Chapter 16: Chapter 16 : Agatha Suspicion
---
Someone once said that the calmest person at the scene of a murder, if not a law enforcement officer, must be the murderer.
After all, only the one who commits the act with their own hands would remain devoid of emotional fluctuations.
Of course, this statement only applies to professional killers.
And the person who could evade Agatha's tracking multiple times is naturally no ordinary individual.
" Strachey, you may have guessed..."
Agatha's gaze settled on the indifferent young man, and the rabbit in her arms also stared at him, its scarlet eyes brimming with strange emotions.
At that moment, no one noticed their expressions.
Many at the scene were still reeling from the unexpected turn of events, their faces frozen in shock.
If it weren't for the intervention of those shadowy ninjas moments ago, the entire area might have been obliterated by the explosion.
But how did those shadow ninjas appear?
They vanished into the shadows of the street corner in the blink of an eye, yet in broad daylight, they moved like phantoms—coming and going without a trace, as enigmatic as a witch's sorcery.
For a moment, everyone at the scene turned their heads to look at Wanda.
"It was Wanda who saved us!"
"She saved us twice!"
"Thank goodness the Avenger is here. I can't imagine what would have happened otherwise..."
Hearing the murmurs around her, Wanda was at a loss.
She had been affected by the surge of Chaos Magic earlier and couldn't focus at all.
In an instant, several shadowy ninjas had appeared and swiftly taken away the man carrying the explosive device.
"Wanda, you said you didn't know any Magic!" Finn, standing beside her, feigned surprise.
"Finn, it wasn't me," Wanda shook her head. "I was distracted earlier."
As she spoke, she realized something: if it wasn't her, then there must be another sorcerer—or someone with superhuman abilities—in the town.
From the looks of it, however, these individuals bore no ill intent.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have intervened at such a critical moment to save the people in the square.
"Don't be modest. I told you you'd be a magical genius," Finn said, cutting off her explanation.
After all, most people at the scene already believed Wanda was a Magician.
No matter how much she denied it, many were convinced she had saved them.
One by one, people approached to express their gratitude.
The charity event had to be canceled due to the chaos. Many were injured, some even lying in pools of blood.
As the organizer, Wilson took responsibility, vowing to cover all losses.
What was meant to be a festive occasion ended in tragedy.
On the way back, Wanda felt uneasy about taking credit for something she hadn't done.
"Those shadow ninjas really weren't mine," she insisted.
"Uh-huh," Finn replied nonchalantly. "By the way, the construction team you wanted has been arranged. Take them to the site later. Someone will handle the design."
"Okay."
Seeing his dismissive response, Wanda knew he didn't believe her and sighed in resignation.
"Aunt Agatha, do you want to come with me?" Finn asked, glancing at Agatha behind them.
"I'd love to, but there are some matters at home I need to attend to. I'll catch up with you later," Agatha replied.
With that, she turned and walked toward the community apartment.
Unnoticed by anyone, a flicker of dark energy passed through her blue eyes as she left, reminiscent of an ancient witch from a forgotten castle.
Back in her apartment, Agatha stood by the window, watching Finn and Wanda disappear into the distance.
Her voice turned cold as she muttered, "Finn, who are you? An ordinary man, or a dark sorcerer?"
With a wave of her hand, Agatha vanished from the window and reappeared in Finn's suite upstairs.
She set the rabbit down and commanded, "Go, Strachey. Find evidence of his true identity."
---
Meanwhile, in the city nearest to Westview, a towering building stood prominently in the downtown area. Though it lacked high walls, few dared to approach it.
In the top-floor office of the SWORD Bureau, Director Hayward sat reviewing a report.
"Supernatural incidents have been occurring frequently in Westview over the past two days. Just now, mysterious shadow ninjas appeared in West Square. Surveillance footage shows they can blend into shadows."
Since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., SWORD had taken over handling supernatural cases across the country, including the Vision project inherited from S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Westview? Isn't Wanda staying there?" Agent James, asked. "Director, do you think Wanda's behind this?"
"It's a possibility we can't ignore. That's why I'm assigning you and Monica to investigate," Hayward said, glancing at the two agents before him.
"No problem," James replied eagerly. He relished a challenge.
"I'll follow the organization's lead," Monica Rambeau added.
"Good luck. Here's Wanda's current address. You might want to consider staying in the same building," Hayward said, sliding a file across the table.
On it was a name: Finn, the landlord of Building 1 in the Westview Community Apartments.
---
Later that afternoon, Finn returned home after lunch with Wanda.
"Has someone been here?" he wondered aloud as he approached his door.
His heightened senses detected an unusual presence inside.
Click...
He pushed the door open to find the living room seemingly untouched.
"Ah..." Finn smirked. "Agatha, you're sharper than I thought."
He sensed Agatha's lingering presence. The ancient witch had been here recently but left empty-handed.
Finn wasn't surprised. He'd noticed Agatha's suspicious behavior earlier in the square.
After all, she was a centuries-old witch. If she hadn't been suspicious of him, he would have questioned her competence.
The fact that she hadn't confronted him directly meant she hadn't found any concrete evidence.
His system hadn't triggered any alerts, confirming that his identity remained hidden.
"It seems I'll need to deal with Agatha sooner rather than later," Finn thought. "Quietly."
As he pondered, he began crafting a spell, drawing from memories of his past life. Compared to Wanda, Agatha was easier to handle.
The difference in their power lay in Wanda's Chaos Magic. Without it, Agatha was vulnerable.
"Perhaps the Art of Spiritualization..." Finn mused. "It can kill without a trace."
The Art of Spiritualization, an S-rank forbidden technique, allowed the user to separate their spirit from their body, manipulate enemies from a distance, and even destroy their physical form.
It was somewhat akin to Wanda's Dream walking in *Doctor Strange 2*, albeit a weaker version.
However, anything Finn created was enhanced beyond its original form.
For instance, his version of Avada Kedavra could strike multiple targets, unlike the original.
"Let's begin," Finn said, raising his hands.
The familiar expanse of stars spread above him as he began crafting the new spell.
---
Bonus Chapter - 200 Power stones 😝🤔
Dear Readers,
I'm considering creating a Patreon account to offer 25 advanced chapters of this novel for a $5 monthly pledge.
Would you be willing to support me in this way?
Your support would be incredibly helpful.
Thank you for your thoughts and consideration
please let me know your thoughts
Should I make it?