Nurmengard.
Hundreds of acolytes had gathered in the square, and their numbers were still growing.
Despite the large number of people, it wasn't too noisy. Apart from occasional whispers, most people waited quietly.
Awaiting the boy who would decide the future fate of the acolytes.
"The number of people is almost there, and quite a few Aurors have come as well. Argus, are you sure you don't want to go see your adoptive father first?"
Hearing the old man's words behind him, Argus smiled slightly.
"Uncle Abernathy, the trials began the moment I stepped into Nurmengard."
"But..."
"Let's go, it's time to see your old friends!"
With a wave of his wand, the castle gates slowly opened.
Vinda didn't say anything and silently followed behind Argus.
Abernathy was clearly a little worried about Argus. He glanced into the castle, took a deep breath, and decided to follow.
Upon seeing Argus's appearance, the acolytes' voices slowly fell silent.
Compared to the thunderous cheers when Grindelwald appeared back then, the crowd's expressions were far too indifferent, and even a few old men showed a hint of impatience.
"Director, should we take him down now?"
A young Auror asked the middle-aged man beside him in a low voice, but the middle-aged man shook his head.
"No need to rush, let's see how things go first."
"Don't forget, this is Nurmengard! If we mess with that guy in the tower, no one can afford to take the fall."
"He's just a little brat, only eleven years old. What can he possibly accomplish?" Another blond Auror, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, sneered disdainfully.
"I think Grindelwald is just senile, letting a kid who's barely out of school inherit the title of Acolyte!"
"I hope so!" The middle-aged man looked solemnly at the center of the square.
In the square, Argus strode confidently to the center, his wand brushing across his chest as he bowed slightly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today."
"Over the past few decades, we have been displaced and hid in various places. We have lost many friends, many companions, and many comrades-in-arms."
"The acolytes have come this far thanks to your contributions and protection."
"I'm here to thank everyone!"
Argus bowed deeply, his gaze sweeping around the room. Recalling the grand procession of the acolytes back then, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
The once-powerful acolytes now had only a few hundred members left.
Among them were a large number of the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled.
But he was not discouraged by this, and after a short pause, he continued to speak.
"I know why you have come here, I know your dreams, your perseverance, and your aspirations."
"Many people say that we are wrong, that we are sinners, that we have made a mess of the wizarding world."
"Nonsense!"
"They're a bunch of idiots."
Shouts and curses erupted from the crowd, indicating extreme dissatisfaction.
Argus waved his hand gently, and as he did so, the sounds of the crowd gradually faded away.
"Back then, Mr. Gellert Grindelwald warned the wizarding world, but he was imprisoned for decades. Many people think that as his adopted son, I should hate them and be their mortal enemy."
"But the truth is quite the opposite, I don't hate them at all."
"I would even say that I hope to coexist peacefully with them if they wish."
"We are not fighting for hatred, and they are just different from us in terms of ideology."
That's all.
Many of the elderly people in the square had participated in the gathering at Père Lachaise Cemetery years ago.
They still vividly remembered Grindelwald's brilliance!
Looking at the confident and elegant young man before them, everyone seemed to see that figure from back then once again.
That figure they would follow at all costs, even unto death.
"Grindelwald…"
An elderly man seemed to have a hallucination, mistaking the person on stage for Gellert Grindelwald himself, and walked shakily toward the stage.
"Wake up, Luo Er!" The person next to him grabbed him and shook him hard to wake him up.
All of this was observed by Argus on the stage.
He looked at Vinda Rosier beside him, who nodded and handed him a skull-shaped tobacco pouch.
"I don't have the same prophetic abilities as my father, Mr. Gellert Grindelwald, but I can still present real-world events to you."
Argus picked up his pipe, took a deep drag, and then exhaled.
A huge plume of smoke enveloped the entire square, the hazy smoke creating images of a torrent of steel.
Tanks, planes, missiles!
