Lupin had been keeping a close eye on Vid, with a trace of lingering worry in his eyes—
Even though, as a first-class passenger, he had no idea what was happening in the economy class behind him.
Yet, an indistinct premonition made him understand that even if the unidentified Modis obediently returned to his seat, this wouldn't end easily.
Just then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an unusual scene on the other side of the aisle, drawing all his attention.
Victor, who had always seemed like an ordinary passenger, had at some point casually draped an arm over Modis's shoulder, and the two appeared as close as good friends.
However, the words he spoke were quite unusual—
"Mr. Graves, I must say, that Werewolf Poppet you created before is truly ingenious, it scared me... Didn't you bring it on the plane?"
Modis sneered, "That clumsy thing? Try bringing one on a plane yourself."
Victor smacked his lips regretfully, "What a pity... If you had brought it, at least you'd have a close companion now."
"—Companion?"
Modis glanced at him, his eyes filled with sarcasm.
"Oh... poppets are tools! Is that how you see it?" Victor realized.
Modis replied, "Would you consider a hammer a companion?"
"I would!" Victor said without hesitation, "When I'm holding a hammer, I genuinely love it!"
—Lunatic! This lunatic!
Modis cursed inwardly, crossing his arms, unwilling to engage with this talkative guy.
But recalling the earlier scene... he felt a little on edge, secretly glancing around, unsure whether the danger he sensed from the surrounding gazes was an illusion, or something real?
Compared to those guys with dead fish eyes, although Victor was annoying... at least he seemed normal.
Thinking this way, Modis's desire to change seats faded, yet the notion of escaping started to prick up again.
With half the journey over... not much time was left for him.
Right at that moment, Victor leaned closer and asked, "So... you didn't bring a poppet, does that mean there are other 'Scourers' on this plane too?"
In an instant, Modis felt a chill down his spine, as if suddenly awakening in the dead of night to find a figure standing beside his bed.
The words "Scourers" exploded like thunder in Modis's ears, leaving his face drained of color, only a pure horror and disbelief remained.
The biggest secret... an identity no one should know... just exposed by this seemingly simple-minded guy?
For a moment, Modis even forgot to react, staring wide-eyed at Victor, his gaze locked on those eyes that seemed to still be smiling.
Upon truly looking face to face, he realized that this seemingly cheerful and enthusiastic guy had eyes like glass beads, devoid of any excess emotion.
...
Acutely catching the conversation ahead, Harry couldn't help but lower his voice to ask Hermione, "What are Scourers? Have you heard of them?"
Hermione furrowed her brows, thinking back, "The name sounds familiar, I'm sure I've seen it somewhere..."
Her fingers twisted the corner of her robe as she whispered, "I think it was mentioned in 'Commentary on the History of Magic', and also in 'Secrets of the British and American Magical Families'... It should be an extreme anti-magic organization?"
"Anti-magic?" Harry muttered, "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would definitely be fond of such an organization..."
He instinctively glanced at Vid, curious about his perspective. Yet he saw Vid absorbed in writing something, not even glancing towards the quarrelling pair.
Or rather... whether Modis was a Scourer didn't seem to matter to him at all?
Harry suddenly had this feeling.
...
After quite a while, Modis found his voice, "What are you... what are you talking about? Simply nonsense! Who doesn't know the Scourers have long been completely wiped out!"
As he spoke, he swiftly reached for his magic wand, but a jolt of pain suddenly shot up his wrist—
Victor's hand grasped his wrist like an iron clamp, stopping his fingers just a centimeter away from the wand, unable to move further.
"Wiped out, not necessarily?"
Victor's rugged face showed a hint of a teasing expression, leaning slightly, he mockingly said:
"I heard you guys are like bedbugs, no matter how thoroughly you clean, they'll always crawl out from the corners!"
"I also heard that even if a Scourer's child shows magical talent, they'll abandon them! Those deranged folks only raise children entirely without magic ability."
"So... as a Wizard, why would you join such a group of crazies?"
Modis endured for a moment, trying to argue. Yet, being so mocked for the cause he fought for, he couldn't hold his composure, his expression finally changed.
When boarding this plane, Modis held the belief of succeeding or dying, but that didn't mean he was completely indifferent to living.
As time edged closer to the critical point, the stress accumulated in his heart grew heavier, finally reaching its peak, and the prideful will of Modis began to crumble a little.
"Why are Scourers endless? Because someone has always suffered from persecution by you Wizards!"
He shrieked sharply, reaching for the wand with his other hand, but suddenly heard a "crack"!
"Aaaahhh——"
Modis clutched his broken arm, letting out a piercing scream.
Immediately afterward, Victor nonchalantly drew Modis's wand, snapping it with ease!
"Crack!"
Another crisp sound echoed, and the wand broke in two, falling to the ground one after the other.
And Victor, without even leaving his seat, used just one hand to firmly press the sweat-drenched Modis into his seat.
"You... you're not an Alchemist at all! You're an Auror from the Magic Congress! You're Ezra's minion, aren't you?!"
Modis stammered in shock.
Victor's smile grew broader, carrying a kind of knowing everything yet feeling it's beneath him to explain arrogance.
He neither confirmed nor denied, but Modis instantly affirmed his suspicion.
He struggled a bit more, then shouted towards Vid and others: "Vid Gray! Are you collaborating with them? Do you dare trust them?"
"I swear, once we're dealt with by these guys, the Magic Congress will definitely target you next!"
"They've searched your luggage, plotted at least five ways to keep you and your poppet in the United States forever! If it weren't for Goldstein not following the rules, you wouldn't even have made it onto this plane!"