Acolyte, that's what people call Grindelwald's followers.

It comes from the classical Latin ἀκόλουθος, which originally meant to serve and follow. Just as it is in religion, anyone who adheres to and agrees with Grindelwald's ideas can be called a saint.

UNLIKE AFTER VOLDEMORT'S DOWNFALL, HE WAS REDUCED TO DEATH EATERS WHO WERE LIKE STREET RATS ALMOST INSTANTLY.

In the history of modern magic, Gellert Grindelwald's followers have been in a very delicate position.

After Grindelwald was knocked out by Dumbledore in 1945, his followers were hardly liquidated or prosecuted. As time passed, some of them were even entrusted with important tasks by the ministries of magic of various countries, and the experience of following the first generation of the Dark Lord was tacitly concealed in the classified files.

- It's not hard to understand why, regardless of Gellert Grindelwald's goals and intentions, and what the wizarding world thinks of him, at least the wizards who gathered around him at the beginning, most of them did fight for freedom, truth, and love.

You must know that the power gathered based on these three beliefs is much more powerful than an empty sentence to maintain peace and stability between the wizarding and non-magical worlds, which is why Grindelwald almost succeeded in overturning the entire wizarding world in the first place.

In fact, in a sense, Gellert Grindelwald has succeeded.

As the final "victor", the entire international magical community has instead become the most compromised party, and in order to settle disputes and wars, they have to revise a large number of legal and social systems.

For example, for the first time, the previous marriages between wizards and Muggles were protected and recognized, tragedies such as the one between McGonagall and her mother would not be repeated under the new decree, the wizarding community of various countries had invested significant resources to ensure that children from non-wizarding families received the magical education they deserved, and that tragedies like the one with Aurelius Dumbledore did not happen again, and that the status of half-blood wizards was recognized, even if only on the surface......

Humans are easily satisfied and forgetful, and when Grindelwald chooses to self-imprison and all reasons for confrontation cease to exist, the dispute that once swept the world quickly dissolves in less than a year.

Since then, the name of the saint has disappeared from everyone's sight along with the name Gellert Grindelwald, just like the castle of Neumengard that disappeared from everyone's sight.

Even so, there is a legend in the wizarding world:

The most die-hard saints have never disappeared, and they have been gathering in a place called the Holy City, quietly waiting for Gellert Grindelwald to call again to fulfill their great ideals that have not yet been fully accomplished.

However, as time passed, no one was sure whether Grindelwald was still alive, and this ethereal legend was naturally regarded by more and more people as a story that never existed.

Until this day.

The whole of Salzburg is covered by black fabric falling from the sky.

......

Salzburg's Old Town, Grain Alley.

It's one of the busiest streets in the city, with 16th-century medieval European architecture and shops selling everything from cafes and chocolate shops to gold and silver jewellery, bags, shoes and hats.

Among them, the Harnisch Bistro, which has an ordinary business, is undoubtedly a rather humble shop.

After all, compared to those old brands that are often hundreds or thousands of years old, this small shop run by an old couple is really not very attractive to tourists.

Because of this, many locals prefer to hide here in their spare time to order a drink and read the newspaper comfortably, and the tavern owner, Kurt Mayer, does not remind customers to pay for their departures from time to time, as is the case with other shops.

Of course, there will be shadows everywhere, and even in Salzburg, where the security environment is excellent, it is inevitable to encounter idle unemployed young people or tourists with bad attitudes.

However, most of the local residents know that all the people who came to Harnisch Tavern to make trouble were ultimately unsuccessful. It was as if some wonderful force was secretly protecting the old couple, and no matter what happened outside, it would not affect this bistro that was like a paradise.

Until this day, Mrs. Mayer, who was wiping the table by the windowsill, suddenly raised her head, looked out the window blankly, and after almost half a minute, turned her head to look at her husband, who was bartending at the bar, and her voice was a little dry.

"Kurt, look out the window. ”

"Huh?"

The old man turned his head suspiciously, and followed his wife's guidance to look out the window.

Crash.

The big hands, which had never trembled for decades, suddenly trembled, and the glass in their hands slipped silently, shattering into several pieces on the ground with the impact.

"Yes, of course. I knew he would come back. Kurt Mayer muttered, stood up and hurried over to his wife, rubbing his trembling hands against the window and looking out into the sky.

An old customer sitting in the bar looked up at the sky and saw nothing.

Looking at the two old men who were agitated, the man frowned with some concern.

"Old man, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to close the store early today. Don't worry, I'll ask you for your attention. ”

The old man waved his hand in high spirits and said apologetically to the customers in the store.

