Piers's words caused a stir among the crowd, many of them thinking that Ivan was too young for such an important post, despite his strength.
"Of course, if anyone has a better idea or would like to disagree, please step forward and discuss it…" Ivan looked around at each of the wizards and pointed to a spot in front of him.
The noise level in the meeting room dropped significantly. While it was fine for most people to complain in private, it was difficult for them to stand alone under pressure.
The memory of Ivan single-handedly suppressing Grindelwald was still fresh in their minds, and no one dared to object.
"Very well, it seems we are all on the same page. Let's leave it at that…" Pierce did not give them much time to think. After waiting for about half a minute, he announced the result.
Bruno and the others were unhappy with Piers's firm conclusion, but they did not show it.
"Do you have anything to say, Monsieur Bruno?" Yvonne asked, sensing the change in their mood.
Under Ivan's "concerned" gaze, Bruno shook his head and forced a smile. "No, there isn't, and I think Monsieur Hales would be perfect to head the department."
Ivan nodded, then turned to Connor and the Russian wizards. "What do you think?"
Connor was silent for a moment before replying, "Minister Pearce is right. Sir Harles is the perfect candidate."
After Wilkinson's death, Ivan would have to support him in his bid to become President of the North American Congress.
The Russian wizarding representatives did not say everything, but considering that Ivan had caught Minister Igor's murderer and indirectly saved their lives, they promised to do their best to convince the new Minister to agree to Ivan's appointment when they returned…
The President of the Asian Association remained silent. As the only two living heads of state present, his political sense was naturally better than Bruno's.
Three heads of state had died during this joint meeting, but Ivan had chosen this moment to discuss the formation of the allied forces, giving him a faint whiff of conspiracy.
After all, it was too much of a coincidence, so much so that he wondered if the attacks were the work of the Ivan-Hals Conspiracy League's qualified Lindelof.
If not for this incident, Ivan would not have been the leader of the coalition even if they had agreed to it.
The President of the Magical Congress of North America, Wilkinson, was by far the best choice. He had the prestige and leadership skills to convince the public, and, crucially, he was widely acknowledged to be the most powerful wizarding nation in North America.
After Grindelwald's outburst, however, the nature changed completely.
The entire Magical Congress of North America was discredited, and Minister Wilkinson was killed, depriving them of the right to compete for the leadership.
Ministers from Russia and France were also killed in the Reichstag, and the British Minister, Piers, who was Ivan Hals's mouthpiece, had no right to speak.
The only suitable candidate would be Ivan Hals, who had just made a name for himself and defeated Grindelwald!
As for himself, the president of the Asian Association, he was rarely involved in international affairs and had no chance of being chosen.
'Is that why I survived?'
Thinking of this, the President of the Asian Association secretly gasped and looked at Ivan with extreme fear. If things were as he had guessed, then the other party was too scary…
"Do you have any suggestions, Madam President?" Ivan asked when the President of the Asian Association stared at him wordlessly.
"Ah, no, it's nothing. I have no objections…" The President of the Asian Association came to his senses and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly shook his head.
Although he had many guesses, he was not stupid enough to point them out in public.
By the end of the war, Ivan Hals was in control of the situation, and it would have been pointless for him to protest strongly against the idea, let alone make assumptions that he had no proof of.
"If that's what you all think, then I won't hold you back any longer," Ivan said humbly, and then went on to discuss the naming, rights, and duties of the new department.
"Since this department needs to be funded and staffed by various countries, it will be under the banner of the International Confederation of Wizards. These fast troops can also serve as a direct army of the Confederation, making it easier for us to supervise them. In the future, the Law Enforcement Aurors will be able to investigate and capture Saints in the name of the Confederation," Pierce suggested.
The representatives thought this made sense and nodded in agreement. However, Pierce suddenly changed his tone and spoke again.
"In addition, the position of President of the International Confederation of Wizards happens to be vacant, so Hales can temporarily take on the position to facilitate the coordination of affairs between countries…"
"That would be… inappropriate, wouldn't it?" said Director Conal hesitantly.
Bruno and the others hesitated. The International Confederation of Wizards did not have a president, and all matters were basically decided by the five members of Parliament.
As they considered this, Ivan chose to decline Piers's offer, indicating that he had no experience in international affairs and that he would be out of his depth if he were to become President of the League.
However, the International Confederation of Wizards could add an honorary acting president, which did not require too much power, as long as it could command the various countries to send rapid response troops and could contact the ministers at any time.
Considering that the members of the rapid-response force were all Aurors and were only nominally obeying Ivan's instructions, Connor and the others agreed without further ado…
After the initial agreement was reached, the rest of the meeting consisted of minor details, such as how many people each country should send and how much money they should contribute. Ivan patiently bantered with Connor and the others until late in the evening.