[Inside Sky City, in the Elders' Hall]
Number 1 sat quietly on the massive stone chair at the end of the hall.
Before him, in the center of the hall, scene after scene of Norton facing the International Confederation of Wizards' army alone was being projected.
The perspective in the projection was strange. It was first-person, as though Number 1 had installed a camera directly inside Norton's brain.
As a result, Norton's series of spectacular movements was difficult to appreciate from this angle.
Fortunately, Number 1 was also an expert. Judging from the movement of the screen and the way attacks came at Norton, he could roughly determine how Norton had responded.
The projection finally ended at the exact moment Norton drove his wand into his own heart.
Seeing that, Number 1 let out a deep sigh.
He could clearly feel Norton's emotions and thoughts. From the day Beauxbatons was surrounded, Norton had already regarded himself as a dead man.
Norton didn't care about his own life.
He didn't even care whether Beauxbatons Academy of Magic would continue to exist.
The only thing he cared about was the safety of his students.
That was also why he had given up resisting.
Throughout the entire battle against the Aurors and Hunters, he hadn't even used the specialized magic expected of a legendary wizard.
He had faced the strongest army in the world using nothing but the most basic spells and combat techniques.
In doing so, he presented everyone watching the battle with a visual spectacle that came only once in a century.
Bang!
The doors of the Elders' Hall were shoved open with force.
A gentle, cool breeze carrying a thick smell of blood rushed into the hall first.
What followed it into the hall was thick, blackish-red blood, as viscous as syrup.
With the doors no longer blocking its way, it spread across the floor without restraint, quickly staining the entrance to the Elders' Hall a sickening blackish red.
Smack!
A leather boot stepped heavily into the pool of blood.
Ietta slowly walked into the Elders' Hall.
In the corridor behind her, illuminated by white light, corpses were piled up like a mountain.
The bodies varied in age, but all of them wore the official robes of Sky City, or rather, the International Confederation of Wizards.
A small number of them even wore magnificent Elder robes.
These people should have been the masters seated inside the Elders' Hall.
Now, their mangled bodies lay forever in the corridor, while only the filthy blood flowing from them reached the hall across the smooth, reflective floor.
"Sir, everything has been taken care of."
After reaching Number 1, Ietta knelt on one knee and spoke respectfully.
Unlike her usual elegant and capable appearance, Ietta now wore armor with a longsword at her waist, looking every bit the valiant young knight.
The white light from the projection in the center of the hall shone directly upon her.
It added a touch of holiness to her appearance.
Yet if someone had observed Ietta closely, they would have sensed something indescribably strange about her.
Of course, no one present did.
Not even Number 1 spared her a glance. His eyes remained fixed on the projection screen, which had already turned white.
"Ietta, do you know? I've lost another brother forever."
Number 1 spoke with deep sorrow.
Ietta glanced at the projection before replying in a completely emotionless voice,
"Are you referring to Professor Norton of Beauxbatons? He truly was an extraordinary man."
"Extraordinary? No, no, no. He was still far from deserving that title." Number 1 shook his head repeatedly. "Wanting to save the students of Beauxbatons was absolutely right and just. But he chose to accomplish that goal by begging Link Flamel and Dumbledore. Even though he had other options.
"For example, he could have come to me. Asked me to take in the students of Beauxbatons and allow those children to seek refuge here.
"He should have known I would agree. After all, we were brothers, closer than blood brothers.
"But he chose not to.
"From that perspective, do you still think he's extraordinary?"
"No! I don't!" Ietta answered without hesitation. "He was too foolish, the most foolish person in the world! He had someone as supreme as you to ask for help, yet he chose another path instead!"
The corners of Number 1's mouth curled upward slightly as he said mockingly,
"No, no. You're wrong again. Norton wasn't foolish at all. If anything, he was too smart.
"He didn't ask me for help because he was afraid I'd send those Beauxbatons children back onto the battlefield. Or use methods even crueler than war against them.
"For example, turning them into Inferi, or conducting bloodline modification experiments on them.
"Do you think I would do that?"
"Of course not! That's blatant slander against you! You're such a noble person. How could you possibly..."
Ietta grew agitated, but before she could finish, Number 1 interrupted her.
"Wrong! Every sentence you speak is wrong, Ietta! It seems you're the most foolish one after all! If Norton had sent the teachers and students of Beauxbatons here for refuge, I would absolutely have used every one of those methods on them! It would all have been for the greater good, for the entire world. What's wrong with sacrificing a handful of insignificant people? It should have been their honor!
"That's why I said Norton was a very smart man.
"He foresaw all of this early on, so he chose another option.
"Even though that option would cost him all his dignity."
This time, Ietta didn't answer.
She had gone from kneeling on one knee to lying prostrate in complete submission.
Her body trembled constantly, while beneath her, a spreading wet stain rapidly expanded across the smooth floor.
It wasn't hard to understand.
The overwhelming terror Number 1 inspired had completely enveloped her.
In truth, the fact that she was still conscious and hadn't fainted already was remarkable.
After a brief silence, Number 1, seated upon the highest seat, spoke again.
"The reason I say Norton doesn't deserve to be called extraordinary is because what he pursued was too narrow. He had been brainwashed by worldly ideals. His mind was filled with obsession over petty love, causing him to forget his transcendent identity and status. Because of that, he gave up his life merely for some illusory little love."
He let out a deep sigh before standing.
"Even though it's so narrow-minded, I still approve of both his ideals and his actions. This is a textbook tragic hero's ending. While it wasn't kind to him personally, it was dazzling enough and worthy of being praised by future generations.
