Deflecting Suspicion

"What kind of big trouble could we get into?" Tom asked, puzzled.

"Tom, it's not strange for criminals to operate in organized groups... Besides, a mere Human Trafficker den couldn't possibly have accumulated that much wealth," Li Weide explained.

"You mean that Human Trafficker den was only part of some criminal organization, and the gold we took was money that organization had stored there?" Tom was beginning to understand.

"If that were all, it wouldn't be the worst part." Li Weide frowned. "Think about it. Wouldn't the person guarding such a huge sum of money be someone very important within their organization? And we scared someone who might be extremely important to them insane..."

"This is my fault... I should have realized that sooner. I should have handled it more cleanly!"

Li Weide looked rather annoyed with himself.

Tom could not help nodding. "When you put it that way, we really have made enemies of them."

Then he shook his head. "But what does that matter? How would they know this had anything to do with us?"

Li Weide sighed. "Have you forgotten the children we let go? Once they find those children, they'll definitely get information about us from them..."

"Once they have our descriptions, they can ask other passersby where we came from..."

"A criminal organization capable of amassing that much wealth definitely has the means to do that."

"Sigh... I never should have said a single word to those kidnapped children... No, they shouldn't even have seen me!"

It was Li Weide's first time doing something like robbing criminals, so he truly lacked experience.

Tom said disdainfully, "No matter how powerful they are, they're still just Muggles. We're wizards. Are we supposed to be afraid of Muggles coming to make trouble for us?"

In Tom's eyes, those Muggles who could not withstand even one of his ordinary attacks posed no threat to him at all, no matter how many came. He could not understand why both Li Weide and Dumbledore thought this was so serious.

"Tom, perhaps we aren't afraid, but what about Mrs. Cole and the others? What about the other children at Woods Orphanage? Those people will find this place sooner or later. Think about it—if they can't find us then, what do you think will happen?" Li Weide stared hard at Tom. "This was our mistake. We can't completely disregard whether they live or die and make them bear the consequences for us."

For a moment, Tom was speechless. In truth, he really had wanted to nod and say that he did not care at all whether the others at the Orphanage lived or died.

But as his state of mind changed without his noticing, it seemed that Li Weide had lit a faint spark within Tom's cold heart. In the end, he could not bring himself to say something so heartless as that it had nothing to do with him.

"Then... then wouldn't it be enough if we got ahead of them and caught all those people first..."

Tom mumbled those words softly only after hesitating for quite a while.

Li Weide quickly rejected Tom's idea.

"Even if we had the ability to bring them all to justice, we still wouldn't be able to find them accurately."

"As long as even one slipped through the net, there would be endless future trouble."

"Besides, even if we sent them to prison, they're so rich that they could certainly reduce their sentences as much as possible."

"After they're released... do you think they might retaliate twice as hard?"

Tom snorted. "Then we'll just kill them all!"

"That's not a good way of thinking, Tom. We can't kill everyone who offends us!"

As he spoke, Li Weide glanced unobtrusively at Dumbledore.

He also thought it would be best to kill all those people, considering every one of them had blood on their hands.

But how could he say something like that outright in front of Dumbledore? Wouldn't that arouse Dumbledore's suspicion?

Tom, you silly child! You're still too young!

By then, Dumbledore had been quietly observing their conversation from the side for some time.

In his view, both Li Weide and Tom were exceptionally intelligent and decisive children.

Yet the two of them seemed to possess completely opposite personalities.

Kind-hearted Li Weide and cold-hearted Tom...

Dumbledore was most concerned about Tom. He knew this child's nature all too well.

He could not predict what kind of terrifying person a child so cold and ruthless, yet so eager for power, would become when he grew up.

But now, Dumbledore was delighted to discover that under Li Weide's influence, a trace of human warmth had begun to appear in the heart of Tom, that withdrawn and cold child.

This discovery filled Dumbledore with joy and made him even more hopeful about Li Weide.

He hoped Li Weide's presence would gradually lead Tom back onto the right path.

Even taking the worst-case scenario, if Tom someday truly lost control, Li Weide would surely be able to subdue him...

Li Weide had no idea what Dumbledore was thinking. He was only considering how to solve the enormous mess he had caused.

"Professor... do you have any way to ensure that everyone else at Woods Orphanage will be safe?" Li Weide turned to Dumbledore and asked.

He believed that since Dumbledore had come, he must have a solution.

Dumbledore had always been someone who planned before acting.

"We only need to deflect suspicion." Sure enough, Dumbledore did not disappoint Li Weide.

"You told the children you rescued that those Human Traffickers had been captured by the adults in your families, correct?"

"That's right. It was just the two of us at the time, and it would have been difficult to explain, so I casually said the bad guys had been subdued by the adults in my family." Li Weide nodded.

"Mm... then that settles it. Since you gave those children that information, they can certainly learn it as well." Dumbledore spoke leisurely. "At this Orphanage, what adult could so easily subdue those fierce Human Traffickers? Surely it couldn't have been Mrs. Cole?"

Li Weide suddenly understood. "So, as long as we and the Orphanage have had nothing to do with each other from beginning to end, they won't suspect the Orphanage at all, because the Orphanage doesn't have that kind of capability..."

"They'll only suspect that we belong to another criminal organization that preys on criminals, and any so-called clues leading to the Orphanage must be false leads."

"As long as we fabricate some traces of this fake organization for them to uncover and divert their attention, the Orphanage will be safe."

"Exactly. That is the reasoning." Dumbledore smiled and clapped his hands.

Tom frowned. "But we really did come from the Orphanage... How could we possibly erase every trace of ourselves there?"

"Leave that to me, Tom." Dumbledore smiled. "We are wizards, aren't we? The wonder of magic lies in how easily it can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary..."

Li Weide suddenly seemed to realize something. "Professor, after every trace of us at the Orphanage is completely erased... Mrs. Cole and the others, will they forget us entirely?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately, Weide, I have no choice but to do this. Of course, if you are unwilling, I can think of another way."

Before Li Weide could speak, Tom waved his hands repeatedly. "I don't know what Weide thinks, but I don't mind at all. Anyway... in Mrs. Cole's eyes, I was already nothing but trouble... a menace. For them, forgetting me would truly be a good thing..."

Dumbledore looked deeply at Tom, then turned his gaze to Li Weide.

"I don't object either. Even if she no longer remembers me, I won't forget the kindness she showed me..." Li Weide answered just as readily.

In reality, Li Weide had been in this world for less than a month in total.

Though he was truly grateful to Mrs. Cole for keeping him from ending up on the streets, claiming he felt attached to this place because of that would be rather pretentious.

"Then it's settled. Pack your things now. At daybreak, someone will come to collect you... I must also make some preparations first."