Ryan looked up toward the source of the sound and was surprised to see Fernando, the principal of Castrobruso Magic School, arriving hastily on a broomstick.
Principal Fernando landed in the courtyard, quickly greeted Ryan, and then immediately walked over to the shop owner. Seeing this, Ryan asked in confusion, "What about the misunderstanding you mentioned earlier regarding 'our own people'? He brought me here and attacked me right away. Now you're saying it was a misunderstanding. What's going on?"
At that moment, Principal Fernando took out some herbs, applied them to the shopkeeper's wound, and used his wand to heal it. Ryan could feel a strong surge of natural energy being released. Soon, the wound on the shopkeeper's waist began to heal. As Fernando stood up to explain, the shopkeeper raised his hand to stop him.
"Let me explain," the shopkeeper said. "My attack on you earlier was actually a test. The wooden spike I used contained nothing more than a regular sleeping agent."
"A test?" Ryan's mind flashed back to their fight. He suddenly recalled the moments where the shopkeeper had intentionally missed chances to strike. At the time, he assumed the man was simply too old to keep up, but that reasoning didn't add up for a seasoned warrior. Now, the explanation made far more sense.
"Yes, it was a test," the shopkeeper confirmed. "But I didn't expect your reaction to be so intense—especially using such a dangerous magical weapon. I have to admit, I underestimated you."
The shopkeeper let out a weak sigh and added, "But I need to ask, your reaction was far beyond the norm. Can you explain why?"
"Well... I saw the symbol of the Saints on your notebook. I thought you were trying to kill me and silence me," Ryan replied, half-exasperated.
"Ah... Not many young people even recognize that symbol anymore. Yes, I was once a Saint in my youth. But it seems you've misunderstood something—Saints have never needed to hide themselves, at least not in this place."
"What? But everything I've researched indicated that after Grindelwald's defeat, the Saints vanished. I assumed they changed their identities to avoid persecution," Ryan said, clearly surprised.
By now, the old shopkeeper had recovered enough to stand with Principal Fernando's help. He straightened his back as best as he could, looked down at Ryan, and said, "Before I respond to that, I want to ask you a question: What kind of person do you believe Grindelwald was?"
Ryan immediately recognized the gravity of the question. After quickly running through everything he'd learned in both his current and past lives, he answered carefully:
"I think Grindelwald's original intentions were right. When the wizarding world's development started to fall behind the Muggle world, it was only a matter of time before we became obsolete if we did nothing. After the First Industrial Revolution, the Muggle world advanced at an unprecedented rate—outpacing centuries of progress in just one hundred years. Grindelwald was born into that era, and he clearly saw what was coming."
Ryan continued, "From that perspective, I believe his initial goals weren't for personal power, but for the survival of the entire magical world. Also, many wizards were unhappy with how restrictive the Statute of Secrecy had become. When Grindelwald declared his intent to break those shackles, he gained a lot of support."
"But," Ryan added, his tone turning serious, "the way he chose to pursue that vision was fundamentally wrong. He tried to start an all-out war between wizards and Muggles, hoping to gain the upper hand before the Muggles fully caught up. He wanted to use war to stall their progress and let wizards rise to dominance. But instead of progressing with the Muggles, he sought to eliminate the competition entirely."
"In doing so, he prioritized short-term victories and radical tactics. He incited violence everywhere, killed dissenting wizards, and even attempted a massacre in Paris. That naturally led to rebellion. While the Muggle world was embroiled in its own global war, the wizarding world was fighting a civil war of its own."
"Thankfully, Dumbledore eventually stopped him. Otherwise, the wizarding world might have self-destructed before the Muggles even discovered us."
After presenting his views, Ryan noticed the shopkeeper's face turn somewhat gloomy. Quickly, he added, "That said, I don't think Grindelwald's efforts were entirely in vain. His actions forced the magical community to reexamine and revise the Statute of Secrecy. Without that, we wouldn't have today's more open and revitalized magical world."
The shopkeeper gave Ryan a long, thoughtful look. "I'm impressed. You know quite a lot about Grindelwald for someone your age. That's rare. But there are things even you don't know. Would you care to listen to an old man ramble a bit?"
Ryan nodded excitedly. After all, it wasn't every day one had the chance to learn firsthand secrets of the magical world.
Seeing his enthusiasm, the shopkeeper cleared his throat and began, "My name is Frank Skorzeny. I'm a second-generation Saint. My father was one of Grindelwald's earliest followers, later becoming commander of an elite Saint action team. When I was born in 1925, it was Grindelwald himself who officiated my baptism."
"When Grindelwald attempted to destroy Paris in 1926, my father was there. He witnessed firsthand how Grindelwald foresaw World War II. That conflict with the Aurors marked the beginning of open, violent resistance."
"But as you said, his policies soon sparked widespread backlash. By the time I came of age in 1942 and officially joined the Saints, our organization was already in full decline. I participated in nearly every major battle during those final years—Tobruk, Volgograd, Kursk, Palermo, Rome, Cherbourg, Paris, Bastogne. But our numbers kept dwindling, and the enemy's forces kept growing."
"The excitement and fire that fueled our early days gradually faded into exhaustion and despair. Most importantly, our leader—Grindelwald—recognized the fatal flaw in his plan. The Muggles didn't halt their progress because of the war. In fact, they accelerated it. Meanwhile, our internal conflict only weakened us further."
"According to my father, Grindelwald lost much of his zeal after 1944. He began simply going through the motions. He challenged Dumbledore to a duel in 1945 not because he thought he could win, but because he wanted to end the bloodshed—both for the wizarding world and the Saints. He also used that duel to negotiate a future for his remaining followers."
"After the duel, Grindelwald chose self-imprisonment at Nurmengard. Many Saints were pardoned. Some joined the Ministries of Magic across Europe and America. My father and I—along with other Saints with heavier war records—chose self-exile. We swore never to return to our homelands."
The shopkeeper paused to look Ryan in the eye before continuing, "And don't look at me like that. I swear, we only fought in battles. We never harmed non-combatants. If we had, the Ministries of Magic wouldn't have pardoned us after the war. That being said, this test we gave you today does connect back to our past as Saints."
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