Chapter 222: Out of the wolf's den, into the tiger's mouth
Peel didn't care about those who had fainted or were lying on the ground wailing helplessly, but seeing his establishment turned into a ruin made his heart bleed.
Repairing spells weren't omnipotent; to restore it to its original state after such destruction would require a great deal of effort, but he dared not show the slightest hint of complaint. Instead, he wisely took out the Sealing Ring.
Having witnessed everything that just happened, he already realized that this person was probably not at the peak of a Archmage, but a genuine Great Archmage, someone he couldn't afford to offend.
"Quite sensible," Gines found a chair and sat down. "Do you know why your treatment is different from theirs?"
"Because I never intended to kill anyone from beginning to end," Peel said with certainty. He was also incredibly glad that he hadn't shown any killing intent when he fought Gines, otherwise his fate would likely be worse than those people's, because he was the only one among them who could pose a threat to a Great Archmage.
"I like talking to smart people because things are much easier," Gines said with a smile. "So... Mr. Peel, you know what to do next, don't you?"
Peel nodded. Handle the aftermath, of course!
Essentially, he was also a Dark Wizard, so he didn't need to follow as many rules as Muggle. A Memory Charm thrown out was convenient and quick.
"This lord, is he really... your young master?"
"Evidently," Gines sighed somewhat dejectedly. "Teenage rebellion. This is already his second time running away from home."
Peel's mouth twitched, and all the scenes of 'Severus' entering the auction house flashed through his mind. Immediately, he felt an urge to curse, and his face became extremely ugly.
"Mr. Peel, are you feeling unwell?"
"Lord, I might know Young Master 'Severus''s plan."
"Severus... Young Master?
So that's how it is!" Gines's lips curved into an arc. He had thought Snape was meddling, but now it seemed the young master had ungraciously borrowed his teacher's name.
Seeing this, Peel's face showed a hint of bitterness, clearly realizing that the other party wasn't using his real name.
But he didn't dare to mention it, let alone ask. A family that could command a Great Archmage was not something he could casually inquire about.
Gines skillfully pulled out a small notebook, took out a pen, and excitedly prepared to record, "Tell me."
"Yes!" Peel said respectfully. "The young master had a trafficker lead him to me, then found a way to attract our attention.
I set up a gamble, letting the young master and Morchi, that damned trafficker, have a fair duel.
He succeeded, and incidentally won almost everyone's money here.
Logically, a child with so much money couldn't possibly leave Knockturn Alley, but he made a deal with me using the Sealing Ring, borrowing my influence for protection, and also asking me to stop you."
"But you failed," Gines said playfully. "Some things are not for you to covet."
"That was precisely his intention. He knew I would fail, knew I couldn't obtain this magic item, so he gave it to me very readily," Peel said with a bitter smile. "After that, he took out all his money, bought people's loyalty, and tied dozens of Wizards to his chariot... Then you appeared."
"The young master has grown up!" Gines said with some relief. "The patriarch and madam should feel a bit more at ease if they knew."
"Uh... This lord, Young Master 'Severus' left only a few minutes ago. You see..."
"What? Trying to get rid of me?" Gines asked with a half-smile.
"No, no, no, no, I wouldn't dare. I absolutely didn't mean that," Peel immediately said. "I mean, if we go after him now, it might still be in time."
"You don't need to worry. One accident is enough; there will definitely not be a second. You just honestly deal with the current situation. After you're done, I'll give you a Memory Charm and leave."
Peel:... "But the commotion just now was too great. I believe many people have already noticed."
"There will be someone to handle it specifically. After all, this was an indoor duel; no one will have seen it," Gines said, then rolled up his sleeve and lightly tapped it with his wand.
The Gaius family crest on his arm flickered slightly, then disappeared beneath his skin... The two guards who had been secretly following Aaron, Number Three Modo and Number Four Dika, felt a warmth emanate from their arms and immediately understood Gines's command.
Protect the young master. Persuade him to go home in a less crowded place. If all else fails, bind him and bring him back.
The two exchanged glances, both seeing excitement and dejection in the other's eyes.
The excitement was because they could redeem themselves, but the dejection was because this job would be difficult. Being rough with the young master would surely earn them a mark in his little notebook.
They strongly suspected Gines had deliberately assigned this task to them. Otherwise, with his strength as a Great Archmage, catching an Archmage would be a matter of minutes.
"Let's do it!" Modo's gaze firmed. "As the saying goes, a higher official crushes a lower one. We are just following orders."
"This is the only way. I just hope the young master won't make things difficult for us!"
Aaron, holding Abby, returned to Diagon Alley via the same route and expertly walked into the Leaky Cauldron.
