"What do you think of the actions of Grindelwald's Acolytes in Europe, Monsieur Black?" asked Luis, looking at the young man beside him. His smile remained unchanged, even in the face of numerous glances.
Luis knew it wouldn't be easy to achieve what he wanted in Britain, especially while still cleaning up the mess left by his predecessor, nearly destroying the France-England relationship. Yet, he needed to try, not just to stay in power, but also to help his country.
"Truly a tragedy what happened, so many wizards and witches lost their lives in the attacks," Asterion responded with a heavy expression and a dignified, sincere tone. Inside, he thanked Grindelwald; if not for his timely attack, all European countries would be focused on England, which was recovering from the Civil War.
It was a great opportunity to strengthen themselves at this moment, with the world's eyes on Europe. England wouldn't be sabotaged because European countries needed help, especially with Dumbledore being the only known man capable of fighting the powerful Dark Lord—Gellert Grindelwald.
Luis nodded and smiled, but he didn't believe Asterion's words one bit, knowing the English's hatred of France, especially after this Civil War the English and French have entered into that Voldemort began.
Not that France didn't harbor hatred towards England; the Hundred Years' War had been a deep wound to France's pride, considering itself one of the oldest countries in the world. Both had reasons to love and hate each other.
As they conversed, the emerald flames from the fireplaces suddenly grew taller, and from them emerged several male wizards dressed in winter clothes. Among them, one man stood out. Standing two meters tall, he resembled a bear in his winter attire.
His medium-length, curly black hair fell over his shoulders, and a long beard surrounded his face. He had a serious and cold expression, topped with a traditional Russian hat.
This man was Dmitri Ivanov, the Minister of Magic of Russia, one of the two Special Grade Wizards in Russia.
Spotting Asterion and Luis, he walked over to them and spoke in English with a strong Russian accent.
"It seems I am the second to arrive," he said, and Asterion had to concentrate hard, otherwise, he wouldn't understand what Ivanov was saying.
"Minister Ivanov." Asterion extended his hand and greeted the powerful Special Grade Wizard.
"Knyaz Black." The Russian Minister firmly shook Asterion's hand and returned the greeting. His gaze was respectful, mirroring the respect Asterion showed towards him. The Russian Minister valued strength and recognized the young man's prowess before him.
But looking towards the French Minister of Magic, Ivanov glanced disdainfully from head to toe but still extended his hand to him. Luis's smile remained unchanged as he greeted the Russian Minister with great politeness, maintaining his prestige.
This surprised Asterion; he had expected there to be an exchange of insults, especially from Luis. After all, if the Hundred Years' War had been a deep wound to French pride, the Napoleonic Wars nearly extinguished France's arrogance. The loss of over 500 thousand soldiers on Russian soil prevented France from ever fully recovering its former glory.
After the greetings, the three began taking photos together, each shaking hands. They all displayed smiles for the cameras while likely hiding their true thoughts at that moment.
"Fake smiles and nothing more. Politics truly is interesting," Apolline commented beside Narcissa, who selectively ignored the overly charming woman.
"But I love politics; power means having more freedom than anyone else, and that's fascinating," Apolline continued, ignoring Narcissa's increasingly cold demeanor.
"If you want to talk, just talk, Madame Delacour," Narcissa turned and spoke with a chilly tone. She didn't get along well with people like Apolline, who spoke every second and exuded charisma.
Apolline wasn't offended by the woman's cold words; on the contrary, she smiled graciously and linked arms with Narcissa.
"We'll go shopping once this ceremony is over. I won't take no for an answer," Apolline said with a very serious yet charming tone before Narcissa could object.
Narcissa couldn't help but look to Asterion for help, but her cousin was engrossed, focusing only on the French and Russian Ministers of Magic.
Grimacing, Narcissa nodded stiffly, causing Apolline to laugh even more.
With the arrival of the Russian delegation, representatives from other European countries began to appear one after another.
Minister of Magic for Austria – Helena von Strauss.
Minister of Magic for Germany – Joseph Weiss.
Minister of Magic for Italy – Valentino Ricci.
Minister of Magic for Greece – Nikolas Papadopoulos.
Minister of Magic for Sweden – Ingrid Bergström.
Minister of Magic for Spain – Alejandro Domínguez.
Representing the American continents were:
President of MACUSA – Benjamin Thorne.
Minister of Magic for Brazil – Carlos da Silva Pereira.
And finally, the two representatives from Asia:
Minister of Magic for Japan – Satoshi Nakamura.
Minister of Magic for China – Mei Ling Zhao.
It was a total of twelve countries that accepted the proposal for an International Magic and Wizardry Tournament in England. Among the twelve Ministers, Presidents, and Asterion, more than half were Special Grade Wizards. This meant that there were seven Special Grade Wizards present at that moment.
Excluding the Special Conference in Geneva, where all Special Grade Wizards gathered every four years, this was the largest event where Special Grade Wizards were assembled in one place.
Asterion lost count of how many photos he took that afternoon; there were so many that his eyes began to ache by the end of the day. His smile was rigid on his lips, and he vowed that he would rarely smile from that day forward.
At the same time, his gaze fell upon the French and German Ministers of Magic, both conversing amiably. This caused Asterion's eyes to narrow dangerously for a moment. It wasn't a good sign in Asterion's eyes. Despite France and Germany having their differences and deep hatred stemming from the events of World War II, the Black heir did not doubt for a moment that these two countries could ally themselves in a time of need; after all, interests alone are eternal.
In the meantime, Asterion also observed the other representatives and quickly realized that the entire ceremony was divided into very distinct blocs. Japan and China, in particular, did not seem eager to initiate a conversation with each other.
Asterion understood this well; after all, China harbored deep resentment towards Japan for the war crimes committed during World War II on Chinese soil. These two countries were the only ones Asterion saw no possibility of allying, which naturally suited him.
As for the rest of the countries, he was conflicted about which to ally with, but he left that decision to the more experienced individuals at the moment.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 108 – Party (1), Chapter 109 – Party (2), Chapter 110 - Back To Hogwarts (1), Chapter 111 - Back To Hogwarts (2), Chapter 112 – New Students (1), Chapter 113 – New Students (2), Chapter 114 – Ophelia (1), Chapter 115 – Ophelia (2), Chapter 116 – Doubts (1), Chapter 117 – Humbug (1), Chapter 118 - Ophelia's Mother (1), Chapter 119 - I Decided to Seduce Daphne (1), Chapter 120 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1), Chapter 121 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (2), Chapter 122 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (3), Chapter 123 - Arrival of the Twelve Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry (4), Chapter 124 - Conspiracy In Progress (1), Chapter 125 - Conspiracy In Progress (2), Chapter 126 - Ophelia, Narcissa And Andromeda (1), Chapter 127 - Ophelia, Narcissa And Andromeda (2).