Chapter 1469: A Hefty Bounty
Chapter 1469: A Hefty Bounty
After the news of the Aurors being hunted by Dark Wizards and fleeing to France in disgrace, and the subsequent defeat of the Auror forces sent to aid Britain by Voldemort, spread like wildfire across Europe, it seemed that the entire International Confederation of Wizards was in an uproar.
If it hadn't been for Conrad leading a group of Aurors back later on, one could only imagine the chaos that would have ensued.
However, the situation in the conference room was far from calm. Respectable parliamentarians were now engaged in a heated exchange of accusations, teetering on the edge of a physical brawl.
The door opened, and Conrad entered the chaotic room, his expression particularly grim under the gaze of many.
"Quiet!"
It took several forceful bangs of the gavel in Babbitge's hand to finally silence the room.
"Now, Mr. Conrad, everyone here wants to know what exactly happened."
Conrad surveyed the room full of congressmen and women, pressed his lips together, and proceeded to recount the events that had transpired during their time in Britain.
In the end, he refrained from placing all the blame on Britain, acknowledging that the resistance organization led by Kingsley had provided them with much-needed assistance. The only issue was that they couldn't fathom how Voldemort had managed to locate their camp so quickly and launch a surprise attack.
As for how their camp had been exposed, Conrad still had no leads, but he refrained from accusing Kingsley.
The final conclusion was that it wasn't due to their incompetence or the fault of the persistent resistance fighters; it was simply that this enigmatic Dark Wizard was beyond their expectations and even more sinister than the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald.
After hearing Conrad's account, everyone fell silent, realizing that this mistake couldn't be attributed to his incompetence.
However, admitting that Voldemort was incredibly formidable was evidently a difficult pill to swallow.
"I said it from the start; we should never have gotten involved in this damned war."
A voice suddenly shattered the silence in the room.
The congressman who spoke had every right to be furious, as all the Aurors they had sent to Britain had perished.
"What good does it do to say that now?"
If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have gotten entangled in Britain's affairs in the first place," another congressman glared at the Frenchman, seething with anger.
Of course, it was hard to gauge the depth of his fury, but as a victim in this situation, he felt the need to express his stance. They had no desire to remain entangled in this disastrous war.
This outburst set a tone, and all the congressmen seemed to sense a shift. The room erupted into chaos once more.
The recently elected President of the International Confederation of Wizards, Babbidge Akinbad, found himself in a precarious position. After all, he had been the one to spearhead the initiative to send reinforcements to Britain, and now, with the Auror forces suffering heavy losses, everyone held him responsible.
If it weren't for the fact that no one wanted to take on this mess, Babbidge would likely have been ousted by now.
"Quiet! Quiet, everyone!"
Babbidge raised the wooden mallet again and banged it repeatedly until the room finally quieted down.
"Continuing this argument is pointless. Do you intend to argue until the enigmatic figure comes knocking on our door?"
"That guy has always..."
"Don't cling to such ridiculous fantasies. Even if he doesn't come after us, do you think we can stand idly by and watch what he's doing in Britain?" Babbidge could understand their self-preservation instincts, but he was furious that they couldn't see the bigger picture.
"If you truly believe that Muggles are that foolish, then I must question how you came to be sitting here."
Several people turned to glare at Babbidge, but most of them knew that he was right. The consequences of Voldemort's actions were too dire to ignore. They didn't care how many Muggles died, but they couldn't allow the magical world to be fully exposed to the Muggle community. If they were forced into a war with the Muggles because of Voldemort, it would be the height of stupidity.
"This operation wasn't entirely futile. Conrad's team eliminated hundreds of Inferi, significantly reducing the likelihood of the magical world being exposed to Muggles."
Babbidge surveyed the congressmen and women from various countries and took a deep breath before continuing, "As for the failure of the reinforcement mission to Britain, I believe it's not the fault of our Aurors."
"In fact, as you all noticed, Conrad made the most prudent decision based on the intelligence provided by the British resistance. He was simply a bit late."
"It was more than just a bit late."
Babbidge ignored the interruption and continued, "V... The enigmatic figure's strength is evidently far superior to that of most wizards."
"We suspected as much, but some people refused to acknowledge it," the congressman from Spain remarked sarcastically.
Spain had provided some of the intelligence on Voldemort and was the only country that explicitly refused to send Aurors to Britain.
"We must admit that the enigmatic figure's strength has exceeded our expectations. Of course, if you feel that someone needs to take responsibility for this, I am willing to step down as President of the International Confederation of Wizards immediately."
After Babbidge offered to take the fall, the conference room once again fell into an eerie silence.
No one responded, as no one wanted to take on this mess. Even if they wanted Babbidge out, they would have to wait until after the damned Wizarding War was over.
"His modus operandi is clear for all to see, and we can't pretend we don't know about it. If any of you are willing to negotiate with him and make him abide by the Statute of Secrecy, I'm more than happy to take the blame."
As he spoke, Babbidge scanned the room, searching for a suitable candidate.
Everyone in the room averted their gaze.
"This isn't funny at all. I don't believe for a second that the enigmatic figure will abide by the Statute of Secrecy."
They all knew that Babbidge was trying to force them to compromise and come up with a solution to the Voldemort problem together.
"Undeniably, the enigmatic figure is powerful, but I don't believe he's invincible. Perhaps we should offer a hefty bounty and let the talented wizards of the magical world help us get rid of this scourge," Babbidge glanced at the Auror beside him and said, "According to Conrad's intelligence, as long as the enigmatic figure is eliminated, most of Britain's problems will be solved."
"Dumbledore, the one most likely to defeat the enigmatic figure, died not long ago."
"The magical world is vast, and there must be someone capable of defeating him. If we're willing to offer a large sum of Galleons, this matter may be resolved faster than we think."
For everyone present, offering a bounty was not an unacceptable solution. With so many countries represented in the room, they could collectively pool their resources and offer a substantial reward.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! (End of Chapter)
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