Chapter 127: The Chinese Wizarding World’s Sense of Duty

“This is nothing short of bullying...” Xiven stared at Grindelwald’s half-smiling, half-mocking expression, utterly speechless.

He had thrown the problem entirely into Dumbledore’s hands.

Because of the blood pact between them, Dumbledore could not attack Grindelwald. Yet if he refrained from doing so, it would mean that Dumbledore was not worthy of his reputation—that he did not dare stand against Grindelwald.

Even if he revealed the existence of the blood pact to the crowd, Dumbledore would be branded as someone who shared Grindelwald’s ambitions. In that case, everything he had done to oppose Grindelwald would lose its meaning entirely.

It was an impossible choice.

Dumbledore tightened his grip on the blood pact and gazed deeply at Grindelwald.

“You are currently a candidate for president of the International Confederation of Wizards. I have no reason to attack you.” He shook his head, deftly steering the conversation elsewhere. “If I were to strike at you, I would be guilty of disrupting the order of the election.”

“Indeed. I never expected the qilin to choose me; it is an honor. But I am not a candidate, nor will I take part in the election. I am certain that among the candidates there is someone truly capable of leading the magical world forward, and that person is more deserving of the qilin’s favor.”

“Wouldn’t you agree, little one?”

Dumbledore directed his final sentence at the young qilin.

The creature gave a slight nod, then slowly walked toward Vinsencia Santos, who wore a pale orange robe, and bowed to her.

Grindelwald frowned at the sight and, without drawing attention to himself, exchanged a glance with Vogel.

Vogel understood at once. He nodded and addressed the people below the platform.

“Since the authenticity of the qilin remains open to question, I hope that voters around the world will analyze the matter rationally during the second round of voting and form their own independent judgments.”

“Anton, you’re clearly favoring Grindelwald!” the representatives of the Confederation shouted angrily.

Vogel acted as though he had heard nothing. He simply raised his hand and called out loudly:

“The second round of voting begins!”

This time, the green fireworks representing Grindelwald were no longer overwhelming the red and yellow. The yellow fireworks representing Santos also covered half the sky, standing in equal opposition to the green. Under such circumstances, the red fireworks appeared rather thin compared with the other two colors.

“The voting is over!” Vogel announced, stopping the count at the appointed time.

Wizards across the world stared tensely at the vote-counting board atop the platform, waiting for the final result.

Yet when the numbers appeared, everyone was stunned—

Gellert Grindelwald and Vinsencia Santos had received exactly the same number of votes!

The crowd grew noisy as people began discussing this unprecedented situation.

There was no denying it: this election had become extraordinarily dramatic.

First, the former president had brought forth an exceedingly rare magical creature—the qilin—and performed the Way of the Qilin ritual, which had not been carried on for who knew how many years. Then a magizoologist had brought another qilin, claiming that it was the true creature, causing voters to hold Grindelwald’s actions in even greater contempt.

Yet Grindelwald’s speech had persuaded a vast number of undecided voters, convincing them that this was a conspiracy orchestrated by Albus Dumbledore. Then another qilin had chosen Santos. And somehow, the final vote totals of the two candidates chosen by different qilin were exactly identical!

Amid the crowd, Professor Hicks suddenly produced a mirror edged in phoenix gold and spoke into it.

A moment later, she said solemnly to Theseus, “This is bad. Grindelwald’s followers have begun to move in various places.”

“What happened? What have they done?” Theseus asked.

“Flamel told me that Grindelwald’s followers have already begun using the Imperius Curse to control other voters,” Hicks said. “By the third round of voting, many of those who originally supported Santos will have been compelled to switch their support to Grindelwald!”

“What?!”

...

On the platform, the three candidates began their final speeches.

There was no denying that Grindelwald possessed an extraordinary gift for inciting people. Every word he spoke seemed to touch the deepest desires of the voters, leaving the other two candidates in a highly unfavorable position.

Once Santos and Grindelwald had finished speaking, Liu Tao—the Minister for Magic of China and the third candidate—slowly stepped forward.

“For this speech, I do not wish to say anything as meaningless as ‘vote for me.’ Instead, I would like to have a conversation with all of you.” Compared with the passion of his first speech, Liu Tao’s second was far calmer. He spoke to the voters in the most relaxed tone.

“Those who have taken the time to learn about me surely know why I came to participate in this election for president of the Confederation. Yes, it is because China is suffering under the ravages of war, and I wish to use the power of the International Confederation of Wizards to help my country survive this disaster. There is nothing shameful about saying so.”

“Because I have experienced the brutality of war firsthand, I understand more deeply than most the importance of peace. That is why my political aims have always been peace and development. It is my hope that the Ministries of Magic of every nation will help one another and advance together.”

“However, the magical world of China has been closed in upon itself for far too long. We lack sufficient influence in the world, as well as sufficient political authority. So I know that my chances of winning are slim. Even so, I came because I wanted to try—whether for the sake of my own political ambitions or because of the grave situation facing China’s magical world.”

“But now that matters have reached this point, I know that my chances are no longer great. Fortunately, an old saying from China has reminded me that one cannot have both the fish and the bear’s paw. Whether to continue pursuing this election or choose peace has become a choice I must make.”

“There is no denying that I want to win. But what I have always wanted more is peace for China and for the entire magical world! That is why I have never supported Grindelwald’s proposal to wage war against Muggles. It would plunge our entire magical world into an enormous abyss!”

“So I call upon the people of China who support me: cast your votes for Vinsencia Santos! She has received the favor of the qilin, and no one is more suited to lead our magical world forward!”

“For the sake of peace in the magical world and throughout the entire world, I will voluntarily withdraw from the next round of voting. Those who support me, do not disappoint me! Cast your votes for Santos. In doing so, you will demonstrate the sense of responsibility toward the world that comes from the very bloodline of China’s magical world, with its five thousand years of heritage!”

Liu Tao’s words grew increasingly profound and impassioned. By the time he reached his final remarks, everyone felt their blood surging with fervor.

“That man from China is the real deal!” Theseus, who had been anxiously worrying over the actions of Grindelwald’s followers, finally breathed a deep sigh of relief and laughed in release.

Seeing the dark expression on Grindelwald’s face, Dumbledore could not help smiling as well.

With so little time available, what difference could it make how quickly Grindelwald’s followers acted? Surely they could not control more voters than the total number of supporters belonging to a single candidate.

Yellow and green fireworks blossomed across the sky.

Although the red fireworks did not flourish in this round, that single streak of red representing China remained forever in the hearts of wizards throughout the magical world.

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