Next to the enclosure where the pigs and cattle lived together was another section divided into smaller areas, each housing different magical creatures.
Nearby, a little girl dressed in a gothic lace dress was busy building a shelter for these magical animals.
When she noticed Karkaroff, she even paused to make a face at him.
"Don't just stand there, come with me!" Alex urged, noticing Karkaroff's distracted gaze as he took in the impressive surroundings.
"Oh! Yes, master!" Karkaroff snapped out of his reverie and quickly followed Alex into the simple, stone, box-like building.
Inside, Karkaroff saw that the interior layout matched the plain exterior, rooms without any obvious specific purpose, maintaining the same minimalist design throughout.
After following Alex into a large bay, Karkaroff realized that dozens of familiar faces were being held prisoner there.
This was the same place he, Seth, and the others had attacked before.
Now, the captured wizards were stripped down to their underwear and chained to vertical medical beds by magical restraints engraved with energy-absorbing curses.
Their mouths were covered by special masks that kept them from speaking.
Although the prisoners were fully conscious, they could only helplessly stare at Alex and Karkaroff without saying a word.
The scene was pretty unsettling; being watched by dozens of pairs of eyes at once felt intensely invasive.
Karkaroff was taken aback as soon as he stepped inside.
"N-Master, aren't these the wizards you rescued before?" Karkaroff asked nervously in a low voice as he approached Alex.
Alex gave him a blank look before smirking and nodding toward a certain direction.
"Isn't it obvious? That's what you've been talking about all along. Otis Yaxley, the Death Eater you're so worried about, doesn't he look surprisingly calm seeing some familiar faces?" he teased.
'Who was calm? They looked like they wanted to tear him apart!'
Even though Alex was joking, Karkaroff couldn't help but grumble silently.
"You just called me here to see this?" Karkaroff asked, not daring to inquire how Alex had captured these people.
He felt completely out of place in the grim setting.
Why show him this? Was it a warning?
He'd always stayed loyal to Alex and never even thought about betraying him.
Alex just smirked and looked at him teasingly.
"It's nothing like that. I brought you here because I want you to help me with some experiments. You've been dodging the tasks I gave you because you're scared of the Death Eaters. But now that those Death Eaters are in my hands, you should feel more at ease next time, right?"
'Seriously, this felt more like a complaint about his past performance than anything else.'
Karkaroff flinched as Alex touched him, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.
"I'm sorry, master," he stammered.
"This is all my fault. I was too hesitant to delay your important event. I promise I'll never make that mistake again. Please forgive me."
Deep down, Karkaroff was genuinely terrified of Alex. He feared stirring his anger, knowing all too well how dangerous it could be.
Wizards like Alex had the power to arrest and transform people into something as dreadful as human cocoons. For Karkaroff, the only way to describe these people was through the knowledge of their dark and terrifying abilities.
Alex noticed Karkaroff's nervousness and chuckled softly.
"I never said what I wanted to do to you, so why are you so tense?"
He knew well that clear rewards and punishments kept his subordinates in line.
Though Karkaroff had always been a bit of a coward, he'd done his best when working under Alex.
Until now, this had all seemed like a joke to him.
But now, faced with the reality, how could he not be nervous?
Even without looking at the intimidating wizards around him, Karkaroff was still sweating coldly.
"I'm sorry, master, but I don't understand. When you say you want me to help with experiments, what exactly do you mean?" he asked hesitantly.
Alex smiled coldly.
"It's nothing complicated. I just want you to help me cast a spell."
He looked at Karkaroff expectantly.
"As Durmstrang's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, you must be skilled in dark magic, right? How well do you know the Unforgivable Curses?"
Karkaroff blinked, confused.
"Which spell do you mean? The three Unforgivable Curses aren't particularly difficult. The key is strong willpower, without that, the spell's effect won't be very effective. But with your strength, using them shouldn't be a problem."
Alex shook his head slightly.
"The Unforgivable Curses aren't hard for me either, but using them affects the caster's emotions negatively. I don't like that feeling of losing control."
He thought back to when he had first tried practicing them.
Compared to other dark magic, the Unforgivable Curses stood apart, not only because they were unforgivable, but because they were deeply rooted in soul magic.
Casting them directly impacts the caster's soul, amplifying the darker parts of their heart.
These effects weren't just temporary; they were stubborn and long-lasting, hard to reverse, like a bad addiction.
Overusing them could even change a person's character permanently.
Among the three, the Imperius Curse was the least harmful, mainly increasing possessiveness.
The Killing Curse, if used often, could make someone bloodthirsty, while the Cruciatus Curse fed the desire for destruction and torture.
Although Alex was well-versed in many spells, he refused to use the Unforgivable Curses.
The thought of distorting someone's mind was something he simply couldn't accept.
After dealing with Karkaroff, he turned slowly to Otis Yaxley.
"You should be able to use the Cruciatus Curse well by now. Keep casting it on him until I say stop," Alex ordered.
Karkaroff trembled at the command.
Why? Did Otis owe Alex a large sum of money?
Why did the adults seem to hate Otis so much?
The hatred was palpable.
Meanwhile, Otis, still conscious, stared wide-eyed at the young wizard in front of him.
He had never seen anyone so cruel.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
He wanted to reason with them, but Alex clearly had no interest in listening.
The alchemy mask strapped over his mouth was effective. No matter how hard he tried, Otis couldn't make a sound.
"Hurry up, don't waste time!" Alex urged Karkaroff, ignoring Otis's fearful expression.
"Yes, yes!" Karkaroff replied, though he didn't understand Alex's intentions.
He glanced helplessly at Otis, silently pleading.
'Don't blame me. I'm forced into this too. And you wanted to tear me apart before, so I'm not exactly sorry for you.'
Gritting his teeth, Karkaroff pulled out his wand and cast the Cruciatus Curse on Otis.
"Crucio!" he muttered.
The agony hit Otis like a wave.
His mind went blank under the unbearable pain, and he could only scream instinctively.