encrusted furniture, and glittering chandeliers.
Link was already used to these magically expanded, disguised chambers, so his attention naturally turned to the people at the banquet instead.
Considering the size of the hall, there actually weren't that many guests.
Aside from two Veela in the center performing something clearly inappropriate for children, there were only eight people in total.
Four men, some old, some young, were gathered around the Veela, laughing lewdly.
In one corner, two twin women huddled together whispering with another pair of men.
The moment Link and Beckman entered, everyone's attention shifted toward them. Even the two Veela froze mid-pose, waiting for the host to announce whether to continue.
Beckman paid no attention to the stares. He pointed his wand to his throat and cast a Sonorus Charm to introduce in a low voice, "Counting the Beckman family, there were five families that surrendered back then."
"See that black-haired couple in the corner? That's the Schwartz family. The old woman was already everyone's plaything when she followed Lord Grindelwald back in the day."
"After surrendering, she only got worse. Her son, young Schwartz, probably has no idea who his real father even is."
"What? You're asking for their names?"
"My dear grandson, you don't need to know the names of people about to die, that's just a waste of time. All you need to know is that they're the Schwartzes, and they run a lot of beauty-related businesses."
"The twin women chatting with them belong to the Kugel family. Their father's the loudest, most vulgar one who was just shouting at the Veela."
"The Kugel family's the most useless of them all. Old Kugel doesn't even have a proper business, he just lives off his daughters, who scam money from men with their looks."
"As for the remaining three, those two who look like a grandfather and grandson are from the Hartmann family. Their family's full of muscle-headed fools always being used by others. Old Hartmann's son died being tricked, and that young one beside him is his grandson, Little Hartmann."
"Still, the Hartmanns are the richest among this bunch. They control most of Germany's underground wizard trade. Those two Veela performing? They brought them. Their family's got strong control over taverns and brothels alike."
"Oh! Looks like Little Hartmann's heading our way. He's coming for you, Link."
Beckman folded his arms and smiled.
He clearly wanted to see how Link would handle this.
At that moment, a burly young man built more like a boxer than a wizard stomped up to them.
He gave Beckman and Link a thorough look before speaking with a mocking grin, "Uncle Beckman, is this the so-called heir you mentioned? Link Flamel, right? The fool from the Flamel family?"
As he spoke, Little Hartmann stepped closer, puffing his chest and looming over Link with his towering two-meter frame, his eyes full of scorn.
Link ignored him and instead looked around the room.
He noticed that neither Little Hartmann's grandfather nor anyone else had any intention of stopping him, they were all just watching, eager to see what would happen.
'A test, huh?'
Link's mind raced. Based on Beckman's earlier descriptions of the Hartmanns, he quickly concluded that Little Hartmann was probably being used as someone's pawn again.
"Hey, Link, why aren't you saying anything?" Little Hartmann's grin grew crueler when Link didn't reply.
"Oh, right, I forgot, you're an idiot. Even though your mother made a fuss and helped you win this year's Triwizard Tournament, deep down you're still just a fool."
He turned to Beckman. "Uncle Beckman, maybe you should reconsider my grandfather's proposal to let me inherit your family."
"After all, the reason your grandson turned out this stupid must be because of your bloodline. If a Hartmann like me took over, maybe I could help improve your family's blood and prevent fools like this from being born, right?"
When he finished, Little Hartmann burst into wild laughter.
The others in the room didn't laugh as openly, but their mocking smiles made it clear they were enjoying the show.
Through it all, Link's face remained utterly blank, as if he truly were as stupid as they said.
But then, he suddenly raised his hand, forming two fingers like a blade, and lightly tapped Little Hartmann on the chest.
The man blinked in confusion, looked down at Link's fingers, then grinned.
"What, you think two fingers can kill me..."
His words cut off instantly.
From Link's fingertips burst a flash of eerie deep-blue light, slamming into Little Hartmann's chest and hurling his massive body backward. He crashed to the floor right at his grandfather's feet.
But that wasn't all, Link had also imbued the spell with a bit of the frost venom he'd recently mastered. The spot on Little Hartmann's scorched chest began to turn blue-gray, spreading outward as it corroded his flesh.
"AHHHH!!"
Little Hartmann screamed in agony, rolling on the floor and clawing desperately at his chest.
Unfortunately, the more he scratched, the worse it got, his hands caught the frost venom too, turning the same deathly shade.
Old Hartmann's heart nearly shattered. He called out his grandson's name again and again but didn't dare touch him, he could tell how deadly that poison was.
And the others, who had been laughing moments before, couldn't laugh anymore.
Just as Link had guessed, this had been a test, to see if Beckman's so-called heir was worth taking seriously.
Even the Hartmanns weren't that stupid. Anyone who'd survived this long in the underground world couldn't be. Their "brutish" act was just a mask they wore for outsiders.
They had imagined plenty of possible reactions from Link, maybe he'd talk his way out with sharp wit and tact. Maybe he'd use his powerful family background to intimidate them.
But never, not in a hundred guesses, did they think he'd strike so suddenly, so ruthlessly.
And without a wand. Without a word.
'Is this really just some kid who hadn't even graduated yet?'
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