"Tom, I'll take over here. Go back to your room and rest."
Li Wade took the ragged cloth from Tom's hand and waved him off.
Tom snapped his head up, staring at Li Wade in disbelief. Honestly, over the past few days, it seemed like Li Wade had lost his mind—completely obsessed with doing good deeds. And as if that wasn't bad enough, he'd dragged Tom into it!
To be fair, Tom had never lifted a finger at the orphanage. Even when assigned chores, he'd always managed to "persuade" the other children to do them for him. But... what could he do now? He couldn't outmatch Li Wade.
After several humiliating days of trailing behind him doing menial labor, the maniac was now letting him off early? Suspicious. Definitely a trap.
"No... I'm not tired at all. Really. I can keep working," Tom said quickly, snatching the cloth back with a practiced smile. Whatever this was, playing along seemed safest.
"Hmm? I was distracted. What did you say?" Li Wade asked, turning to him.
Faced with Li Wade's calm gaze, Tom's smile faltered. Refusing might help him avoid trouble later—but it guaranteed pain right now.
"I said... I am a bit tired. I'll leave the rest to you," Tom muttered, surrendering the cloth and vanishing around the corner.
Li Wade hadn't dismissed him without reason. If Dumbledore were to visit, it should happen in Tom's room. After all, Li Wade didn't want to miss the legendary wardrobe-burning scene.
He hurried back to his own room. If Dumbledore—a wizard of his caliber—were to notice anything strange, he'd definitely spot the vials stashed under the rug. Better move them now.
The system shop hadn't offered anything remarkable lately—mostly potions and random ingredients found in the wizarding world. He'd purchased a few useful ones and ignored the rest.
He had also discovered something: doing good deeds on his own yielded few Virtue Points. But dragging Tom along? The results were wildly different!
Li Wade theorized that the more wicked the person he forced into goodness, the greater the VP reward. Maybe it reduced their future potential for evil? After all, he'd earned 100 VP just for altering Tom's life trajectory.
He'd test the theory on another villain later. For now, his "community service" sessions with Tom had already netted him over 300 VP.
Oh, Tom... May Merlin bless him!
After hiding the potions, Li Wade casually returned to the stairwell and picked up the cloth again.
Just then, Mrs. Cole emerged from her office, cheeks flushed. Dumbledore followed calmly behind her—their discussion apparently concluded.
"Oh... Wade." Mrs. Cole spotted him. As she approached, Li Wade caught the distinct smell of gin—explaining her rosy cheeks.
"This is Mr. Dumble-door... Sorry, Dumbly-dorr... He's here to see you and Tom. He's come to tell you... Oh, I'll let him explain. Where's Tom?"
Meeting Dumbledore's gentle gaze, Li Wade answered, "Tom went to his room to rest."
"What excuse is it this time? Ah, well... He's changed so much since spending time with you... What more could I ask for? Honestly, when has Tom ever helped the others before? It must be your influence, dear," Mrs. Cole said, clearly touched.
Since Li Wade's arrival, the once reclusive and strange Tom had changed. He'd stopped bullying other children and had even helped Li Wade care for them. He'd helped with chores. The change was so drastic that Mrs. Cole could hardly believe it—but mostly, she was relieved.
"Mrs. Cole, I haven't done much. Tom is inherently kind. He was just... a bit introverted before, not good at communicating," Li Wade said mildly.
Well, Tom has always been kind and introverted... around me.
Kind? Introverted? Tom?!
Mrs. Cole barely held back a scoff. But with a guest present, she kept her thoughts to herself.
"I'm swamped. Since this gentleman needs both of you, take him to Tom's room—"
"Mrs. Cole!"
Amy's voice echoed through the corridor before she could finish.
"Coming!" Mrs. Cole shouted back, then turned to Li Wade. "You'll manage?"
"Of course."
As Mrs. Cole bustled away, Li Wade found himself alone with Dumbledore for the first time. A single glance confirmed what he'd suspected: this seemingly gentle man was terrifying. It was instinctive—like standing at the base of an unscalable mountain radiating invisible pressure.
"This way, sir," Li Wade said politely, leading him toward Tom's room.
Dumbledore followed, his perceptive gaze resting thoughtfully on the boy's back.
"Aren't you curious why I'm here?" Dumbledore asked.
"Very."
"Then why haven't you asked? You don't strike me as a shy child."
Dumbledore was genuinely curious. Children were usually bursting with questions. Knowing that he'd come for both him and Tom, the boy hadn't asked a single one?
"Since you're here for both Tom and me, it must be about the same matter. We might as well discuss it together once we're all present—it'll save you the trouble of repeating yourself," Li Wade answered calmly.
"Hmm... True enough. Although I wouldn't mind repeating myself. What I have to tell you can't be explained in just a few words anyway."
Dumbledore studied the slight figure walking ahead of him. He'd met countless eleven-year-olds in his time, but none quite like this.
Mrs. Cole had said she found the boy on the street, one with distinctly Eastern features, who never spoke of his past. She'd assumed he'd suffered unspeakable trauma and hadn't pressed him. But there was nothing ordinary about this child's bearing.
Perhaps a pure-blooded Eastern family? Dumbledore wondered.
"I heard... that Tom had done many unpleasant things before meeting you. But he changed drastically afterward. How did you manage that?"