Dudley chuckled softly, glancing down at Gins sprawled on the dusty floor.
"You can do anything?" Dudley asked, his tone dangerously light.
"Yes, anything!" Gins nodded frantically, not daring to hesitate for even a heartbeat.
Compared to death, there was nothing he would not accept.
"What about you two?" Dudley turned his cold gaze to the imprisoned wizards, still frozen in their amber prisons.
"If you want to be like Gins, blink your eyes."
The two immediately blinked frantically, their eyes wide with desperate hope.
"Release." Dudley spoke twice in succession, and the crystalline amber shattered around them like breaking ice.
Without hesitation, the two immediately swore their loyalty to Dudley, their voices overlapping in their eagerness.
"First, I need to ensure you will not leak any information about me," Dudley said, his voice carrying absolute authority.
The three immediately understood and lined up before him without being told. They had all witnessed how Borgin had undergone the process moments before.
Using his extraordinary secret-keeping ability, Dudley sealed his information within the souls of all three. Each time, that same strange light emerged in his eyes—silver-grey and dark red intertwining like threads of fate being woven into their very beings.
After finishing, Gins glanced toward where Macken had fallen.
"He is dead," Gins said, his expression complex—relief and guilt warring across his features.
Macken had resisted the most fiercely and received the most devastating attack, especially that final Death Judgement strike which had crushed his chest. There was no possibility of survival.
"Do you want to avenge him?" Dudley asked with a light laugh.
"No, no, no, I absolutely do not have that thought. If he is dead, he is dead. I am not close to him at all," Gins said hurriedly.
"Not close! Really not close," another added.
"Right, we have never met before," the third chimed in desperately.
Not just Gins—all three waved their hands repeatedly, frantically denying any meaningful relationship with Macken.
"Borgin, you handle Macken's corpse later," Dudley said.
"Understood," Borgin replied immediately.
"These giant spiders—are you still buying them?" Dudley looked at Gins.
Gins's mouth twitched slightly. "I... do not have that much money."
Obviously, from the beginning, he had never planned to complete a real transaction. He had only come to assess the situation, to determine whether robbery was feasible.
If he felt confident, he would notify Macken's group. If not, he would find an excuse to leave.
When he discovered only Dudley and Borgin were present, and this place was an abandoned shack far from the village, he had summoned the three to ambush them.
He just never expected this outcome.
The robbery failed catastrophically, he had bound himself to this terrifying wizard, and Macken had lost his life.
"Then, I will leave the giant spiders to you. Help me sell them," Dudley said to Borgin.
"No problem," Borgin said quickly, already calculating potential buyers in his mind.
Dudley fell into silence and closed his eyes. The basement grew uncomfortably still, broken only by the occasional nervous shuffle of feet on stone.
No one knew what Dudley was doing. They could only stand quietly to the side, awaiting his orders.
After about a minute, Dudley opened his eyes. He had determined Cole's location through their connection.
"Let us go. I will take you to meet someone. From now on, you will work with him," Dudley said.
He first used his extraordinary abilities to leave his unique mark on all three—invisible sigils that would bind them to his will.
Then, holding all three of their wands in his hands, he signalled for them to stand together.
After finishing everything, Dudley nodded at Borgin and grabbed Gins's arm.
"Apparition!"
Crack!
With a sharp sound like tearing fabric, all four vanished from the Shrieking Shack.
"Truly remarkable," Borgin muttered to himself, staring at the empty space where they had stood.
Not only did Dudley possess abilities he could not comprehend, but even his magical talent far exceeded that of ordinary wizards.
The boy was only twelve years old, yet he could already Apparate—and take three people with him simultaneously.
Moreover, judging from the ease with which Dudley had performed it, the distance was considerable. The difficulty was substantial.
Even under such circumstances, Dudley had successfully Apparated without splinching. That alone was worthy of admiration.
"His excellence reminds me of that person..." Borgin whispered, falling into dark memories.
In hazy recollection, a pale-faced, handsome youth appeared before his mind's eye. He had recognised even then that the young man was formidable, and everything that followed had confirmed his speculation.
Borgin shuddered, shaking himself free from those dangerous memories.
He began carefully evaluating each giant spider corpse's price while searching his contacts for customers who might purchase them.
At this stage, he no longer needed to consider his own profit, but rather how to maximise Dudley's earnings. His survival now depended on pleasing this terrifying young wizard.
"Mr Justiciar will also accomplish great things in the future..." Borgin muttered, then got to work.
On the other side, in some unknown small mountain village in Wales, Dudley and the three materialised beside a dirt road with a sharp crack.
The night air was cool and damp, carrying the scent of wet earth and distant sheep.
Dudley looked around and walked toward a dilapidated, abandoned wooden house not far away, its roof sagging and walls weathered grey.
The three quickly followed, stumbling slightly as they adjusted to the Apparition's disorientation.
As Dudley approached, through spirit vision, he saw a pair of eyes observing from the crack beneath the window—wary and alert.
"Long time no see, Cole," Dudley said with a light laugh.
After recognising his visitor, Cole's expression shifted to surprise. He opened the creaking door and stepped out into the moonlight.
He first glanced at Gins's group in the shadows, then looked at Dudley with cautious respect.
"Is there something you need, Master?" Cole asked, his voice low.
"Found you three helpers," Dudley said simply.
"Come over."
The three quickly stepped forward into the pale moonlight.
"You... you are Cole, that Auror who betrayed the Ministry!" Gins recognised him immediately, shock colouring his voice.
Cole's incident had caused quite a stir in the wizarding community. Many had heard the story. Moreover, Gins had known him before Cole's troubles, so he immediately recognised the now-dishevelled former Auror.
"Gins, you..." Seeing his former acquaintance, Cole was stunned, but when he noticed the serious injury on Gins's shoulder—the flesh torn and bloodied—he almost immediately understood what had happened.
"Heh, provoked the Master?" Cole asked with a cold, knowing laugh.
Gins did not speak, but the defeated expression on his face explained everything.
"Good. They are yours now. Contact me if anything comes up," Dudley said, handing the three wands to Cole before preparing to leave.
"Master," Cole spoke up quickly.
"What is it?" Dudley turned back.
"I have found some leads on that organisation, but just me, plus these three, probably will not be enough. I wonder if you could lend a hand?" Cole immediately stated his request, his voice carrying careful hope.
Dudley considered for a moment and nodded. "Sure. Notify me in advance when the time comes."
"Also, the way to contact me..." Dudley's voice dropped to an ancient whisper as he silently spoke, sending the Night Emperor's honorific name directly into Cole's mind.
"This is my Lord's honorific name. Recite it, and you can receive His response," Dudley said aloud for the benefit of the others.
"Remember, unless absolutely necessary, do not disturb Him!"
Cole's eyes widened with reverence and fear as the words burnt themselves into his memory—a gift and a warning in equal measure.