Chapter 91. Brazil. Part 3. Murder.
Before they were allowed inside, Rafael, the gang leader, and the others were checked for foreign charms with a potion, forced to drink Veritaserum, and subjected to Revelio, Homenum Revelio, and Specialis Revelio. Still, they couldn't locate Nagini. The spell modifications had been chosen poorly. And trying to make Severus drink potions when he'd learned to dispel them back in fifth year was rather foolish, really.
So they got inside without much trouble, and Severus was led through the mansion's long corridors toward the two Masters as if under escort.
The interior was lavishly furnished. Chandeliers of pure gold, set with precious stones, hung from the ceiling. Candelabras of the same metal adorned every table made of magical wood. Many paintings in gold frames lined the walls, and the rest of the furniture matched the overall style perfectly.
Guards in plain, classic suits stood at every turn, not to mention those posted at each window and gathered on the stairs. Detection and alarm charms were set throughout, and the building was surrounded by a rather complex barrier.
If Severus had to break through all of this by force, there would definitely be casualties, so he chose a simpler path that carried the risk of exposure but was much easier than the first option. He did have Potter's Invisibility Cloak, of course, but he didn't rely on it much. The same Revelio could easily detect someone beneath it.
Just as they reached the third floor and stepped off the landing, a procession of ten wizards passed them, led by an elderly wizard who was clearly one of the Masters. Their clothing, however, was completely different from what Vitor's people wore. It was cleaner and more pressed, resembling the official uniform of the local peacekeepers Severus had seen several times in Dark Alley. They wore green suits with cloaks and matching hats.
The grim old wizard leading the group barely paid them any attention, absorbed in thought, but Severus watched him go with a thoughtful gaze.
So the gang has only one Master after all. And judging by the clothes, he is most likely someone from the authorities. That works in Severus's favor, since dealing with two would be harder. When Severus glanced back at Rafael, he saw contempt for the old wizard. Interesting.
"Get moving," Rafael barked menacingly, noticing Severus's thoughtful look.
"Have you forgotten something?" Severus asked with a smirk, and Rafael's face twisted as if he had bitten into a whole lemon.
"Please. Let's pick up the pace." Rafael hissed each word through clenched teeth, barely holding back his anger at Severus's smug smile. He could already tell that a few more minutes alone with him and he'd strangle him.
"Good. Let's go."
Approaching the door, where a group of six wizards stood waiting, Rafael stepped forward and approached the sturdiest one.
"Carlos, we brought the person the boss called for."
"Hmm? Called for?" Carlos looked at him in puzzlement. Then, exchanging glances with his colleagues, who also stared at each other in bewilderment, he frowned. "The boss didn't call for anyone."
"You stand here all day and still can't keep track of this," Rafael said, pulling out the letter and shoving it at Carlos. "See for yourself."
At that moment, Severus stepped forward, and the guards tensed sharply.
"Have you forgotten that a few hours ago he told you his old friend's son would come to see him?" Severus asked with a smile, and at his words every guard went slack, as if stunned, though a second later they snapped back to normal.
"How could we forget that?! Please, forgive us," one of the guards behind Carlos blurted, and Carlos's expression did a complete turnaround, though his smile looked more like a snarl.
"Really slipped my mind completely," Carlos said, and he quickly stepped aside, as did the others. "Please, come in."
"Thank you." Without saying anything more, Severus headed for the door. The moment he touched the handle, a dagger screeched as it struck the barrier. "Big guy, you're a bad actor," Severus said.
Carlos was surprised that Severus had managed to react to the attack, but he did not relax. He yanked out his wand and aimed it straight at Severus's face, but a crackle sounded from beneath his shirt.
"Expe." Carlos did not finish. The next moment his eyes rolled back, and with a dull thud his body hit the floor.
The others stayed exactly where they had been standing, as if they had not even noticed what had just happened.
"Not bad. I almost feel bad about that artifact," Severus said, shifting his gaze to the door. He couldn't suppress a slight smile as he felt two magical presences in the office, one tucked away in a corner and deliberately dimming its power.
"Why am I not surprised it ended this way," came Nagini's slightly weary voice, having watched everything from start to finish.
"I was not going to interfere in any of this. I do not consider myself some hero or fighter for justice, but my teacher once told me: 'If you can help someone, and if it is within your power, then help.' I am just following his teaching."
