Little Zangwill had originally been secretly cheering in his heart.
He had long been very displeased with this Yuri Saladin as well.
Especially the way the other party pretended not to understand English and treated them like monkeys, which was even more infuriating.
So the harsher Link's lesson toward Yuri Saladin was, the more satisfied he felt inside.
After all, Link was the one doing the hitting.
As long as Yuri Saladin wasn't beaten to death right here, then this matter had nothing to do with their Zangwill Wand Shop.
In Little Zangwill's view, making Yuri Saladin kowtow a few times and then letting him leave was simply handling the limits to absolute perfection.
It was just too precise.
However, at this very moment, when he saw Yuri Saladin vomiting blood, Little Zangwill's previously soaring mood instantly sank.
'Could it be… this guy had really been beaten into something serious?'
'Probably not… right?'
Little Zangwill's face turned pale. Trembling, he moved closer and helped Yuri Saladin, who was still continuously coughing up blood, into his arms.
He had also specially studied healing magic for a period of time.
This was a family tradition. The Zangwill family had originally risen to prominence by being famous healers.
By the time it reached his generation, going to a magical injury hospital to treat patients was naturally beyond him.
But at least he could still help check someone's condition and see what was going on.
Yet when Little Zangwill used a healer's method to pour magic into Yuri Saladin's body, his expression instantly changed.
It became extremely gloomy.
This wasn't because Yuri Saladin's injuries were too severe.
It was because the examination results showed that aside from somewhat weak kidneys, the other bodily functions were basically normal.
And yet Yuri Saladin kept vomiting blood without stopping, and from a magical observation standpoint, his overall life force was continuously weakening at an almost bizarre speed.
At that moment, Yuri Saladin's blood-covered hands suddenly grabbed Little Zangwill's shirt.
His pair of eyes, already beginning to lose focus, locked tightly onto Little Zangwill's eyes. His lips moved, and faint sounds seemed to come out.
Little Zangwill instinctively leaned down to listen carefully.
But the next moment, Yuri Saladin spat out another mouthful of blood, and then completely lost all signs of life.
'He died just like that?'
'What the hell?'
Little Zangwill, his face and head covered in sprayed blood, stood there with a blank expression.
He simply couldn't understand what had just happened.
Could it be Yuri Saladin felt he couldn't bear such humiliation and literally died from anger?
That wasn't impossible.
After all, the magic inside a wizard's body was connected to their emotions.
If a wizard's emotions lost control to a certain degree, their magic could also undergo unpredictable changes.
"Young master, are you alright?"
An elderly wizard in a suit approached Little Zangwill and spoke softly.
Only then did Little Zangwill snap out of his shock.
He looked around and saw that the old wizard had already ordered the other suited wizards to surround the scene, preventing the other guests in the banquet hall from approaching. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief and say,
"Disperse the crowd. And make sure these people keep their mouths shut."
He threw Yuri Saladin's corpse from his arms onto the ground like trash, then began wiping the blood off himself. "Also, clean this place up."
The old wizard bent slightly and asked again, "Should we return Lord Saladin's body to his attendants? That group is making quite a scene right now."
Little Zangwill glanced in the direction indicated.
Sure enough, he saw a large group of Arab wizards, dressed similarly to Yuri Saladin with large cloth wraps on their heads, holding wands and noisily shouting.
If the Zangwill family's suited wizards hadn't been blocking them, they probably would have already rushed into the crowd.
Little Zangwill slowly withdrew his gaze.
After taking several deep breaths, he finally calmed himself and said expressionlessly, "I said, make sure this stays confidential."
"Yes, I understand, young master!"
The old wizard bowed in acknowledgment, a sinister grin appearing on his face.
He slowly raised his head and made a throat-slitting gesture toward the surrounding suited wizards.
The next moment, a continuous series of green flashes began flickering among the crowd.
Under the illumination of that green light, Little Zangwill left the banquet hall without even turning his head.
On the third-floor corridor, he took out his wand in front of a sunflower painting and gently tapped the third petal clockwise.
The painting immediately split open, revealing a pitch-black doorway.
Little Zangwill walked in somewhat nervously. In the darkness, he knelt before a snake statue in the center of the secret room and said devoutly, "Master, just now a British pure-blood noble wizard named Link visited my shop and also killed Yuri Saladin, who had come at your invitation."
As soon as Little Zangwill finished speaking, the snake statue in the center of the chamber seemed to come alive and slowly opened its tightly shut eyes.
A pair of golden vertical pupils fixed themselves on Little Zangwill, filled with dense killing intent.
———
[On The Square Of Fontainebleau Palace]
Link and his group had already boarded the flying carriage again.
With a shout from Krell, the carriage quickly rose into the air under the cover of a special Muggle-Repelling Charm.
Fleur still hadn't recovered from what had just happened.
She sat in the carriage with a terrified expression, head lowered, hands tightly rubbing her skirt.
