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Chapter 950: I Have a Very Important Witness!
Chapter 950: I Have a Very Important Witness!
"The reason is simple. If we didn't give it to them, we would most likely already be in a fight with the Aurors from North America", Ivan explained.
He was certain that the French Minister of Magic must have said something to Bruno and the others last night, which is why the French Wizards had suddenly turned against him today.
Tracing the root of the issue, it was clear that this was all part of Grindelwald's plan. His goal was to use this situation to pin the blame for the deaths of the two Ministers of Magic on Ivan, and even use the pretense of an investigation to place him under house arrest or arrest him outright.
If Ivan were provoked into retaliating, it would perfectly align with Grindelwald's expectations.
After all, the North American Congress had been fortified into an impregnable fortress. There were over four hundred Aurors stationed here, and the building was protected by numerous defensive charms. Even for wizards as powerful as they were, a direct confrontation would end in disaster.
That's why Ivan made a move that Grindelwald found utterly baffling—handing over the Key representing Britain.
If the President of the Congress truly was Grindelwald in disguise, this action would undoubtedly shock him.
Regardless of the sequence of events, the Key in Ivan's possession was undoubtedly the one that Grindelwald found most troublesome. And yet, Ivan had handed it over so easily.
The stark contrast would surely make Grindelwald suspicious, leading him to doubt the authenticity of the Key and whether Ivan had already uncovered his true identity.
This element of mystery and uncertainty would serve as Ivan's protection. By surrendering the Key, he would also clear some of the suspicion surrounding him, leaving Grindelwald without a reason to attack.
"What if Grindelwald ignores all that and insists on using this as a reason to imprison us?" Pierce asked.
"He's a clever man and won't do anything without a solid plan. He will first try to determine if I've tampered with the Key and whether my identity has been exposed", Ivan explained patiently. He paused for a moment before continuing.
"If things do unfold as you suggest, I'll have to take a risk and launch a preemptive strike against the President of the Congress to see if I can break Grindelwald's Transfiguration Spell."
Ivan had no intention of taking such a risky step unless absolutely necessary.
Grindelwald might be prepared for such an attack.
If the operation succeeded, that would be one thing, but if it failed, Ivan would be accused of attacking the President of the Congress, a charge he couldn't clear even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Listening to Ivan's explanation, Pierce felt cold sweat trickling down his back. He hadn't realized that their brief negotiation had twice brought them to the brink of war.
If Grindelwald had been more aggressive, Pierce might not even be alive right now...
"What do we do next?" Pierce struggled to control his emotions, not wanting the Aurors monitoring them to notice anything amiss.
"I have a plan, but we need to confirm Conner's position first. Without his help, we can't move freely within the Magical Congress Building, let alone stand up to the President of the North American Congress", Ivan said slowly, then transmitted the specific details to Pierce and the others through his Magic Mark.
The first step in their plan was naturally to deal with the Aurors who were keeping an eye on them. Among these Aurors, there were bound to be some who were Grindelwald’s spies. Without addressing this issue, they wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.
After laying out the plan as succinctly as possible, the group began their operation.
As they passed the Common Room’s entrance, the group suddenly split into two. Delius and the others headed straight back to their rooms, while Ivan, Pierce, and some of their companions went in the opposite direction.
The several North American Aurors responsible for surveillance didn’t want to abandon either group, so they split up to continue monitoring both parties and reported the unusual activity.
However, Ivan and Pierce’s subsequent actions were entirely routine. They simply moved from the Common Room to the Reception Hall, meeting with the leaders of a few smaller countries to discuss potential collaborations. This eased the tension of the Aurors, who had been on high alert, and they temporarily put aside the idea of requesting additional support.
“Wait… didn’t one of them go missing?” After following Ivan and the others around a corner, a female Auror suddenly furrowed her brow and asked.
She remembered that when the group split, there were seven people on Ivan’s side, but now there were only six.
Due to the crowd in the Reception Hall and the fact that their main surveillance targets, Ivan and Pierce, were still in their line of sight, it took her this long to notice the discrepancy.
“Indeed, one warlock is missing. We should inform President Master immediately,” another Auror confirmed after a quick glance, hurriedly reaching into the pocket of his wizard robes to retrieve a communication badge. However, as he began to input the magic, he suddenly froze in place.
“What’s wrong, Crik?” The female Auror, puzzled, tapped her colleague on the shoulder. When he didn’t respond, she immediately sensed something was amiss.
Before she could cry out in alarm, a faint voice whispered in her ear.
“Imperio~ (Imperio)”
In the next second, the female Auror also became frozen, and Ivan’s figure slowly emerged from behind them.
Noticing the commotion, Pierce quickly gathered the accompanying personnel, including another “Ivan” who was actually the result of Polyjuice Potion. As they passed the corner, Ivan had one of the British wizards drink the potion, using the crowd to conceal his transformation into Ivan’s likeness.
Meanwhile, Ivan himself used a Disillusionment Charm to hide and launch the attack.
“Was it smooth enough, Sir Hals?” Pierce asked solemnly.
“Two visible guards and two hidden ones—four wizards in total have been dealt with,” Ivan nodded. Using the Imperius Curse on four wizards in quick succession had even he feeling somewhat drained.
But to shake off these watchers, he had to take the risk.
“Next, you need to buy as much time as possible without arousing suspicion… I’ll find Cornell alone,” Ivan instructed.
Pierce knew he couldn’t help and dared not offer any suggestions, but before Ivan left, he hesitated and asked, “How confident are you that you can convince Director Cornell? We don’t even have evidence to accuse Wilkinson, and mere speculation won’t be enough to convince anyone…”
“Who says we don’t have evidence? I have a very important witness!” Ivan interrupted Pierce, speaking with firm resolve.
(End of Chapter)
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