Chapter 372: King of the World

Dumbledore was momentarily stunned; the so‑called retirement syndrome, a term he had never heard before, nevertheless felt oddly fitting.

Even the self‑destructive tendency he had felt before, upon closer examination, seemed to contain a fair amount of that element.

Not merely because he had lost the position of Hogwarts Headmaster or the job of Union President, but more because, facing Murphy, he could never find a legitimate reason to oppose him; yet Murphy's actions were precisely a denial of everything Dumbledore had once stood for, so to reject Murphy would be to reject himself.

Unable to firmly regard Murphy as an enemy, he had been internally conflicted for a long time and was already exhausted in body and mind.

The so‑called retirement syndrome, for Dumbledore, was essentially extreme bewilderment after his sense of self‑identity collapsed.

The cause he had devoted his life to was denied, and his existence seemed utterly meaningless.

As an old man, he could scarcely feel any fear or loss greater than this.

Yet in that instant, Dumbledore suddenly felt a bit relieved.

"You never seem to feel lost, Murphy— is it because you come from the future that you are so certain you are right?"

"It's not that..." Murphy said, "I don't know about gods either. In fact, I can't be certain I'm right."

"Perhaps the gods are far more powerful than I imagined, and perhaps violating the Secrecy Law is like tearing down our walls, putting us in danger of extinction."

"However, Professor, I cannot be omniscient, cannot obtain all information—at least not now—no one can have complete information; each of us must decide within the limits of our own understanding."

"Thus, in fact, all of us are gambling, betting that the future will not differ much from what we anticipate."

"You seem to bear the fate of the entire wizarding world, so you must be doubly cautious; after all, prudent reforms are always safer than radical decisions. But I have no such burden—I am only responsible for myself."

"I only need to consider whether the consequences of my loss are acceptable to me, and that's enough."

"In this matter, I cannot accept the self‑imposed stagnation that limits me, even if it would let me live safely. And if progress requires facing destruction, I will still press on, gambling on the slim chance of the impossible. It's my nature, and I have no intention of changing it."

"As for the fate of Wizards and of humanity, to be honest, those are merely side concerns."

"If I lose and Wizards become extinct, or even humanity is destroyed, then sorry—if one can curse people in Hell, feel free to curse me."

"You describe yourself as very selfish," Dumbledore said.

"By pre‑emptively voicing others' insults toward me, I can shut them up. That's my usual strategy."

Dumbledore smiled, "I understand you a bit now."

"You make a good point, Murphy; I might still have something I can do."

He said, standing up and moving to the unconscious students, "They have had too much magic siphoned, even their souls were briefly torn from their bodies. The seniors are okay, but the younger children may not survive until you finish brewing the Magic Potion."

As he spoke, he waved his wand, and a formation linked himself with those students.

Then, looking at Murphy, he said, "If I stand here, I will become your obstacle. You will bring more change to the wizarding world, but that will inevitably meet much resistance; they know I once opposed you, and as long as I live, they will never give up."

Murphy frowned, "Forgive my bluntness, Professor, even if you die, the resistance I face will not be any less."

Dumbledore smiled helplessly, "Perhaps so. But at least I hope to do one more meaningful thing before I die."

"This is the best way to die that I can choose," Dumbledore said.

Death is the final event of life, and in a philosophical sense can be seen as the only event of life.

Choosing how to die is sometimes the same proposition as choosing how to live, bearing equally profound significance.

In the original story, Dumbledore chose to use his own death to set a trap for Voldemort; now, he still wishes to accomplish something through his death.

Murphy could understand; this must be Dumbledore's life aesthetic.

He hesitated, then looked at Grindelwald, "Aren't you going to stop him?"

Grindelwald sighed, "That is his decision."

Murphy frowned, weighed the possible consequences carefully, and finally sighed, "Professor, have you made your decision?"

"Yes, Murphy. From now on, the rest is yours."

He said, about to activate the formation, when a Spell struck his back, petrifying him.

Murphy grabbed Dumbledore by the collar, lifted him out of the formation, and tossed him to Grindelwald.

"Sorry, Professor, could you find another way to die?" Murphy said, "Such a great favor is more profitable if I sell it to them."

Murphy said, and with a crackle of lightning, a group of Watchers were summoned. He gathered them into the formation, giving each a piece of magical metal to link their own magic, then connected them to the students.

"Export magic, prepare to rescue them."

…

"A Bu Si, are you awake?"

In a carriage enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, Grindelwald sat opposite, leisurely reading and sipping tea.

Dumbledore was already awake, but he didn't want to open his eyes. After a while, he finally sighed, slowly sitting up, "He actually... actually..."

Grindelwald laughed, "Have a cup of tea to calm down."

"Why? What benefit is there to leaving me with him?"

"Ah, regarding that..." Grindelwald handed several newspapers to Dumbledore, "He naturally won't let go of exploiting your value."

Dumbledore took the newspaper, and on the front‑page headline was a bold line of text:

"Dumbledore joins the Wizard Alliance, to serve as Vice‑Chairman of the Alliance."

Dumbledore's eyes widened as he saw the next newspaper, "Dumbledore withdraws accusations against Murphy, admits being misled by a petty person."

Another paper read: "Consensus reached! Dumbledore discusses wizarding development, supports the Alliance constitution!"

Yet another stated: "Dumbledore urges the magical ministries of all nations to stabilize the situation, avoiding conflict with the Muggle World."

This referred to the tense standoff among the United States, Great Britain, and Fa Guo after the United States' missiles bombed Britain and Fa Guo; Murphy was clearly preparing to intervene directly in Muggle affairs.

"He's waving the banner of his own Wizard Alliance under your name," Grindelwald said.

Dumbledore briefly felt his reputation was ruined, and thought it would be better to be dead now.

He furrowed his brow tightly for a long time, then with a helpless smile said, "Fine, let him be. Where are we going?"

"Fa Guo Ministry of Magic."

"Hmm?"

"You will, as Vice‑Chairman of the Alliance, persuade the Fa Guo Ministry of Magic to join the Alliance," Grindelwald said.

Dumbledore stared at him in astonishment, and after a while asked, "Why do I have to go?"

He said that if you cannot succeed in peaceful negotiations, he is prepared to launch a war against the Fa Guo Ministry of Magic next month.

……

Then you…

Oh, I forgot to mention, I am now the Alliance Foreign Minister, we are of equal rank, and in a moment we'll go to Germany's Ministry of Magic; I'll be in charge of getting those guys onto the war chariot.

……

What exactly does he intend to do?

"Obviously, he's courting allies," Grindelwald said half‑jokingly, half‑seriously.

"Then he'll have everyone crown him, making him the King of the world."

(End of volume)

In the original outline, the Headmaster was supposed to die here to save those students. That fit his character design and my aesthetic for the figure. Moreover, the villain's redemption required his death, which made sense. But as I kept writing, I grew a bit reluctant—why bother? Aesthetics have little meaning, and pursuing meaning has little meaning either. Rather than a grand, tragic death, I prefer to let him continue living this way. This outcome pleases Murphy more, pleases me more, and I think everyone won't dislike it, right?





(End of chapter)