"A rare guest! What would Aaron like to drink?" Tom asked while wiping a glass.
"Vodka. I accomplished something big today; I need something strong to calm my nerves. As for the money... I just spent it all, but someone will pay for you," Aaron said casually, his gaze inadvertently glancing at the shadows where the two guardians were: Your young master is out of money. You know what to do, right?
"He really knows how to have fun!" Modo said speechlessly. "But being able to spot us is also a skill."
"After all, we've been protecting him for some years, and with his significant increase in strength, it's normal for him to sense familiar people like us. But asking us to pay is a bit... unreasonable," Dika said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. "We are clearly responsible for taking him back, and we should be the ones in control, but we didn't expect to have to pay for his expenses. We'll just have to get reimbursed by the boss when we go back."
"Forget it! We're not so poor that we can't even afford a drink, let alone for our own young master," Modo said, taking a Galleon from his pocket and silently placing it on Sam's counter.
Tom, who had just poured Aaron's drink, saw the gleaming Galleon and immediately smiled as he picked it up. "Gaius, do you need anything else?"
"Uh..." Aaron pondered for a moment, then picked up two empty glasses from the table. "Then pour two more! I might not be the only one doing something big today."
Modo and Dika exchanged smiles. The young master was still very thoughtful!
Although they were prepared, alcohol emboldened the timid, and a drink before taking action was not a bad idea.
After drinking, Aaron swaggered out of the Leaky Cauldronand entered the Muggle world.
Tom was about to put away the glasses when he noticed the other two glasses were already empty, which he found a bit inexplicable.
Aaron took Abby and walked around the bustling street, stopping at an abandoned construction site.
"You two really are persistent! You've been following me for so long; it's time to come out and stretch, isn't it?" Aaron looked at the two shadows on the open ground, his heart filled with vigilance.
This was the second hurdle he had to overcome to escape, and the most difficult one.
If he passed it, he would be free to roam; if he didn't, all his efforts would be in vain, and he would have to go home and accept his fate.
Although these two guards were weaker than Gines, Aaron wasn't confident of winning even in a one-on-one fight. Moreover, they always remained in the shadows and wouldn't easily appear unless he was in danger, which made them much harder to deal with than the butler who openly looked after him.
A few seconds later, two figures emerged from the shadows.
"Want to introduce yourselves?" Aaron looked at the two men in their twenties before him, appearing particularly excited. "This is the first time I've seen you since I grew up."
"Modo, twenty-three years old, High-level Archmage."
"Dika, twenty-four years old, High-level Archmage, slightly stronger than Modo."
"Quite concise."
Aaron found a concrete cylinder and sat on it, trying to make his position higher to assert the young master's authority.
"I believe you know my purpose, and I'm sure the butler gave you some command, otherwise you wouldn't have come to see me."
"Young master is insightful," Dika said. "We are just here to persuade you to go home."
"I will go back, but not now," Aaron explained. "I need some time to accept some things, so... please return, both of you!"
"Young master, please don't make things difficult for us. Lord Gines is our direct superior, after all."
"I'm his young master too!" Aaron pouted. "I'm also your young master, so can you give me some face?"
The two exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.
"Stubborn!" Aaron pressed his hand to his forehead and shook his head. "Then I, as your young master, command you to go back. That should be fine, right?"
"No," Modo said very directly. "The six of us only obey the commands of the patriarch and the butler. Young master, you cannot command us yet."
"Gentlemen, let's leave some room for maneuver! Are you sure you want to offend me? What good will that do you?"
"No good, but we can distinguish between dying early and dying late."
"Excellent!" Aaron gritted his teeth. "So if I don't go back, are you two going to drag me back?"
"We wouldn't dare. The most we would do is respectfully 'invite' you back, young master."
Aaron:... That use of 'invite' is clever!
But if he drew his wand, that 'invite' would be in quotation marks.
"Alas! It seems we can't reach an agreement," Aaron said with some regret as he jumped off the concrete cylinder, then solemnly bowed to the two of them.
The sudden action startled Modo and Dika, making them almost instinctively try to stop him, their wand-holding hands trembling slightly.
Aaron looked up, met their eyes, and smiled, "Although it can be annoying over time, I'm still very grateful for your protection all these years."
"You're too kind, young master," Modo said with emotion. "It's our duty, and we already made a mistake last year."
"We won't allow that to happen a second time, so today, no matter what, we must 'invite' you back," Dika said with a firm gaze. "If you want to punish us, you can discuss it with Boss Gines when we get back."
Aaron looked at the two with a complex expression and also took out his wand. "I knew this day would come two years ago, but I didn't expect it to arrive so soon."