The Mastermind’s Confidence

Having learned from the portraits what had happened at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore sighed.

Regarding how to deal with Harry, he stood on the same side as Adam. What concerned him more was Adam’s final remark.

Dumbledore knew full well that the Wizarding World’s overall combat strength was declining, but think about it: who were the people unwilling to settle for the ordinary, those who delved deeper into magic?

Himself, Grindelwald, and Voldemort.

There was no need to say much about Grindelwald and Voldemort. One wanted to create a world where wizards ruled Muggles; the other wanted to rule the world himself.

He had wanted to stop Grindelwald, but did that make him a good person?

Back when Grindelwald invited him, Dumbledore had agreed to join him in creating a world where wizards ruled Muggles. Had he not known that many people would die as a result?

Of course he had. It was simply that, at the time, he believed he was on the right path, that certain sacrifices were necessary for "the greater good."

But before the plan could progress any further, Ariana’s accidental death made Professor Dumbledore personally realize the pain felt by those sacrificed by that plan, and by their families.

Deeply convinced that one should not do unto others what one would not have done unto oneself, Professor Dumbledore parted ways with Grindelwald and began striving to stop Grindelwald’s plans.

Aside from the three of them, who wished to change the structure of the world, most wizards in the Wizarding World were somewhat content to coast along. As for strength, enough was enough.

From this, it was clear that the Wizarding World’s generally unimpressive strength was limited not only by talent, but also by inner laziness.

After reflecting on the circumstances of the three of them, Professor Dumbledore believed that Auror-level strength was more than sufficient for living in the Wizarding World. Anyone who continued delving into magic beyond that undoubtedly harbored ambitions to change the world.

But what if one looked at it the other way around?

Now that Adam wanted everyone to become stronger, would wizards develop ambitions they had never possessed before once they gained greater power?

And when those already ambitious people acquired even greater power, would they cause even more harm?

Professor Dumbledore rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was already over a hundred years old, with neither the energy nor the ability to deal with Adam, who had only just come of age. He could only hope that Adam would still be capable of keeping the situation under control when the time came.

If Adam knew what Professor Dumbledore was thinking, he would certainly give him a clear answer:

"You are absolutely right. Everything you fear will happen."

As the saying went, when one held a sharp weapon, the urge to kill arose. Once people possessed great power, Superman was a once-in-a-millennium exception; Homelander was the norm.

Though the forces of order, such as the Aurors, would correspondingly grow stronger as well, the destruction caused during that process would certainly be greater than when everyone was weak.

But that was no reason to allow the Wizarding World’s combat strength to keep declining!

First of all, this world did not contain only wizards. If things continued like this, wizards would end up on Muggles’ dissection tables before Harry and the others even died of old age.

Second, magical knowledge was there for all to see. Grindelwald, Dumbledore, and Voldemort had not reached their current heights through the teaching of other powerful people, but through their own study.

If some wizard with sufficient ambition and talent emerged in the future, it was not hard to imagine another bloody storm. By then, it would not be so easy for the righteous protagonist, left a step behind in strength, to catch up.

Not everyone could be like Professor Dumbledore, who happened to learn of Grindelwald’s ambitions while Grindelwald was still young, then kept pace with him in strength while pursuing him, even surpassing him.

Finally… there was Adam himself.

Since first coming into contact with magic, Adam had never gone a single day without studying it. With his talent and accumulated knowledge, he was confident that no wizard born later, no matter how strong, could possibly surpass him.

Any mastermind who kept rising, believing himself to stand at the pinnacle of the world, would discover that a black hand had long since covered the heavens above the Wizarding World!

And at that very moment, the true mastermind was growing increasingly anxious as he waited in his bedroom.

After sending Harry away that day, Adam had eagerly awaited the Ministry of Magic’s arrival. Unfortunately, he waited all the way until Christmas without any sign of movement.

During that time, apart from several "kind-hearted wizards" loudly calling for action in The Daily Prophet, Adam received neither letters from parents nor any indication that the Ministry of Magic had taken further action.

"Right. After all, they want a child to leave Hogwarts and enter danger. Unless they genuinely feel their lives are threatened, no one is willing to stick their neck out."

Adam sighed. Though he was not that flamboyant by nature, it was such a cool stage, and he had even prepared his lines, yet he still could not take the stage…

It felt like ants were crawling all over him!

"Xiao Hei, it looks like we’ll have to wait a while longer."

Adam sighed, casually stroking the little creature in his hand, a hybrid created from Godzilla, Deathwing, Alatreon, and a Hebridean Black Dragon.

Having restrained its energy and shrunk down, the little creature opened its mouth and bit Adam’s fingertip without actually using force, then extended its tongue and licked his fingertip a few times.

Fortunately, creatures created by the Creation Card could be completely set by Adam himself, from their abilities to their personalities. Otherwise, leaving aside how obedient the little fellow was now, it would have been quite the challenge to make those earlier creatures mate with a weak Hebridean Black Dragon.

Adam calmed his slightly accelerated heartbeat, placed the black dragon pro max plus, nicknamed Xiao Hei, on the tea tray by his bedside to cosplay as a tea pet, then scooped Kero off the bed and took a deep sniff.

"Mmm~ In weather this cold, nothing beats fluffy fur for comfort~"

Kero had already contentedly narrowed his eyes when he suddenly felt a chill run down his back. Turning around, he found Xiao Hei, coiled up nearby, staring at him darkly. A faint glow lit the gaps between its scales and the biological reactor in its chest.

Kero:!!!

After stroking down the fur that had puffed up from Kero’s fright, Adam turned to Xiao Hei and said,

"Xiao Hei~ You can’t bare your teeth at Uncle Kero~"

Although Kero and Suppi were nominally Adam’s pets, they were actually guardian beasts bound to Adam by contract, making them his peers. Since Adam raised Xiao Hei like a son, he naturally classified Kero as Xiao Hei’s uncle.

At that, Xiao Hei raised its upper body and looked at Adam pitifully.

Weak, pitiful, and wronged.jpg

Kero, who had seen Xiao Hei’s true form and knew that even his own true form would be too small to fill the gaps in its teeth:…

"Mmm~ What a cutie~ These scales are so cool to the touch. I’ll hold you again in the summer."

Adam stroked Xiao Hei’s head reassuringly.

As for the fact that the energy within Xiao Hei was high enough to turn its entire body into a heater… feeling Kero’s fur slip through his fingers, Adam narrowed his eyes and selectively ignored that detail.