Chapter Seventy-Eight: Letting the Hydra Enter the Ministry of Magic

Louis slowly walked up to the oil painting. Within it, the agents were frantically running about, shouting and bellowing, but not a single sound could escape the canvas. It was as if the agents had suddenly gone deaf and blind, oblivious to Louis standing just beyond their painted world.

It didn’t take long before all the agents succumbed to Louis’s Nightmare Spell and drifted into slumber.

[You have used 'Nightmare Spell Lv7' on the agents.]
[You have defeated 12 agents.]
[Including the elite witch you defeated yesterday, your weekly quota is complete.]
[Strength +1]

Glancing at his strength, now well past twenty points, Louis felt a touch of frustration. His magic, on the other hand, was satisfactory—having recently devoured countless dreams, it had already reached forty. As for his repertoire of spells, through ceaseless study and exchanges with the fourteen others, some of his more potent spells had reached level six even without consuming the energy of the storybook.

Just then, Ross appeared, mopping sweat from his brow as he hurried over. He didn’t bother with words or make any mention of leaving; instead, he simply hunched over, stroking his graying beard with a sycophantic grin. Yet his meaning was obvious enough—he was the last one standing.

Louis looked back and saw the black wizards sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. Clearly, Ross wasn’t the strongest among them; he merely had the most stamina—or perhaps, he was simply the best at ‘shirking his duties.’

“Tell Stuart later that you can ‘rest’ on weekends from now on—he’ll arrange for your release,” Louis said.

“Sir, it doesn’t matter whether I leave or not. I just hope to run errands for you out there and be of service,” Ross replied with a grin.

Louis nodded. “Don’t stir up trouble outside. I’ll take you along when there’s work to be done.”

Ross was overjoyed at these words. He understood: his master meant he could go out whenever he wished. But that wasn’t what thrilled Ross most—it was the trust his master now placed in him. Clearly, all their actions had been under his master’s watchful gaze (who watched ‘cartoons’ daily), and their subconscious thoughts within the dream had been read as well.

Ross truly was loyal, eager to follow his master in great endeavors. It seemed the master had finally recognized this—Ross prided himself on being a shrewd man!

In truth, Louis had been watching Ross for weeks. During his last conversation with Harold, he had already decided to entrust Ross with affairs in Knockturn Alley. As for Sakura Bell and her group, they were Ministry informants embedded in Knockturn Alley, with the Red Fox Den serving as a secret Ministry base. With Kevin and Sakura Bell present, Ross and his companions could gradually be smuggled into the Ministry.

Of course, aside from Ross, the other twelve were equally ‘shrewd.’ After all, those who weren’t had already been sent to the magical prison. Ross, however, was the most competent—quick-witted and experienced, the perfect choice to lay the groundwork.

Once these people infiltrated the Ministry and everything was in place, Louis’s own position there would be secure as well. At that point, he could gradually ‘awaken’ his subordinates and draw the wisest into his inner circle.

After sending Ross away, Louis prepared to deal with the agents. He sat down, and the grass beneath him suddenly grew wild, weaving itself into a chair. Scrolls, books, notes, and scripts flew from his sleeves, hovering in the air before him.

He studied Bolster’s script and found its logic flawless—no wonder, for a single error would have cost Bolster his life.

After some thought, and with Stuart’s crafty advice, Louis drafted a new script.

He then sent Stuart into the dreams of Kevin and the others, while Louis himself closed his eyes and drifted into the dreamworld of the agents. There, he began to influence their subconscious minds while studying the magic they knew.

Louis didn’t bother recording these spells; through the magic mirror, he could perfectly recreate any magic he’d witnessed. All he needed was for Stuart to use the mirror to copy all these spells for the twelve wizards to organize.

Soon, Louis altered the subconscious of several agents before turning to Kevin’s memories and those of the others. Lately, he had reviewed the memories of many people and discovered that, in ancient times, wizards and ordinary people lived side by side. The world was truly one of fantasy then—prosperous and flourishing.

But for reasons unknown, wizards and non-wizards eventually split into two separate societies.

Anthony believed it was the Moon Court. Their fear and hatred of magic forced wizards to withdraw into their own enclaves, while the world of non-magical folk, under the gods’ dominion, stagnated in medieval feudalism for tens of thousands of years.

Out of boredom, the gods even staged countless “games” between the gods of Light and Darkness—roles both played by the moon goddess herself.

Civilization was repeatedly destroyed and reborn, until the arrival of Anthony, who finally set the world on a proper course. In that era, Anthony led the wizards, supporting kings across the lands, helping mortals defeat the gods and wrest power back from divine hands. The world began to develop, and civilization was no longer destroyed.

However, with the meteoric rise of the Twelve Wizarding Families, they burned books, purged non-noble wizards, and monopolized Anthony’s legacy. This finally severed all ties between the wizarding and human worlds.

Now, humanity was experiencing a new age of ascendance. Some wizards advocated for continued seclusion and childish games; others sought to rule the world as the moon goddess had once done.

Her Majesty Francesco had seemingly tried to change all this—to bridge the gap between wizards and non-wizards, to lead wizards out of isolation and reintegrate them into society peacefully. She had even found a path: to transform the United Kingdom of Solendo into the Magical United Kingdom of Solendo and create a truly fantastical world—she even established a magical guild.

In that era, wizards gradually emerged from seclusion and became part of human society. They explored the world with ordinary people, and the world enjoyed peace and prosperity.

But in the end, the Witch Queen could not outplay the great noble families and their control over the Ministry of Magic and the Magic Council. Under their instigation, wizards came to despise and reject non-magical folk, leading to war between the two. It was only when Delphinia became queen to the non-magical king and protected the upper echelons of the non-magical kingdom that the conflict slowly subsided.

To this day, there remains a gulf between wizards and non-wizards. Years of separation have only deepened the misunderstanding and estrangement.

Perhaps the Witch Queen was right—wizards should step into the world, and non-magical folk should get to know wizards. After all, the world was meant to be one of wonder.

The last war left people like Ross with a deep-seated hatred for non-magical folk. Louis could erase the hatred from these twelve, but not brainwash the entire world.

If no one takes action, who knows what the next world war will bring...

Shaking his head, Louis realized he needed to put down roots both in the Ministry of Magic and the non-magical kingdom—to understand more and build his own influence, so that when great change arrived, he could act openly and righteously, rather than as a Faceless One, hated by the world.

Everything he had done these past days was merely the first step in establishing himself within the Ministry—letting Ross and the others gradually fall under Sakura Bell’s command.

Now, many wizards knew that “Louis VI” had met with Sakura Bell; in the future, as his true identity rose and Sakura Bell learned who he was, her allegiance would seem only natural to everyone.

At this point, all of the agents’ subconscious minds had been broken by Louis. The remaining work was simple and could be left to Stuart.

Opening his eyes, Louis pondered for a moment.

Now that the blame of the Faceless One had been shifted onto Bolster, the aftermath of the Knockturn Alley affair was resolved. Through Bolster, the “new identities” of Ross and his associates would be all the more credible.

After this, the first “clean” base in Knockturn Alley would be established—Sakura Bell and Kate would see to it.

...

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