David sighed inwardly. These days, it seemed impossible to navigate the outside world without putting on an act. As he leaned against the tree, a new scene unfolded in his mind, courtesy of the invisible beast he had summoned earlier.
The little fat man, Tariq, sat lazily on a large rock, munching on a piece of bread. The wizard who had followed him earlier now stood dutifully by his side, scanning the surroundings like a loyal guard. When Davao approached, Tariq slid off the rock and greeted him with a mouthful of bread.
"All taken care of?" Tariq asked, handing the bread to Davao.
"All done," Davao replied.
"Did you figure out who the biggest problem is among the rest?" Tariq inquired, brushing crumbs off his hands.
Davao nodded. "The one with the little devil mask seems to be the most suspicious."
Tariq frowned. "What about Ron?"
Davao chuckled. "Little Boss, you were fooled by him. His name is Tucker Terry. There's nothing in his name that even remotely sounds like 'Ron.'"
"That guy! He lied to me!" Tariq clenched his fist in mock anger, then turned to glare at Davao. "And I told you not to call me 'little boss.' Just 'boss' will do."
"Of course, boss," Davao said quickly, recognizing Tariq's attempt to regain some dignity.
Tariq nodded, satisfied. "What about that guy? Is he a problem? Could he be an undercover agent?"
Davao thought for a moment. "Unlikely. Boss, you've been with him. Have you seen him drink any potions?"
Tariq scratched his head. "I don't think so. He ate everything we gave him."
"Then he's probably reliable," Davao concluded. "We didn't find anything suspicious on him. When he dealt with our guys, he was ruthless—no hesitation. And when we took care of Erba and the undercover agent, he didn't show any emotional reaction. Either he's a master actor, or he's not an undercover agent. Based on his background, it's unlikely he's working with the Ministry of Magic."
Tariq tilted his head. "Could he belong to another group?"
Davao hesitated. "I can't be sure, but based on the information we have, it's unlikely. We would've recruited him earlier if that were the case."
"That's good," Tariq said, sounding relieved.
"Boss, you don't want him to follow you, do you?" Davao asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why not? Can't I?" Tariq shot back.
"He's not an ordinary person. He's a dangerous man," Davao warned.
"How so?"
"Have you even read the information we have on him?" Davao asked, exasperated.
"Why would I bother with that stuff?" Tariq replied dismissively.
Davao sighed. "The reports say he's killed a lot of people. He's not like the others who haven't been bloodied."
Tariq's eyes widened, and he instinctively shrank back. "You mean... when he said he'd hit me with a Killing curse, he wasn't bluffing?"
"I think he was serious, boss. You should be careful around him," Davao advised.
"Careful? Me? Afraid of him?" Tariq's voice rose an octave. "I'm not scared of him!"
But then he paused, his tone shifting. "Sori, who do you think is stronger—him or Ion?"
David's ears perked up at the mention of the name. "Sori? So Davao's real name is Sori? And who is Ion?"
"That has to be Ion," Sori replied without hesitation, as if the answer were obvious.
"Alright, alright," Tariq said, waving his hand. "I'll try to build a rapport with him. He did save me earlier. Time's running out, though. I should head back before they think I'm constipated!"
"Even if he hadn't saved you, those guys wouldn't have dared to hurt you," Sori muttered.
"I said he saved me, so he saved me!" Tariq snapped. "Anyway, I hope we can recruit a few loyal people this time. We're running out of usable hands, thanks to those idiots!"
As Tariq's voice faded into the forest, Sori stood silently for a moment before walking off in another direction.
David, still leaning against the tree, dismissed the invisible beast and opened his eyes. He had seen and heard enough.
"Ron, where did Davao take the others?" Tariq asked, limping dramatically as he returned to the group. His exaggerated movements drew laughter from the others.
"What's so funny? Never seen someone with numb legs before?" Tariq glared at them, which only made them laugh harder.
Ignoring the laughter, Tariq hobbled over to David and sat down. "Ron, you haven't answered my question yet!"
David shifted slightly to the side. "They were taken away by Davao. He said they'd be thrown into the mountains."
"That's harsh... he's really ruthless!" Tariq said, then sniffed himself. "Ron, don't move. I don't smell, do I?"
David gave him a look of disgust but said nothing.
"Hey, that look in your eyes! I really don't smell! You're making people misunderstand me!" Tariq protested, leaning closer as if to prove his point. David raised his wand, and Tariq immediately backed off.
Just then, Davao returned. Tariq perked up. "Hey, Davao, where did you take those two guys?"
"No comment," Sori said sharply, casting a glance at Tariq.
"Be nice," Tariq said, waving his hand. "Do you think they have a chance of surviving?"
A chorus of wolf howls echoed through the mountains, as if answering his question.
"Doesn't seem likely," Sori said with a shrug, sitting down.
"Tsk, how pitiful. Don't you think so, Ron?" Tariq said, feigning sympathy.
David watched their performance with a blank expression, saying nothing. He had been skeptical from the start. Tariq and Sori had acted as if they were at odds, but their behavior during the earlier skirmishes had been telling. The spells aimed at Tariq had been deliberately weak, and when David had stepped in to "save" him, the others had conveniently stopped their attacks. Sori had also been subtly ensuring Tariq got the best portions of food.
David sighed inwardly. "These days, it seems like everyone's an actor. It's like stepping into Hollywood. School was better—at least people were straightforward. Like Malfoy, who made no effort to hide his dislike for Ron and Harry."
As the fire crackled and the group settled in, David couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for the simpler days at Hogwarts. Out here, nothing was as it seemed.