Manus's Grand Ambitions

Abraxas went so far as to assert that Dumbledore would not do such a thing.

If Dumbledore truly coveted that position, he could have rightfully taken over the Ministry of Magic after defeating Grindelwald and further enhanced his international reputation.

Now, although the opportunity is not as good as it used to be, Dumbledore has become the Chief Wizard of Wizengamot, and turning around to run for Minister for Magic would be going against the grain.

Therefore, in the eyes of Lucius and Abraxas, the current situation is perfect for Manus and the Wizard Sage Party.

All they need to do is maintain their slogan and openly recruit talent, avoid the current conflict of the Wizarding War, and wait for a suitable opportunity—either when both sides are severely weakened, or when one side is eliminated and the other is also greatly weakened—before entering the fray...

The vision of directly achieving Voldemort's rule over the Britain Wizarding World in one fell swoop was not a dream. Moreover, in the eyes of Lucius and Abraxas, the Wizard Sage Party model was clearly far more capable of supporting such ambitions than the Death Eaters had no rules and regulations except to obey Voldemort in everything.

It was precisely this well-established set of rules and regulations that made Lucius and Abraxas believe that Manus had designs on the Britain Wizarding World.

But in reality, he was overthinking it?

Still...

Is this just Manus's excuse?

Although Manus seemed to speak his mind during their conversation, aren't lies told in situations like these all the more difficult to detect?

These were Lucius's thoughts at the time, when he was hesitating.

However, he ultimately chose to continue with his previous plan, or rather, to make slight adjustments to it while keeping the overall direction unchanged.

"The Wizard Sage Party is not important, whether or not it can provide asylum to its members—what matters is Manus."

Lucius mentally reviewed his previous conversation with his father and his recent exchange with Manus, and continued aloud:

Even if the Wizard Sage Party provides protection to its members, the real power to do so lies not in the Wizard Sage Party name, but in Manus himself. Therefore, even if the Wizard Sage Party doesn't provide protection to its members, it won't affect our decision to join the Wizard Sage Party in order to invest in Manus.

Narcissa nodded, somewhat understanding, then sighed:

"I never imagined that after graduation I would have to start studying magic all over again."

In Narcissa's mind, although learning magic was important and she had inherited a lot of additional magical knowledge, it was mainly for the purpose of passing on the family's knowledge and achieving excellent results.

As the daughter of the Black Family and the future mistress of the Malfoy family, improving her magical abilities outside of these two areas is of low priority; she should focus more on social interactions and business management.

Lucius and she will each be responsible for managing the Malfoy family in two different dimensions and circles in the future, and neither can replace the other's responsibilities.

As a result, she now finds herself with an additional task to learn.

"It might be tiring, but it's necessary."

Lucius takes Narcissa's hand again:

"Regardless of whether Father's judgment is wrong, the future of the Wizarding World can only go in two directions. Choosing Dumbledore would be a dead end for us, Manus is our best choice."

Voldemort and the Death Eaters' prestige was entirely built on their repeated victories against the Ministry of Magic. Regardless of the situation of ordinary Death Eaters facing Aurors, the Aurors always fled at the mere sight of Voldemort.

When Voldemort actually faced Dumbledore, he could no longer maintain his previous victories, and even after he made a "strategic retreat" twice, Abraxas concluded that Voldemort could not win.

Voldemort wasn't one to hold back; he used every trick in the book against Dumbledore, and if he still couldn't win the second time, his chances of winning against Abraxas had plummeted.

No matter how many victories Voldemort wins elsewhere, it won't matter if he can't overcome Dumbledore's obstacle.

While the possibility of Dumbledore suddenly having a change of heart and committing suicide cannot be ruled out, Abraxas still considered an alternative. Directly joining Dumbledore would require too much sacrifice, but the recently rising star Manus was a good choice.

The Neutral Faction is good. He was too hasty in choosing Voldemort, only to find that he was too hasty and didn't see what kind of person Voldemort really was.

Moreover, this Neutral Faction is exceptionally ambitious.

"Manus has big ambitions."

Abraxas sighed after hearing Lucius return and recount the day's events.

"Oh? Father, how did you figure that out?"

Do you think that as long as you're Neutral Faction, you can sit back and watch the two sides fight it out, waiting for the right opportunity to arise?

Abraxas looked at Lucius:

"Dumbledore and the You-Know-Who are neither stupid nor blind. Your gathering of strength over there is clearly a scheme to gain an advantage at the end. They will definitely kill you before they even decide to have a final battle."

Lucius realized:

"So that's why Manus said those things?"

"He will not only say it, but he will definitely do it. Moreover, he will not only make the Wizard Sage Party do it, but most of the Wizard Sage Party now and in the future will be the kind of people who would oppose him even if he wanted to get involved and reap the last benefits."

"I understand, this is to lull You-Know-Who Dumbledore into a false sense of security... But will it really work? If it doesn't, what's the point? If it does work, won't it just become a hindrance to us?"

As Abraxas said, Voldemort and Dumbledore neither stupid nor blind.

If they can be lulled into a false sense of security, then these obstacles are real and substantial. Isn't that just creating a roadblock for ourselves?

And if they can't be lulled into complacency, then they're better off being killed by both sides working together.

"Sometimes not being paralyzed doesn't prevent one from being unable to act, and what is perceived as a constraint may not actually be an obstacle."

Abraxas's eyes flickered as he looked at Lucius:

Do you think it's better for an organization to have a large number of people or a small number of people?

Lucius thought for a moment:

"There are more Death Eaters than Order of the Phoenix... Which is better? It's just a matter of each having its own advantages and disadvantages."

"Yes, having more people gives you a greater presence and more flexibility in what you do, while having fewer people allows for more discreet operations, a higher percentage of elite personnel, and the ability to carefully select trustworthy individuals."

Abraxas said leisurely:

"Then why not do both at the same time?"

... ah?

Are there many people at the same time as few people?

"Silly child, who says a person can only have one organization? Even a name can refer to two different organizations at the same time."

Abraxas's eyes flickered slightly as he spoke, as if he were thinking of something else.