164: Chapter 162 The Noisy New Students

"Everyone, I can swear on my favorite baseball bat that I am absolutely not hiding anything!"

Leon waved his hands wildly in front of him, his expression half-angry and half-helpless.

"You shouldn't blame someone who is trying to help out of the goodness of their heart." With the Queen present, Toby didn't dare to shout and tried his best to restrain his voice.

"Heh, 'goodness of their heart'? That remains to be seen."

Someone said sarcastically, "Perhaps he's enticing us to move in the wrong direction."

"For what purpose?"

“Is there any benefit for him to do so?"

"Who knows? After all, you all know each other, and you were the first batch to receive the exam letters."

Toby almost couldn't control the urge to curse. Fortunately, Misha, who was frightened by everyone's arguing, pinched his sleeve and gave it a light tug:

"Uncle Toby, what's wrong with them?"

"It's nothing." Smoothing over his surging anger, he looked at the Queen. "Your Majesty, Leon and Klaisi aren't that kind of bad guys."

For some unknown reason, the Queen just smiled and said nothing. She raised her hand and gestured for him to sit down, then allowed the freshmen to continue arguing without intervening or offering comfort.

"Alright, Mr. Leon, and this Mr. Klaisi.

We aren't asking you to reveal the real hints, but at least tell us that the so-called 'overcoming your greatest fears and desires' is a lie.

That way, we can try to find the correct path to pass in the little time we have left."

The one speaking was Wino, who had spoken the least throughout the entire dispute.

But every time he stood up, he would escalate the conflict, making the verbal siege against the two even more intense.

The Queen's cloudy eyes lifted, and she shot him a subtle glance.

He was indeed a subordinate carefully cultivated by Prince Suleiman.

Labeling the group as 'you' and 'us,' he was silently dividing and swaying them.

Then, hiding in the shadows, whenever the situation showed signs of easing, he would immediately speak up to add fuel to the fire, reigniting the dying campfire.

Heh.

The corner of the Queen's mouth curled up imperceptibly.

He was an elite among humans, but in the end, he was just an elite; his vision wasn't narrow, but it certainly couldn't be called broad.

Those who cannot quickly adapt to changes in their environment, even dinosaurs at the top of the food chain, are ultimately just a grain of sand in the long river of history.

"It seems you've run into some trouble."

A figure wearing a loose robe appeared at the door of the drawing room, and the Queen smiled.

As expected, how could there be an exam without an examiner?

"Mr. Dumbledore." The first to react was Her Majesty.

Only then did the others notice the old man at the door.

Leon, Klaisi, Toby, and Misha, who had met him before, stood up to greet him: "Mr. Dumbledore!"

"It's the grandpa who gave me a lollipop."

A few seconds passed before the other freshmen, who had only had contact with the Owl, snapped out of it and hurriedly stood up, following the Queen's address: "Mr. Dumbledore!"

The old man nodded in response, and with a wave of his staff, they were pressed back into their seats by an invisible force.

Only the elderly Queen remained unmoved.

She first offered a smile, indicating she understood his kindness, then called the butler to add a seat beside her and invited the old man to sit.

Without declining, he walked toward the wooden chair and sat down under the gaze of the freshmen. "Little ones, are you lost in the thick fog of the forest?"

"Mr. Dumbledore," Leon said with a face full of urgency, "you have to testify for us. I didn't lie."

He thought that the wizard would only need one sentence to clear him of the suspicion of deception.

But the old man's answer was somewhat unexpected: "That is not important."

His gaze swept across everyone's faces one by one. "The lady beside me told you that the assessment allows candidates to contact and exchange information, which is correct.

However, did Her Majesty say that Leon and Klaisi, who have already completed the exam, must provide help?"

Sensing the wrong atmosphere, the freshmen instinctively lowered their heads to avoid the old man's sweeping gaze.

The air was somewhat heavy, and the Queen smiled to mediate. "Mr. Dumbledore, they are just children, after all.

If there are shortcomings, they can be taught."

Returning the smile, the old man said, "The chest that covers the heart is not even much thicker than a bedboard, yet even the most profound magic of Hogwarts cannot peer into it."

After a moment of silence, the Queen nodded. "Sir, you are right."

In a conversation that the group couldn't quite understand, Dumbledore had already stated his attitude.

Although the Queen was somewhat pained by the freshmen's extremely low passing rate—after all, these people had all signed agreements with the Royal Family—

since the decision was made by Mr. Dumbledore, she could only agree.

Moreover, she knew in her heart that he wasn't consulting her; he was notifying her.

Turning to look at the freshmen, he said calmly, "Hogwarts does not only require magical talent; it is even more demanding of one's will.

On the path of exploring magic, those with weak spirits will eventually bring about destruction, death, and even disaster."

As he spoke, his eyes fixed on the seemingly steady Wino. "We do not mind the origins of our students, but we do not recommend that people with overly complex minds apply for Hogwarts."

Wino's breathing became a bit heavier.

The old man stood up. "I must emphasize one point: there is no explicit limit on the number of admissions for Hogwarts."

His voice wasn't loud, but it revealed an oppressive aura. It made the freshmen, who finally got to see a wizard and were full of questions, not even dare to look up.

"You still have twelve hours." After saying that, the figure shrouded in the loose robe vanished on the spot.

Most people present had never seen such a miraculous method, to the point that they were terrified that the wizard might not have actually left.

But Leon and the others, who had seen it before, felt the same way.

No one dared to speak, for fear of saying the wrong thing and offending the mysterious Mr. Dumbledore.

Only Misha looked left and right. "Uncle Toby, why aren't they arguing anymore?"

The little girl was very endearing. The Queen smiled and stood up, walking behind her to pat her head. "They are thinking about their mistakes."

"Mistakes?"

Thinking that she wouldn't understand the explanation anyway, the Queen said nothing more. She looked around at the freshmen. "I think Mr. Dumbledore's words were very clear.

Another way of saying there's no limit on spots is that all twenty-three freshmen could be recruited, or not a single one could be left."

Her aged voice echoed in the empty drawing room, striking the hearts of the freshmen powerfully time and again.

"I can't be eliminated!

I want to become a wizard!"

A young man shouted and rushed out the door.

His panic was like knocking over the first domino. The freshmen swarmed out of the room, leaving only the three who had passed and Toby sitting on the wooden chairs, unmoving.

The Queen sighed.

Without rigorous training, they were indeed lacking.

Pushing aside her chaotic thoughts, she looked at Toby.

Among the freshmen, the Queen valued him the most.

A Superpower Bureau agent selected through strict screening, although he had been idle in a transparent small department for a while, there was no issue with his loyalty to the Royal Family.

"Toby, do you have confidence?"

"Your Majesty." Toby stood up from his chair, chest out and head held high. "I will never fail Your Majesty's expectations!"

"You are one of the only four lucky ones who received a letter from Mr. Dumbledore in advance.

I believe you can do it."

"As you command!"

Toby bowed and turned to go take the exam. The three sitting people quickly stood up and followed: "We'll help you."

Watching the backs of the three adults and one child walk out the door side by side, the Queen felt relieved and then called for the butler.

"Li."

"Your Majesty."

"Go keep an eye on the freshmen other than those four.

The madness of those about to reach the end of their rope—it's fine if they mess with themselves, but they must not harm the citizens of the Kingdom."

Thinking that the target of this mission was different from before, the Queen emphasized, "I cannot be sure of Mr. Dumbledore's attitude.

So at most, control them; do not allow any harmful behavior."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Li, dressed in a swallow-tailed coat, backed out of the room.