Although Babajide had expected this trip to be unpleasant, he had not expected the President to accuse him from such a condescending position right at the start of the meeting.
It immediately reminded him of the show of force Tver had just turned back on the other side. It also made him, someone who had always focused on practical affairs, realize that the psychological tricks between politicians truly came one after another, each linked to the next.
Thinking of that, he glanced disdainfully at Tver, who was sitting beside him. Tver looked completely relaxed, as if he had expected all of this from the beginning.
"So dirty."
Tver: [・_・?]
The President frowned, clearly dissatisfied with their attitude.
In the field of diplomacy, when the president of a nation showed such a serious attitude, even if these two came from another world, they should not be so casual.
"Gentlemen, I believe you may not have understood what I meant." He straightened his lapels, sat upright with a solemn face, and the relaxed atmosphere in the reception room faded even further.
"I know you are wizards responsible for maintaining the safety and order of another world, and I am grateful for the work and assistance the Joint Operations Office has provided to the federal government and the people."
"But the problem is that wizards have committed unforgivable crimes in the United States one after another. I need an explanation from you."
As the President of the Wizards' Confederation, Babajide had always appeared before the public as an easygoing man, and he had never shown any arrogance toward muggles.
But that did not mean he had no temper.
And it certainly did not mean a muggle could accuse him again and again.
"Mr. President." Babajide straightened his back and met the President's gaze head-on.
"Bad people are bad precisely because they do not care about law, order, or morality."
Tver, who had been sitting to the side watching the show, could not help freezing.
Why did that sound so familiar?
"We are both important forces maintaining order in our respective worlds, but the problem is that criminals will not obediently surrender because of one televised speech."
"The point is that the crimes were committed by wizards. That means these severe disasters were caused by failures in your work." The President's condescending momentum faltered, and he forced himself to maintain his stern, questioning expression.
"I admit that the Aurors have been negligent in preventing crime, but that is exactly why both sides need to work together, isn't it?" Babajide said calmly.
"Has Your Excellency's police force never failed to arrest a criminal in time? Or has it never encountered a serial killer?"
After all, the culprit behind the previous air disaster had still not been arrested, and now an even worse air disaster had occurred. The U.S. Department of Magic could not escape responsibility, and that was something he could not refute.
But this was not limited to the wizarding world. As long as there were cunning criminals on this planet, such problems were bound to exist and could never be completely avoided.
So the President immediately realized there was no point continuing to press this issue.
He could hardly lie through his teeth and claim America had no crime, could he?
He was still the President, and he still had his pride.
"Knock, knock."
A woman who was clearly more capable than the intern, dressed like an assistant, knocked on the open door.
After receiving the President's signal, she spoke quickly and precisely. "The search and rescue team has found the first… remains. But the plane's fuel is burning fiercely on the sea surface. It may be impossible to find any other… bodies…"
Although they had found one relatively intact body, in her heart, and in the hearts of all the search and rescue personnel, they believed with grief that this might be the only body they would ever find.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the President still closed his tired eyes and took several deep breaths.
Only after calming himself did he slowly open his eyes.
"Revise the speech. After this meeting is over, I'll prepare for the televised address."
Sensing the low mood in his words, the female assistant did not ask any further questions, and Babajide no longer pressed against him.
"Although my authority is not that great, no matter what, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Magic and the Wizards' Confederation, I express my deepest condolences to the victims."
"Thank you." The President realized that this news had become a turning point in the atmosphere of their meeting, so naturally he accepted it.
"I know you have always been fighting crime, and the young people of the Joint Operations Office have been doing very good work."
"I want you, and all wizards, to know that we are grateful for your use of extraordinary means to help us solve problems we could not solve before."
"But these accidents happening one after another are truly not something I want to see."
At this point, he no longer went in circles and decided to state his request directly.
"So I hope you can better safeguard the safety of the magical world, especially when it comes to wizards intending to commit crimes. At the very least, you must provide the federal government with sufficient response capabilities."
So the dagger was finally revealed.
Tver smiled faintly.
The grief just now was real, and his decision not to pursue the Aurors' failure was also real. But his desire to covet the power of wizards was the most real of all.
If the goal was to fight criminals, then strengthening the Joint Operations Office like Britain had done was the most effective method.
But the President had changed the subject. It had become about strengthening the federal government, meaning the departments entirely under his control.
"I understand that the wizards in the Joint Operations Office are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic, correct?" the President said, unable to hide his excitement.
In order to "hire" wizards, he had put a great deal of thought and effort into it, arranging for a large number of elite federal agents to infiltrate the Joint Operations Office and investigate the wizarding world thoroughly.
"I'm not trying to poach anyone. I only want to have a small authority that allows us to hire graduates from wizarding schools."
Adults' minds were the hardest to change, but students who had not yet entered society were the easiest to coax.
Seeing Babajide's thoughtful expression, the President felt that perhaps he had appeared too eager, once again falling into the same condescending habit as at the start.
He immediately softened his tone. "Of course, this would also require your permission, so those children can have the right to choose for themselves."
"No. Although wizards have always been allowed to work for you, the use of magic will still be limited to the affairs of the Joint Operations Office."
To the President's surprise, the person who refuted him was Tver, who had not spoken all this time.
As far as he knew, Tver's reported identity was the Confederation's British representative. But to be honest, compared with Babajide, the President of the Confederation, Tver's small representative status was clearly not worthy of his attention.
He was even somewhat puzzled as to why Tver could interrupt on a topic like this.
Facing the President's questioning gaze, Babajide replied with a complicated expression, "Tver's words represent the International Confederation of Wizards."
On one hand, Tver's actions were clearly overstepping his authority. But on the other hand, Babajide could not have wished more for Tver to step forward and help him resolve these difficult issues.
The President immediately lifted his chin with a trace of arrogance.
Regardless of whether Tver had the authority to represent this so-called Wizards' Confederation, in a conversation of this level, he could offer a quiet reminder, but he absolutely should not speak up directly.
In the President's view, this was a sign of the magical world's extreme immaturity.
"Knock, knock."
"Mr. President, there is a Mr. Bulstrode outside. He is said to be a wizard as well, and he has urgent business regarding the air disaster. He is looking for, er…"
Meeting the President's displeased gaze, the female assistant still braced herself and continued.
"Mr. Tver Fawley."