SWNOVELXO Chapter 50: Traitor
In this place, there were only a handful of people who could be considered decent, and among them, Sargeras was the one who dealt with them the most. As for the others… either everything they knew, Sargeras already knew as well, or there simply wasn't any reason to interact with them at all.
The atmosphere inside the room had grown a little stiff, the air weighed down with tension. In the end, it was the old man Albatross who stepped forward and broke the silence, easing the strained mood and quietly soothing the nerves of everyone present.
After that, the white-haired old man calmly and methodically arranged for the newcomer to take her seat and guided the conversation back onto its proper track, steering it once more toward the steady exchange of information.
The matter itself sounded rather straightforward. It turned out that Swift, the curse-breaker, had recently stumbled upon a hidden magical ruin. After conducting a preliminary investigation, he became quite certain that the site was, in fact, the final resting place of a Papal Bishop from the eleventh century, a figure once revered by the Church.
According to the ancient records he had consulted, the tomb was said to contain a number of precious magical artifacts buried alongside the bishop. However, the place was also sealed with intricate, highly sensitive magical traps, so complex and deadly that even Swift had been forced to retreat. In the end, he chose to return to the Bronze Feather and seek assistance from his companions.
Everyone present in the hall seemed rather intrigued by the commission. Their eyes lit up as they exchanged ideas and discussed the possibilities. But Sargeras… his interest was nowhere to be seen.
After all, during his travels, he had already ventured into that particular ruin. To tell the truth, there was hardly anything of real value inside. But naturally, he had no intention of sharing that little detail with the others.
The next few commissions they discussed followed a similar theme, all centered around the search for rare materials and valuable artifacts. The hum of conversation filled the hall, rising and falling like gentle waves.
Sargeras, meanwhile, sat quietly beside Snowy Owl, leaning in as the two of them spoke in low voices.
"So… it can extend life by about five years?" His tone carried a hint of uncertainty. "I'm not entirely sure, but I've heard the first use works the best."
As he spoke, he reached into his cloak and produced a small crystal vial, carefully handing it over to Snowy Owl.
She accepted the vial and studied it with sharp, appraising eyes. After a moment, the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly. With a satisfied nod, she reached into her handbag and retrieved a delicate, exquisitely crafted hourglass, placing it into Sargeras's hand.
"Let me make this clear first. This thing can't actually be used directly…" Snowy Owl reminded him, her voice calm but firm. "It's already damaged."
Although she had already written that clearly in her earlier letter, her professional ethics would not allow her to skip the warning in person.
"Understood." Sargeras nodded, tucking the hourglass safely away.
At the same time, he leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping to a quiet murmur as he offered a reminder. "And you'd better take that thing as soon as possible… otherwise, it might bring you unnecessary trouble."
If Voldemort were to find out that she possessed something like this, he would stop at nothing to get his hands on it — even though, in truth, that little vial of potion was nothing but a drop in the ocean for someone like him.
Snowy Owl kept her eyes fixed on the crystal vial in her hand, her gaze unwavering, though her head nodded absentmindedly…
At that moment, the goblin craftsman who had been chatting with someone nearby suddenly froze mid-sentence. He turned his dome-shaped head, and in those puffy, swollen eyes of his, a greedy glint flashed to life as they locked firmly onto the small crystal vial in Snowy Owl's hand.
He was a goblin well-traveled and well-versed in all manner of rare things — but at the same time, he was also very old.
Just as the deal between the two was completed, the windows on either side of the hall suddenly shattered with a deafening crash. Shards of glass sprayed through the air like a storm of sharp arrows, hurtling towards the crowd.
The goblin craftsman's face twisted in shock, his expression darkening in an instant. With a loud crash, he flipped the table over, his voice sharp with accusation. "You brought a tail with you… Professor?"
At those words, Sargeras cast the ugly goblin a sideways glance, his face filled with disdain. "You really think I need help from anyone to deal with the likes of you?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic descended from above. Their roars shook the hall, fierce and thunderous. The Thunderbird reacted instantly, sending a spell hurtling towards the chandelier overhead, shattering it into pieces and plunging the entire hall into darkness.
Almost at the same moment, a few Lumos spells flared to life, casting trembling light across the room. Faces emerged from the shadows, wide-eyed with shock and panic.