"Thanks, that has something to call me. The man glanced at the old man, shrugged his shoulders, and left the room.

Most of the shopkeepers were regular customers, and when they heard Old Kurt's request, they didn't ask much, they all smiled understandingly, and after a brief hello, they left the Harnisch tavern in twos and threes.

Before long, only Mr. and Mrs. Maier were left in the entire store.

"It's a good day, would you like to go out for a walk with me?"

Kurt Mayer's somewhat stiff back suddenly straightened, and his face radiated a strange glint of joy, and he looked deeply at his wife.

"Of course. The old woman grinned, the same glint flashing in her eyes.

"You know, we've been waiting for forty-six years for this invitation. ”

Kurt Mayr, a German who excelled in alchemy, and his wife were former followers of Grindelwald.

Since the disappearance of Newmengard Castle, the two have been living in seclusion in the Muggle city closest to the castle's original location, continuing to search for news while quietly waiting for the day when Grindelwald will summon again.

And they are not the only saints in the city.

At the three-way intersection on the corner of the street, a wandering entertainer suddenly stopped playing and looked up at the sky with an excited face.

At the end of the grain alley, the door of the shop selling Bavarian folk costumes suddenly opened, and a well-dressed middle-aged man shook his hands and stroked the black fabric that shrouded the exterior wall of the store.

In a flower shop next to Mozartplatz, a woman took out her wand from the flower bed and carefully wiped it clean.

Street ...... of the Bishop's Palace

Karajan Square ......

Kells Street ......

At the same time, similar scenes played out in various places throughout the city.

Countless middle-aged and elderly people who have lived in the city for decades have walked out of their rooms and gradually converged into a silent stream of people, walking in the direction of the Salk Hospital, which is located halfway up the mountain.

Gellert Grindelwald's message was simple, and as always hard to refuse:

Protect the Salzburg police officers who are now deployed outside Salk Hospital and are part of the Austrian Federal Police.

- Young people who grew up under their noses and who they often meet in their daily lives.

......

Syllable.

Syllable.

Unhurried footsteps sounded in the square outside the emergency building of Salk Hospital.

An old man dressed in casual clothes as if he were an ordinary out-of-town tourist suddenly appeared in the eyes of the people of the Ministry of Magic and the Austrian Federal Police Agency.

"Hell, how did you set up a cordon, and why are civilians still entering this area. ”

The commander of the Austrian Federal Police Agency, who commanded the anti-terrorist operation, turned his head and roared loudly, spraying spit on the face of the officer in front of him, which can be regarded as an extremely serious dereliction of duty.

"No, I don't know......"

The poor police officer shook his head helplessly, turned his head to look at the old man's movements, showed a touch of confusion, shrank his head, and said cautiously.

"But it looks like he's just swaggering in from us. It stands to reason that you should have seen the ...... too."

"Fart, such a big living person passing by me, I won't see it!?"

The middle-aged policeman's eyes widened, and he glared fiercely at the young man in front of him, and his voice couldn't help but raise two more decibels.

"Anyway, quickly arrange for someone to rush up and pull the old guy back for a walk. ”

Glancing at the old man walking leisurely in front of him, a trace of anxiety appeared on the face of the middle-aged policeman - the group of unidentified "terrorists" entrenched in the hospital had not responded so far, which couldn't help but make him a little worried.

According to the information, there are at least a dozen or so medical staff on duty in the building, but so far, the other party has not shown any intention of negotiating, and no message has been sent about the safety of the hostages.

The young officer nodded, and was about to rush forward when he suddenly stopped.

"Wait, that group of suspected terrorists seems to be on the move, and they're talking to the old man?"

......

"Gellert Grindelwald?"

Pope Rozier glanced at the old man who suddenly appeared in front of the building, and although he used a questioning tone, the expression on his face was already nine points determined.

Such a clever illusion charm, and a large-scale confusion charm that is understated, is probably only possible for someone at the top of the wizarding world like Gellert Grindelwald.

"Correct, it seems that I am not old enough to be forgotten by everyone. ”

Grindelwald smiled and nodded, nonchalantly playing with the wand in his hand, and continued to walk unhurriedly in the direction of the hospital building, seemingly unconcerned about the group of wizards in front of him who raised their wands and pointed them at him.

"It's really Grindelwald. ”

"Oh my God, why is Grindelwald here. ”

"It's over, it's over, I don't want to die yet. ”

Hearing the conversation between the two people in front of them, there was a noticeable commotion among the wizard group that had gathered in the hospital hall.