Emily sat beside her.
Although she had no fondness for Fleur, after what had just happened, Emily still felt great sympathy for her.
What Fleur experienced could be called a nightmare for any girl.
Rarely, she showed her gentle side to an outsider, holding Fleur's shoulder and whispering something only the two of them could hear.
"Link, that guy… what was his name, Saladin? That shouldn't be a problem anymore, right?"
Suddenly Emily turned her head and asked loudly.
Link's lips curled slightly upward and he nodded, "Of course. I left a strand of composite magic inside his body."
"It will keep eroding his life force. His ending will only be one thing. Death. Even if Merlin himself came back, he wouldn't be able to save him. That much I can guarantee."
Fleur also slightly raised her head, worry flickering in her eyes as she looked at Link.
"You heard him. That damn Saladin is as good as dead. That's why Link forgave him just now. After all, he already paid with his life. You should at least be generous about that."
"As for any revenge later…" Emily continued comforting her, "you should feel at ease. Didn't you see Professor Dumbledore is here too? Even if they try to retaliate, so what? Do you think they could beat Professor Dumbledore?"
Fleur instinctively looked at Dumbledore, who cooperatively smiled and nodded.
Only then did Fleur relax slightly.
Toward Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard of this century, most people always had a strange confidence, as if anything could be solved as long as Dumbledore stepped in.
Fleur was clearly no exception.
Emily continued comforting her.
After a while, Fleur finally let herself go, threw herself into Emily's arms, and began crying.
This made Link and Dumbledore, who sat across from them, feel rather emotional.
Back when Fleur came as Beauxbatons' champion for the Triwizard Tournament, how dazzling and glamorous she had been.
But now she had fallen to such a state.
If Link and the others hadn't happened to be inside the Zangwill Wand Shop today, Fleur's situation might have been even worse.
What exactly had happened?
Since Fleur didn't take the initiative to say anything, neither Link nor Dumbledore intended to ask.
After all, it was bound to be a sorrowful story. Forcing Fleur to talk about it would be no different from sprinkling salt into her wounds.
The group quietly returned to Nicolas Flamel's estate.
The luxurious decoration there, far surpassing that of the Zangwill Wand Shop, was clearly beyond Fleur's expectations.
Even after being led into the main hall of the estate, Fleur still had a flushed face, head lowered, looking nervous and not daring to make any unnecessary movements.
In the end, Emily stepped in. Relying on the familiarity she had built with Fleur in the carriage, she pulled her toward a room to change out of that ugly Zangwill waitress uniform first.
After Fleur and Emily left, Dumbledore and Link both let out deep sighs again.
Fleur's behavior… was really heartbreaking.
In contrast, Krell didn't find anything strange about it.
In fact, he had long wanted to complain.
When Link and Emily first arrived at Nicolas Flamel's estate and said they were like country bumpkins entering the city, that had been complete nonsense.
No matter what, Link and Emily had seen the world since childhood.
Their reaction upon entering the estate had only been shock and excitement.
At most that counted as slight loss of composure, nowhere near what could be called country bumpkins entering the city.
A real country bumpkin entering the city would look like Fleur right now.
Nervous. Restless.
Daring not to touch anything, afraid she might break something.
As for the claim that Fleur's family was also wealthy and well-traveled.
Krell only found that more amusing.
Even in magical countries like France and America, which appeared extremely free and open on the surface, the strongest wall maintaining the upper class's status behind the scenes was still bloodline.
How wealthy could a family with Veela blood possibly be?
How much of the world could they have seen?
What a joke.
Of course, Krell wouldn't say any of this to Link.
There was no need.
At the same time, Link and Dumbledore had also recovered from the heavy mood Fleur brought.
Dumbledore pressed his lips together, frowned slightly, and said to Link, "Link, you were a bit too high-profile today. The Shadow people have probably already received the news and know we're in France."
Link said with some disdain, "So what? At worst, this trip will just be for nothing. If they really gather people to surround us, whether they can keep us here is another matter. They themselves would probably suffer heavy losses first, wouldn't they?"
Fear of breaking the vase by striking the rat.
A principle that applied everywhere.
Even the reason the Muggle world could now maintain peace with the magical world was because of the same logic.
The Shadow people could indeed rely on being in their home base to quickly attack Link and the others.
But Link could also summon the Hunter Corps and Auror forces.
Besides, both Link and Dumbledore were veteran legendary-level combatants.
If war broke out, Link and Dumbledore might indeed be eliminated.
But at the same time, the French magical world wouldn't be able to continue existing either.
The Statute of Secrecy wouldn't be maintained anymore.
In a war of this level, just the aftershocks of battle would be enough to destroy Paris and even half of France several times over.
So for the time being, they could still operate in France for a while.
The only thing they needed to be careful about was keeping things within limits.
If they really pushed the Shadow people too far, or once the Shadow people resolved their concerns, then the one in trouble would be Link.
