#446 - Chapter 446 The Swan Family officially challenges you to a pure-blood duel

A year ago, Umbridge wouldn't have dared to publicly question Sebastian like that. After all, he was a major financier with immense influence in the Ministry of Magic.

It could be said that every wizard who received a salary from the Ministry of Magic was dependent on his financial support.

If she had truly offended this major financier, the employees of the Ministry of Magic would have skinned her alive.

However, the current situation was vastly different. The Ministry of Magic had introduced new tax policies, and its financial situation had significantly improved. It was no longer struggling with Galleons and had straightened its back to stand tall.

The days when the Ministry of Magic would treat you like a king and shower you with praise as long as you made a donation were gone forever.

Umbridge looked at Sebastian, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes.

It was a pity that this guy had become a member of the Wizengamot. It would have been better if he were still an ordinary businessman.

In that case, as the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic, she could have manipulated him however she wanted. After all, with power in hand, making things difficult for companies like Swan Alchemists would have been incredibly easy.

This thought flashed through Umbridge's mind, and the look she gave Sebastian was once again filled with arrogance and triumph.

Even if I offend you today, what can you do? Are you going to flip the table?

Everyone is a member of the Wizengamot. Everything must be done according to the rules, based on facts and reason. Even Dumbledore has to attend meetings here obediently.

"Everyone, there is actually a very big doubt that I have always been unable to understand," Umbridge began to move around in front of the audience.

"Swan said he rescued Harry Potter from the hands of the Dark Lord, so he must have fought the Dark Lord. After all, as everyone knows, the Dark Lord isn't someone who is easy to talk to."

"So, here's the question," Umbridge frowned, putting on an expression of being completely puzzled. "According to intelligence, after Swan returned to Hogwarts, his wizarding robes weren't even dirty."

"Does this mean that at the age of thirty-something, he already had the strength to confront the Dark Lord head-on?"

"Thirty-something..." Umbridge chuckled, saying with an exaggerated expression, "I really didn't know that the magical world had produced another peerless genius."

"Perhaps, Swan simply mistook the crazed Barty Crouch Jr. for the Dark Lord, what do you think?"

Umbridge smugly surveyed everyone, feeling that her words were reasonable and well-founded and would surely gain everyone's support.

Unfortunately, to her surprise, the meeting room was frighteningly silent. There was no applause, no agreement, and everyone was staring at her with an expression as if they were looking at an alien.

Fudge's expression was even more sluggish, his mouth slightly open, his eyes empty, as if he had been petrified.

She's gone mad!

Fudge roared inwardly.

Wouldn't it have been enough to directly say that Sebastian's evidence wasn't direct enough?

Why provoke him so recklessly?

Does she really think he's made of clay?

Fudge felt a little flustered. He knew all too well what kind of person Sebastian was.

Unlike Dumbledore, this was a ruthless character with a dark heart, as could be seen from his transformation of Azkaban.

Besides, who knew how many members of the Wizengamot present had received benefits from Sebastian?

They might be unwilling to believe that the Dark Lord had returned, but they would definitely not stand by and watch if you launched a personal attack on Sebastian.

As Fudge had expected, after a brief silence, a wave of voices erupted in the meeting room.

Amelia was the first to stand up, her face frosty, and she reprimanded sharply, "Dolores Umbridge, you just said that Sebastian incited fear and anxiety solely for personal gain. That is a serious accusation! I advise you to produce concrete evidence, rather than making wild guesses here!"

"In addition, you'd better pay more attention to the news. In the past two days, Swan Alchemists has completely abandoned their original headquarters and moved everything to Hogsmeade New Town. This relocation will undoubtedly result in a loss of countless Galleons. The so-called personal gain you mentioned cannot even cover the cost of this relocation."

Scrimgeour stood up closely behind, his gaze as sharp as an eagle, his voice steady but with an undeniable power.

"Umbridge, your words are full of loopholes and utterly absurd. Mistaking Barty Crouch Jr. for the Dark Lord, do you even believe that yourself? Back at the Quidditch World Cup campsite, Sebastian froze hundreds of people with a single spell. Does Barty Crouch Jr. have that ability? Don't even mention him not having it, I'm afraid even all the Aurors in our Ministry of Magic combined couldn't do it!"

The crowd was in an uproar, and Umbridge instantly became the target of everyone's criticism. Some radical wizards even took the opportunity to turn the spearhead towards Fudge, launching a merciless attack on him.

The meeting room was in chaos. Fudge's face changed colors like a palette, while Umbridge's face turned red and white, her eyes flustered like a clown who had forgotten their lines on stage.

Listening to the accusations of the crowd, Sebastian leaned back in his chair, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes.

To be honest, he was not surprised by Umbridge's provocative behavior. There are always some people in the world who cannot see the situation clearly and do not know their own weight.

Even among Muggles, there are many people who bombard Prime Ministers, Presidents, and so on. As for those well-known wealthy people, they cannot escape the spittle of the keyboard warriors, such as Elon Musk, Jack Ma, and Lei Jun, and so on.

Only people like Voldemort, who are not bound by social morality and rules, will not be harassed by keyboard warriors. After all, he really dares to suddenly flash in and then wave his wand around, casting Avada Kedavra.

Sebastian would naturally not act recklessly like Voldemort, but that did not mean that he would remain indifferent to Umbridge's provocation.

Since you're not playing by the rules, then you'd better be prepared to pay the price.

Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Sebastian slowly stood up and walked towards Umbridge.

Tap— Tap— Tap— Tap—

With his steady footsteps, the meeting room gradually quieted down. Everyone held their breath, watching Sebastian walk up to Umbridge.

"Umbridge," he smiled slightly, "I want to ask you a question. Are you a pure-blood wizard? Are you from a pure-blood family?"

"Of course!" Umbridge retorted stiffly, "Although our family is small, we are a genuine pure-blood family. What, is there a problem?"

"Is that so? That makes things easier!" Sebastian nodded, reached into the undetectable extension charm bag on his body, took out a glove, and threw it at the other party without hesitation.

"Slap—"

The glove hit Umbridge's face accurately, the crisp sound like a resounding slap.

"Sebastian Swan! How dare you—" Umbridge was so angry that she almost jumped up, her voice shrill and piercing. But before she could finish her words, she was frozen by Sebastian's winter-like cold gaze. The remaining sounds were stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

"Dolores Umbridge, you groundlessly questioned my character and publicly humiliated Swan Alchemists."

Sebastian's voice was calm, but with a bone-chilling coldness, each word clearly spread throughout the meeting room.

"I, Sebastian Swan, on behalf of the Swan family, formally challenge the Umbridge family to a pure-blood duel."

He slowly raised the corners of his mouth, revealing an extremely cold smile.

"To the death, until one side's bloodline is completely severed!"