The explosion of a mushroom bomb sent chills down everyone's spines.
They couldn't imagine that Muggles, who had no magical abilities, could gain such destructive power through so-called technology.
Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard in existence, might be comparable to them, but what about these ordinary wizards?
What could they use to defend themselves?
But what Argus wanted to show was far from over. In the next scene, spacecraft, satellites, and all sorts of high-tech equipment appeared one after another.
Through the satellite's perspective, a bright blue planet suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.
The scene was shown from a bird's-eye view, rapidly descending towards a certain point on the planet.
Sky, ocean, islands... until they saw themselves in the picture!
The smoke slowly dissipated, and the scene abruptly ended.
"Facts speak louder than words." Argus's voice snapped everyone out of their shock.
"The power of Muggles is no longer as weak as we imagine. My father's prophecy was correct, and the choices you all made back then were also correct."
"Truth is held by only a few."
"The problem isn't with us, it's with the world!"
Clap clap clap!
Applause erupted and grew increasingly enthusiastic. Many of the older men who had followed Grindelwald in the past were already in tears upon hearing Argus's words.
Years of bitterness and grievances erupted at this moment.
They were once passionate young people full of hope and dreams, but decades of hardship and setbacks had made them extremely doubtful of whether their decision back then was correct.
Now, they finally had the answer! Finally, someone clearly told them that their choice back then was not wrong!
They were pioneers, they were guides!
All sacrifices were for the future of the wizarding world!
Argus revealed an unprecedentedly confident smile as he looked around.
"We don't have much time left. Muggle guns are about to be pointed at the wizarding world!"
"I would like to ask everyone here, are you willing to continue to bury your heads in the sand like the Ministry of Magic!"
"Unwilling."
"I don't want to!"
Sparse replies came from the crowd.
"Are you willing to entrust your lives to the control of Muggles?"
"I don't want to!"
The response was much louder this time, and most people had their fists clenched tightly.
"Are you willing to let your friends and your family become slaves under the feet of Muggles?"
"No! No!"
An unprecedented shout arose from the crowd, which even included a young Auror.
The middle-aged man leading the group glared at him fiercely upon hearing the sound, and the young Auror seemed to realize what was happening, lowering his head in disappointment.
But the next second, countless voices came from behind the middle-aged man!
"No! No! No!"
Countless people cheered wildly, their faces filled with fervor as they gazed at Argus in the center of the square!
Many elderly people were moved to tears, yet they could not contain their excitement, laughing and crying at the same time.
They, who had been despondent, were now once again filled with passion.
A new leader had arrived for the acolytes!
Argus raised his hand, and the noisy square immediately became quiet.
"After today, many people will die. If one day you see my corpse, do not mourn, do not regret, pick up your wand and continue the fight!"
"We bear the great mission of saving the magical world!"
"Everything, for the greater good!"
"For the greater good!"
The acolytes present went into a frenzy, constantly chanting the slogan that Grindelwald had set years ago.
Even some elderly men in their seventies and eighties blushed like young men in their twenties.
"Rocas, did we...did we really make a mistake?"
In the distance, a middle-aged Auror was caught in deep self-doubt.
Without realizing it, the wand in his hand quietly fell to the ground.
"Wake up, Nice!" Director Auror grabbed Nice's shoulders and shook him repeatedly.
"Rocas… he's right, we share the same identity, the same goal…"
"No, no, no... Calm down... Calm down!"
"He is someone we should follow..."
"Nice, are you insane! Remember who you are, you're an Auror!"
Director Auror stared in disbelief at the middle-aged Auror!
"I am an Auror, but I am also a member of the wizarding world!"
After finishing his sentence, the middle-aged Auror turned around and walked blankly toward Argus on the stage.
It was like a pilgrimage!
"Nice, you forced me to do this!"
The Auror Director gripped his wand tightly.
The veins on his palms were faintly bulging due to excessive force!
Avada Kedavra!