Marchioni's Dream

Wade looked at the man beside him as if he had lost a vault of Gringotts gold and patted his shoulder with an amused, helpless smile.

"All right."

There was a hint of teasing consolation in his voice:

"You're practically the richest person in the Wizarding World now, and aren't Knuts from all over the world constantly flying into your pockets? Don't be sad over something you never had. There's no end to making money."

Marchioni let out a heavy sigh and said mournfully, "Wade, someone like you, with no desire for wealth, could never understand how I feel."

His gaze remained fixed on that dazzling sea of lights in the distance, his eyes flickering with a complicated gleam.

"Maybe... maybe the Acolytes' ideals are right—break the Statute of Secrecy, break the shackles binding wizards, let magic return to the world, let wizards no longer have to hide..."

He lowered his voice, his tone becoming more serious than ever:

"Thousands of years ago, didn't wizards and Muggles coexist peacefully? Many wizards served as officials under Muggle emperors and were respected by others. Even Merlin once served as King Arthur's advisor and helped him wage war..."

"I've read the Acolytes' old manifesto. If they could remain true to their original intentions and still devote themselves to reintegrating wizards into normal society, then perhaps we could support them! Perhaps..."

"Perhaps the world would plunge back into war."

Wade cut him off, his calm tone like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head:

"If the vast majority of people in the world fell into chaos and fear, who would still have the leisure to buy tickets to visit the Land of Little People? This place itself might even be destroyed by a single shell."

Marchioni froze for a moment, then gave