The leaders from Kyle's previous life as a student had a particular fondness for delivering long, tedious speeches during major occasions.
As the Minister for Magic, a member of the Wizengamot, and a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, Cornelius Fudge was no different. He spent over an hour speaking from the high table in the Great Hall.
He began by reminiscing about the glorious past of the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, before pivoting to the "thriving prosperity" of the British wizarding world under his current administration.
He then smoothly transitioned the topic to the four young award recipients.
After offering some praise to the "Father-Slayers," Fudge shamelessly credited their success to the rigorous cultivation provided by Hogwarts and the unwavering support of the Ministry of Magic.
To put it simply, Fudge was shamelessly riding the coattails of the Father-Slayers' glory. Fearing public scrutiny, he had even dragged Dumbledore into his narrative to lend it more weight.
The Father-Slayers, who were never ones for following rules, were beyond disgusted by this mind-numbingly dull speech.
Fred's hand was moving incessantly inside his pocket, as if kneading something. Kyle didn't even have to think to know the guy was playing with mud—no, he was molding Explosive Clay.
George, meanwhile, appeared still, but Kyle had sensed magic fluctuating from his fingertips more than once.
Evidently, both Weasley brothers had seriously considered the possibility of "taking Fudge out."
It wasn't just the twins; the vast majority of those present were incredibly impatient with the speech. They only bit their tongues out of respect for Fudge's status and the gravity of the occasion.
The only person who seemed to be listening with genuine relish was Percy. He was staring intently at Minister Fudge on the stage, his eyes burning with the light of raw ambition.
A real man should be just like that!
Fudge finally concluded his speech—which had been as long and agonizing as an old woman's foot-bindings—with a look of lingering satisfaction. Next came the ceremony to present the medals to the four winners.
Dumbledore beckoned to the group, signaling for them to come up to the high table.
An ugly woman with a broad, flabby face and a small black velvet bow perched atop her short, curly hair brought forward four exquisite boxes for Dumbledore and Fudge.
When the boxes were opened, they revealed the Order of Merlin, Second Class medals, nestled within layers of silk.
Fudge and Dumbledore picked up the medals, which were attached to elegant, luxurious purple silk ribbons, and pinned them onto the four winners.
"On behalf of the Order of Merlin and the wizarding community," Fudge said, his face beaming with a wide smile, "I hereby award you the Order of Merlin, Second Class."
"Welcome to the Order of Merlin," Dumbledore added, patting each of them on the shoulder with an encouraging smile.
The guests below erupted into thunderous applause.
Following this was the segment where the winners gave their acceptance speeches.
After that came the most important part of the ceremony, aside from the awards themselves—the banquet.
This was a prime opportunity for networking. People moved through the hall, striking up conversations everywhere and exchanging business cards...
Kyle did not enjoy these kinds of settings.
Aside from the crowd being far too enthusiastic and constantly trying to strike up a conversation with him, there was another reason—he had spotted the Malfoys, father and son.
The fact that two members of the Weasley family had received Order of Merlin medals had caused Lucius Malfoy immense irritation.
In a side-by-side comparison, it made his own son, Draco, look like the dim-witted child of a provincial landlord.
However, he had ultimately swallowed his pride and shown up at the Ministry's awards ceremony anyway.
Because of Dumbledore's presence, the attendance at this ceremony rivaled the prestige usually reserved for First Class awards. It was too good a networking opportunity to pass up, and Lucius couldn't afford to miss it.
He simply had to make sure he didn't run into Arthur Weasley.
Mr. Weasley, however, had noticed Lucius long ago. He walked toward Lucius, looking positively radiant.
At that moment, Lucius was speaking with a Wizengamot representative. When he caught sight of Mr. Weasley out of the corner of his eye, he stiffened as if pricked by a needle, and the smile instantly vanished from his face.
Mr. Weasley wore a mocking grin. Seeing that Lucius had noticed him, he began to engage Lucius in an "affectionate" staring contest.
The two stared at each other intensely, neither breaking eye contact. For a moment, it felt as though all the noise of the world had faded away, leaving only the two of them.
