Chapter -40 I am reasonable person.

Chapter -40.

In that bustling hall, after Lester's declaration, it felt as though time had frozen, leaving the room in a heavy silence that lingered for quite a while.

Newly arrived wizards coming through the fireplace or telephone booth observed this unusual sight, utterly baffled by what was happening.

Eventually, someone broke the quiet, asking, "Excuse me, are you kidding?"

"He can't seriously believe he's Voldemort and intends to take us all hostage!" another wizard exclaimed.

"That can't be right; this is supposed to be a Ministry-organized event."

It's understandable that the wizards reacted this way. They had grown accustomed to living in peace for far too long.

It had been a whole decade since the last dark upheaval.

After enjoying a decade of tranquility, the wizards regarded the Ministry of Magic as one of the safest spots, right next to Hogwarts.

But now, a rugged-looking middle-aged man was pointing his wand at a crowd of wizards in this supposed safe haven, instructing them to crouch and shield their heads. How could they not be taken aback by such boldness?

Even with a wand aimed at them, the group of wizards visiting the Ministry for various reasons felt oddly unafraid. Among them were several officials from the Ministry, who could only frown at the absurdity of the situation.

Just as the crowd was busy discussing Lester, a brick thrown to the ground in front of him began to tremble.

Then, a shocking sight unfolded.

From that brick, prisoners clad in gray prison uniforms started to emerge—one, two, then three. Before long, ten, twenty, even thirty began to pour out.

As the numbers of prisoners swelled, the initially amused expressions of the wizards quickly changed to horror.

It's crucial to know that these prisoners were formidable dark wizards, each capable of taking on multiple adult wizards in the magical realm. And these were not ordinary prisoners; they had spent years in the gloomy confines of Azkaban, a place where even the strongest minds would struggle to stay sane after just a few days.

As the dark wizards, freshly liberated and breathing in the fresh air, eyed the shocked wizards before them, a chilling energy radiated from them, sending waves of fear through the crowd.

[Ding! Gained fear value from Liva +14]

[Ding! Gained fear value from ouhel +23]

[Ding! Gained fear value from Mark +26]

[...]

Even the most seasoned Aurors found it challenging to keep their composure under the watchful gaze of over a hundred escapees. Ordinary wizards, lacking any combat experience, were understandably terrified!

Due to regulations at the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts—being the sole magical school in Britain—intentionally didn't teach lethal spells to students. As a result, most wizards today, unless they were in combat roles or belonged to pure-blood families, couldn't even properly perform a disarming charm.

This educational approach meant that when faced with danger, many wizards had no means to defend themselves.

"This is quite a harvest of fear!" Lester observed the trembling wizards in front of him while the prompts in his ears counted up the fear values. He felt like he was about to strike it rich.

Although the individuals in front of him might not be particularly powerful—offering just over 20 points of fear each—their vast numbers made it worthwhile.

In that large hall, the newly freed prisoners looked greedily at the frightened wizards who filled the room.

If it weren't for their leader, Lester, keeping a watchful eye, the prisoners might have already unleashed a wave of destruction upon the wizards.

The status of being pure-blooded did not matter to these maddened prisoners; they were driven by a desire for retribution for their years of suffering in Azkaban.

"All right, everyone, drop your wands on the floor and crouch down, covering your heads!" Lester called out, noticing the crowd was so paralyzed with fear that they failed to react. He added, "I'm a reasonable person; if you cooperate, I won't harm you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the wizards who had previously mocked him hastily threw down their wands, keen to save themselves, and crouched down in compliance.

Of course, some wizards thought they could outsmart him, believing that among such a large crowd, Lester wouldn't notice if they didn't toss their wands. They pretended to throw theirs while simply making a throwing motion, hoping to blend in.

"Foolish idiots, how dare you try to play tricks?!"

Just when these self-satisfied wizards thought they had gotten away with their antics, the prisoners behind Lester had been watching closely and were not amused.

Having endured years in Azkaban, everything was breathtakingly new, and they quickly caught the wizards being sly and refusing to drop their wands. This infuriated the prisoners.

When they spotted some of those resistant wizards—dressed in opulent robes and clearly from pure-blood families within the Ministry of Magic—their anger intensified.

Despite this, the prisoners did not leap into action right away. Instead, they looked to their leader, Lester, for guidance.

Under the intense scrutiny of so many eyes, Lester remained calm and simply nodded to indicate his approval.

It's worth noting that he wasn't heartless; he wouldn't wantonly harm the innocent.

Yet, the act of hoarding wands was undoubtedly a show of defiance against him and his group.

Moreover, given that most of them were pure-blood Ministry officials, Lester felt no inclination to deny the prisoner's wishes.

They were still prisoners, dark wizards, not his subordinates.

Their connection was one of cooperation rather than authority.

These prisoners were eager to unleash years of pent-up frustration, and Lester saw no reason to stop them.

And sure enough, upon receiving Lester's nod, many prisoners revealed fierce expressions, their predatory stares fixed on the few clever pure-blood wizards.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Suddenly, one prisoner drew a black wand from his robe, swiftly casting a killing curse in a sweeping motion.

As the deadly curse shot through the room, chaos erupted among the hostages, with many closing their eyes in terror.

Among them, a pure-blood wizard in a luxurious robe—who had just been smugly preparing to escape via Apparition—froze in horror, his eyes widening at the sight of the rapidly approaching green curse.

***

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