A dozen kilometers south of Hogwarts Castle, on the shores of Loch Lomond, lies the small town of Lars.
In the southeast corner of the town, there is a small, solemn Bavarian-style church.
The bright sunshine in the afternoon shines through the colorful glass into the church, reflecting dappled and gorgeous light and shadow in the church corridors.
"Are you praying? For such an amazing person like you, is there any confusion in seeking 'the Lord's instructions'?"
Jose Benitez closed the Bible, took off the cross hanging on his chest, put it in his arms, and looked at the old man sitting in the front row in confusion.
Taking into account the arrangements for this afternoon's "parents meeting", Benitez posted a notice at the door yesterday, informing the townspeople that the church would close early today.
Therefore, except for the old wizard sitting in the front row, no believer visited the church this afternoon... What surprised Benitez was that the old wizard did not persist in persuading him to become his son as before.
Instead, the old god was sitting on the chair on the ground, quietly thinking about something like those devout elderly believers, quietly waiting for time to come to an end.
The combination of a Catholic church, a young and strong priest, and a silent black-robed wizard would make the atmosphere seem weird.
"Huh? Are you confused? Well, indeed, I have a small idea."
Grindelwald raised his head, looked at the man with a firm and square face not far away, and said softly.
"About you, Mr. Jose Benitez...I am very hesitant now. Do you know what I am hesitating about?"
"I don't know. But if you are willing to tell me, by the way, should I change my clothes-"
Bennett shook his head frankly, while adjusting his priest's robe, he was still considering whether to change clothes before going to the parent-teacher meeting.
After all, as an honorable clergyman, it seems somewhat inappropriate to break into a wizarding school wearing "work clothes" during working hours?
"I'm thinking--"
Before Benitez could finish his words, the air around him suddenly became thick and oppressive.
At some point, Grindelwald had already taken out his wand and carelessly rubbed it between his hands.
"Do I...should I kill you?"
"...Because of Elena?"
Benitez was silent for a moment and asked calmly.
This was not the first time he faced magic directly, but compared to the previous threats, he clearly smelled a difference in the air this time.
The old wizard from Hogwarts, who claimed to be from an ancient magical family, but who was more like the ruler of the dark world, clearly had murderous intentions this time.
"You are a threat, an imperfect stain... Mr. Benitez, do you understand?"
Grindelwald spoke slowly and softly, his cloudy eyes reflecting the outline of the middle-aged priest in front of him.
"Elena Kaslana, that girl's soul contains unimaginable power. She is the most beautiful gem in today's magical world, oh no, the human world -"
"Coldness, cunning, keenness, bravery, determination, wisdom, tenacity... I have never seen so many fascinating lights in a person."
"She is destined to start and lead an unprecedented era of civilization. Dumbledore saw this, so he chose to temporarily 'give up' the stage. However, before leaving, he wrote you a letter and invited you to
He went to a parent-teacher conference at Hogwarts and asked me to take charge of the situation - very disgusting, annoying behavior, and he likes to do this when he encounters something he doesn't want to do."
Unlike Tom Riddle, Elena, who was also an orphan, did not miss family affection and family when she was growing up...or, what Dumbledore called love.
These gave her a steady stream of strength on the way forward, but they were also shackles that restricted all her strength.
When it came to making key decisions, neither he nor Dumbledore, nor even Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Hogwarts professors, and the Ministry of Magic, combined, were as effective as this Muggle.
Perhaps Dumbledore never really believed in the meaning of "heart", but Grindelwald would not ignore the existence of this power:
Elena's panicked look in the kitchen just now said it all, this Muggle man was the "Dark Nemesis".
As a Dark Lord, there should not be such obvious and fragile weaknesses.
"So, how are you going to face Elena? After killing me."
Benitez asked calmly, leaning against the bulletin board as if listening to the believers' troubles.
"Tell her the truth, otherwise what else can you do - that girl is too smart, and there is no room for lying..."
The old devil grinned and replied, switching the wand in his hand to his left hand and touching his shoulder with his right hand, as if he missed it a little.
"If nothing else happens, she can lose two flaws, two fatal flaws... This is a very cost-effective exchange, very cost-effective."