Just then, a very mood-spoiling sound rang out nearby.
"Remember the eyes looking into mine, perhaps there is no tomorrow..."
Both Lucius and Arthur turned to glare toward the source of the noise. They discovered the sound was coming from a box-shaped alchemical device in Kyle's hand.
Seeing both of them looking at him, Kyle gave them an apologetic smile.
Feeling a bit sheepish, he pulled a cord with two strange pendants attached to the end out of his pocket and plugged one end into the alchemical device.
Indeed, the device in Kyle's hand was the famous MP3 player, which he had created himself.
To be precise, it shouldn't really be called an MP3; it was more like a voice repeater. Inside was simply an alchemical array capable of recording, storing, and repeating sound.
As for the songs inside, they were all based on Kyle's memories of his past life, recorded as covers by himself and Konan.
The other item in his hand was the matching set of wired earphones. Of course, he could play the audio through the speakers if he didn't use the earphones.
The noise just now had happened because Kyle forgot to plug in the earphones before hitting the play button, accidentally broadcasting it to the room.
Arthur and Lucius returned to their "affectionate" staring match.
Lucius reached up as if to smooth his hair, but in reality, he was brandishing his fist—roughly the size of a sandbag—in front of Arthur. The threat was unmistakable.
Mr. Weasley, not to be outdone, rolled up the sleeves of his new dress robes, looking as if he were ready for a brawl.
Neither, however, made the first move. After all, the person who strikes first is the one in the wrong.
Defiant glints sparked in both their eyes as they each tried to provoke the other into an action that would justify "self-defense."
The standoff lasted for quite a while, neither willing to commit. Neither of them was a fool.
At that moment, Kyle, who was standing not far behind Lucius, said something to Konan. Konan made a playful move as if to strike him, and Kyle quickly retreated two steps.
However, because he wasn't looking behind him, Kyle crashed heavily into Lucius, sending him stumbling forward.
At that exact moment, Lucius had his hand balled into a fist in front of him, pretending to admire the magnificent gemstone ring on his finger while actually using the fist to threaten Mr. Weasley.
When Kyle slammed into him, his fist landed squarely on Mr. Weasley's face.
To everyone else watching, it looked as if Lucius had lunged forward viciously and punched Arthur.
Mr. Weasley launched a counterattack without a second's hesitation.
After the Battle of Flourish and Blotts, he had learned quite a few Taijutsu moves from his three sons.
Combined with the powerful biceps he had developed from years of squatting in his shed tinkering with cars, he made short work of the pale, sickly-looking Malfoy, pinning him down in just a few moves.
The altercation was quickly broken up by those nearby. After all, this was a prestigious Order of Merlin ceremony; they couldn't allow the two of them to continue brawling like common thugs.
Lucius Malfoy was clearly incensed at being taken down so quickly by Weasley.
Beyond that, the fact that Arthur's two sons had received medals while Draco had none filled him with a cold, towering rage.
Lucius could have easily bought his way through, much like Arcturus Black had done in the past, to secure a First Class medal for Draco.
But such a move would only invite mockery once word got out; it wouldn't actually help his reputation.
This was because the Weasley boys had earned their medals through genuine talent and achievement, not by donating a mountain of gold to the Ministry of Magic.
In comparison, people would always admire George and Fred more, even if Draco were to hold a higher-class medal.
Lucius struggled to break free and throw a few more punches at Arthur, but the surrounding crowd held him firmly to the floor, pinning him down.
A look of pure, concentrated malice radiated from his face.
Looking down at the struggling Lucius, Arthur Weasley felt an incomparable sense of satisfaction. The years of being looked down upon by this "old peacock" and being mocked as a "blood traitor" were swept away in an instant.
He took a sharp breath, kicked off with his legs in a "Toad Jump," and executed a perfect "Flat Sand Falling Goose" landing, sprawling out right in front of Lucius like a giant toad.
Mr. Weasley leaned his face close to Lucius', wearing the smug, petty grin of a victor:
"I've always wanted to see that expression on your face."
Lucius gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
"That look of pure jealousy! Hahahaha!"
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