"You really did have a good teacher."
"He was very good," Severus agreed, a smile playing on his lips as he remembered the moment he had been thrown into the forest with the words: "Survive, great. Die, oh well." Even the fact that the old man followed him then and drove off the most dangerous creatures didn't do him any favors, damn old sadist.
Nagini looked at him in puzzlement, tilting her head to one side as she noticed the displeasure on his face.
"Just remembered something unpleasant. All right, I am going in, and you go back for now," Severus said, tapping her on the nose and nudging her back into his pocket, and then, with little trouble, he pushed the steel doors open.
In the office, a short elderly man with dark gray hair slicked back, wearing a black suit, greeted him. He sat calmly at the table and watched Severus with indifference.
"Who sent you? Fred? Lucas, or those bastards from the government?" he asked at once with a frown, never taking his eyes off Severus.
"None of them. Your assistant brought me here," Severus said, walking up to the bookshelf and studying the spines with mild interest. "Honestly, I was not going to interfere in your affairs, but after watching how you turned Dark Alley into your feeding ground, I wanted to help ordinary people who do not have the strength to fight back against you."
"Want to play hero?"
"No, of course not. You heard what I said," Severus replied, smiling but still perfectly indifferent. "And do you think I'm doing this for free?"
"So someone did pay you after all," he concluded, baring his teeth. "I will give you five times more if you bring me your employer's head."
"Interesting offer, but I will just take everything you have anyway."
"Feeling generous today?" Vitor asked with a smile, gripping his wand tightly and glancing for a moment at the shadow in the corner.
"Wrong again. Why would I give anything to anyone?" Severus said. After finishing his inspection of the books, he shook his head in disappointment and focused on Vitor. "I will keep everything for myself."
"Greedy brat."
"Consider it payment for your life. Your fortune was worth it, was it not?"
"Indeed." A low chuckle escaped Vitor. "A worthy payment for this old man's life, but..." His smile stretched into a bloodthirsty snarl, and darkness swallowed the room. "TODAY YOU WILL DIE!" A shadow blade burst from the corner, rushing toward Severus. He was about to deflect it when the unexpected happened. "Wh-what?!"
The darkness dissipated, revealing Vitor with a hole in his chest, staring into the dark corner with genuine amazement. His white shirt had turned red in a matter of seconds, and a pool of blood had begun to form under the chair.
"Unexpected," he said, tilting his head to the side with mild surprise.
"You're lying."
"I'm lying," Severus admitted. He could have stopped the Dark Mage's attack at any moment, but he hadn't. Why kill someone unnecessarily when they were going to do it for you? "I was planning to kill him anyway." He stepped closer, examining the wound on the wizard's chest.
"Vitor had clearly been aiming to leave him no chance of survival. Apparently, this hatred had been building for a long time. But no matter. I already got what I wanted." He pulled a rose from the dying man's breast pocket and dispelled the spell. A key appeared in its place.
"H-help." Vitor looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Why? I was going to kill you anyway. Sleep soundly. Your wealth is in safe hands."
"Y-you."
"I know the password too." Severus nodded with a smile. Genuine amazement crossed Vitor's face, which after a few seconds turned into burning hatred.
"Severus, what are you going to do with the rest?" Nagini leaned out of his pocket and looked towards the entrance where the other gang members stood.
"You don't have to worry about that. I neutralized almost all the guards we passed. But they'll have to deal with the rest themselves."
"VITOR DE CAMINHA, THE BUILDING IS SURROUNDED! SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY, OR WE WILL ASSAULT!"
A loud male voice sounded from outside. Nagini was surprised.
Speak of the devil. Well, it's time for us to go." Severus turned to the dying wizard, who was shaking with rage. "Good luck, old man. It was a pleasure meeting you." He nodded with a smile, and they disappeared. Only one elderly man remained in the office, his face twisted in rage as he cursed the insolent "boy" with his dying breath.
At the same time, Severus appeared near a small cave. Obtaining information about where the gang's riches were "buried" hadn't been all that difficult. Simple Legilimency and a couple of leading questions were all it took for the information to appear in the old man's head. It was one of the easiest ways to obtain the necessary information, with almost no effort.
"Hmm. So that's how it is." He looked down at the ground, noticing a broken branch and some trampled grass. "So, he decided to kill his boss, blame it on me, and take it all for himself. What a bad man."
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