"And besides…"
Link glanced sideways at Dumbledore. "I wonder who it was just now that was so eager to translate those insults Saladin said. Almost like you were afraid I wouldn't get angry."
Dumbledore smiled awkwardly.
He really hadn't handled that very well.
But he really couldn't help himself.
After all, what Saladin said had been both infuriating and absurdly funny.
"Alright, alright. I admit I was also at fault in this matter. Let's not talk about that."
Dumbledore waved his hand and helplessly changed the subject.
"You should know, I'm just disappointed that this trip didn't gather any useful clues. And after this incident, the Shadow people will definitely be more vigilant. Next time, sneaking into France this easily won't be possible."
Hearing this, Link also sighed deeply.
This had been their best opportunity to investigate the Shadow people's background.
Unfortunately, they hadn't gotten the results they wanted.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat heavy.
Link and Dumbledore both lowered their heads in silence, thinking about possible countermeasures.
This thinking was eventually interrupted by a series of light footsteps.
Link and Dumbledore almost simultaneously looked toward the source of the sound and saw Fleur, now changed into one of Emily's white spring dresses, slowly walking toward them accompanied by Emily.
Link's eyes went a bit blank.
If one hadn't seen it personally, it would be hard to believe a change of clothes could bring such a huge transformation.
If Fleur in the Zangwill waitress uniform had been like a bright rose full of pure temptation before.
Then the current Fleur was like a small white butterfly dancing among spring flowers.
Cute, warm, and full of the vibrant life that symbolized youth.
Cough! Cough!
Emily's cough, along with a deadly glare, caused Link's nearly unfocused pupils to gather again into a single point.
He quickly composed his expression, straightened his posture, and looked seriously at Emily.
"Fleur wants to ask us something.", Emily spoke concisely.
After speaking, she pulled Fleur down to sit across from Link and Dumbledore.
Throughout the whole process, Emily's gaze never left Link.
Strangely though, the anger that had been on her face was now replaced by a smile.
Not a mocking sneer.
But genuine happiness.
After all, Link had started staring at other beauties again.
That meant his body had recovered.
Which meant their baby-making plan tonight could continue.
Thinking this, Emily couldn't help licking her lips.
Meanwhile, Link, sitting not far away, unconsciously brought his legs closer together.
Dumbledore, however, had absolutely no interest in the interaction between this young couple.
As soon as Fleur sat down, he smiled and said, "Fleur, what exactly is the matter? Could you tell us in detail?"
Because of Link's earlier aggressive gaze, Fleur's cheeks were flushed.
The redness even seemed to spread into her silver hair, creating a strange sight.
She looked up at Dumbledore, then at Link, her expression extremely conflicted.
But in the end, she still gritted her teeth, stood up from the sofa, and bowed to them.
"Link, Emily, and Professor Dumbledore, I really thank you for helping me today. If it weren't for you, I would probably have… probably have…"
Fleur choked up and couldn't continue. Emily reached out to support her again, but Fleur refused.
"Please! Save my sister! Gabrielle… Gabrielle is really in danger right now!" Fleur covered her face and cried. "Oh my God! I'm really… really so shameless! I actually said it! These requests are just too much! I…"
Fleur gradually fell into a state of confusion.
She began speaking incoherently, repeatedly saying words like danger, Gabrielle, save her, and similar phrases.
Dumbledore and Link both looked at Fleur with pity. Emily was also infected by Fleur's sorrow and was on the verge of tears.
But when the word Beauxbatons came out of Fleur's mouth, Link's expression instantly changed.
All the earlier expressions of tenderness vanished from his face, replaced by endless coldness.
Link slightly raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand.
A faint blue magic instantly surged into Fleur's brain, directly extinguishing her overwhelming grief. She collapsed onto the floor blankly as if she had lost the ability to think, completely at a loss.
"You just mentioned Beauxbatons?"
Link stood up, looking down at Fleur from above.
"What exactly happened there that put Gabrielle in danger?"
"Professor Maxime has gone mad. Beauxbatons isn't the Beauxbatons it used to be anymore!"
Fleur involuntarily spoke the answer in her heart.
After saying it, she slightly opened her mouth, staring at Link with a shocked expression.
Link's current demeanor was completely different from before.
So different she could hardly accept it.
Dumbledore and Emily also looked at Link with complicated expressions.
Although they knew this was Occlumency at work.
But this was still a bit…
In the entire hall, only Krell was still smiling.
He looked at Link with a pleasant expression, his face full of approval.
Someone who could manipulate the entire British magical world and eventually ascend to its highest throne, how could he possibly be soft-hearted?
He might be moved by Fleur's beauty and her situation.
He might even show some extra mercy.
But that didn't mean Link would forget his true goals and bottom line because of a woman.
This version of Link was the best possible head of the Flamel family.
[🎉 Shoutout to Eric and Cash for joining p@treon. Thank you for keeping me motivated.🤗]