"Norton! My brother! You died for your faith. Yours was a worthy death!"
With those words, Number 1 lowered his head and observed a moment of silence.
Ietta hurriedly lowered her head even further.
Although Number 1's earlier remarks contradicted themselves from beginning to end, and could even be said to make no sense at all, nothing but nonsense that no one could understand,
Ietta still gathered every bit of strength and emotion she had to echo his feelings.
Because she knew very well that only by doing so could she obtain the greatest benefit.
Just as she expected, after the brief silence, the sorrow disappeared from Number 1's face.
In its place appeared the familiar gentle smile tinged with indifference.
He walked down the steps one by one, reached out, helped Ietta to her feet, and said softly,
"You said you've already taken care of everything outside, correct?"
"Yes, sir!" Ietta replied hurriedly. "Taking advantage of the attack on the Ministry of Magic of Neon, we've already launched a coup. Every member of the International Confederation of Wizards' Upper Council, along with most of its officials, has been killed by me. Combined with the military forces of Sky City that you previously wiped out with your subordinates, Sky City and the International Confederation of Wizards are now completely under our control."
"Oh? You even killed most of the officials? Then restoring the Confederation's administration afterward will be rather inefficient, won't it?"
Number 1 sounded somewhat surprised.
Hearing that, Ietta immediately knelt again.
"I'm very sorry, sir. I had no choice. None of them passed our loyalty test regarding the destruction of the Ministry of Magic of Neon. I believed their submission was only superficial and that they had no intention of serving us in the long run. So I eliminated them."
Ietta spoke with complete sincerity.
Yet a trace of ridicule appeared in Number 1's eyes.
Ietta's thoughts couldn't escape him.
He didn't even need to use Legilimency or similar magic.
Simply by observing her actions and background, he could determine what she truly thought.
As a woman from a peripheral branch of one of Sky City's Elder families, Ietta's status had actually been very low.
Otherwise, even after currying favor with old Harris, she wouldn't have remained nothing more than a secretary and assistant, constantly handling public-facing work like receiving foreign guests.
As an insignificant woman from a peripheral branch of a noble family, from the moment she charmed Sigrfen into turning against his own family just to become engaged to her, to later using Sigrfen to get close to old Harris, the humiliation and hardships she had suffered along the way must have been unimaginable.
As for those officials...
Number 1 also believed they could never truly be loyal to him.
Politicians were like that.
Profit had always been both their highest and only pursuit.
Perhaps some of them still clung to ideals and convictions, wanting to accomplish real things.
But in an environment like that, their spirits had long since been corrupted.
So from the very beginning, Number 1 had never expected their loyalty.
He only wanted them to work for him.
Ietta knew that perfectly well.
Putting those two facts together, there was only one reason she had killed so many officials.
She had used public authority to settle personal grudges.
Number 1 slowly bent down until he was beside Ietta's ear and whispered,
"Good child, how did revenge feel?"
Ietta's body trembled violently, nearly causing her to lose her balance and fall.
She had known all along that the real reason she killed those people probably couldn't be hidden from Number 1.
She also knew perfectly well that if Number 1 wished to control the International Confederation of Wizards and Sky City, then those officials were indispensable.
Yet she had still done it.
A bitter smile appeared on Ietta's face as she looked up at Number 1 devoutly.
"Sir, I didn't mean to. I just couldn't hold..."
Number 1 made a gesture for silence, interrupting her.
"I didn't ask why you killed them.
"I only asked you, how did revenge feel?"
The moment those words fell, a large flush spread across Ietta's face.
Breathing heavily, she said with obvious intoxication,
"It felt amazing!"
"Hehehehe..."
Number 1 stood up and stepped back, letting out a strange burst of laughter.
The laughter sounded extremely delighted, causing Ietta to laugh through her tears as well.
She understood.
Her death was probably close at hand.
Yet the very next moment, Number 1 suddenly stopped laughing and said,
"I actually have no intention of ruling Sky City or the International Confederation of Wizards for very long. So I really don't care whether you killed those officials or not. To be precise, that's your problem."
Ietta looked up in disbelief.
There was simply too much information in those words, enough to make her form a guess she herself thought was unrealistic.
"Open your mouth!"
Number 1 suddenly raised his voice.
Ietta instinctively obeyed.
Number 1 had already returned to his earlier gentle smile.
He took out a dagger.
A large emerald was set into its hilt, but the emerald gave Ietta an extremely eerie feeling, as though it were the living eyeball of some creature.
Number 1 didn't give her much time to examine it.
He raised the dagger and slowly cut open his own palm.
As the wound appeared, an enormous amount of blood burst forth, completely disproportionate to its size.
Instead of falling to the ground according to the laws of physics, it seemed to come alive, gathering in midair into a blood dragon that continuously circled through the air.
The white light from the projection shone upon it, making it glow with a mysterious crimson radiance.
Ietta stared blankly at the blood dragon.
She had seen plenty of blood in her life.
But she swore she had never seen blood so holy and so powerful.
It seemed to possess an indescribable magic.
Her appetite was stirred instantly. Saliva flooded her mouth, forcing her to swallow repeatedly to keep herself from drooling.
The blood dragon circling above answered her desire.
It shot straight into her open mouth.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out inside Ietta's mind.
She felt her consciousness shatter into pieces, only to be forcibly reassembled by the power carried within the blood dragon.
An incomparably powerful force coursed through her body, strengthening her flesh, strengthening her soul, strengthening her magic.
At the same time, Number 1's voice slowly echoed, "Accept it!
"This is the blessing I bestow upon you!"