Chapter 919: Do You Have the Confidence to Defeat Grindelwald?
Chapter 919: Do You Have the Confidence to Defeat Grindelwald?
The Auror was initially startled, but upon turning around and recognizing the newcomer, his tense emotions relaxed. However, he still seemed somewhat reluctant.
Aires subtly shook his head, signaling that now was not the right time to take action.
This minor incident did not catch the attention of the others present. Under the combined pressure from Pierce and Cornell, the French Minister’s previously rigid stance softened, but he still gritted his teeth and insisted on searching Ivan and the others to prove they had not taken any treasures from the Tomb.
Pierce naturally rejected this impolite demand, emphasizing that they should not treat the two heroes who had dared to stand against Grindelwald with such harshness!
After a heated debate, the French Minister reluctantly chose to let them go. Without concrete evidence, he had no reason to forcibly detain Ivan and Rolf.
It was not worth antagonizing both the British and North American Ministries of Magic over a potentially existing treasure.
“Since everything is clear now, we will take our leave, Minister Sir.” Seeing the other party finally give in, Ivan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was not one to resort to violence unless absolutely necessary.
While his strength was more than enough to beat these people and force them to admit their wrongdoing, such action would inevitably bring endless trouble.
After all, this was different from the situation in Britain. The reason he had dared to kill Fudge in broad daylight was partly due to his identity as Voldemort and partly because he had meticulously planned, controlled the media, and gained the support of nearly half of the Pureblood Families. With Pierce, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, on his side, the impact had been minimized.
France was, after all, a major magical nation. Relying solely on strength would not make them submit; it would only provoke stronger resistance. Otherwise, the Minister of Magic would have already surrendered to Grindelwald and would not be sending people to capture his followers.
If he acted rashly and fell out with the French Ministry of Magic, potentially sparking a wizarding war between Britain and France, Grindelwald would probably laugh in his sleep.
Exiting the Ministry of Magic, Ivan turned to Cornell and said, “Thank you for your assistance, Director Cornell.”
“I merely spoke the truth. Even without my help, I believe Lord Hals could have resolved this minor issue on his own.” Cornell chuckled, seemingly having forgotten their previous disagreement. After some small talk, he steered the conversation to more serious matters.
“My intelligence operatives in French territory have reported some strange news. It seems Grindelwald’s appearance has changed drastically, to the point where Aurors almost mistook him for someone else.”
“The information is accurate. When I met Grindelwald this time, he had fully reverted to his youthful appearance, and his strength is likely even more formidable than before!” Ivan said with great caution.
Upon receiving Ivan’s confirmation, Cornell’s expression turned grim, but he forced himself to remain calm and asked, “The question is, how did he manage to do this? I remember Minister Pierce’s report to the International Confederation of Wizards stated that Grindelwald, during his battle with Voldemort, was afflicted by an extremely persistent Dark Magic, which should have left him in a terrible state.”
“Simple, just die once, and it’s done, isn’t it?” Ivan muttered to himself.
"Die... once?" Cornell was taken aback, initially not quite understanding Ivan's words. However, he soon realized something and immediately drew in a sharp breath. In his experience, only the most evil Dark Magic could reverse the cycle of life and death.
"Only this can explain Grindelwald's peculiar situation", Ivan said, sounding slightly troubled. From the moment he learned that Grindelwald had captured the North American Vice President, he suspected that Grindelwald might use the same method as Voldemort to resurrect once, thereby escaping the corruption of Dark Magic.
This also meant that Grindelwald likely had a Horcrux!
Defeating Grindelwald was already difficult enough, but now there was an additional prerequisite: they had to find and destroy the Horcrux, wherever it was hidden.
Cornell fell into deep concern. He knew that the North American Ministry of Magic alone would be powerless against Grindelwald.
"Do you have any confidence in defeating Grindelwald?" Cornell asked carefully.
"It's very difficult. Even if Grindelwald is defeated, no one can stop him unless we find a place where Apparition is impossible!" Ivan shook his head and said straightforwardly.
Cornell nodded, not particularly surprised. If Ivan, at his age, claimed to have a sure chance of defeating Grindelwald, that would be truly astonishing.
However, from the way Ivan had managed to escape unscathed after confronting Grindelwald in Nicolas Flamel's tomb, it was clear that their strengths were not vastly different. Ivan was one of the few wizards capable of standing up to Grindelwald.
Understanding this, Cornell had rushed over to mend fences after learning that the French Ministry of Magic had been making things difficult for Ivan, to make up for the previous tensions between them.
Ivan naturally welcomed Cornell's overtures. With Grindelwald as a formidable enemy, any further rifts would only give Grindelwald the opportunity to divide and conquer.
After some discussion, the North American and British Ministries of Magic reached a preliminary agreement. They would share the latest intelligence on Grindelwald and collaborate to combat this powerful Dark Wizard.
Ivan also received Cornell's assurance that if any significant actions required his personal involvement, the International Confederation of Wizards would grant him the title of Chief Warlock for this quest. Except for a few high-ranking officials above the Head level, all wizards would be required to follow his orders when necessary.
Of course, this power could only be used against Grindelwald. If Ivan ordered them to do anything illegal, the Aurors would not comply.
After settling the broad outlines of their cooperation, Cornell hurriedly took his leave. To win Ivan's support, he had agreed to many stringent conditions, which he needed to report to his superiors.
Once Cornell was out of earshot, Ivan suddenly remembered something. He turned to Pierce and asked, "Who is that warlock named Aires? Does Britain have any intelligence on him?"
Earlier, in the Minister's Office, Ivan had felt that Aires was off. He could even sense a faint danger emanating from him.
This was one of the reasons he hadn't acted rashly in the Ministry of Magic.
(End of Chapter)
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