After a long while, Williams slowly opened his eyes in a daze. The light had been so blinding that all he could do was keep them tightly shut.
A bullet.
The bullet that had just left the barrel was still spinning, yet like some kind of bullet time in a movie, it was only inching toward the center of his forehead at an unbelievably slow speed.
"What a shot..."
For some reason, the first thing that came to Williams's mind was the killer's incredible aim.
Even Tver was speechless when he heard that muttered comment.
If he had not been here watching, Williams would already be dead with accuracy like that.
"Professor Fawley...?"
Felix was still reclining there, fantasizing about the future, but sharp-eyed Sato noticed Tver coming down the stairs, along with Ian, who looked as curious as a child seeing something new.
In the past, if Ian had seen a scene like this, he would have run as far away as possible.
But things were different now. After seeing with his own eyes how Tver had stopped Felix's bodyguard from silencing Liz and then saved Williams, Ian now felt completely safe.
Robby immediately got to his feet, his expression turning ugly. Felix had always insisted that Tver could not freely use his abilities, but an assumption was still only an assumption, and Tver had already shown his hand once this very morning.
"I... I didn't expect you to be here..."
Tver walked over to him slowly, step by step, smiling as he looked at him.
"So you are not embarrassed because you wanted to break the rules. You are only embarrassed because I showed up unexpectedly?"
"Of course not. I was just surprised to see you here..."
Robby lowered his head slightly and swallowed nervously.
Now he finally understood why Williams had called the young man in front of him a devil before.
That smile on his face, and the indifference toward life in his eyes, always made Robby think of death itself, harvesting lives without a care.
"Stop overthinking it. Everything that happened here was probably within Professor Fawley's expectations. It may even have been part of his plan."
Hearing the commotion, Felix finally noticed Tver's sudden appearance.
After thinking for a moment, he finally understood why he had always felt as though someone was watching him.
"You deliberately gave us time to verify the effects, just so we could confirm how much value that potion could bring."
"And then you handed those profits to Williams, someone far too weak to protect them, as if you were deliberately luring us to come to you."
"I'm right, aren't I?"
Even facing an unfavorable situation, Felix still stared at Tver with bright, unwavering eyes, as if he wanted nothing but an answer.
At those words, Williams, who had just narrowly escaped death, Sato, who was doing his best to make himself invisible, and Robby, who regretted standing up and making himself so conspicuous, all looked toward Tver.
"But the problem is, if there had been a little less greed in your hearts, none of this would have happened."
Tver did not answer directly, but that was as good as confirming Felix's guess.
Felix choked for a moment.
"Greed is human nature. I was only following my heart!"
"But the difference between humans and beasts is that humans can control desires that keep swelling without end."
Those words left Felix looking rather embarrassed. He stood up too, glaring furiously with his eyes wide, as if Tver were the one in the wrong.
"Enough with the nonsense. You just swooped in like some hero and saved Williams. What exactly are you after?!"
Tver, however, calmly sat down right beside Williams, then spoke like a teacher guiding a student through a problem.
"Don't you like guessing? Then guess again."
Felix took a deep breath in anger, but the moment he remembered Tver's strange abilities, he could only sit back down in frustration.
"To show off your bizarre powers. Then make Williams become your loyal subordinate, just like Ian Russell."
"Very close," Tver said encouragingly. "But I should remind you, Ian is my partner."
"Hah..." Felix let out a mocking laugh. He did not believe that partner nonsense for a second.
But then...
He frowned, and suddenly looked at Tver in shock.
"So your talent for guessing really is impressive." Tver crossed his legs and spread his hands toward the others, who were still completely lost.
"I am indeed showing off my all-powerful abilities, and yes, the goal is to have someone help me sell potions."
"But not just Williams. Everyone here too?!" Felix said in disbelief.
"That's right. All of you greedy people were handpicked by me."
"The problem is, your potions cannot possibly satisfy all of our appetites!"
Realizing that he still had value, Felix immediately started bargaining.
"Unfortunately, no matter which kind of potion it is, I cannot provide the quantity you want." Tver gave an innocent shrug and delivered a piece of news that disappointed them all.
In reality, although Mooncalf droppings had helped boost the herb yield in the Werewolf greenhouse enough to meet the huge demand from the face mask business, the amount left over for other potions was only a small portion.
Of course, that small portion was already more than enough for the sparsely populated wizarding world. But if he wanted to supply muggles, Tver would have to openly establish a magical plantation in the United States.
"Then why make this so complicated!" Felix stood up at once, his face full of disappointment, clearly ready to leave.
"Give my share to Williams instead. Consider it my thanks for the gift you gave me."
If the potions turned into luxury goods, then no matter how terrifying the profit per unit might be, the final total profit would still not be worth all this effort.
"So you do not want the next potion that can treat cancer? Or the one after that?" Tver tilted his head back and looked at him with a smile.
"Or perhaps a potion that can keep you healthy forever?"
Felix's step toward the door halted. Then, following the motion of the foot he had already stepped out with, he twisted neatly and turned back around.
"You mean the potions you have can make me immortal?!"
Tver waved a hand in amusement.
"Forget immortality. No one in this world can do that. But letting you live a few extra decades in good health and high spirits is very easy."
"Of course, if you get into a car accident, get shot, or die in some other accident, then I cannot bring you back. The same goes for all of you."
The moment they heard that, not just Felix, but even the somewhat younger Robby, Williams, and Sato all looked at Tver with shining eyes.
"That's fine. As long as you can provide us with potions, anything you need, just say the word!"
When it came to benefits tied directly to his own health, Williams did not care about pride in the slightest. He was the first to sit down beside Tver and spoke in the gentlest voice of his life.
Felix, taking advantage of being closer, grabbed the seat on Tver's other side and clasped his hand warmly.
"Me too. Even if power has already changed hands, I can still mobilize more resources than any of them!"
Robby and Sato also wanted to ingratiate themselves, but Tver, thoroughly disgusted, raised a hand to stop them.
"I do not need you to do anything. All you need to do is heal your own bodies, then promote the potions to your wealthy friends."
"Promote them? Sell them to them?" Felix asked in confusion.
"No. Give them away for free." Tver's lips curled upward as he spoke with deeper meaning.
"Neither you, nor the wealthy friends you bring in, will need to pay anything at all. You only need to rely on these potions to maintain a close and friendly alliance..."
"If that happens, all the rich people in the world will gather into that alliance!" Felix said hoarsely.
If such an alliance really came into being, then as its leader, one could practically overturn most of the nations in the world.
"Do not make it sound so terrifying. It is only a platform for exchanging benefits."
As if seeing straight through his thoughts, Tver pointed at Ian, who was still craning his neck around curiously.
"Of course, Ian will be the leader of this alliance. The only thing you need to do is provide some convenience for his business."
Felix and the others looked at Ian with mixed doubt and belief, but they still could not help marveling at his luck. Somehow, he had managed to attach himself to someone like this.