"Of course, Lord Grindelwald."
Karkaroff answered respectfully, then extended his hands toward him and Barty Jr.
"In that case, please take my arms, both of you. I'll bring you back up... Also, I need to remind you that at Lord Grindelwald's request, everything that happened here has already been transmitted to the outside world through the Triwizard Tournament's broadcast magic. Everyone at Durmstrang saw it clearly—so when we return, we may encounter some resistance."
"What a joke."
Grindelwald snorted coldly, grabbing Dumbledore by the collar as the old man lay limp at his side.
"After seeing Dumbledore defeated by my hand, what meaningful resistance could they possibly muster? The entire reason I had you maintain the broadcast magic was to completely crush their morale."
"Even if they plan to hide behind Durmstrang Castle's defenses and put up a desperate struggle, don't they still have you, the headmaster, Igor? Right, you should be able to lift the Anti-Apparition wards here, shouldn't you? After finally defeating Dumbledore in front of everyone, I don't want to see any more unexpected problems."
"Of course, my lord."
Karkaroff smiled confidently.
"That was part of our plan from the beginning... Let's go up."
After Grindelwald, who was carrying Dumbledore, and Barty Jr. each took one of Karkaroff's arms, he drew a deep breath. In the next instant, his entire body spun sharply, taking the other three with him as they vanished from the dim underwater space.
Above the lake, on Durmstrang's grounds.
By now, it was already noon. Golden sunlight shone across the calm surface of the lake and the empty yellow-green grass, bringing an especially noticeable warmth to the still-chilly May air. If someone chose to lie down on the lakeside lawn for a short nap after lunch, they would surely enjoy an incomparably pleasant midday rest.
Unfortunately, the enormous barrier covering the vast castle nearby, radiating a blazing and dangerous light, seemed to announce that things here were not nearly as safe as they appeared. The spectators' stands set up by the lakeside were now completely empty as well, and their chaotic disarray felt utterly out of place against the peaceful surroundings, as though the people who had been here earlier had suddenly encountered something terrifying and vanished all at once...
Crack!
Suddenly, the distinctive explosive sound of Apparition broke the silence.
Four figures appeared abruptly not far from the stands: Grindelwald, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch Jr. still wearing Ludo Bagman's appearance, and Albus Dumbledore, still unconscious and being held by the collar in Grindelwald's hand...
"So they chose to turtle up inside the castle after all."
Grindelwald turned his head and glanced at the enormous barrier firmly enclosing the entire Durmstrang Castle, then gave a faint snort.
If those professors had chosen to fight to the death at this moment, then perhaps there might still have been the tiniest sliver of hope that they could hinder his next plan. Unfortunately, it seemed they were not as brave as he had imagined...
"In that case, continue watching. After witnessing Dumbledore's fall, naturally the next thing to see is the resurrection of another Dark Lord, and the birth of a brand-new order..."
"Igor, have the Anti-Apparition wards here been lifted?"
"The wards around the castle's exterior have all been lifted."
Karkaroff pulled out his wand, waved it around, and said, "But I no longer have the authority to temporarily lift the wards inside the castle. That shield will protect everything within very securely..."
"That is enough. In any case, this place will fall into our hands sooner or later. There's no need to care about a few extra minutes."
Grindelwald waved a hand indifferently.
"You can go prepare the resurrection ritual."
Then he took out the Elder Wand he had just reclaimed from Dumbledore and turned to look at Barty Jr.
"Can you summon your companions now?"
"...Of course!"
At some point, Barty Jr.'s voice had begun trembling faintly, and there even seemed to be traces of sobbing in it.
He had waited for this moment for far, far too long.
To him, who had not long ago still been imprisoned in a lightless room, everything that had happened over the past few months felt like a dream.
The companion he had once believed had betrayed the master was actually just as loyal as he was—perhaps even more capable. A powerful Dark wizard like Gellert Grindelwald, second only to the master, had become their ally and had even defeated Dumbledore, the greatest obstacle of all. And now, his master was about to be reborn before the eyes of the world...
He's coming back. Everything is coming back...
"Then reveal your Dark Mark."
Grindelwald ignored the storm of emotions in Barty Jr.'s heart and continued commanding him in a flat tone.
"Yes."
At a time like this, Barty Jr. naturally would not create unnecessary complications. He immediately rolled up his sleeve, revealing a left arm without anything unusual on it.
He was still transformed under Polyjuice Potion, so his own Dark Mark was naturally hidden. But to Grindelwald holding the Elder Wand, that level of concealment was no different from having no concealment at all.
Moreover, the magic used to summon all Death Eaters by triggering the Dark Mark had originally been mastered only by Voldemort himself. Other Death Eaters could only use their own Marks to contact Voldemort alone.
But Gellert Grindelwald, who was also a top-tier Dark wizard, could naturally crack this magic after studying the Dark Mark for a period of time, then send out the summoning signal in Voldemort's place.
At first, quite a few Death Eaters who had participated in the plan had objected to this, believing it to be theft of their master's authority. But after some thought, they also had to admit that this seemed to be the only way for them, far away in Britain, to confirm that victory had truly been achieved at Durmstrang.
Furthermore, as someone whose strength was not much lower than their master's and who had provided great help in his resurrection, Grindelwald seemed qualified to stand on equal footing with him...
"Then—"
Grindelwald lightly swept the Elder Wand across Barty Jr.'s arm, and the hidden Dark Mark instantly revealed its true form.
He stared at the black mark of a skull with a serpent emerging from its mouth, and a faint smile appeared on his aged face.
"Allow me to present the first gift to this successor of mine."
The moment his words fell, the tip of the Elder Wand immediately pressed against Barty Jr.'s Dark Mark, causing a searing, burning sensation to strike straight into his mind.
But at this moment, Barty no longer cared about any of that.
He merely stared fixedly at the resurrection ritual beside Karkaroff, which was on the verge of completion, his tear-bright eyes not blinking even once.
(End of Chapter)