"Or perhaps you would rather cling to that little girl over there?"
At that moment, Voldemort finally turned his gaze directly upon me.
"Ah, I have heard about you from Wormtail and another servant. Daughter of Celesteria."
Even though I desperately tried to avert my eyes, I could feel his gaze intensely. I might be reaching the limit of pretending ignorance. So I adjusted my facial muscles and turned to face him with an expression that conveyed just enough bravado to avoid being underestimated, yet enough trembling to avoid provoking his caution.
In truth, I was absolutely terrified, so simply acting tough was more than sufficient as performance.
As expected, Voldemort seemed satisfied. Within his sneer, there was a glint of curiosity. As long as he found me interesting, it seemed unlikely that he would suddenly kill me with the Killing Curse, so for the moment, I could breathe a little easier.
"Yes, Celesteria. Many among you have been indebted to her, have you not?"
Beginning with Lucius Malfoy, many Death Eaters shrank uncomfortably. Seeing that, only Pettigrew wore a smug expression as if to say, Serves you right.
Voldemort fixed his glittering red eyes on me.
"Unlike the other two, you were sorted into the house of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. You possess more than enough qualifications to become my servant."
"And," Voldemort added with amusement, "Wormtail has brought me some interesting information."
With a flick of his wand, something like a translucent veil appeared in midair, and an image was projected onto it.
Come to think of it, I had not yet officially announced the name of this innovative product.
A somewhat familiar beautiful girl appeared on the screen.
Its name was Riddle 94.
Some overeager seniors had applied the technologies behind the Riddle's Diary and the Sorting Hat, then decided to name the product "Riddle," meaning a puzzle. I had been talked into getting involved, and now, standing before the man himself, I found myself in a desperate predicament.
Yes, that witch was me.
"..."
An indescribable silence took over the graveyard.
The most pitiful one was Lucius Malfoy. His face had turned so pale that he looked ready to collapse at any moment, while Avery beside him kept glancing over as if wondering whether he was feeling unwell.
"Surely not a few among you know what this is. Is that not right, Nott?"
Under Voldemort's gaze, Nott Senior respectfully dropped to one knee and lifted his face.
"Of course. We have made a substantial investment in General Magitics, the company that developed this product. Our shareholding ranks third, after Celesteria Holdings and Gringotts Bank. We have entered numerous technical partnerships and outsourcing agreements, including cross-licensing of patents. We even have one of our own serving as an external director—"
"Well done, Nott."
Interrupting him with apparent impatience, Voldemort cut him off. Nott immediately withdrew with a fawning, "I am most honored…"
In truth, the rapid expansion of the startup GM Company could not have happened without its human networks within the pure-blood elite community. With the right connections, credibility increased significantly, making it possible to secure large-scale funding even as a new enterprise. Negotiations for non-disclosure agreements during business partnerships also proceeded far more smoothly.
For example, if Clearwater ran into a technical obstacle within GM, Farley could immediately send an owl to a former classmate now working at Nott Company and ask, "We need a magical component like this. Can you make it?" A reply would arrive quickly, and if things moved fast, discussions could begin the very same day.
Even if the answer was, "No, we cannot handle that," it might be followed by, "However, there is a skilled craftsman in Knockturn Alley who specializes in such things. Our family has ties with him, so I can introduce you personally." In this way, informal information exchange through Slytherin networks often transcended corporate boundaries. That was precisely why they tended to be reluctant to admit outsiders, such as Muggle-borns, into the community and often excluded them.
Furthermore, as a growing venture, GM faced the issue of demand outpacing production capacity for its hit products, such as the Anti-Curse Vest, the Multifunctional Two-Way Mirror, and the Drone Snitch. As a result, it frequently adopted a fabless model, outsourcing manufacturing and assembly to major firms like Nott Company.
By entrusting production entirely to the technologically superior and long-established Nott Company, GM could specialize in product planning, design, and development, enabling it to release high-quality new products in rapid succession.
Of course, in such horizontal specialization, trust between partners was critical, and here too, the networks and credibility cultivated within Slytherin House played an essential role.
"I highly value capable individuals. Even if you did not create this alone, for a witch of your age, it is an exceptional achievement."
After a brief silence, Lord Voldemort spoke.
"Elaina Celesteria, come to me. Become my servant."
**
"Um…"
Wearing a vague, polite smile, I let my thoughts race.
So this is how it goes after all.
Lord Voldemort's proposal was not entirely unexpected. Unlike Harry and the others, I was in Slytherin, and as a quarter-blood leaning toward pure-blood lineage, I was barely within acceptable bounds. Beyond my personal accomplishments, the influence of the Celesteria conglomerate, which held strong sway over the American Ministry of Magic, as well as its ties to GM Company, must have been appealing to him.
