That said, the current situation was indeed one Albert had engineered and was willing to see.
If he had not known the Death Eaters lacked sufficient time to set a dangerous trap specifically for him, Albert would never have rashly entered the International Wizard Duelling Competition.
He was not afraid of the Death Eaters, but he was wary of being plotted against. Clearly, he could not expect the Death Eaters to duel him one-on-one. Even a Gryffindor would not be reckless enough to charge headfirst into a known trap like an idiot.
Oh, perhaps Harry Potter would. If the Chosen One got carried away, anything could happen.
At present, Albert's safety was not a concern. He kept a low profile and rarely went out, giving the Death Eaters no opportunities whatsoever. So even if they wanted to kill him, they could only take desperate risks. Such gambles usually had poor odds of success and predictable methods. Besides, Albert had planted spies among the Death Eaters. How could he possibly fall for their schemes? Was it not better to stage things himself, complete missions, and earn experience? With his Level Four Imperius Curse and his already formidable Magical Power, controlling someone briefly without them noticing anything amiss was genuinely not difficult.
Unless Voldemort came to kill him personally, nothing could truly threaten Albert's life.
Of course, even if Voldemort did show up, Albert was confident he could protect himself.
But... was that possible? The chances were almost nonexistent. Did the Dark Lord have no pride? Clearly, it was not yet time for Voldemort to reveal himself. Albert had calculated that long ago, which was why he had dared to enter the International Wizard Duelling Competition.
As for the poorly prepared Death Eaters, they were hardly much of a threat.
Just moments