"You can't go any farther."
Professor Baker glanced at the towering spire in the distance, but quickly withdrew his gaze and turned to Avada beside him.
"Beyond this point is the area covered by Nurmengard's wards. You'll have to walk the rest of the way on your own."
Avada did not respond.
He seemed to be in a daze.
"Hey, Ken!"
Professor Baker had to wave a hand in front of his eyes to snap him out of it.
"Ah, sorry, Professor Baker. I got a little distracted… What did you just say?"
"I said you'll have to walk the rest of the way yourself."
He looked at Avada's slightly embarrassed expression with some amusement.
"What, you're already like this just from seeing the outline of Nurmengard? Then what are you going to be like when you actually meet Grindelwald himself?"
"Relax. No matter what sort of schemer, visionary, or most powerful dark wizard in the world he was fifty years ago… now he's just a university vice-headmaster spending his retirement in prison. He himself won't be what puts pressure on you. What will put pressure on you is whatever matter he specifically wants to speak to you about."
"The headmistress told you this, didn't she? You're only the third wizard in fifty years whom he has personally requested to meet after his imprisonment. And the first two were our two headmasters…"
"Ahem, sorry."
Avada looked even more embarrassed.
"It's just… well, how should I put it… the name Grindelwald, to me, is a bit… a bit…"
He did not know how to continue.
Even though he had never once met Grindelwald in the past fourteen years, he had always felt as if he were living under Grindelwald's shadow. He had won Dumbledore's trust by imitating Grindelwald, used Grindelwald's name to pull off a total reversal during the Chamber of Secrets crisis, held ideas similar to Grindelwald's, and had even recently joined an organization with Grindelwald as its vice-headmaster…
There were even quite a few people in Hogwarts right now who firmly believed he was related to Grindelwald.
"Alright, if you have any profound feelings, I suggest you tell Grindelwald to his face instead of trembling several kilometers away from him."
Professor Baker patted him on the shoulder.
"After you're done talking, just return straight to the university. Your key can be used inside Anti-Disapparition wards. And this is Austria, so if you plan to Apparate here yourself in the future, pay attention to the distance. I'm leaving now. See you."
After saying that, he immediately spun on the spot and vanished with a soft crack, leaving Avada standing there alone, still staring at the distant tower.
...Let's go.
He shook his head hard, throwing off all the distracting thoughts in his mind, and only then took his first step toward the tower of Nurmengard.
Just as Miranda Goshawk had said, there truly were no defensive measures whatsoever around Nurmengard. Avada used his magical senses the entire way to observe his surroundings, but aside from the most basic Anti-Disapparition wards and Muggle-Repelling Charms, he found not the slightest trace of any other magic at all—and he was certain he had not missed anything.
At that moment, eighty percent of his spiritual power had already descended into this body, while his real body was lying in bed under the pretense of catching up on sleep, so that he could face Grindelwald with full concentration.
Fortunately, today was a weekend, so he could sprawl in the dorm all day if needed. And in the eyes of his Hogwarts classmates, it was perfectly reasonable for Avada—after more than a week of nonstop intense work—to sleep in a little, so no one came to disturb him.
The buildings themselves, however, had clearly been reinforced with magic. They were frighteningly solid. An ordinary Blasting Curse probably would not even leave a scratch on them. Supposedly, most of that reinforcement had been laid down by Grindelwald himself when he first built the place, and the International Confederation of Wizards, which later took over, had merely repaired it a bit. Now it had become Grindelwald's own cage…
Though it probably could not really be called a cage.
In fact, the whole way there he did not find the slightest trace of any other human presence. It was entirely possible that in this vast region, Grindelwald was truly the only person living there.
He could not help wondering who was responsible for bringing him food.
Before long, Avada reached Nurmengard's outer perimeter—a circular black wall with a glossy sheen. It looked at least ten meters high, and there was not even a single gate set into it. Apparently, whoever had built the wall had never once considered that anyone would need to enter through it.
And yet there's no anti-flight ward above something this high...
Avada could not quite understand the designer's mentality. If the wall was only meant as intimidation, then why make it so sturdy? And if it was genuinely meant to keep something out, then any random broomstick could get over it with ease.
Still, he was not overly surprised. He had seen even more unreasonable designs than this, and had broken through two of them just a few days ago.
So he bent his knees and kicked off, sending himself into the air. He rose slowly upward, then after clearing the height of the wall, continued forward according to his own will.
It was the unsupported flight spell he had developed himself.
This spell had originally been intended for movement through spatial interstices, but later Avada had discovered rather awkwardly that in his hands its travel speed was not even as good as a decent broomstick, so he had almost never used it. But now, in order to show off a little of his magical attainments and leave Grindelwald with a better first impression, he decided to bring out this utterly impractical but very stylish spell for a brief display.
After that, he obediently landed on the ground, searched around until he found the entrance to the tower, and started climbing the spiral staircase step by step.
After all, he could hardly just fly in through Grindelwald's prison window.
The staircase inside Nurmengard was dark, narrow, and filthy. Through the gloom, Avada could vaguely make out a row of objects on the wall that were probably candlesticks, but they were already buried beneath a thick layer of dust. It was impossible to say how long they had gone unused. Most likely, for the past fifty years, Gellert Grindelwald had not once stepped out of his cell.
After climbing through the darkness for who knew how long, Avada finally found a shabby wooden door ahead of him, with light leaking through the gaps between the boards.
He was not sure if it was his imagination, but the arrangement somehow felt mysteriously similar to the headmaster's office at Hogwarts...
Knock, knock, knock.
"Um… excuse me, is Mr. Gellert Grindelwald in?"
He knocked lightly on the door, sounding involuntarily constrained and uneasy.
"I'm Nathan Clarke, Professor of Spiritual Studies at Nobby Leach University. Yesterday, I heard from the headmistress that you hoped to see me as soon as possible, so I came a bit early…"
"Come in. The door isn't locked."
An old, hoarse voice came through the cracks in the wood.
Gritting his teeth, Avada gently pushed the door open. With a drawn-out creak that made his teeth ache, more and more light filled his vision, revealing a simple but tidy room, and in the center, a slightly hunched figure standing with the light behind him.
Then he heard the greeting:
"Good morning, Ken."
(End of Chapter)