"M-Mister..."
Old Harris spoke with a trembling voice.
Hearing that, the corpse across from him finally smiled.
He blinked as if nodding, then said, "Then let's get to the main topic. Mr. Harris, I heard you're planning to send troops to attack the French Ministry of Magic. Is that true?"
"T-That... that's complete nonsense! I-I was planning to attack the British Ministry of Magic! And the French Minister of Magic was the one who asked me to do it!"
"This has very little to do with me! I only wanted to maintain the Statute of Secrecy. That's my job, and it's the foundation of peace in the entire magical world."
Old Harris spoke in a panic.
His heart was beating so fast that he felt intensely dizzy.
He simply couldn't understand how the man calling himself "Mister" knew he had decided to attack the French Ministry of Magic.
He had only made that decision moments ago.
Other than explaining a few things to Iyeta, even the Sky City's battle wizards waiting in the teleportation hall didn't know about it.
"What you're doing is wrong."
"Mister" spoke slowly.
"War is both the highest form and the most violent means of resolving conflict. At the same time, it is humanity's greatest enemy and its most despicable flaw."
"Any war started for any reason is wrong. Have you ever thought about how many lives will be lost because of a war you started for such a small benefit?"
"I don't think you have. In your eyes, those lives aren't your own kind. They're no different from pigs placed on a human dining table."
"Yes! You're right! I'm a pig!"
"Ah, Mr. Harris. You've truly disappointed me. I never imagined that an Elder of the International Confederation of Wizards, responsible for maintaining the Statute of Secrecy, would be someone as incompetent and shameless as you."
"Please, Mister! Just tell me what you want me to do! I'll do anything! Anything at all, as long as you spare my life! Please!"
Old Harris cried out.
He had completely broken down.
The fear this man calling himself "Mister" brought him was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.
If he could, he wished the man would simply kill him cleanly instead of humiliating him like this.
Unfortunately, under the grip of fear, his body instinctively bowed and submitted.
He couldn't force himself to say anything brave.
Hearing this, the smile on Mister's face became even brighter.
He slowly propped up his increasingly stiff corpse-like body, as though about to pass final judgment on Harris.
But at that moment, the curtain behind him was suddenly pulled open.
Half-dressed, Iyeta silently raised her wand.
A flash of green erupted.
Avada Kedavra!
BOOM!
The green blast tore a huge hole through Mister's corpse.
Old Harris was so frightened that he kicked backward into the corner, his heart filled with both shock and anger.
He couldn't understand why Iyeta had done that.
Since the man calling himself Mister had entered this secret room without anyone noticing, it meant he had the power to kill them with ease.
Against an enemy like that, surrender was the only choice.
Yet Iyeta had chosen to fight back.
What purpose did that serve besides making him angry?
'What a useless woman!'
'She's going to get us all killed!'
Old Harris cursed in his heart.
But Iyeta had no intention of paying attention to him.
Her face was twisted with rage as she roared and swung her wand over and over like a madwoman.
Only after using up every last bit of magic inside her body did she finally brace herself on her knees, gasping for breath.
By then, Mister's corpse had been blasted into an unrecognizable pile of charred remains.
Seeing this, a trace of satisfaction finally appeared on Iyeta's sweat-covered face.
As one of the successors to an Elder of the International Confederation of Wizards, she was no weakling.
She had never held back while studying magic.
Whether it was Dark Magic or forbidden rituals, she learned them all.
Just now, she had cast no fewer than five Dark Magic curses similar to the Killing Curse at Mister.
On top of that, she had used forbidden sealing rituals and ordinary destructive spells like Blasting Curses.
After taking that barrage, Mister's body and soul should both have been completely destroyed.
Of course, that only applied to the Mister who had entered this room.
His real body should still be somewhere else.
But that didn't matter.
Next, all she had to do was sound the alarm and put all of Sky City on alert.
At that point, no matter how powerful Mister was, what could he do?
There were nearly one hundred thousand wizards in Sky City.
"Ha! Hahaha!"
Thinking this, Iyeta burst into laughter.
She laughed so freely that tears streamed down her face.
Suddenly, a coat was draped over her bare back.
The soft fur startled Iyeta awake.
Like a frightened beast, she leaped away and pointed her wand behind her.
Standing there was Old Harris.
At some point, he had gotten back on his feet.
He was holding his coat, looking a little awkward.
A flash of disgust passed through Iyeta's eyes.
But only for an instant.
No matter how much she despised Old Harris, she hadn't forgotten her dream.
She quickly adjusted her expression into a charming, flattering smile.
Next, she planned to comfort Old Harris.
That would only make him depend on her even more, bringing her one step closer to becoming an Elder herself.
But before she could speak, Old Harris stepped forward again, draped the coat over her shoulders, and said,
"You're a brave person, child. You're far better than our dear Elder Harris. At least you had the courage to draw your sword when faced with danger. That's truly admirable."
The seductive smile on Iyeta's face completely froze.
Because the voice coming from Old Harris's mouth...
Was still Mister's.
Goosebumps spread across Iyeta's body.
She trembled as she tried to step back, but her stiff body refused to obey.
Mister didn't make things difficult for her.
He lightly snapped his fingers.
A huge screen appeared on the wall and slowly lit up with an image.
Iyeta trembled even harder.
Everything inside this secret room could only be controlled by someone with the highest level of authority in the International Confederation of Wizards.
Without Old Harris personally granting permission, even Iyeta couldn't control them.
Yet Mister manipulated everything as easily as moving his own arm.
That meant if Mister wanted to, he could control every system in Sky City.
He could even replace Old Harris and command Sky City's military forces himself.
