Merlin City had fallen into chaos over the past few days. The bank run that the Earl had predicted did indeed occur.
Yet, contrary to what many expected, the Earl handled the crisis with such calm and control that it forced everyone to reassess his financial strength.
After all, he had only lost five billion Galleons—chump change, considering the profits he likely tucked away from Merlin City Phase I, stored in what he must have considered the safest possible place.
But where the Earl succeeded effortlessly, the same couldn't be said for other influential families and merchant guilds.
Merlin City Phase II was abruptly put on hold. Major investors fled, citing, "Merlin City is no longer safe," leaving smaller families—those who had scraped together their fortunes to buy bonds—clamoring for answers.
And could those powerful families repay the money they owed?
They wanted to, desperately. But they couldn't.
If they had the money, they would've paid immediately just to minimize their losses. After all, the bonds they issued carried a jaw-dropping 70% annual interest rate.
Take the Thunderbird Merchant Guild as an example: they had issued bonds worth 400 million Galleons. This meant they owed 280 million in annual interest—breaking down to an unbearable 770,000 Galleons every single day.
That kind of daily payout was equivalent to the total wealth of several small families!
So what were their options?
Only two remained: default, or run away.
And then, things got worse.
Using the excuse of the 50 billion Galleons in compensation, the Earl of Dantes began forcefully reclaiming properties owned by these noble families and merchant guilds in Merlin City.
However, the valuation of these properties had plummeted. The earlier surge in housing prices had been due solely to the involvement of these wealthy players. Now, stripped of power and capital, the Earl wanted to take back those properties at their original price—essentially forcing them to eat their losses.
As for redistributing those properties to the smaller families holding bonds?
Don't be absurd. Even if you handed the keys over willingly, they wouldn't dare accept them.
What—did you think the black dragons flying over Merlin City were just part of some grand show?
In this world, strength still dictated survival. And the Earl's actions outside Merlin City that day had terrified people to their core.
Now, there were even whispers that Earl Dantes had become more powerful than Dumbledore himself.
With such a power imbalance, few dared challenge him.
Under such pressure, even the old Avery family bowed their heads. Old Avery, in the name of repaying debts, sold off his Merlin City mansion and storefronts—which he had purchased at premium prices—for a mere fraction of their worth to the Earl.
But he had no intention of repaying anything. He took the money and fled.
Why would he care about selling at a loss if he was never planning to stay?
After the Fire Serpent Party's violent raid, life had become unbearably difficult for many.
But not for everyone.
Take Barty Crouch Sr., for example.
Once the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he bravely took part in the defense of Merlin City during the Fire Serpent Party's attack. Though outnumbered and eventually knocked unconscious, he regained consciousness quickly and opened the Ministry of Magic–Merlin City passage to allow Earl Dantes to enter and suppress the riot, minimizing further loss.
This act of selflessness earned him widespread praise across wizarding Britain and even rekindled his reputation from a decade ago.
By contrast, Cornelius Fudge's actions were disgraceful.
While the city burned, Fudge hid in the cellar of the New Leaky Cauldron Bar, bringing shame upon the Ministry.
Since he had also been in charge of defense coordination for Merlin City, the major families suffering massive losses all demanded an explanation.
At that moment, Barty Crouch Sr. stepped forward and publicly declared that Fudge was no longer fit to remain Minister for Magic. The Ministry, he said, needed someone more responsible—someone with courage.
To everyone's surprise, his statement gained widespread support.
But it wasn't enough. Fudge had always been more of a coward than a criminal. So even with the mounting pressure, his impeachment was unlikely to succeed.
That is, until something unexpected happened.
When Ollivander Avery absconded with all the money he'd made selling the last of his family's assets, the furious Avery family ransacked his mansion.
There, they found several letters.
One of them was from Cornelius Fudge, written years ago to Old Avery, plotting how to frame Dana Emrys to take the fall for Gai Avery.
Old Avery had kept it as insurance. But now, it became Fudge's death warrant.
The Avery family had no real grudge against Fudge—they just needed money.
So they sold the letter to Rita Skeeter for five Galleons.
Naturally, she published a juicy exposé. For once, Rita's article wasn't just scandalous—it included Fudge's actual handwritten letter.
That was the end of Fudge.
He could no longer remain Minister and would soon face trial.
Although the charges—bribery and obstruction of justice—weren't the worst possible, the damage to his reputation was irreversible. Worse, Dana Emrys, the person wrongfully imprisoned, was demanding compensation.
But Fudge had no intention of paying a single Galleon.
Instead, he sneaked into the Merlin City Central Bank and found its manager, Elisa, hoping she would help him withdraw all his savings discreetly.
Yes—he was planning to flee.
If Old Avery could run, why couldn't Cornelius Fudge?
The only regret he had was that he hadn't spent more time with Dolores Umbridge, whom he had just started seeing…
"Elisa, please. I need the money."
Elisa was dressed in her usual elegant cheongsam, her expression unreadable.
Looking at the disheveled man before her, she couldn't help but admire the Earl's foresight. Still, she kept her voice cold:
"Just to confirm, Minister Fudge—you wish to withdraw all seventy thousand Galleons in your deposit, immediately, without interest. Correct?"
Fudge nodded, forcing a grim smile.
"Yes, Miss Elisa. Can you process it quickly?"
"Of course, Mr. Fudge," she said sweetly.
"In fact, the transaction has already been completed. You've just withdrawn your money—and left the bank."
"What?"
Before Fudge could respond, Elisa tapped her wand against a white wall beside her desk.
A projection sprang to life: a montage of live surveillance feeds from across Merlin City.
With a flick of her wand, one feed enlarged to reveal someone who looked exactly like Fudge rushing through the streets with a suitcase.
"Look, Mr. Fudge. Isn't that you?"
Fudge gasped, trying to process what he was seeing.
Then a group of figures appeared in the image. They cornered "Fudge," seized the suitcase, and triggered a magic circle etched on a nearby streetlamp.
A red light shot out—and eliminated the fake Fudge instantly.
Elisa sighed melodramatically.
"Oh dear… the Earl hasn't updated the city's defensive magic passwords yet. These people must be from the noble families, and they cruelly murdered the 'former Minister' in their rage…"
She paused, tapping her cheek thoughtfully.
"Tsk tsk. I really should remind the Earl to change those passwords. What a tragedy."
Fudge leapt to his feet, wand in hand.
"Expelliarmus!"
(Disarming Charm – Earl's Personal Version!)
But Elisa was not only quick—she had trained under the Earl himself for years.
The red beam struck Fudge before he could finish the incantation. His wand flew into Elisa's outstretched hand.
"You!"
Fudge stumbled back, panicking.
"I have no grudge against you! Why are you doing this?"
"No grudge?" Elisa sneered. She moved toward the far wall and tapped another concealed door.
A hidden compartment slid open, revealing a wheelchair.
Seated in it was a man—drooling, his eyes blank, clearly mentally impaired.
But he was clean-shaven, his robes pristine, and someone had obviously cared for him.
"Do you recognize this man?" she asked.
Fudge narrowed his eyes. The face looked vaguely familiar.
Then it hit him.
"natasha
To be continued...
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