Chapter 230 - 229. Total Suppression.

Chapter 229. Total Suppression.

A few minutes earlier, outside, one of two men hiding in a small, greenery-covered ravine a hundred meters from the house grinned fiercely as he peered through a window with slightly improved Muggle binoculars, watching a young man calmly reading a book.

The second man, by contrast, looked rather tense. His gaze kept darting around the house as if searching for something, some kind of catch, because it couldn’t all be that simple.

He still remembered every scrap of information left by the unknown employer. The job seemed fairly straightforward, but he disliked almost everything about it.

The data provided was sometimes marked by notable omissions, such as the number of wolves and this ihiros, about whom there was almost no information no matter how much he searched, even though the man was compared to the likes of Dumbledore, England’s strongest mage.

And the reward was far too inflated for a potioneer, even one of this level with such a track record.

But what made him even more wary was the employer himself.

Of course, such people usually tried to remain anonymous, but when even the guild leader knew nothing, it gave him pause. And the rapid disappearance of five squads sent to probe the target raised even greater concern.

Yet no matter how much he shared his thoughts with the group leader, the man ignored him and even threw a few unpleasant jokes his way, calling him a chicken and a coward, and adding that stupid quote he’d picked up from who knows where: "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

And his gut feeling rarely failed him. Right now it was screaming at him to get out, because something here was wrong.

*To hell with it all! Even if I’m wrong, I don’t care, I can earn gold later, but I only have one life!* With those thoughts, casting a last glance at the back of the man in robes standing before him, he drew his wand. In the next instant, his body compressed sharply and vanished.

"Weakling," the remaining mercenary hissed without even turning around, spitting on the ground as he continued watching Severus. "After we get back, I should look for another tactician, a more decisive one. If we hadn’t listened to that coward on the last mission, we could have earned another twenty thousand on top of the forty, cleaning out the target’s treasury. Although... maybe it’s for the best?" he mused, stroking his chin. "If we hadn’t returned, this mission, worth a whole two hundred thousand, could have fallen to another group. Fine, let him stay for now, but it wouldn’t hurt to look for another. Just in case."

But his musings were interrupted by ten men approaching, each leading groups of twenty wizards.

Their faces were also hidden beneath hoods, but each already held his wand at the ready. They could barely contain their excitement: it was a whole two hundred thousand, enough to carouse through the entire next year without giving work a second thought.

Though there were those who pursued other goals, the majority had none at all and simply existed, enjoying life to the fullest, surrendering to alcohol and debauchery. Such was the life of most mercenaries.

As soon as he turned to them, he bared his teeth in a bloodthirsty grin beneath his hood and drew his wand.

"Get ready. We start in three minutes. As soon as I give the signal, attack. The first five groups take on the beasts. Sixth and seventh, cover them. Eighth and ninth, be ready if this ihiros suddenly appears. I’ll take the tenth and attack the house itself." Creating a transparent map of the area before him, he began assigning duties. None of them objected, though some looked rather puzzled. "Is everyone clear?"

"Yes, Captain. But where’s Henry?" one of them asked, not seeing him nearby, even though he was usually the one who explained the plan.

"He took off. Screw that coward. When we finish this mission, we’ll earn two hundred thousand!" The mention of the sum immediately cheered everyone gathered and raised their fighting spirit once more.

"When we get back, I say we hit up that elite bar."

"Now you’re talking!"

"Nah, I’m heading to the brothel. I’ll take Ionna... been wanting that bitch for ages," another sighed with a dreamy smile.

"Enough chatter! You have two minutes to prepare!" The commander glared at them with irritation. They nodded with eerie smiles, already turning back. But in the next instant, goosebumps raced down every spine. They snapped their heads up and froze at the sight of an impossibly massive blue dome looming over them, completely obscuring the dark sky and illuminating the entire forest.

"What the hell...?" one of them said in shock, summing up the thoughts of every wizard gathered in the ravine.

"We’ve been spotted! Everyone return to your groups and..." the leader began to shout furiously, but was cut off by an indifferent, aged voice from behind them.

"’And’ what?"

They spun around and froze at the sight of an elderly wizard hovering above them, his face impassive and cold, radiating an incredible, powerful heat.

"How did he..." one of the eleven men never finished his thought. Flames engulfed him, and in a fraction of a second he burned away. All the others saw was a flash, and their companion was gone.

"Every..." another mercenary evaporated. Nine remained.

