In the empty hospital room, Tver, Babajide, and the President were still seated together.
But the atmosphere had subtly changed.
"Mr. President, I imagine you must be very satisfied with everything Cruz has done?"
Tver's seemingly friendly question, with its hidden trap, immediately left the President unsure how to answer.
If he said no, even a blind man could see the lingering joy on his face.
But if he said yes, then everything he had said earlier, condemning and venting his anger at wizards at the start of the conversation, would not only become meaningless, but would even make his anger seem inhuman.
After all, Cruz had risked his life to save more than two hundred people. Yet before the incident had even produced a result, the President had assumed, purely on his own judgment, that the wizards had already failed in their duty.
"I apologize for the earlier misunderstanding."
The President, instantly put on the back foot, hesitated for a moment. But the flash of sharpness in his eyes showed that he was unwilling to let Tver hold him so easily.
"But doesn't Mr. Cruz's case prove that only by having wizards serve the federal government can we prevent more disasters from happening?"
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he seemed much more composed, clearly satisfied with how he had turned the issue to his advantage.
"Or do the two of you want to watch us stand helpless before magic, forced to look on while evil wizards slaughter innocent lives?"
At that, Tver and Babajide both laughed.
Babajide, however, looked at Tver with teasing amusement, as if mocking him for being caught in his own words.
Still, as a standard politician, this President really was skilled at fighting for his own interests.
"Since we've reached this point, I won't continue wasting everyone's time. I'll say it plainly…"
Tver smiled with some feeling, leaving the President confused.
"Sorry, but I have never trusted politicians' integrity. I can guarantee that once wizards are driven by the government, the first mission they carry out will definitely be for the filthy little schemes you people conduct in the shadows."
That was far too direct. It cut straight into his heart.
The President's face twitched, both from anger and because he could not understand why Tver, who had always appeared so rational before, would show such an… immature side.
Yes, in his view, tearing away the mask so directly was a sign of immaturity in politics.
In high society, there were countless petty, dirty dealings. They could hardly even be called open secrets.
But no one would uncover the filth and rot beneath them. On the contrary, everyone maintained a bright, polished surface.
Watching the President's face grow more and more solemn, Tver said lightly, "What, can't accept how direct I am? Or don't want to admit your own filth?"
"I don't think there is anything filthy about it," the President said coldly, though he did not deny his purpose in hiring wizards.
"If another country gained control of a large number of wizards, whether to directly attack the U.S. military or control government departments, that is something I would not want to see. Therefore, I must…"
"Strike first?" Tver guessed with amusement.
"It's defense!"
"Ah, yes, yes. Sending wizards to thoroughly investigate other countries' intelligence, all so you can find out whether they intend to send wizards to attack America. That is what you call defense, right?"
Tver laughed without giving him the slightest face. He understood these politicians' little thoughts far too well. Once wizards could be commanded by governments, it would absolutely trigger a world war.
So even though he had always wanted to overthrow The Statute of Secrecy, he also firmly believed that wizards could only be managed by the Ministry of Magic, and the content of spells cast for muggles had to be strictly limited.
Otherwise, the appearance of wizards would be like a weapon. It would only widen the gap between nations, especially for the United States, which already stood alone at the top. With this extra strength, they would absolutely not mind launching war after war.
"My position remains the same. Wizards can work for the government and carry out missions, but they can only exist within the Joint Operations Office. And this Office can only be under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Magic and the Wizards' Confederation!"
Tver suddenly raised one finger, full of mockery.
"Without my permission, you won't get even a single Thunderbird feather!"
The President was immediately intimidated by his forcefulness. He leaned back against the chair, his mouth slightly open, but could only let out quick, uneven breaths.
Unlike the President's startled expression, Babajide merely smiled helplessly, even though he was already used to Tver overstepping his authority.
He always felt that the power Tver displayed was even greater than that of him, the President of the Wizards' Confederation.
Wait. This was a good thing.
To be honest, although he agreed that wizards could not be hired and controlled by governments, he truly had not expected a national government to intend to drive wizards using such shameless and despicable methods.
If he had come alone, he certainly would have held the bottom line, but according to his original thinking, the jurisdiction of the Joint Operations Office would probably have been divided away in part.
Tver had been watching the President's shifting expression the whole time. Even without Legilimency, he could guess that the man was already plotting another route.
"I know you won't be willing to give up. If you can't hire wizards through proper means, then why not win over evil dark wizards?"
Tver raised an eyebrow, looking amused at the President's expression, as if he had struck the mark.
"Of course you can do that. Before you actually commit a crime, I have no way to stop you." Seeing a trace of joy appear in the President's brow, Tver's smile widened. "But that is illegal. We have a hundred methods to arrest dark wizards who violate the law, just like Cruz did."
"You can keep challenging us in all sorts of ways, but I need to remind you that the methods of dark wizards will not be as gentle as ours…"
"More importantly, we came here with a friendly attitude, and we are willing to see a peaceful situation. But that does not mean peace is our shackle!"
With his last calculation exposed, the President could only powerlessly pinch his own thigh to keep himself from losing composure.
He absolutely did not want to give up miraculous magic, but the idea of drawing in dark wizards made him hesitate even more.
Even if he did not know the idiom about bargaining with a tiger for its skin, the principle was the same.
Thinking back to the former Secretary of Commerce who had died tragically in the air disaster, if those dark wizards became displeased and turned him into a former president ahead of schedule, would that not be a tremendous loss?
And he would be risking offending the magical world represented by Tver and Babajide, all to win over a handful of villains he had no way to control.
Overall, the risks and benefits were completely disproportionate.
"But…" The President was still somewhat unwilling. "How is that any different from the way you kept us in the dark before? Haven't you always been arresting dark wizards?"
So he was giving in.
A satisfied smile appeared on Tver's face.
"If the Office did not exist, then even until your death, you would never know that the poor Secretary of Commerce died at the hands of a Werewolf. You would only think it was an air disaster."
"Even if Cruz saved more than two hundred people, you would only attribute it to a paranormal incident."
"But now things are different." Tver looked straight into the President's hesitant eyes.
"Mr. President, do you want to be a fool who is kept in the dark to the very end, or a warrior who faces problems directly and grows stronger?"
The President clenched his fists tightly, the struggle on his face unconcealed.
After a while, he finally exhaled and relaxed all his tense muscles.
"Do I still have a choice?"
Tver and Babajide exchanged a smile.
"You made the right choice…"