Chapter 35
"For example, you once shared a close friendship with the first-generation Dark Lord Grindelwald, and even proposed a dangerous idea—" Almost the moment Lucian uttered that name, a subtle change appeared on Dumbledore's face—and this faint shift naturally did not escape Lucian's constant observation.
He paused his words, refraining from saying that name out loud, as a way to spare the old man some dignity.
Dumbledore stood frozen in place for a moment, he hadn't expected that, after so many years, someone would still bring up that name.
Soon, he realized he had lost his composure. "I didn't expect you to know even about something like that. Your sources of information are broader than I imagined."
Dumbledore sighed softly as he lowered his head, then frankly admitted it "I think this is a good start—one that allows us both to be open and honest, facing the past directly."
"Continue." His voice remained gentle, yet at some point, it had taken on an undeniable force that brooked no refusal.
The deep blue pupils locked firmly with the jet-black eyes, and Lucian's voice continued "In my view, the outside world has completely misunderstood you. You are absolutely not someone obsessed with power. Because back then, if you had chosen to cooperate with Grindelwald, the entire wizarding world would have been yours for the taking. But it was precisely that sense of control from the past that made you feel the danger, causing you to shun power like a scorpion."
"Professor, you are undoubtedly a great man, but forgive my bluntness—you are also someone who overcorrects. The painful lessons have caused you, when facing certain matters, to subconsciously lock yourself in place. It's as if... You personally taught the second-generation Dark Lord, Tom Riddle, so from then on, you maintain a high level of vigilance toward all exceptionally talented wizards—especially those from Slytherin."
"..."
"..."
This time, it was Dumbledore's turn to fall silent "I didn't expect..." His aged voice carried a similar hoarseness but unlike Lucian, he was in no hurry to continue speaking.
A brief silence fell between them.
In front of each of them, the surface of the still-warm hot cocoa trembled slightly, rippling in faint circles.
At some unknown point, their gazes had already shifted away from each other. "Whether it's the matter of the basilisk or your analysis of me... Lucian, your insight into things always astonishes me." Dumbledore's voice rang out again at some point, and along with it, his expression returned to normal.
"I spoke rudely without permission. Sorry, Professor." Lucian also reflected—he had gotten a bit heated earlier, provoked by Dumbledore. Was it because, deep in his heart, he too felt that avoiding the war was dishonourable? That's why Dumbledore's sudden attack had struck a nerve so easily?
Lucian suddenly felt that, perhaps during his long hours of charm practice, he had somewhat neglected the existence of his "self."
"You did say some rather harsh things to me. Such sharp criticism—I, an old man, haven't heard in decades. But I accept your apology—as long as you also tell me some things about your past."
Their eyes met again, and Dumbledore suddenly winked playfully, his face showing no sign of anything amiss, as if the earlier unpleasantness had already passed.
Lucian had no reason left to refuse, even though he had somewhat forgotten why he was sitting here in the first place; whether it was the basilisk matter or discussing ways to improve magical power, neither seemed to have made any progress.
Amid the urge to sigh, Lucian spoke "You've probably already investigated my school days, so I'll start from after graduation. There wasn't really anything special. Most of my days were spent practicing charms."
Lucian drained the hot cocoa in his cup in one go and continued under Dumbledore's approving gaze "After graduating from school, I turned down offers from the Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic. Because of that, the Death Eaters have been trying to track me down ever since. To stay safe, I moved between various Muggle homes, researching magic alone and occasionally going out to trade for needed magical items; during the two years when the Dark Lord was at his most rampant, I was like a stinking rat in the sewers, hiding everywhere while continuing my dedicated magic research in Muggle houses. Back then, I wasn't strong enough to stand against those old Death Eaters—of course, that was just an excuse from a selfish person. Saying it too much is pointless."
"After the Dark Lord fell, things became much safer. Because of my needs, my Galleons were often insufficient, so I started periodically robbing dark wizards to solve the problem—and to test what I'd learned. As my skills improved, the things I needed became rarer, so the people I targeted naturally grew stronger. Occasionally, I would rob underground auctions too. Their resources were far richer—one haul could satisfy my needs for a long time, so gradually, I acted less frequently. Come to think of it, some of the big figures behind the black markets still have bounties on me to this day, but since my whereabouts are unpredictable and the intervals are so long, they can't guard against me no matter what."
"So that's how it was." Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle lightly upon hearing this, he had heard a bit about some of those market incidents.
The reason he could laugh was that he knew those black markets were truly unclean—or rather, utterly filthy. Dark wizards operating in the shadows were basically beings who would cheat, kidnap, and commit every crime imaginable.
Even more despicable, their targets were often children with no means of resistance. Lucian's methods were somewhat improper, but at least it could be considered using evil to curb evil.
Dumbledore wouldn't hold grudges over such past events—in fact, he was quite glad that Lucian had told him these things. It meant they were becoming more and more honest with each other.
"Starting from the second year after graduation, I vaguely realized something—continuing to seclude myself and rely solely on my own knowledge would allow improvement for a while longer, but one day, I would inevitably arrive in front of a wall. Also, with the Dark Lord's fall, wizarding society had become much more stable, so I began consciously selecting and teaching some gifted wizards as students.
"Jeffery was the first student I took—he far surpassed me in magical talent. After all, that was exactly why he had been put up for auction. I assigned him study tasks every day and guided him during breaks—he always learned quickly and well. In the seventh year after graduation, on an ordinary morning, I suddenly had a strong premonition. I could no longer improve myself through any further study."
As Dumbledore raised his brow, he added "I spent three months verifying this. Aside from dark magic, I integrated all the magic I had learned, and still nothing was gained, so after that, I began traveling the world with Jeffery, seeking out those dark creatures I'd only read about in books to verify them. Along the way, I would also visit wizards in various countries, attempting to exchange knowledge and learn."
Lucian sighed, "Unfortunately, they often viewed knowledge as their most precious wealth and were extremely xenophobic, unwilling to share with an outsider like me and those who were open to sharing often had uneven skill levels, with very few yielding any gains."
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