Chapter 944: The Wizarding World's Nuclear Weapon
Chapter 944: The Wizarding World's Nuclear Weapon
"Key? What Key?" Ivan asked curiously. Ever since Cornell told him that the North American Ministry of Magic was convening this Joint Conference, this so-called Key had been mentioned repeatedly, and it seemed to be of great importance.
Cornell looked around, taking in the bustling crowd, then stepped closer and lowered his voice. "You've seen the Magic Exposure Level Clock hanging above the hall, right?"
Ivan nodded. Pierce had already briefed him on it when they first entered. The device could monitor global conflict events and assess the degree to which the Wizarding World was exposed to the Muggle world.
The levels were: No Threat, Low Threat, Moderate Threat, High Threat, Danger, Unexplained Severe Situation, and Urgent Maximum Level...
Cornell continued his explanation.
"Over fifty years ago, during Grindelwald's active period, he caused many tragic incidents, and the entire Wizarding World was on the brink of exposure."
"The most dangerous incident was the Obscurial Incident, when Muggles in New York witnessed magic firsthand. The war between the two worlds almost broke out."
"Following that, to quell the disputes between Muggles and Wizards and prevent history from repeating itself, the Wizarding World pooled the wisdom of over a hundred Alchemical Masters to create a powerful Alchemical Device. This device can instantly cast a Confundus Charm on an entire city of Muggles, making them forget anything that defies their understanding", Cornell said solemnly.
"But it could also twist their minds, making them turn on each other?" Ivan murmured, stroking his chin.
So, the Key must be used to activate this Alchemical Device.
No wonder both Cornell and Pierce were so cautious when mentioning it. This was practically the Wizarding World's nuclear weapon!
If the more radical factions of Wizards learned about this Alchemical Device, the idea of Wizards controlling the world might resurface.
However, Ivan suspected that such a powerful Alchemical Device would require a significant amount of magic to activate. Therefore, using it to control all of humanity was unrealistic. Otherwise, Wizards wouldn't need to hide so carefully.
"Is there more than one Key?" Ivan recalled that a few weeks ago, Cornell had reminded him to have Pierce bring the Key, and now it seemed the Russian Minister of Magic had another one.
"There are five in total..." Pierce said slowly.
Though he didn't specify who held the Keys, Ivan had his suspicions, which he could confirm by the seating arrangement during the meeting.
The Keys were divided into five parts and distributed to prevent any single holder from acting unilaterally out of ambition or personal desire, leading to irreparable consequences.
By giving the five Keys to the leaders of the five major magical nations, they ensured that the Alchemical Device would only be activated when the Wizarding World truly needed it.
Given this, the recent string of attacks was likely not a coincidence but part of Grindelwald's plan to force them to convene this conference, gather the Keys, and gain control of the device.
"Then who suggested that you bring the Keys to this Joint Meeting?" Ivan asked again, suspecting the person who made this suggestion.
"It was the French Minister of Magic, Sir..." Cornell hesitated.
The crowd immediately turned their attention to the French Minister of Magic, who frowned in annoyance. "It's true that I proposed this meeting, but that's because Grindelwald has already caused significant unrest in Europe. If we continue to let this go unchecked, it could spiral out of control. Therefore, we need to conduct a cleanup in several key cities in France."
Ivan stared at the French Minister of Magic for a moment, then turned his gaze to the French Aurors. Despite not seeing any obvious flaws, he still had his doubts.
Grindelwald had been active in France for quite some time. Ivan simply couldn't believe that the man hadn't managed to infiltrate the French Ministry of Magic over the past few months.
"Where is Master Aries? He's one of your trusted advisors, isn't he? Why didn't you bring him along this time?" Ivan suddenly recalled the warlock he had encountered at the French Ministry of Magic, someone who posed a real threat to him.
At the time, he had suspected that the man might be one of Grindelwald's Death Eaters, but he couldn't be sure. Aries's background was flawless, and he had worked at the French Ministry of Magic for over a decade, even helping Aurors capture several Death Eaters. If it was a ruse, the cost was too high...
"Of course not. Aries needs to stay at the French Ministry of Magic to handle some affairs on my behalf..." The French Minister of Magic said with evident impatience. He needed to ensure that he still had absolute control over the Ministry of Magic in his absence, so he couldn't take all his trusted advisors with him.
Ivan didn't press the matter further after hearing the French Minister of Magic's explanation. He could sense that the man was not lying. Besides, without solid evidence, he couldn't convince the North American Congress to investigate a Minister of Magic from a major magical nation and his entourage.
The wizards in the crowd began to murmur, and the situation became tense. Seeing that the investigation had reached a stalemate, a few Russian wizards immediately turned their attention to Percy, demanding that the British wizard who had killed Igor be punished first, before considering the capture of any possible masterminds.
Percy, stripped down to his underwear, shivered and curled up on the ground as the Russian wizards denounced him.
Fortunately, Pierce, mindful of Percy's status as a British wizard, spoke up in his defense.
According to the general laws of the Wizarding World, if a wizard was under the Imperius Curse, they were also considered a victim, and any crimes committed during that time did not count. The true criminal was the one who cast the Imperius Curse.
However, the Russian wizards were not convinced. The Imperius Curse was a very subtle form of magic, and they had no way to determine if a wizard had been under its influence. For all they knew, Percy might be feigning it, actually working as an accomplice to Grindelwald.
"I'm sure Master Percy would be more than willing to take Veritaserum or undergo questioning to prove his innocence..." Ivan interjected, cutting off the Russian wizards.
No, I'm not willing at all... Percy instinctively wanted to shake his head. Taking Veritaserum was not a pleasant experience, and to ensure its effectiveness, Aurors often asked extremely embarrassing questions, leaving the subject socially dead by the end.
But under Ivan's cold gaze, Percy forced himself to swallow his words.
(End of Chapter)
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