Fudge collapsed onto the floor as though every ounce of strength had been drained from his body.
He didn't even notice his wand rolling away across the corridor.
Lucien said nothing.
He simply stood there quietly, watching him.
Cornelius Fudge appeared gentle and harmless on the surface, but in truth, he was weak-willed and lacked powerful backing.
Without a strong family supporting him, surviving within the Ministry had never been easy.
Someone like him would never willingly oppose Dumbledore directly.
But Fudge possessed one fatal weakness—
An obsession with authority.
An overwhelming desire to hold power.
Once that weakness was exposed, controlling him became far easier.
As for the Auror Office—
Fudge absolutely needed his own people planted there.
That wasn't an ordinary department.
It controlled the Ministry's armed force.
With only a few loyal followers scattered around the Ministry, how could Fudge possibly control the Aurors himself?
Impossible.
Eventually, a replacement would still need to be selected from either the Aurors or another department.
And that—
Was where Lucien intended to step in.
Shortly after arriving in Britain, Lucien had already instructed Vita to quietly place Saints operatives inside the Ministry of Magic.
All of them remained hidden, waiting for opportunities to rise.
Once the struggle between Fudge and Amelia Bones reached its peak—
That would become the perfect moment for the Saints to reap the benefits.
After nearly three minutes of silence, Fudge finally seemed to recover slightly.
He slowly climbed back to his feet before looking toward Lucien.
"Let's go, Mr. Grindelwald."
"If we delay much longer…"
"…the Hogwarts professors may start another war."
"It's better to settle this quickly."
Lucien bowed slightly with perfect politeness.
"As you wish, Minister."
…
The Ministry Atrium.
Even after all this time, most of the gathered wizards had kept their promise.
Nobody left.
Everyone continued waiting quietly for Lucien's appearance.
Though occasional whispers still spread through the crowd.
"Why hasn't Mr. Grindelwald come out yet?"
"Nothing serious happened to him, right?"
"Probably not."
"Hogwarts professors are here. Even Headmaster Dumbledore himself came."
"With them present, the Ministry definitely won't dare mistreat him."
"That's right!"
"Hogwarts would never allow injustice toward one of their students!"
Suddenly—
Someone shouted loudly.
"Look!"
"Mr. Grindelwald's here!"
The entire Atrium exploded instantly.
"Mr. Grindelwald!"
"Are you alright?!"
"Did they hurt you?!"
Every gaze focused immediately upon the blond-haired boy walking beside Fudge.
Lucien stepped forward slowly.
"Ladies and gentlemen…"
"Thank you all for your help today."
"Without your support…"
"…I don't know how long it would have taken before I regained my freedom."
"Thank you."
He bowed deeply toward the crowd.
Immediately, countless voices responded.
"Mr. Grindelwald, you're too polite!"
"You only acted to protect ordinary wizards!"
"How could we possibly stand by and do nothing?!"
"That's right!"
Cheers and agreement erupted everywhere.
Not a single person cared about the time they'd wasted today.
Lucien inhaled softly.
Then his expression gradually became more complicated.
"I believe everyone here is curious about what happened inside the Ministry."
"To be honest…"
"I was interrogated repeatedly."
"They demanded confession after confession."
"And to obtain the answers they wanted…"
"…they were even prepared to use Veritaserum."
His voice grew quieter.
"Saying they wished to force an eleven-year-old child to speak the truth."
The disappointment in his eyes instantly ignited the crowd's fury.
They could hardly believe the Ministry had sunk this low.
A child who protected ordinary wizards—
Treated like a criminal solely because of prejudice.
Countless angry gazes immediately turned toward Fudge.
Demanding explanation.
Demanding accountability.
But Fudge remained silent.
Lucien observed everything calmly before continuing.
"They said I was guilty."
"They said I violated agreements between wizards and goblins."
"They said I endangered peace by casting magic publicly."
"During my detention…"
"I questioned myself more than once."
"Was I truly wrong?"
"Perhaps…"
"Perhaps I should have remained silent."
"Perhaps I should have compromised peacefully like they wanted."
"Mr. Grindelwald…"
One emotional witch had tears gathering in her eyes already.
They clearly understood his grievance.
Someone who protected ordinary people—
Being labelled a criminal.
That bitterness and injustice struck directly into everyone's hearts.
Several male wizards silently clenched their fists.
Lucien slowly raised his head and swept his gaze across the entire Atrium.
"But standing here today…"
"Seeing the light within all your eyes…"
"I finally understand something."
"Three hundred years ago…"
"We were betrayed by the very people we trusted most."
"By the leaders we once respected."
"They abandoned our fallen brethren…"
"And forced the entire wizarding world into hiding."
"Two hundred years ago…"
"We were betrayed again."
"By ministers and chairmen who claimed to represent us."
"They ended the Goblin Rebellions…"
"And handed control of our currency directly to goblins."
Lucien's voice sharpened.
"Were those people guilty?"
"And if they were…"
"Who judged them?"
The entire Atrium fell silent.
Lucien looked toward the crowd calmly.
"If I am guilty…"
"Then my crime…"
"…is defending the rights of British wizards."
Thunderous applause erupted instantly.
Even louder than before.
Almost deafening.
Most of the people gathered here today were ordinary witches and wizards.
For years, they endured pressure from the Ministry, pure-bloods, goblins, and countless hidden rules.
Lucien's speech directly ignited the resentment buried deep inside them.
"That's right!"
"Well said!"
"We fought and bled for Britain!"
"And this is how they repay us?!"
"Support Mr. Grindelwald!"
Countless voices roared together.
The cheers became increasingly frenzied.
Finally, the entire Atrium united into one overwhelming chant.
"Grindelwald!"
"Grindelwald!"
"Grindelwald!"
Lucien slowly raised one hand.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
His calm voice echoed clearly throughout the Ministry.
"Before dawn arrives…"
"Someone must ignite the darkness."
"The flames will become light."
"And that light will guide future generations forward."
"Our destiny…"
"The destiny of British wizards…"
"…must be controlled by our own hands."
"No one else should decide it for us."
The crowd erupted completely.
"Grindelwald!"
"Grindelwald!"
"Grindelwald!"
The chant shook the Ministry itself.
Standing amidst the cheering crowd, Lucien smiled calmly.
Confident.
Brilliant.
Almost untouchable.
Then—
Out of the corner of his eye—
He noticed several familiar figures standing silently in the distance.
Dumbledore stood there in white robes, especially conspicuous among the crowd.
But unlike the excited witches and wizards around him—
Dumbledore's gaze toward Lucien had become increasingly wary.
And complicated.
Meanwhile, Tonks stood nearby enthusiastically waving both fists.
Cheering louder than almost anyone else.
Lucien suddenly felt a faint headache coming on.
After returning to Hogwarts—
Life probably wasn't going to remain peaceful anymore.
....
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