Amidst the chaos, the short, squat goblin couldn't suppress the greed burning in his heart any longer. Seizing the opportunity, he hurled a sharp Severing Curse straight at Snowy Owl's back.
He wanted to steal the Elixir of Life!
Sargeras moved swiftly, his wand sweeping through the air. A thick, glimmering magical barrier appeared out of thin air, shielding the Snowy Owl from what would have been a deadly blow.
At the exact moment, a subtle yet chilling ripple of magic swept through the air like a flash of lightning. The goblin's raised arm was suddenly severed, landing on the floor with a soft, muffled thud.
"Save your energy, Grolock," Sargeras said, his voice calm and unhurried as his boot pressed down on the goblin's severed wrist. With a casual flick of his wand, he silenced the goblin's piercing screams, forcing the wretched sound back down his throat.
"My advice? You might want to hold on to whatever strength you've got left… because in a minute, you won't even be able to scream."
With that, he turned away, his sharp gaze sweeping across the chaotic hall. Without hesitation, he snapped his fingers.
In that instant, the gravity within the entire space suddenly reversed. A crushing, invisible force gripped every person present, yanking them upwards towards the vaulted ceiling, leaving them utterly unable to move.
The dazzling glow of spells was snuffed out in an instant, and the hall was swallowed by complete darkness.
With a deft flick of his wand, Sargeras pulled the seventeen members of the Bronze Feather towards him as though they were puppets on invisible strings, drawn in whether they were willing or not.
No matter what they thought, they had already been caught up in this sudden, unavoidable spatial transfer.
A violent surge of magical energy rippled through the air. The next moment, every single member of the Bronze Feather vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a group of stunned Aurors tumbling helplessly from the ceiling.
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Somewhere in France, Safehouse
The figures of eighteen people appeared out of thin air, cramming the not-so-large room in an instant.
"We have a traitor among us."
Sargeras's voice was devoid of emotion as he made the announcement.
A heavy, suffocating air of cold hostility settled over the room, thick as cigarette smoke.
With a simple wave of his wand, Sargeras cast an Undetectable Extension Charm, and the cramped space of the safehouse immediately stretched several times over, spacious enough now for them to breathe.
Without wasting a second, he moved his wand again. An Anti-Apparition Charm bloomed silently around them, sealing off the entire area and cutting off any chance of Apparition or escape.
No one spoke.
All seventeen of them stood there in silence, their expressions dark with suspicion and unease. Their eyes flickered occasionally toward the goblin still struggling on the floor, twisting and writhing helplessly, unable to make a single sound.
The scene in the hall earlier had been chaotic beyond belief, but everyone here had seen with their own eyes exactly what the goblin had tried to do.
"How interesting…" Sargeras casually twirled his wand between his fingers, his lips curling into a faint, playful smile as he looked around at the others. "Until the truth is uncovered, no one is leaving."
This was far more entertaining than exchanging a few scraps of intelligence.
"And who says you're in charge?" Shrike, the Dark Wizard, spoke up coldly, his expression dark as storm clouds. "Since when did the Bronze Feather start taking orders from you?"
Falcon and Pelican both nodded instinctively and almost at the same time, their faces tense with unease. It seemed Sargeras calling them Dark Wizards had, quite unexpectedly, united them for the moment.
However—
"Who says?" Sargeras turned his eyes toward him, that faint smile still lingering on his lips, as though genuinely surprised the man could ask such a foolish question.
A flash of crimson spell light shot through the room. In a split second, Shrike, who had been standing there just a moment ago, was reduced to nothing more than a mess of blood and flesh, splattered wetly across the wall.
The entire group instinctively shuddered, unable to hide the fear crawling up their spines. Even Grolock, who was still silently screaming on the floor, wisely kept his mouth shut now, letting the sweat trickle silently down from his forehead and sting his eyes.
"Did you all… forget something?" Sargeras's voice turned flat, stripped of warmth, if there had been any to begin with. His eyes swept slowly across the room. "I'm not asking you… I'm telling you."
His cold gaze sliced through them like a blade, and the corners of his lips curled into a cruel, merciless smile.
This was a golden opportunity, the perfect chance to purge the Bronze Feather from the inside out. Just like Shrike, who had conveniently died only moments ago, Sargeras was practically hoping someone else would step forward and challenge him — hoping they would be foolish enough to expose themselves.
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[Chapter End's]
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