"I believe you. Of course I believe you." Tver suddenly released Quéops's hand, as if he had grown disgusted with him again.
"After all, out of caution, you didn't even brand the Dark Mark onto your arm." He patted Quéops's arm. "At this point, unless Voldemort himself shows up, I imagine you haven't left behind any evidence, have you?"
Quéops was somewhat dazed by Tver's sudden shift.
The one who had called him a Death Eater was Tver, yet now he had changed his tune...
Wait. Tver had no proof that he was a Death Eater, but after that speech just now, he had no way to prove he was not one either, did he?
Startled and frightened, Quéops looked toward the Aurors he had brought with him. His subordinates, who had once obeyed his every order, were now showing traces of suspicion.
Opposing Voldemort was a consensus among the Ministries of Magic of every country, especially those in Europe. In truth, they could understand Death Eaters appearing within their ranks. After all, Voldemort was exceptionally good at deceiving people.
But on the surface, they had to show a firm stance against dark forces.
That was exactly what Quéops had always been wary of. Once the Ministry began to suspect him, his actions would be monitored no matter what, perhaps even restricted.
In other words, he might very well be unable to complete the task the Dark Lord had given him.
But at this point, there was no meaning in dwelling on why Tver had guessed his identity when he had clearly revealed himself only before the Dark Lord.
Thinking this through, Quéops closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Only after regaining his usual authority as Head of the Department did he slowly open his eyes, now stern once more.
"Tver Fawley, though I don't know why you would slander me with accusations that have no evidence behind them, I will certainly report this to the Confederation of Wizards."
Tver had to admit he was surprised by Quéops's change in attitude. He had thought that move would leave Quéops completely stunned.
Of course there was evidence, evidence Tver trusted without question. The problem was that the evidence came from Peter Pettigrew, and now the witness was dead.
Still, neither Quéops nor Voldemort had probably expected Peter Pettigrew to so diligently send Tver every piece of intelligence involving Voldemort.
And because Tver had been researching Voldemort, combined with his fairly good memory, he happened to have committed all of that intelligence firmly to mind.
So the moment Quéops appeared, Tver could almost be certain that this incident was connected to Voldemort.
"That's fine. The Confederation of Wizards welcomes differing opinions at any time, unlike certain departments that knowingly break the law and openly retaliate against suspects whose guilt has not even been confirmed."
Tver shrugged. Anyone could tell exactly who he was criticizing.
Quéops did not get angry.
At first, he had indeed acted somewhat recklessly because he believed no one knew his identity. But after this exchange with Tver, he understood one thing.
If he did not stay fully alert, this seemingly careless young man before him would strip him bare.
"You're right. The Ministry of Magic has always been committed to protecting the safety of wizards, so when a case like this occurs, we cannot slack off."
He gave the Prime Minister, who was still sitting where he was and looking rather lost, a vicious grin.
"Prime Minister, you previously insisted that a wizard from the Confederation be present. Now that Mr. Fawley happens to be here, let him witness how the Ministry of Magic interrogates criminals!"
"I am the Prime Minister of Greece. You have no right to interrogate me!" The Prime Minister shot to his feet. The anger on his face could not hide the panic underneath.
"Sorry, but in the eyes of an Auror, there are only criminals and innocent people." Quéops waved casually to his subordinates.
Receiving the order, the Aurors under him finally remembered their mission and immediately strode angrily toward the murderer who had "killed" their companions.
But before the Aurors had taken even half the distance, they suddenly found themselves frozen in place, unable to move at all.
"Strictly speaking, before decisive evidence is obtained, the Prime Minister can only be considered a criminal suspect." Tver slowly lowered the wand in his hand, stood upright, and met Quéops's gaze.
Now, to him, the truth itself no longer mattered. What he needed to investigate was what Voldemort was truly trying to do, and whether he would replicate what had happened here in other regions.
The two of them stared each other down. After a while, perhaps deciding that there was no point in dragging this out, Quéops was the first to break the silence.
"You're right. Since the Prime Minister is a criminal suspect, I will take him back to the Ministry of Magic for trial. Mr. Fawley won't stop us again, I assume?"
"Of course not." Tver nodded, unexpectedly. What he said next was even more unexpected to everyone.
"But likewise, the Prime Minister has just filed a lawsuit with me." Tver toyed with his wand in amusement. "He suspects that someone in the Ministry of Magic deliberately framed him in this way, attempting to sabotage relations between wizards and Muggles!"
"In other words, Quéops, you have now become a criminal suspect in this case as well!"
The Aurors suddenly found that they could move again, but the problem was that they had no idea which direction they were supposed to go.
The corner of Quéops's eye twitched involuntarily, but he still snapped sharply, "You cannot slander a Head of Department based solely on the words of a foolish Muggle. Without evidence..."
"You don't have evidence proving that the Prime Minister ordered the agent to poison them either!"
"That agent was under the Prime Minister's authority, and he even collected a large amount of information on Aurors!"
"Wizards have ten thousand ways to control that agent and make him poison someone!"
"We found no traces of spellcasting on the agent!"
"Traces of magic can be erased. And as one of the suspects, the evidence you provide has no credibility at all!"
"That agent used cyanide. Only Muggles would use something like that..."
"If a wizard were deliberately framing someone, naturally they would choose a poison from the Muggle world."
"But that wizard certainly didn't know that cyanide takes only thirty seconds from ingestion to taking effect!" Sensing that the decisive moment had arrived, Tver abruptly raised his wand and pointed it at Quéops.
"Then please explain, Mr. Quéops. What exactly happened to those five people that allowed them to all take such a deadly poison at the same time, neat and orderly?"
His prepared arguments had been overturned one after another, and now a flaw had been seized. Quéops's barely maintained composure finally shattered.
His lips trembled, and he spoke weakly, his voice shaking. "Then go ask those five dead people. How would I know that?!"
With him acting like this, anyone present who still had a brain could tell that something was wrong with Quéops.
But Tver once again put away his wand. He looked at him with a smiling face and said gently, "You're right. Then let's examine the bodies again tomorrow. How does that sound?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Quéops looked as if he had grabbed a lifeline and nodded hurriedly.
"And as for the Prime Minister's trial..."
"We'll discuss that once the results are out!"
Quéops answered tactfully. Then, ignoring the Aurors who had already begun to suspect him, he turned and strode away.
Seeing this, the Aurors finally reacted and followed after him. Only once the whole group had left did Marvolio ask curiously, "Quéops had already lost his composure just now. Why didn't you press the advantage?"
Tver's smile faded, and he gave him a meaningful glance.
"You already know the result is obvious. If we keep pursuing it, all we'll get is a conclusion we already know."
"But the real question is what Voldemort is trying to do. That is what we should be more concerned about..."
"Oh... So you want to keep digging information out of Quéops." Marvolio suddenly understood. "But if Quéops won't talk, we can't force it out of him, can we?"
For powerful wizards, protecting the memories in their minds was essential. So even if Tver used Legilimency and Veritaserum, he might not be able to obtain the information he wanted.
Of course, if they used torture, that would also be possible...
"Then we'll make him say it himself. And as it happens, there is exactly such a person."
"Who?" Marvolio asked, somewhat innocently.
But the faint, malicious smile that curled at the corner of Tver's mouth immediately gave him a bad feeling.
"Voldemort, of course!"