Killing Murphy was not a possibility Dumbledore had never considered.
It was simply that such straightforward violence did not suit his character, and Murphy was not so easily killed.
"He is already on the same level as us," Dumbledore said. "It would be difficult for me to kill him."
"That is why you came here, isn't it?" Grindelwald said.
Dumbledore fell silent. Indeed, with Grindelwald added to the equation, the odds of killing Murphy would increase greatly.
But this suddenly made him wonder whether Grindelwald had said such things only to escape.
"Oh, Albus." Grindelwald put on a wounded expression. "You suspect me?"
"Sorry, Gellert. I cannot help it." Dumbledore gave a bitter smile.
The flaw of being overly suspicious had long been rooted deep within his nature. In that instant, he had begun doubting Grindelwald's motives.
Grindelwald had foreseen his arrival. Perhaps he had also foreseen why he had come.
If so, then of course he might use that opportunity to escape this place.
And based on what Dumbledore knew of Grindelwald, he had ample reason and motivation to do so.
"If you truly cannot rest easy, I can remain here for a while longer," Grindelwald said. "I have lived here for fifty years already. Though it is indeed terribly boring, I have begun to grow accustomed to it. Staying a little longer makes no difference. There probably are not many years left anyway."
Though this might have been Grindelwald's rhetoric, Dumbledore still felt a trace of guilt.
At last, he drew his wand and murmured several incantations. The scenery around them abruptly changed, and the room took on an illusory hue. A crimson chain emerged from the floor, its other end embedded firmly in Grindelwald's chest.
"Soul-Imprisoning Chain."
Grindelwald looked at the chain with a complicated expression.
That