With this in mind, Ivan continued. "In view of your performance, I have decided to re-examine you from tomorrow onward. Those who fail will be dismissed, and I will require only the best of the best."
Hearing this, Colin Morton and the others' expressions changed. If they were really expelled from here, it would undoubtedly be very embarrassing.
"Sir Harls, what is the test? Is it a test of our strength?" a witch asked hurriedly.
"Not only that, of course, but the ability to command, track, counter-trace, and deal with the Dark Arts…" Ivan said slowly. "The captains of each squad and the Deputy Minister of this new department will also be chosen from this examination…"
"I don't look at qualifications here, only skill!" Yvonne spat out the words.
Ivan's words caused a commotion among the Aurors, who were worried that they would not be able to pass the exam, but also hoping that they would be able to use this opportunity to soar.
They would not have been sent here if they were not professional enough. As long as the test was not one-on-one with a freak like Ivan, they were confident they would stand out.
In contrast, the captains who were supposed to be on the team were not happy and frowned. Ivan was undoubtedly trying to put them on the same starting line as everyone else, and if they did not perform well, they might be demoted to ordinary Aurors.
Colin Morton also saw Ivan's intention to dismember and reassemble the rapid response force, which was clearly not what the ministers had expected.
However, even if one could tell, there was nothing Colin Morton could do about it. Ivan had just beaten up all the troublemakers, and he was arguing about ability. No one could object.
"Very well, if no one has any objections, then it's settled!" Ivan looked around the room and nodded in satisfaction when he saw that no one was foolish enough to jump out. He then gave Fran a discreet wink before waving his hand to end the day's assembly.
As the gathering crowd dispersed, Ivan returned alone to the spacious and imposing President's office. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Ivan said casually.
The door to the office was immediately flung open, and Flan entered, cautiously closing the door behind her. She then asked, "Sir Harls… do you have any instructions for me?"
Instead of answering, Ivan gently waved his wand, and a dozen books appeared on the table.
Secrets to the Dark Arts, Investigations and Counter-Investigation, How to Be a Minister, The Art of Command…
Fran looked down at the books and immediately understood Ivan's intentions. Without asking any questions, she put them away and left the President's office.
He was impressed by Flun's tact, and his respect for him grew. The new department was an important one, and he would certainly prefer a few key positions to be held by people he trusted.
For example, he had chosen Fran as his choice for the position of Deputy Minister. However, placing Fran in such an important position would likely incur the displeasure of others, so Ivan decided to hold a selection exam.
These books were naturally given to Fran for a reason, as they were the subject of the next theoretical examination.
After all, the werewolves were not regular Aurors, and their basic theoretical knowledge was undoubtedly inferior to that of Colin Morton and the others. Without help, it was easy to imagine that the chances of Fran becoming an Undersecretary were slim.
Of course, no matter how optimistic he was, Ivan would only offer limited help, such as setting a general range for the exam, which would require Fran to work hard enough.
If Fran didn't have any good results in this assessment, Ivan wouldn't mind having someone more suitable!
… .
For the next few days, Ivan stayed at the headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards, familiarising himself with the various administrative matters and making arrangements for the examinations.
Under the influence of Transfiguration, several wide dueling platforms were erected in the hall, and it was clear that the first test would be a duel.
Colin Morton and the other Aurors were not surprised. In any case, the strength of a wizard always came first. Fran was secretly relieved. Although he had spent half the night reading, a dozen books were not something that could be finished in a short time.
The first test lasted three days, and Ivan arranged for each of them to have at least a dozen duels in order to gain a general idea of how strong most Aurors were.
Due to the limitations of time, it was impossible for everyone to play against each other, so many Aurors had doubts about Ivan's rating.
Given this, Ivan took the afternoon off to allow the wizards to challenge their more highly-ranked peers.
The result was obvious, of course, as all the Aurors who received an Outstanding rating, except for one unlucky wizard who was almost defeated due to his poor performance, easily defeated their opponents.
This, combined with Ivan's tendency to point out the mistakes and shortcomings of both combatants after a duel, silenced those who had questioned Ivan's judgement.
It is worth mentioning that during the series of duels, it was inevitable that the werewolf wizards such as Flun would show off their shapeshifting abilities, thus attracting the hostility of many Aurors.
Werewolves are, after all, symbols of trouble, and most Aurors have dealt with werewolf attacks on wizards and Muggles during their career.
Despite Ivan's invention of the Wolfsbane Potion in recent years, many viewed werewolves as symbols of evil and dark wizards.
However, they soon discovered that Flun and the others were different from ordinary werewolves. Not only could they transform at any time without the restriction of a full moon, but they could also maintain their original sanity after transforming and only enjoy the various bonuses of their werewolf form.
Especially during the second round of the Tracking and Counter-Tracking trials, the keen sense of smell allowed Flan and the others to find their opponents' hiding places with ease.
After two rounds of assessment, some Aurors were even considering getting a werewolf to bite them…