Compared to Voldemort, who was far away from causing terror on the other side, whether in Austria, in Germany, in France...... The stories that have really been the most widely circulated in the wizarding world of these realms are always those legends about Gellert Grindelwald.

Not to mention, for these young wizards who have not personally experienced the era of Grindelwald's rule, the emotionally processed stories from their fathers are even more intimidating and oppressive.

Because of this, when they realized that they were going to face Grindelwald, the morale of most of the wizards present had dropped to freezing, coupled with the illusion of shapeshifting locks that they had never encountered before, and the extensive city-level magic that only existed in the legends......

If it weren't for the fact that they were surrounded in the hospital by Muggle police, at least half of the wizards present would have sneaked away - most of them weren't professional Aurors, and the most common situations they dealt with were just a few restless bad wizards.

No, something has to be done.

Looking around at the wizards who were already in a state of panic, the white-blonde short-haired witch froze, looked at the aged Grindelwald with complicated eyes, drew her wand, gritted her teeth and walked to the door of the building.

"Whatever you want to do, stop early. Just because you were able to fight over fifty Aurors alone when you were young doesn't mean that you can easily defeat the twenty or so wizards we have on the spot. ”

"That's right, you're right. It's not that easy, maybe at least a few more minutes, right?"

Grindelwald glanced amusefully at the self-composed witch in front of him, and shook his head helplessly—these young men in the office were far worse than the Aurors of the past.

Hell, what am I talking about?

As soon as the words were spoken, Poppe Rozier felt that the atmosphere around him became more and more mournful, and he could not fight and fight, and he could not escape, and an atmosphere of despair began to spread among the crowd.

Seeing the banter in Gellert Grindelwald's eyes, the witch took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"With such a big movement, Mr. Albus Dumbledore must have been informed by this moment. I think maybe he's on his way here now, rather than ...... here."

"Well, I hope so. ”

Gellert Grindelwald nodded frankly, with a smile that Rozier saw as fearless, and spread his hands.

"I'm sorry, but one of my main purposes is to inform Albus to come over as soon as possible. The more friends you have known for many years, the less you should condone late arrivals and impromptu release of pigeons. ”

"As for the other thing......

Grindelwald paused, took a few steps closer unhurriedly, a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes, and slowly swept over the wizards in front of him as if he was facing a great enemy, and smiled slightly.

"Does anyone know where that lucky little guy named Rodrith is now?"

"Don't think about it, we won't betray ......," said a wizard standing behind Poppe Rozier, angry as he shouted to vent his emotions a little in the increasingly oppressive atmosphere.

"Hmm, is it in the suburbs outside the city?"

Before the wizard could finish speaking, Grindelwald raised an eyebrow and nodded thoughtfully, "Thank you." ”

After getting the information he wanted, the old man didn't hesitate any longer, turned around and was about to leave directly as if no one was around.

"Stop, don't you want to run!" the wizard shouted, raising his wand.

In front of Grindelwald, a wall of white light blocked his path.

Grindelwald pondered for a moment, then a look of sarcasm and irritation flashed across his face, and he turned around and waved his wand lightly.

Without any spell light or incantation sound, the wizard flew out in astonishment as if he had been suddenly struck by a huge force. All the wizards subconsciously ducked to the side, and Grindelwald's expected spell counterattack did not appear.

Grindelwald raised his wand, glanced at the sinister wizards in front of him, and shook his head in disappointment.

"Listen, little ones, I'm not in a good mood right now. If you feel too energetic to vent, I suggest that you choose opponents who are ready for you in advance. ”

"Opponents?"

Pope Rozier frowned and pointed disdainfully at the Austrian Federal Police Office around Salk Hospital, "What ......do you really think these Muggles and the weapons in their hands can do to wizards?"

Before the words could be spoken, the witch looked in shock in the direction of the mountain road that was beyond the cordon.

Dozens, oh no, at least hundreds of middle-aged and elderly people in different costumes were slowly approaching the hospital, following the guidance of the black fabric floating in the sky, and in the distance, the intermittent flow of people continued to pour out from all corners of the city.

The legends that have been circulating in the wizarding world are true, the city where the saints live in seclusion has always existed, even earlier than most people think.

"Rest assured, they're just caretakers of this duel, to make sure you don't hurt your dutiful Muggle children if they lose control of their emotions. Of course, provided that you don't attack them. ”

Grindelwald shrugged his shoulders, turned to look at the dense crowd and the bright lights of Salzburg in the distance, closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, opening his arms.

"You may be misunderstood, but from the moment you came here, you had only one opponent – this city. ”

————

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Mutter~