"Only Yaxley alone? How are you lot doing this badly, can't even make it to the Death Eaters' headquarters?"
Yorman finally noticed that something was wrong.
"Legilimency!" His voice was hoarse. "Damn it, you're a born Legilimency Wizard!"
Since Kael hadn't used an Incantation before, he hadn't considered Legilimency at first, but a power that could see straight through a person's mind could only be Legilimency.
Snapping back to himself, he tried to shut his eyes, but Kael just gave a light wave of his hand, and his eyelids felt as if they'd been glued open; he couldn't move them at all.
"Don't panic, it'll be over soon." Kael went on asking, "Do you have any other plans, and any other Werewolf accomplices?"
Yorman tried his best not to think about these things, but failed.
"Another one hiding in Knockturn Alley, planning to attack shops in Diagon Alley at a critical moment to trigger chaos?" Kael said softly.
Thinking about it, if Legilimency were really that easy to interfere with, what would be the point of bothering to learn Occlumency?
Yorman completely gave up struggling, his eyes dull as he stared at Kael.
"Since you already know, then just kill me."
Kael stroked the Wampus Cat's head, then turned to look at Newt, wanting to ask for his opinion.
"Oh, don't mind me." Newt, who had been examining the roots around them, looked up and said, "You're the one who caught them, naturally you get to decide."
"Did Professor Dumbledore say anything before we set out?"
"How did you know it was Dumbledore who sent me?" Newt asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Kael said.
If it weren't Dumbledore, how could Newt—someone who even needed to stay in his own case while eating—possibly abandon all those Fantastic Beasts for so many days and run into this Dark Forest?
"All right, it was indeed him who sent me." Newt said, "Dumbledore didn't say anything before leaving, but he strongly supports that Mr. Remus Lupin. When we talked in the past, he also said that hatred shouldn't be passed on forever."
Kael took a deep breath, and after a moment of silence raised his Wand.
The branches binding the Werewolf Wizard Yorman automatically parted, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Without any hesitation, Yorman jumped up and lunged straight for Kael's throat.
But in the next second…
"Periculum!"
A blast of scorching wind hit Yorman full on. Sensing something, his body went utterly rigid, stopping one foot in front of Kael, unable to move another step forward no matter what.
That was his instincts resisting his decision.
Yorman panted heavily, forcing his stiff neck to turn, and then he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
The forest behind him… was gone. As if some flaming Giant had repeatedly crushed it, every tree turned to ash within seconds, leaving only a wide clearing still burning with flames.
"Stay here. You are not to step out of the Dark Forest until the war is over. Understand?" Kael asked calmly.
But to Yorman, his voice sounded like the whisper of a Demon, as if there were no second option besides agreeing.
After all, in the face of this kind of large-scale Flame Magic, even if they transformed into Werewolves on a full moon, they probably wouldn't last even two seconds.
"Also, no matter what you do, tell the other Werewolves this: as long as you earn some merit in this war, I'll help push for the werewolf act."
"The werewolf act?" Yorman seemed to have regained control of his body and couldn't help asking, "What's that supposed to be?"
"It was first proposed by Remus Lupin, a proposal aimed at Werewolves." Kael said. "It's just that, including me, no one thinks it stands much chance of passing."
"What exactly is it?" Yorman asked urgently.
"Simply put, he wants Werewolf children under eleven to be able to attend school like normal, to live in the sunlight.
Oh, and by the way, only Werewolf children under eleven. It has nothing to do with you lot."
Yorman let out a cold laugh.
"Impossible. Wizards will never accept us; even children are no exception. You're lying to me."
Kael curled his lip. "What about you is worth lying to? That rag you've got on… can that even be called clothes?"
The remark was vicious, but Yorman didn't care in the slightest, only muttering the same line over and over.
"Impossible…"
"It's very difficult, which is why it depends on how you perform in this war." Kael went on, "If you insist on helping You-Know-Who, recklessly attacking Wizards and Muggles, then the act definitely won't pass. Not even Dumbledore's support will help."
"So if we help you, that'll be enough?" Yorman asked.
"How should I put it…" Kael thought for a moment. "If you turn around and fight the Death Eaters instead, the chances of it passing might go from zero to… one percent."
Only one percent?
Yorman said nothing, only let out a self-mocking laugh.
If Kael had said this half an hour ago, he would have taken it as provocation and thrown himself at him to kill him, no matter what.
Of course, it was the same now—but so what? He couldn't beat this man. Feeling the scorching air and the crackling sounds coming from behind him, he didn't even dare to entertain the thought of resisting.
"All right, that's it then." Kael waved his Wand again, snuffing out all the remaining flames. "Remember, don't even think about leaving the Dark Forest. If I see you lot again, I won't be this easy to talk to."