Halfway through the letter in his hands, Shawn inexplicably felt a flicker of fear.
It was not just what Grindelwald wanted to convey that made him feel that way.
Rather, Shawn had an unaccountable feeling that such things might already have happened.
Never mind the considerable level technology had reached today-even in ancient times, when civilization was less developed, could anyone claim that Muggle governments or dynasties had never secretly arrested wizards to study them?
Who would believe that?
After all, ordinary people feared unknown powers, but they longed for them just as much.
Or perhaps similar research had already been going on for two thousand years under the direction of those so-called "World Controllers."
People like the Old Beekeeper must know something, but they would not tell him yet. Shawn could only investigate for himself.
He had to obtain intelligence on this in advance. At the very least, he needed to know how far his opponents' research had progressed.
He considered who would be best suited to the task. It had to be someone meticulous who did not mind paperwork, someone capable of analyzing mountains of old intelligence.
Once he had settled on a suitable candidate, Shawn continued reading the letter.
[...All right, let us turn to prophecy now.
Based on my many years of studying prophecy, it actually involves the principles of time magic and fate traces.
Those born with a gift for prophecy automatically possess a certain degree of time magic, while methods such as Arithmancy fall under the calculation of fate traces.
You have presumably heard of time magic. It is a mighty, unfathomable power, and even those who possess it cannot wield it at will.
England's Department of Mysteries houses several Time-Turners, which can turn back time and take one into the past. Their origins