"Did I give permission to speak?" ihiros asked in a hollow, sepulchral voice. Then his gaze settled on the ringleader. "Who are you and why do you want to attack this place?"

"We... we were just passing by," the man who’d been standing at the back said with a nervous smile, stepping forward and slipping one hand behind his back. "We have nothing to do with those people. We just saw many wizards gathered here and became curious about what was happening."

The others, watching the commander from behind—specifically his hidden hand and gestures—tightened their grips on their wands.

"Hm? Is that so. Come here. Let me see your memories." He spoke with a commanding tone that made the wizards flinch. But the leader, as if nothing were amiss, walked toward him slowly, his expression unchanged.

"Of course." Looking away to prevent ihiros from reading his thoughts, he cursed Henry in the depths of his soul. Henry had already fled. How the hell were they supposed to know such a monster lived here—one who could kill any of them without a gesture, who could fly, something only the strongest wizards could do? *Damn it! If this is that ihiros, we are seriously screwed! What Dumbledore?! He’s definitely far stronger than him!*

When he was three meters away, powerful white flashes suddenly burst from the wands of three wizards behind him, engulfing everything within a couple of dozen meters.

"AQUA ERUCTO DUO!" Incredibly powerful, massive jets of water erupted from their wands, merging after half a meter into a single torrent nearly ten meters in diameter. The group leader had already retreated, sinking into the ground, leaving ihiros, who snorted contemptuously and raised his palm, creating a small reddish shield that absorbed the full force of the water spell from five mages at once.

Steam hissed violently. After the collision, the entire ravine began to fill with searing steam at incredible speed, quickly engulfing all the wizards. They screamed, feeling the incredible heat as their robes began to cling to their skin.

"Damn! Hot! The steam is too hot!"

"I can’t see anything!"

"I can’t Apparate! There are anti-Apparition charms here!" another exclaimed in panic.

"Protego! Use Protego and retreat!"

The group leader, watching all this and sensing his men falling one by one, could only retreat with gritted teeth. He understood that even if he emerged, he couldn’t help anyone. Better to report to the guild what he’d learned about this terrifying wizard and find that bastard who had dared set them up so badly.

But return and take revenge? Three times, ha. He might not be the smartest person, but he always understood the difference in power, and he wasn’t eager to die after barely surviving.

At this moment, his priority was to retreat, report everything, receive fifty percent compensation from the deposit, and disappear somewhere far away for a couple of years.

At the same time, above ground, Severus calmly watched the retreating mage. He didn’t stop him. Instead, he courteously opened a passage in the barrier. But as for the others...

His gaze fell on the bodies lying about. Clicking his tongue in irritation, he walked past them.

"Take these eight to the cells. Kill the rest and hand them over to Eileen: let her deal with the death energy remaining on the grounds."

"Y-yes, Master!" came a squeaky female voice, and the bodies disappeared.

*I’ll need to contact Arnold later and have him find those who put a price on my head. But... maybe it’s for the best. I’ve been wanting to test what my assassin squad is capable of, and the wolves got to hunt a bit with the other beasts. Even found material for Eileen to practice necromancy; won’t have to sneak into Muggle prisons and Azkaban,* he thought with a tired sigh as he headed back home. *Just have to hope the mercenary guild leader has a head on his shoulders and won’t run to avenge his people. Though that’s unlikely, judging from John’s memories what kind of person he was.*

A soft purring sounded as Lucky appeared on Severus’s shoulder, slight traces of blood on his tiny claws.

"I told them not to let the cubs go." Another sigh escaped his lips as he scratched Lucky behind the ear.

"Meow! Meow-meow, meow meow meow!" Lucky meowed in protest and proudly patted his chest, as if saying it was nothing.

"I know, I know." He smiled slightly, patting Lucky’s head as he resumed his former appearance.

"What the hell is this place?! We weren’t told these wolves could breathe fire!" A panicked voice rang out as a man in a torn, blood-covered robe burst from behind a tree, wand in hand. Upon noticing Severus ahead, he went completely pale. As he raised his wand toward him, scarlet flames engulfed his body. He felt nothing before he vanished entirely, leaving no trace. Not even the grass beneath his feet was singed.

Severus walked on toward the house with the same calm, ignoring the blood on the trees and grass, the human screams and pleas for help echoing throughout the surrounding forest.

"I’ll have to tell the house-elves to clean up here too. I don’t want to smell blood while walking around this place."

As if agreeing, Lucky nodded, wrinkling his little nose with a sniff.

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