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Lupin genuinely couldn't understand it. How could a beautiful young woman with a saintly aura and a face straight out of a painting have such a terrible temper?
Every other sentence out of her mouth was about killing someone.
"Well..." Lupin said awkwardly. "The vampires have been keeping a very low profile. They only operate at night, and after abducting a few people, they vanished without a trace."
"Huh? You mean you haven't captured a single vampire?" Jalter frowned at him. "Why did Tom even put you in charge of this? You're useless."
She folded her arms. "Vampires are nothing but trash that can be reduced to ashes with a single spell, and you couldn't even catch one alive for questioning? How did you have the will to live while being this useless?"
"..."
Lupin shut down on the spot.
Years ago, he probably would have argued back. Life, however, had long since sanded down his rough edges.
Tom was paying the bills, and while the woman he'd sent was difficult to deal with, she was still technically on their side.
More importantly, she was far stronger than he was. Who knew what she might do if he picked a fight with a lunatic like her?
"Tell me," Jalter demanded, "where are all the wizard gathering spots?"
Lupin answered. And he answered thoroughly.
As if trying to prove he wasn't completely incompetent, he listed every bit of useful information he'd managed to uncover.
Then Jalter explained her plan.
Lupin would guide her. She would round up every wizard she could find and force them into one place. After that, they'd wait for the vampires to come to them.
At first, Lupin thought the idea was absurd. Then she dragged him to a dark wizard settlement. And his opinion changed immediately.
This beautiful girl was completely insane.
The moment they arrived, she didn't waste a single word. She set everything on fire.
Towering walls of flame rose into the sky, forming a massive prison around the entire camp.
Those willing to cooperate were handed over to Lupin, who tied them up. Anyone who resisted was swallowed by a jet of fire.
Some tried to escape by Apparition.
The instant they cast the spell, however, the flames surged toward them as though they possessed minds of their own.
Nothing remained afterward. Not even ashes.
And in less than thirty minutes, they'd captured dozens of wizards. Several were werewolves.
That was, of course, not the end. Once everyone had been rounded up, Jalter immediately marched toward the next settlement.
...
Near the canal lay a strange border region.
It was the gathering place for nearly every gray-market operation across North and South America.
In practical terms, it was the Knockturn Alley of two continents.
Most of the people there were either impoverished wizards or criminals.
But places like this often hid dangerous individuals. You never knew whether the person you offended might be a master of Dark Magic.
Because of that, Lupin had always kept an extremely low profile there.
Jalter was the exact opposite.
Her arrival carried with it destruction, malice, and overwhelming negativity.
During her time in the study space, she'd never had a chance to cut loose.
After being resurrected, Jeanne had controlled the body almost the entire time.
She'd been suppressing herself for so long that now, finally finding a place where she could vent her frustrations, she let loose without restraint.
The entire border region descended into chaos.
Assassinations. Ambushes. Retaliatory killings. One after another.
The unrest quickly attracted the attention of several nearby Ministries of Magic.
The problem was that these were all small countries.
Some couldn't even muster twenty Aurors.
Initially, they had considered intervening. Then they heard the casualty reports and every one of them immediately withdrew.
Warnings were issued to their citizens... Do not enter the unstable region under any circumstances.
In only a few days, Jalter had accomplished something no one thought possible. The scattered settlements surrounding the area were forcibly merged into a single power structure.
Of course, the death toll among local wizards had reached horrifying levels.
Jalter, meanwhile, felt like she'd arrived in paradise. Here, she could do whatever she wanted. Anyone who disobeyed could be killed.
Under her banner, terrified wizards trembled and obeyed her every command.
Having too much fun, she completely forgot why she'd come in the first place.
The original mission had been simple: Wait for the vampires to take the bait.
Instead, she suddenly waved her hand and issued a new order.
"Build a city."
Tom had built Dalaran. A city of light. A future center for wizarding activity across Europe.
Then she would build a city of darkness. A city that would bring every dark wizard on the two continents under her rule.
At the very least, her organization couldn't be weaker than Grindelwald's Acolytes.
"..."
Seeing all that, Lupin was numb.
Had Tom sent him a helper? This was clearly a Dark Lord. Darker than any Dark Lord should have been.
He immediately contacted both Dumbledore and Tom, reporting everything Jalter had been doing.
Tom's response was surprisingly calm.
As long as Jalter was having fun, he didn't really care.
To him, the happiness of his own people mattered most.
The vampires could wait. The Sun Chasers could wait. Everything else could stand in line.
As long as Jalter was happy, it was okay. He would support her regardless.
Dumbledore, however, was deeply confused.
Wasn't this supposed to be Saint Jeanne d'Arc?
Unable to make sense of it, he invited Tom to his office once again.
"Professor," Tom explained, "you're familiar with Jeanne d'Arc's story. All the injustice she suffered left an imprint on her subconscious. Eventually, that developed into a completely separate personality."
He coughed. "The one over there having fun... I mean, carrying out the mission... is Jalter. So her methods are a little more direct."
Dumbledore found himself even more speechless than before.
A little more direct?
"Are you certain Miss Jeanne or Miss Jalter won't lose control?"
"Of course not." Tom shook his head. "The two personalities balance each other. They each have their own principles and way of doing things."
He continued calmly. "If Jeanne hasn't stepped in to stop Jalter from killing someone, then that person probably deserved to die."
Dumbledore had no way to verify that claim. But under the circumstances, he didn't have much choice. All he could do was trust Tom's judgment.
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