Chapter 101: Grindelwald's Ideology

“Have you made up your mind about joining us, Mr. Rozier?” Grindelwald approached with his hands behind his back, breaking the stalemate between Sévan and Vida.

“I’ve always been clear about this matter,” Sévan replied slowly, lifting his gaze to meet Grindelwald’s piercing blue eyes.

Grindelwald chuckled softly, about to say more, but his attention suddenly shifted to the pocket on the left side of Sévan’s chest.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he opened his left hand. A letter fluttered out from Sévan’s pocket, landing directly into Grindelwald’s palm.

Sévan froze for a moment, then recognized the letter as one sent by Albus Dumbledore on Christmas Day.

While studying alchemy over the past few days, Sévan had noticed something peculiar about the letter—by tapping the lower right corner with a wand, Dumbledore could receive messages remotely.

Since studying alchemy required practical materials, Sévan had planned to examine the method of this remote message transmission alongside. He kept the letter in his jacket pocket for easy access, unaware that Grindelwald had spotted it.

“Albus Dumbledore’s letter?” Grindelwald raised an eyebrow, looking at Sévan. “It seems he holds you in quite high regard, Mr. Rozier.”

As he spoke, Grindelwald unfolded the letter and quickly found its secret. He drew his wand and tapped the letter’s lower right corner, then waved it as if writing.

“Care to share, Mr. Rozier?” Grindelwald asked, his hand continuing to inscribe long lines of text on the letter.

Sévan took a deep breath and said, “I cannot convince myself to trust someone who shows such disregard for life.”

Hearing this, the Lemes exchanged worried glances, concerned that Grindelwald might fly into a rage and harm Sévan.

But Grindelwald showed no reaction other than a slight lift of his eyes toward Sévan, then continued writing with his wand.

“Then why do you think I disregard life?” Grindelwald asked casually.

“You once sought to destroy all of Paris. Isn’t that the very definition of disregarding life?” Sévan’s voice rose involuntarily, cold and sharp. “If you had succeeded, how many innocent civilians would have lost their lives? How many families would have been shattered? And you simply didn’t care?”

Grindelwald said nothing, finishing his last words with his wand, then slipped Dumbledore’s letter into the inside pocket of his coat.

He then looked at Sévan with a mocking smile and said to Vida, “Vida, it seems your family’s heir has quite a bit of sympathy for those Muggles.”

Vida sneered, glancing at Sévan. “Sévan, you’re embarrassing the Rozier family.”

“If empathy and compassion have been completely abandoned by you, I dread to imagine what disasters you will bring upon the wizarding world and beyond,” Sévan said, shaking his head at both of them.

Hearing Sévan’s words, Grindelwald finally ceased his smile and stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

“Mr. Rozier, it’s important you understand this: blind sympathy for one’s enemies is not mercy—it’s cruelty toward one’s own people,” he said, placing a hand on Sévan’s shoulder and whispering in his ear. “You’re too young, too naive to comprehend the cruelty and savagery of Muggles.”

After speaking, Grindelwald released Sévan’s shoulder and waved his wand, summoning a veil of smoke.

His right eye glowed with that eerie white light again, becoming unnatural and otherworldly.

Within the smoke beside Sévan, an image appeared—

A group of beasts clad in steel helmets and yellow-green military uniforms were mercilessly slaughtering defenseless civilians. The land was strewn with corpses, and blood flowed into a lake of crimson.

Watching this, Sévan’s fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on his arms. His nails tore through the skin of his palms, but he felt nothing.

Unable to bear it any longer, he closed his already blurred eyes.

“Enough. Stop it,” Sévan said, his voice trembling.

“Do you now understand the cruelty of Muggles, Mr. Rozier?” Grindelwald waved his hand lazily, dissipating the smoke. Then, in a deep tone, he said, “You may not know this, but this happened just a week ago.”

“That’s why having us wizards rule the Muggle world won’t bring them disaster—it will save them from suffering. I believe a kind-hearted man like you wouldn’t refuse this, Mr. Rozier,” Grindelwald continued.

Sévan’s expression grew confused, unsure how to refute Grindelwald’s seductive argument.

For a moment, he even wondered if tragedy would truly cease if wizards ruled the Muggle world.

“Grindelwald, you’re merely switching the terms,” Leme suddenly interrupted, breaking Sévan’s hesitation. “Your idea of conquering the Muggle world is no different from the infighting between Muggle nations. Both are acts of violence that bring disaster. There’s no need to justify yourself with this!”

“You misunderstand me, Mr. Leme,” Grindelwald replied with a light laugh, unfazed. “Whether in the Muggle world or the wizarding world, which renowned leader in history hasn’t been accompanied by bloodshed and turmoil?”

“If King Arthur hadn’t waged those brutal wars across Europe, how could he have become the revered King of Britain? And wasn’t Richard the Lionheart’s reputation forged on the battlefield? So why do you accuse me of disregarding life simply because I provoke war?”

“Everything I do is for a greater good!” Grindelwald declared earnestly to those present.

Listening to Grindelwald, Sévan’s emotions gradually settled.

“I know I can’t out-argue you, Mr. Grindelwald,” he said softly, shaking his head. “But how can you be sure that the Muggle world won’t gradually walk toward peace and development on its own in the coming decades? Why must the future of the wizarding world unfold as you imagine?”

“You make a valid point, Mr. Rozier. I must admit, your resolve is among the strongest I’ve seen in someone your age,” Grindelwald sighed with some regret. “It’s a pity you’re so determined to stand against me.”

“In that case, forgive me for having to resort to less friendly measuresI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.