"No, no, you don't need to pay me medical fees."
In the cabin, besides the bodies of black-clad men that had appeared from nowhere and the securely bound Mr. Skender, Mori Tsukisa and Dumbledore sat face to face at the dining table. Nagini thoughtfully served the handsome old man a cup of tea.
"More sugar, please," Dumbledore winked at the Blood-Cursed Beastman, then pointed to the small sugar bowl not far away: "I want two, to eat now."
Gunshots, shouts, and collisions occasionally echoed from outside the cabin, but inside, it was remarkably quiet.
"Aren't you going to check on your friend?"
Dumbledore took the small porcelain plate Nagini offered, picked up two sugar cubes, threw them into his mouth, and looked pleased.
"Arrietty can handle it."
Mori Tsukisa had released a few Little Sprites earlier, and in Dumbledore's suddenly enlightened expression, she mentioned his injury again: "Are you really sure? I have a lot of small gold coins, you can use them to see a Doctor."
The man smiled, picked up his wand, waved it twice at his arm, and then held it out for Mori Tsukisa to see: "Wizards also have their strengths."
The girl curiously leaned closer.
"Oh?"
"...So amazing."
Mori Tsukisa poked the man's arm with her finger—the muscles that had just been torn were restored in the blink of an eye.
The cuff, torn to shreds, also returned to its new condition.
"So, we've reached an agreement?" The girl lowered her hand, smiling as she stared at Dumbledore, then looked at the still-nervous Nagini. From the beginning, this woman had been looking at Dumbledore with an imploring expression.
Until Mori Tsukisa made her move.
"My dear, we have no disagreements." Dumbledore took off his top hat and placed it on the table, revealing his slicked-back hair, then removed his two leather gloves: "I'm just concerned about the safety of an underage girl. You see, a Blood-Cursed Beastman... pardon me, Lady Nagini's 'talent' should not be around ordinary people..."
After speaking, the wizard himself laughed—a mysterious Ability that could withstand the Killing Curse, coupled with highly offensive magic, clearly meant Mori Tsukisa was no ordinary person.
"Mr. Skender used an Unforgivable Curse on you." Dumbledore got to the point, his smile fading: "I will hand him over to the Ministry of Magic."
Mori Tsukisa didn't care about the Killing Curse or the Ministry of Magic.
"So... Nagini is free?" The girl pointed to the nervous woman beside her, then, with a flick of her finger, gestured to the unconscious Skender, who was bound in a strange position: "I'm the victor, I want his wealth."
"Very reasonable."
Dumbledore nodded approvingly: "His employees abandoned their superior and fled—I will apply for a warrant. Wizards are absolutely not allowed to attack Muggles, and he even used an Unforgivable Curse on you. Oh, do you... do you have any other requests?"
Nagini looked at Dumbledore in confusion: This wizard was not only reasonable, but now, he even seemed... overly amiable?
Humble?
A somewhat disrespectful word flashed through Nagini's mind.
Was it because Mori Tsukisa had easily defeated him?
Dumbledore ignored the imaginative Blood-Cursed Beastman, although she had almost guessed the answer. In his opinion, Nagini was already Mori Tsukisa's property. With this girl around, an uncontrolled Blood-Cursed Beastman would not cause any trouble.
—As for the girl taking Mr. Skender's 'property' and making a mess of his tent... well, sorry.
If his own head hadn't almost been separated from his body, he would have found it hard to believe that this well-developed underage girl had such capability—the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic probably wouldn't believe it either.
Moreover, he wasn't some black-and-white extremist of justice. He wouldn't champion a person who used the Killing Curse on an underage girl, and the cost would likely be to restart a war with Mori Tsukisa—this beautiful, exceptionally built, mysterious, and indifferent... lunatic.
Forget it. If she could easily take off his head just now, then she could kill most of the wizards in the Wizarding World.
Dumbledore unconsciously moved a finger.
—Perhaps if he were a few years older, a bit more aged, and his reactions just a touch slower... his head wouldn't be on his neck: after a few exchanges, he didn't even... have a chance, no opportunity to find a gap to use large-scale magic.
Starting ten seconds ago, ending ten seconds later, that sharp blade and that 'undetectable by magic' magical creature had put immense pressure on him.
Such a small creature, seemingly born for assassination, was terrifying.
Alas, she just wanted a Blood-Cursed Beastman and some trinkets from the magical circus.
Fine, give them to her, give them to her... Unbeknownst to him, Mori Tsukisa had been marked with a huge red exclamation point in Dumbledore's mind—even more terrifying than a Terrorist who wanted to enslave Muggle humans and elevate wizards above the Sun.
At least the one he had made an oath with had goals, dreams, and so-called 'great interests'.
But what about the girl in front of him?
Dumbledore looked deeply at Mori Tsukisa: she smiled back at him, looking innocent and adorable.
The man, uncharacteristically, cursed under his breath.
This girl had no purpose.
She was curious, innocent, yet crazy and cruel—
Honestly, although it wasn't gentlemanly to maliciously speculate about an underage Child, Dumbledore truly believed that the girl in front of him was a creature in human skin.
Monster.
Unlike a Veela or a mermaid, she seemed to be a mixture of various malicious intentions, each facet eager for ignorant fools to curiously peek.
Come... come look at me!
She seemed to say so.
An exhausted Dumbledore tapped the table, smiling as he looked up: "My dear girl, your journey can continue. I imagine they won't bother you and your... friend anymore?"
"She's a maid."
Nagini stepped forward, her hands clasped over her lower abdomen, looking gently at the girl from behind Mori Tsukisa.
"Alright, that's fine too." Dumbledore stood up, put on his gloves, and pinched the brim of his hat: "Then, shall we look at your spoils of war?"
As they walked towards Skender, Dumbledore and Mori Tsukisa looked up at each other in unison.
They heard it.
"I think the spoils of war show will have to be postponed."
"That's fine," Mori Tsukisa looked up and asked him, "You have to promise to come back soon."
"Of course." Dumbledore put his hat back on: "I'll take him to the Ministry of Magic and then come back for you."
He pulled a small pouch embroidered with red magical patterns from Skender's waist, and as he placed it in Mori Tsukisa's palm, he instructed, "Please do not force it open—I know you have the ability, but it will destroy this fragile magic item."
"Wait for my return, little girl. How unfortunate, your friend seems to have injured someone." Dumbledore looked toward the door: "You need to make a quick entrance, girl."
"We'll see each other later."
"Alright, sir!"
As Mori Tsukisa waved goodbye, Dumbledore grabbed the unconscious Skender, gave his wand a gentle flick: a vortex twisting from the outside in distorted and blurred the two, causing them to vanish inside the cabin in the blink of an eye.
"Cool." Mori Tsukisa clapped her hands, and at that exact moment, the door was pushed open with great force.
Evelyn rushed in clumsily, followed by OConnell holding a revolver.
"Hurry! Follow me! Little Forest, the ship is on fire!"
"Oh no! Whose corpse is this?!"
"What did he do to you?"
Arrietty, hidden in Evelyn's curly hair, naughtily waved at Nagini.
'Aha! Little Snakey!'
'Isn't Her Majesty amazing?!'
Nagini narrowed her eyes and gently pulled Mori Tsukisa's arm.
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