But what came next terrified Iyeta even more.
The image on the giant screen was...
The International Confederation of Wizards' teleportation hall.
This teleportation hall was the most important facility in all of Sky City.
Its teleportation equipment was upgraded several times every year as technology advanced.
Forty percent of the yearly tribute paid by the Ministries of Magic around the world was spent on this place alone.
Because of that, the hall was not only enormous, but beautifully designed with both artistic and futuristic styles.
Its capabilities were astonishing.
If desired, it could teleport tens of thousands of people to any place in the world at once.
It was the most powerful teleportation hall of its time.
Old Harris's original plan had been to use it to send his forces directly into the French Ministry of Magic.
For that reason, he had gathered every battle wizard inside it beforehand.
But now...
The neat, imposing formations of battle wizards had disappeared.
In their place lay countless corpses.
Blood flowed from beneath them, staining the white floor blackish red.
Several hundred people in black robes walked through the pools of blood, searching for anyone still alive and finishing them off.
One of the black-robed figures standing in the center seemed to notice someone watching.
He glanced toward Mister and Iyeta through the screen before slowly walking closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Until he stepped directly out of the screen itself and stood before Iyeta.
The sight completely shattered Iyeta's mind.
She collapsed onto the floor in a daze.
She wasn't even trembling anymore.
She had always wondered...
Why did the French Ministry of Magic hand over so many resources to the International Confederation of Wizards so easily?
It couldn't even be called a trade anymore.
They were practically giving them away for free.
Now she had her answer.
It was because the French Ministry of Magic possessed the power to conquer the International Confederation of Wizards in an instant.
In their eyes, giving those resources to the Confederation was no different from moving them from one hand to the other.
And they had all been celebrating it.
How pathetic.
The black-robed man who stepped out of the screen ignored Iyeta.
He lowered his hood, revealing a young face with tightly furrowed brows, and said to Mister,
"Number Three is dead. The last brother hiding inside Harry Potter is dead too. What exactly are you trying to do, Number One?"
His tone was openly hostile.
Especially the words "Number One," which he practically spat through gritted teeth.
But Mister only smiled.
"So many people have asked me that question. Mr. Harris brought it up not long ago as well. As for my answer... I can only say that I love all of you. I hope every one of you can live happy and peaceful lives. That is my goal, and my wish."
"But you've been pushing everything toward the exact opposite!"
the young man roared.
"Don't tell me Number Three caused all that trouble at Hogwarts without your approval! The British Ministry of Magic has already begun gathering its forces!"
"What you did at Hogwarts was enough to make even that stubborn old man Dumbledore throw away all restraint! So tell me... what are we supposed to do now?!"
Mister, or rather, Number One, didn't answer.
He simply smiled calmly at the young man before him.
After his outburst, the young man finally calmed down.
Panting heavily, he weakly waved a hand.
"It's over. It's all over, do you understand? I only wanted the children at Beauxbatons to live safely and happily. If possible, I would've been content spending my whole life as a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
"But now... it's all over. You only wanted to drag those children onto the battlefield. And Link Flamel and Dumbledore won't spare them now either. The only thing waiting for them is death!"
"I can't understand your way of thinking, Number Two... or rather, Norton."
Mister shook his head.
"The one who pushed hardest for revenge against Hogwarts and the British Ministry of Magic was you. So why are you blaming me now that your wish has come true?
To fulfill your wish, Number Three and our last remaining brother both gave up their lives.
Or is the real reason you're so angry simply because... they failed?"
Norton was speechless.
He stared blankly at the floor.
Seeing this, Mister continued smiling.
"This is the limitation of small love. The only thing you care about is Beauxbatons. Not only does that fail to protect Beauxbatons, but it also clouds your judgment, making you emotional, inconsistent, and eventually driving you insane."
"Someone ruled by those emotions isn't a qualified protector, so you can never truly protect what you cherish. But that's all right. I'll help you. Go back to France. That's where you belong now."
Norton looked up at Mister.
There wasn't the slightest trace of emotion or light in his eyes.
They were as cold as a corpse's.
After a long moment of silence, his body twisted and disappeared.
Mister nodded with satisfaction.
Then he sighed toward Iyeta.
"Now..."
"...it's just the two of us."
"My dear Iyeta, my brave girl."
"What do you think about becoming an Elder of the International Confederation of Wizards... right now?"
The moment those words were spoken, the emptiness in Iyeta's eyes slowly disappeared.
———
[Several Days Later]
[British Ministry of Magic]
Link, dressed in a black combat uniform, sat behind his desk.
Emily carefully carried over a bowl of fragrant pumpkin stew and placed it before him.
"Eat a little. I made this myself. I didn't let Little Button help."
Link nodded and picked up a spoon, eating one bite at a time.
The soft, sweet taste spread through his mouth, bringing a faint smile to his otherwise serious face.
But Emily, standing across from him, sighed deeply with a worried expression.
"Do you really have to go? Isn't this kind of war something Old Klie and the others can handle?"
Link paused, about to answer.
Before he could speak, Mrs. Flamel sharply scolded,
"That's enough, Emily. This isn't something for you to interfere with."
Mrs. Flamel looked even more imposing than usual.
A thin black veil rested on her head, but it couldn't hide the faint blue veins showing on her pale forehead.
Her eyes were red, making her look like a seated tigress.
Emily looked at Mrs. Flamel with grievance.
But intimidated by her presence, she could only lower her head and quietly wipe away her tears against Link's shoulder.
The movement made it difficult for Link to keep eating.
Mrs. Flamel glared and was about to pull Emily away.
But after seeing her son remain unmoved, she finally gave up.