Alex's anger only grew. "Then explain why there are rumors that the club is secretly managing the breeding place. Now the location of place is out, and all the dealings of those unofficial groups have been exposed!"
He fixed Claremont with a hard stare. "Do you know that Andre and his men are preparing to attack here?"
Claremont's face went pale. "What? That can't be true. I've never heard anything like that."
"Don't lie to me!" Alex snapped. "My insider in the Legal Enforcement Department has given me all the details.
Andre is already organizing forces to strike this place. If I hadn't acted quickly, this place would be deserted by now. Besides you, who else could have leaked the information?"
Claremont hesitated but then asked cautiously, "Are you talking about Virgil? No way, he wouldn't make a mistake like that."
At the mention of Virgil's name, Andre, standing nearby, tensed up, though his expression remained unreadable behind his mask.
At that moment, Alex noticed Andre's unusual behavior and gave him a quick, subtle glance, silently urging him to stay calm and not upset Claremont. Andre nodded quietly, forcing himself to keep his anger in check. He also understood the importance of questioning Claremont right then, waiting any longer could lead to serious consequences.
Claremont was clearly panicked and didn't realize anything was off about the people confronting him. He genuinely believed what the Golden Snidget was accusing him of.
Frantically, he tried to recall if he had ever accidentally revealed the secret to outsiders, but after a few moments of searching his memory, he was still clueless. He couldn't figure out what had gone wrong, but now, in his eyes, he was already suspected by the Golden Snidget. If the betrayal charges were confirmed, his fate would be sealed.
"Master, you know I've always been loyal to the club," Claremont stammered, trying to defend himself. "I have no reason to betray the club. I think either someone else made a mistake, or the real problem lies somewhere else."
The Golden Snidget sneered coldly. "No reason to betray the club? You were blocked from joining and becoming an official Silver Wand.
How dare you say you don't hold a grudge? How many favors did Andre and the others give you to turn you against us?"
"Absolutely not, Mr. Golden Snidget!" Claremont's voice wavered as he realized he was almost branded a traitor.
Deep down, he knew the Silver Wands, including Golden Snidget, had been watching him closely. With his achievements, becoming a Silver Wandman, or even rising higher, should have been easy.
The club wasn't blind to his qualifications, but they deliberately stalled his promotion. Still, that didn't mean he would betray them.
"Master, I became a partner in the club through your personal recommendation. Have you forgotten that?" he pleaded, desperation creeping into his tone.
He realized that the other person had probably already death at this moment, and Claremont, who was extremely agitated, decided to play the emotional card.
"We've known each other for over 30 years, you should know who I am. Over all these years, I've done so much for the club and for you. If the Law Enforcement Department and Andre found out about any of it, things wouldn't end well for me."
Alex responded coldly, "Don't you think it's a little late to be telling me this now? They say you can know a person but never truly know their heart. How do I know you haven't been playing me all these years?"
With that, Alex raised his hand and removed his mask, revealing the same face as Eisenberg underneath.
When Claremont saw Eisenberg's face beneath the Snidget mask, there was no surprise in his eyes, only a pale change in his expression. Deep down, he knew this was the kind of behavior Eisenberg would only show when he was extremely angry.
Amelia, Andre, and the others standing nearby noticed that Claremont didn't question Eisenberg's identity at all. In fact, it only confirmed what Alex had said earlier, Eisenberg was a member of the Silver Wand, had known Claremont for a long time, and had single-handedly helped develop the organization.
"You keep bringing up the past, so I'll give you another chance," Alex said quietly, staring directly at Eisenberg's face.
"Tell me everything you've done all these years. At the same time, I want to see if there's any hesitation in your memory. Look me in the eyes and say it."
"Yes, Master," Claremont replied. He knew that Eisenberg was testing him, but this was exactly what he wanted.
After seeing Eisenberg's true face, he had no doubts. His mind, however, was completely clouded. If he had been calm, he might have noticed things didn't add up, like why Golden Snidget dared to take off his mask in front of the other Silver Wands, or why they suddenly asked him to recount the past.
All of this screamed that something was off. But in that moment, Claremont could only focus on proving his loyalty to Golden Snidget. He had no time to think about anything else.
"I still remember," he began, "that 30 years ago, I was just a small player at the Tris Crucible Shop…I was lucky to have met you back then, though, of course, you didn't go by your current name at the time," Claremont said sincerely.
"Since meeting you, my luck has changed for the better. You funded me so I could start my own magic supplies business, and I'll never forget that." His expression was full of gratitude, but Alex, playing Eisenberg, gave no reaction to the flattery.
Seeing this, Claremont quickly pressed on. "With your support, I made my first big profit. And from then on, you introduced me to the smuggling business, you got me involved with various clubs."
"Over the years, I've lost count of how many magical creatures I've transported, guarded, and cared for on behalf of the club. If Andre's people ever found out about me, there's no way I'd be able to negotiate any kind of deal."
"So, you're saying that if Andre is willing to let your past go, would you accept their terms?" Eisenberg sneered, curling his lip but offering no real response to Claremont's emotional appeal.
"No, that's not what I meant," Claremont quickly clarified, realizing Eisenberg had misunderstood. He went on, "Even if you don't count the times I helped the club manage magical animals, just considering the dirty work I've done for you over the past ten years, there's no way Andre would ever forgive me." He glanced cautiously at Eisenberg, but the other remained completely indifferent.
Claremont pressed further. "Do you remember fifteen years ago? That's when you started using the identity of Matthias Eisenberg. And from that moment on, you transformed this body into what it is now."