"Was this your doing?" Dumbledore asked in a low voice.
Grindelwald gave a derisive snort. "Do I look that idle to you?"
Dumbledore fell silent. No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like something Grindelwald would have orchestrated himself.
Not only would it bring Grindelwald no benefit, it might even hinder whatever he was currently planning.
"None of them are lying. That means they all truly saw the scenes in their memories… but we have no way of knowing whether what they saw was merely an illusion," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
"Forget about that for now. Deal with that group of… centaurs first." Grindelwald swallowed the word "mules" that had nearly slipped out.
If it had been before, he would certainly have found a way to make those mules suffer.
But now, Grindelwald only wanted to send these simple-minded, muscle-bound creatures away as quickly as possible, then figure out the cause of the entire incident.
Hearing this, Dumbledore turned to look.
Sure enough, Fernandes and the others were now in a tense standoff with Grindelwald's supporters.
It looked as though a fight could break out at any moment.
Dumbledore hurried over. "Fernandes, this is just a misunderstanding."
Fernandes said coldly, "A misunderstanding? Don't tell me you and Grindelwald are working together…"
"What benefit would that bring us?" Dumbledore interrupted. "To be frank, the centaurs possess nothing that would interest wizards. Why would we seek conflict with you? Even for the Forbidden Forest, it is not enough reason for our two sides to go to war."
Fernandes fell silent, seemingly weighing Dumbledore's words.
Seeing this, Dumbledore let out a quiet breath of relief and continued, "I have come on behalf of Hogwarts to negotiate. My purpose is simply to resolve this matter properly, and for that we are willing to make certain concessions. Since I have come in good faith, I hope your side can also remain calm and not be blinded by anger."
Fernandes still did not speak, as though he were still considering something.
Grindelwald could no longer hold back. Dumbledore had already said this much, yet the other party was still dragging things out. How long was this supposed to take?
Impatiently, he said, "Although the cause of this incident is quite suspicious, my subordinates did indeed injure your kin. As for who is right or wrong, I have no interest in pursuing it further. You may state your terms, we will provide compensation, and then you will withdraw. This way, no one else needs to be hurt. But if you insist on going to war… then our retaliation will be considered self-defense. At that point, we will show no restraint. I cannot say how many of my subordinates might die, but your kin… I guarantee not a single one of them will leave here alive."
Grindelwald's final words carried intense killing intent. For that instant, he seemed to return to the decisive and ruthless Grindelwald of the past.
Upon hearing him, the centaurs behind Fernandes immediately erupted in angry shouts. Their hooves slammed heavily against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
Dumbledore frowned and shot Grindelwald a glare. He had nearly calmed the centaurs down, yet Grindelwald had chosen this moment to pour fuel on the fire.
"Are you threatening me?" Fernandes said furiously.
"You can think of it that way." Grindelwald clasped his hands behind his back and spoke with disdain. "I know that saying anything more to you bunch of mules is a waste of breath, so hurry up and make your move. Rather than waste time arguing with you, it would be faster to knock you all down!"
Grindelwald had already seen through them. This group of centaurs might not have much ability, but their noses were all pointed at the sky.
Their silence just now was probably them thinking about how to make outrageous demands.
Hmph. Animals were still animals.
Did they really think every wizard was as patient as Dumbledore?
At these words, Dumbledore felt his heart sink.
Sure enough, Grindelwald's remarks were something the proud centaurs could not tolerate.
Fernandes was the first to draw his bowstring and fire an arrow straight at Grindelwald's throat.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At the same time, more than a dozen arrows followed Fernandes's shot, streaking toward Grindelwald and the supporters behind him.
The centaurs' archery was superb. Drawing and releasing came as fast as lightning.
Moreover, as magical creatures, the arrows they fired were not ordinary shafts but carried traces of magic.
Even an elite Auror, caught off guard, could be severely wounded.
Unfortunately for the centaurs, they were not facing ordinary wizards, but Grindelwald.
Without exception, every arrow halted one meter in front of Grindelwald, unable to advance even an inch.
The supporters behind him did not even blink.
If someone could still be injured while standing behind Grindelwald, then the man they followed would not be Grindelwald.
"Dumbledore, they were the ones who struck first…" A cruel smile spread across Grindelwald's face.
"Surround them!" Fernandes shouted, continuing to draw and release arrows in rapid succession.
Boom!
A blazing red light swept across the area. All the shouting centaurs instantly collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
Grindelwald looked at Dumbledore with dissatisfaction, slowly lowering the wand in his hand that had been glowing green.
"You are still as soft-hearted as ever, Dumbledore…"
Dumbledore silently put away the Elder Wand.
If Grindelwald had made the move, every one of those centaurs would be dead.
It was better for him to knock them out first.
Dumbledore glared coldly at Grindelwald. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?"
"What trouble could there be? You saw it yourself. Those beasts struck first," Grindelwald sneered.
"If you hadn't said those things to provoke them, would they have reacted like that?" Dumbledore said.
"Dumbledore, do you hear yourself?"
Grindelwald said with open mockery. "I provoked them? And what about the things those beasts said to me? When those nose-in-the-air creatures were shouting at us, I managed to hold myself back. Why couldn't they? Have you ever considered that this is the difference between humans and beasts?"
Dumbledore rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Enough. We should think about how to handle the aftermath."
"I didn't make a move. You were the one who acted, Dumbledore. At most, I just said a few harsh words. As everyone knows, sharp words are not a crime. So don't try to pin this on me. If there's cleanup to do, you can handle it yourself," Grindelwald said with a cold laugh.
For a moment, Dumbledore found himself at a loss for words.
"In this world, the law of the jungle has always applied, especially to animals." Grindelwald deliberately stressed the word "animals." "Just because they can speak human language doesn't make them human, particularly when they themselves don't even care to be called that."
"The strong rule the weak. That is the law of nature. What respect do you think you'll gain by reasoning with animals?"
"So here's my advice, Dumbledore. If you want to settle this properly, talking to them is a waste of effort. The best method is to defeat them head-on. Do you believe that when they wake up, they'll be much more reasonable?"
"Or perhaps they'll fight to the death?"
"Then it only means they haven't been beaten enough!"
Dumbledore said nothing more. With a gentle wave of his wand, the fallen centaurs slowly floated into the air and were placed by him onto a patch of soft grass not far away.
Although Grindelwald's words were unpleasant, they were not entirely without reason.
Moreover, Dumbledore was thinking further ahead.
Pride had to be built upon absolute strength.
These centaurs had lived in the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts for years without natural enemies, so they had rarely suffered losses. As a result, they had grown increasingly arrogant.
Although today's incident had been sudden, getting beaten up might not necessarily be a bad thing.
At the very least, the next time they encountered other wizards, they might show a bit more self-awareness.
In any case, the centaurs had never held much goodwill toward wizards.
There was no such thing as the relationship getting worse.
Seeing that Dumbledore had settled the centaurs, Grindelwald could no longer wait.
"Alright, your work protecting the 'animals' is done. Now we should handle some real business. About what just happened…" Grindelwald said with a frown.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment before speaking. "First check your tent and see whether any dark creatures have gone missing."
"Fine. You check the surrounding area. I have a feeling there's something wrong with this place," Grindelwald said, frowning.
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