Fall Guy

If it had been staged, then they had to be hiding somewhere.

There was a risk of being exposed on the island, and they could not stay underwater for long.

No!

No matter how miraculous a legendary Alchemist's creations were, it would not be surprising.

Once the news came out, the whole world's attention would shift to the Ashiya and Abe Families.

If Takuma and Yuxuan could not withstand the pressure of public opinion and resigned to take responsibility...

They had to find them as quickly as possible!

With Professor Dumbledore's Anti-Apparition Jinx in place, conventional methods of relocation would not work.

Wait—

Mie, her face full of astonishment, suddenly came up with an even bolder hypothesis.

Flamel and Dumbledore were old acquaintances, so there was a high chance they were accomplices.

That meant their hiding place had to be beyond the reach of magic.

No matter how thoroughly they searched the Seto Inland Sea, they would never find them.

She trusted her intuition. This was a farcical performance staged by themselves!

Since no one believed her, she would use her own people.

After dawn.

Osaka Bay was as calm as ever, though the same could not be said twenty meters below the surface.

The thirteen people who had swum over from the Akashi Strait overnight were all panting as they hid inside a relatively large bubble.

Vincent distributed Brain-Boosting Potion.

"One bottle each. Next, we're swimming to the Kitan Strait. Once we reach the Pacific Ocean, we won't need to stay underwater anymore."

After drinking it, everyone waited for his explanation.

When he came back last night, he had brought Dumbledore with him.

Then, after quickly arranging the scene, they had swum around the Seto Inland Sea to Osaka Bay.

They had taken a brief two-hour rest midway through, and they were still completely baffled.

"Eat while we talk." Vincent took out toast, rice balls, and other food.

Rinne nearly choked after hearing only the beginning.

Not only were they going to cause trouble for the Ashiya and Abe Families, they were also going to pin the blame on Voldemort?

"Then what about me?"

"I trust the Ashiya Department Head's character."

"I don't." She glared viciously at Vincent. "Even if he won't do anything to me, what about those people enjoying the shade beneath the Ashiya Family tree?"

"That's exactly what we're dealing with now."

If they disappeared for a few more days, public opinion would probably start building.

No matter how much Takuma wanted to protect those people, it was foreseeable that he would not be able to withstand the pressure from the Abe Family, Jingu, and the outside world.

Then it could all come to an end.

"Wait a second." Hermione raised her little hand high. "Why did Professor Dumbledore agree to cooperate with us?"

"Is that important?"

She nodded seriously. "Yes, very important."

Vincent pulled out a Gold Galleon. "He accepted my appearance fee."

"How much?"

"This."

"One?"

"Yes, one."

Hermione pressed her lips together tightly.

The fact that Dumbledore had agreed so readily meant he tacitly approved of Vincent's actions.

One was crudely shifting the blame, while the other used a Permanent Sticking Charm to make it stick for good.

Poor Voldemort. He had been plotted against without even realizing it.

Still, that dead bastard did not deserve any sympathy. She actually hoped there would be even more blame to pin on him.

Skipping the haggling, Vincent took a sip from the carton of milk in his hand, "There's enough food to last us a week, and there's plenty more in the Pacific Ocean—"

"I have a question!" Kenny swallowed the rice ball in his mouth. "If we're planning to go to the Pacific anyway, why are we putting our wands in that cave?"

"Idiot!" Rinne rolled her eyes at him.

"You—" Kenny suddenly fell silent.

Come to think of it, she was probably still on her period.

"Because of Prior Incantato." Vincent put away his empty milk carton. "Even if the distance is too great for the Trace to activate, the Ministry of Magic will still investigate our wands."

Marietta shot Kenny a disdainful look.

Then, like Hermione, she raised her little hand high. "What if we run into danger? What are we supposed to do then?"

Vincent took the Golden Scepter from his belt. "Trust in my alchemy. Even if we run into Furaikan, it won't be a problem."

Kenny curled his lip. "That diving suit of yours can't withstand too much water pressure, can it? What if they come looking for us in the Pacific?"

"Idiot!" Rinne rolled her eyes at him again.

"You!" Kenny clenched his fists tightly.

Hold it in. There was only one day left, anyway.

"First, the Seto Inland Sea has over three thousand islands." Vincent patiently explained. "Second, Professor Dumbledore has already set up the Anti-Apparition Jinx. And finally, no one will think our disappearance was staged."

"Tch. What makes you so sure?"

"Because there are two highly plausible prime suspects."

Kenny seemed to understand, but he still had to take another jab at it. "What if the group behind Ashiya Takuma makes a move?"

"Then we'll hide better." Vincent couldn't help rolling his eyes as well. "Satellites in the sky can't see beneath the sea, unless they can somehow bring Clark Kent over here."

"Clark Kent?"

"I know!" Hermione blurted out. "He's a Kryptonian! As long as he concentrates, he can monitor the entire Earth!"

For some reason, a red cape flashed through Kenny's mind.

"Isn't that guy a comic book character?"

Vincent shrugged. "You should know the odds of us being discovered now, right?"

With everything considered so thoroughly, not even an idiot would believe this was his first time.

"Any other questions?"

Seeing everyone else shake their heads, Neville thought it over carefully before raising his hand.

"Me!"

Under the gazes of twelve pairs of wide eyes, he gathered his courage and said it:

"I actually just wanted to try what this feels like."

Everyone laughed.

The once timid little boy had clearly changed.

Though they had found nothing all night, the Seto Inland Sea had truly been turned inside out.

There were no clues—only thirteen wands.

Prior Incantato revealed nothing unusual, so they were all handed over to Professor Dumbledore, who had not slept all night.

He tried many different methods and did uncover quite a few spells the children had used before heading out to sea.

Vincent's Alder Wand, in particular, exceeded Ito's expectations.

It had actually cast Finite Incantatem, the advanced form of the spell-stopper charm. No wonder they had been able to escape the underwater cave.

If Takuma and Kagura had been here, they would surely have shared his sentiments.

"Senior Ito!" Ishigami came running over noisily, clutching a newspaper.

"Keep it down."

After being glared at, he noticed that Professor Dumbledore was there too.

Ito took the newspaper and waved him away to prepare for the island search operation later.

There was no exaggeration—only an account of what had happened yesterday.

Professor Dumbledore glanced over, lost interest after a few looks, and withdrew his gaze.

"Mysterious Dark Wizard Organization Appears in the Country!"

"Where Have the Children Gone?"

"A Close Look at the Ministry of Magic's Efficiency"

There was praise and criticism alike. It was quite an adjustment.

If such major news had been written by a certain famous reporter, the headlines alone would probably have scared the wizarding readers half to death.

Ito folded the newspaper with a grave expression. "Sir, I think it's time for us to set off.

Please keep the Anti-Apparition Jinx in place until we find the children, then arrest every one of those people."

"No problem." Dumbledore watched them board a small boat modified with magic.

The wish would surely come true. It was just that The Truth would be cruel.