Arthur King frowned directly.
"What's the exact time?"
He looked at Ian, who was inspecting the ring fragment.
"Fifteen minutes ago?"
The little wizard gave the correct answer.
"Then the person you encountered couldn't have been me, because I've been here for several hours. I suppose Madam Pince, whom you attacked, can attest to that."
Arthur King's tone was extremely calm as he looked at the unconscious Madam Pince on the floor. At this time, Grindelwald also walked over to Madam Pince and pointed his wand at her temple.
"He's right. In our librarian's memory, she indeed talked with him here for a long time." Grindelwald put away his wand and looked at Albus Dumbledore.
"Madam Pince has this memory..."
Albus Dumbledore lowered his head, the deep eyes behind his glasses gently flickering. Standing next to him, Arthur King also became excited once again.
"I told you I never left, let alone said anything inappropriate to the little wizard in the corridor. Damn it, do you think I'm a pedophile?"
"My ancestors weren't English!" Arthur King, like an innocent man who had been slandered, spoke with an agitated tone, seemingly misunderstanding why he was approached by Ian and others.
"..."
Ian felt that this Professor of Alchemy was cursing all of England.
"Again, I offer my sincerest apologies. I will properly educate the little one who misreported the information." Albus Dumbledore suddenly bowed slightly to Arthur King unexpectedly.
"You'd better educate him harshly! He's caused me significant psychological harm!" Arthur King still stood in place, his expression towards Ian taking on a fierce look.
"I hope this will soothe the harm you've suffered." Grindelwald took out a hefty sack and walked forward to hand it to Arthur King.
"Ha, do you think I lack Golden Galleons?"
Arthur King opened the sack, his face bathed in the golden glow of rare metals far exceeding the sack's expected capacity. He again demonstrated an impressive theatrical change of facial expression.
"Actually, the psychological harm I suffered isn't that great, rest assured, I also won't tell others that you are Grindelwald. I think you must not be as bad as people claim, the world has much misunderstood you." He tucked the sack into the robe Dumbledore gave him, then raised an open hand to Grindelwald.
This was a clear gesture to request the return of the wand held by Grindelwald.
"A very exceptional and loyal wand, quite a rare combination." Grindelwald returned Arthur King's wand with a smile, though his tone held a slightly meaningful undertone.
"Thanks for the compliment. I suppose it can't be unrelated to my excellence." Arthur King checked his wand, visibly relieved when he found it undamaged.
"Let's go, little one."
Grindelwald took Ian towards the library door first, while Albus Dumbledore helped up the fallen Madam Pince, setting her back onto a chair before following them.
"Professor, I didn't lie, nor did I have any hallucinations." Ian followed behind the two elders, feeling that the two silent figures in front had somewhat repressed emotions.
"Of course, I believe you, Ian, but the facts are before us... At least what we see is there's nothing wrong with him, so we can't treat our professor like a Dark Wizard." Albus Dumbledore sighed, his tone carrying a particularly heavy flavor.
"There's nothing wrong with my experience either." Ian aimed his wand at his temple, withdrawing a silver strand shimmering with starlight.
"Yes, your experience is fine... And that is the real problem." Albus Dumbledore said, his tone full of lament, words seemingly redundant yet filled with deep meaning.
"What do you mean?"
Ian tucked the withdrawn silver strand back into his temple.
The old headmaster did not respond but instead looked at Grindelwald beside him.
"I can't use his wand, not even with forceful control." Grindelwald shrugged, his smile unbroken, his mind piecing together various bits of information he had discovered earlier.
"Does this indicate his magic power surpasses yours?" Ian, knowing some basic rules of the magic world, immediately thought of an even more bizarre possibility.
"Golden Acacia Wood only chooses the most gifted wizards... Of course, this is broadly speaking, and it doesn't have much relevance with my inability to wield his wand." Grindelwald glanced back, recalling his own feelings.
"I prefer a straightforward explanation, Professor."
Ian felt Grindelwald to be even more roundabout than Dumbledore.
"He cast a spell on his own wand, child, right when his wand was blasted from his robe by your magic, he performed a wandless spellcasting that we all missed."
"I imagine our Professor of Alchemy might have a bit of a cleanliness obsession in this regard, not liking others to use his things." Grindelwald's voice remained light-hearted.
Yet Ian felt an eerie chill creeping up his spine.
"Could this guy actually be Salazar Slytherin himself!" He thought of Voldemort's obsession with creating a Soul Artifact, realizing it's possible that the seemingly great Salazar Slytherin wasn't so fearless of death.