At least now that I understood his objective, negotiating would become much easier.
"Yes, I believe it is a very attractive proposal."
Suppressing the tension that threatened to make my voice shrill, I spoke slowly, striving to appear calm and composed.
"I have always maintained friendly relations with the children of the Death Eaters present here, and I hope to continue doing so in the future."
Smiling, I looked around at Lucius and the others. As expected, given the debt they owed my mother, they all nodded in agreement and played along.
"My wish to maintain close relations with everyone here is my own personal view, and I believe the executives of GM Company would agree. After all, GM has grown so rapidly thanks to the funding, technology, and talent provided by the Death Eaters."
I could not relax yet. I had to use every card available. When I brought up GM Company, the corner of Voldemort's lips curled upward.
"A wise woman is easy to negotiate with. Just as I expected."
"You flatter me."
Careful yet courteous, I inclined my head in gratitude. Lord Voldemort gestured for me to continue.
"Enough flattery. You have a proposal, do you not?"
"As expected of the Dark Lord, that is precisely correct!"
This was the critical moment. Suppressing my racing heartbeat, I carefully chose my words.
"Not only GM Company, but also my family, the House of Celesteria, makes its livelihood through finance. If they learn of the Dark Lord's resurrection, they will surely side with you."
"Oh?"
Once again, Voldemort looked intrigued.
"If I am not mistaken, during the last war your entire family fled to America."
"I will not deny that. However, the circumstances are different from last time."
First, unlike before, no one other than us yet knew of Voldemort's return. Even if Headmaster Dumbledore were to notice, Minister Fudge and his ilk, who preferred to avoid trouble, would likely refuse to act. And former Death Eaters like Lucius had deeply entrenched themselves within the Ministry of Magic.
As I passionately laid out my reasoning, Voldemort nodded in satisfaction. The Death Eaters also nodded along, and Lucius stepped forward with a wicked smile that seemed to say, You are quite the schemer yourself.
"My Lord, GM Company's technological prowess and the Celesteria family's financial and political influence will undoubtedly prove powerful assets."
Following Lucius's lead, Nott, the fathers of Crabbe and Goyle, and even Macnair voiced their agreement one after another.
"With GM Company and the House of Celesteria joining us, it would be like gaining a hundred men."
"Indeed."
"I think so as well."
"Unlike us, she has no prior convictions. She is perfectly suited."
I, too, allowed myself a fearless, villainous smile, and an atmosphere reminiscent of corrupt officials exchanging knowing laughter began to form.
This might just work. Perhaps we were only one step away.
"In other words, unlike last time, we are in a position where it would be extremely easy to catch the Ministry of Magic off guard. The Ministry does not even recognize the crisis. Even if someone were to warn them, they would ignore it."
"And so," I continued,
"If I deliver the truth to GM Company's executive board and to the Celesteria main house in America, they will surely move in unison to support the Dark Lord. If I may humbly serve as the bridge—"
"That will be enough."
It was Voldemort's single remark that abruptly severed the flow of what had been turning into a congenial conspiracy.
"Lies do not work on Lord Voldemort."
His voice was chillingly cold.
"With that clever little head of yours, whatever you are thinking is perfectly clear to me."
"That is not the case at all. I—"
"Silence."
The word that left Voldemort's mouth was not part of any negotiation. It was a unilateral command.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. Little girl, what I said was become my servant."
Not, would you like to become my servant?
It was not a proposal but a one-sided order. In other words, my opinion was irrelevant. The only answer required was yes or no. And the latter would lead immediately to death.
"Yes, I understand your thoughts as clearly as if they were in the palm of my hand. You are thinking that you can handle this, as you always do, that with a silver tongue you can smooth things over and evade danger."
The moment he whispered those words in that frigid tone, my heart felt as though it were being crushed by ice.
"It seems I have struck the mark, little girl. Yes, perhaps you are somewhat clever. But I have seen many like you. For example, this Wormtail."
Under the glare of Voldemort's glittering red eyes, I could only freeze like a frog caught in a snake's gaze. The blood drained from my body, and it felt as though my heart were freezing to its core. My brain was screaming warnings and my heart pounded violently with anxiety, yet I could not move, as if paralyzed.
"To presume you could outwit Lord Voldemort is the height of arrogance. However, I know a remedy that works very well on such types."
Voldemort's lipless mouth curled upward as he slowly caressed his wand.
"What is needed is punishment. You would do well to repent your arrogance."
And in the next instant, in a dreadful voice, he uttered the forbidden curse.
"Crucio. Suffer."
(End of chapter)
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