"I'm sorry, but as I've already said, I know nothing about the source of those items," Minister Peter said, knowing he absolutely could not admit to these accusations now, or his reputation would plummet. "As for those civilian groups, my interactions with them were merely normal."
Minister Peter then scanned the surroundings. "These civilian groups in the German wizarding world have a long history. They were frequently active in various wizard communities even before I took office as Minister of Magic. Many people here have interacted with them. You can't possibly claim that everyone who has had dealings with them is problematic, can you? If so, then probably none of you present would be free of blame."
Although Minister Peter's statement seemed to have some merit, it clearly failed to convince those present. Indeed, as Minister Peter said, who in the German wizarding world didn't have a few friends from civilian groups around them? Many even had close relationships with them. If that were the case, a lot of people would be implicated. But they had no vested interest in the club!
Director Andre naturally wasn't swayed by Minister Peter's rhetoric. He righteously retorted, "That may be true in principle, but your explanation can't convince the public. We now know that these civilian groups have been corrupted by the Silver Spears! Besides using the manpower of civilian groups to operate breeding facilities for profit, they also attempted to conspire to incite the division of East Germany and West Germany, committing crimes too numerous to count. Simultaneously, the division bill within the Ministry of Magic is being vigorously promoted. It's hard not to connect the two."
"Furthermore, the batch of alchemy equipment provided to the club indicates that high-ranking officials within the Ministry of Magic are connected to the club. And as Minister of Magic, your attitude of knowing nothing inherently represents dereliction of duty. I believe you need to bear the relevant responsibility."
Director Andre presented his views to Minister Peter neither humbly nor arrogantly, and his words were also directed at everyone around him. After hearing this, everyone present nodded in agreement. What Director Andre said was indeed well-founded and reasonable. This incident itself was extremely egregious, causing a severe shock to the entire German magical world, and if it spread, it would even become a laughingstock in the international wizarding world.
Under such circumstances, someone had to take responsibility for this incident. Even if there wasn't anyone, one would have to be fabricated. Even if no mistakes were made, someone would have to be a scapegoat. That is politics! Not to mention that in this incident, the separatist faction led by Minister Peter was itself a key suspect. It was impossible to gloss over it with just a few words. At any rate, the Wizengamot councilors around would certainly not agree.
"So, what's your idea?" Minister Peter sighed inwardly. It seemed there was no way he would escape unscathed today. He had never imagined he would stumble over Clement's worthless nephew.
"It's simple!" Director Andre said calmly. "As the direct official promoting the Division Act, you and other relevant high-ranking officials are parties to this case. Of course, I personally don't want to believe that you would be connected to the criminals of the club, but as a matter of routine, we need to conduct an internal review of the relevant personnel for a period of time. During this period, relevant positions need to be temporarily revoked until the truth comes out. If you still stick to your previous statement, I will move to the Wizengamot for a vote!" Director Andre finished, then specifically looked up and scanned the various councilors around.
The councilors, whose gazes he met, all nodded upon hearing his words. It was clear now that there were moles from the club within the Ministry of Magic, and perhaps more than one, so it was impossible to let these people continue to hold high positions. And the so-called dismissal for review was merely an ambiguous statement. Lightly speaking, it meant temporary dismissal, with the possibility of reinstatement after the investigation. But more severely, it meant even personal liberty would be restricted, akin to them going to prison early.
As for the review period, it could be long or short. At the very least, the suspicion would have to be completely cleared. And given the current situation, the case involving Minister Peter and the others was so serious that it was impossible to complete the review quickly. This dismissal could last three, five, or even seven years.
At this moment, Minister Peter understood Director Andre's meaning perfectly. Review? It would be a miracle if that review yielded any results. He could guarantee that as soon as he fell into this quagmire, he would immediately be strictly guarded like a serious criminal! Thinking of this, Minister Peter's face also became incredibly grim. Left with no choice, he could only inadvertently look up and glance at Michelle across from him.
Michelle, receiving Minister Peter's signal, felt a coldness in his heart. He hadn't expected to have to resort to this move! But even though he was a hundred times unwilling, he still had to grit his teeth and stand up, shouting at everyone, "Stop bothering Minister Peter! I did all of this! I confess!"
Michelle's sudden outburst immediately caused an uproar. Even Director Andre looked at him in surprise, "What did you say?"
"Don't you understand such a simple meaning? I'm saying I did all of this! Colluding with the Silver Spears, instigating internal strife among civilian groups to manipulate public opinion, and even purchasing tactical equipment under the Ministry of Magic's name—it was all done by me alone!" Michelle shouted emotionally.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Director Andre looked deeply at him. "This is a grave crime involving treason. Once you admit it, it means you will spend the rest of your life in prison, with no room for appeal." At the same time, he softly advised, "I urge you to think carefully. If you were coerced by others to do this, I will give you a chance to change your mind. Please don't harm yourself!"
"No one coerced me, and as the Director of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, no one can coerce me. These things were done by me, and I can accept any punishment!" Then Michelle shouted, his eyes bloodshot, "But what I want to say is, I did this not because I want to betray the country, but for a great ideal! The current divisions in Germany are not caused by internal strife among civilian groups. There are inherently irreconcilable contradictions between East Germany and West Germany, and the cause of this result is you high-ranking officials who merely occupy your positions without doing anything. Rather than painfully continuing as one country, it's better to just separate and be done with it!"
"Handcuff him and take him away!" Director Andre interrupted Michelle, who was still rambling, and motioned for the Aurors to swarm him and directly restrain him.
The farce unfolding in the courtroom at this moment left all the observing wizards dumbfounded. Many of them were surprised that it was Michelle who was secretly causing trouble. But many others simultaneously focused their gaze on Minister Peter. They wouldn't believe a single word of Michelle's nonsense. He must have been instructed by Minister Peter to step forward and take the blame.
At the same time, they were quite surprised by Minister Peter's determination to make such a sacrifice, and what they hadn't expected was Michelle's loyalty. After all, he was a Director of a Department! What kind of conditions could make him step forward and bear the crime of treason?
However, no matter what everyone thought, after Michelle voluntarily took responsibility for everything, the suspicion was removed from Minister Peter, because there was currently no concrete evidence to prove that Minister Peter was the one orchestrating all of this.
Director Andre, at this moment, glanced with a grim expression at Minister Peter, who was not far away. "You truly have good methods. To be honest, I am very curious how you managed to convince Michelle to take the fall for this."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Director Andre." Minister Peter sighed with a somber expression. "I am also very regretful that Michelle would do such a thing. After working together for so long, I didn't even notice anything unusual about him. I bear some responsibility for this."
"Hmph…" Director Andre sneered upon hearing this. Only a fool would believe your words. However, Director Andre genuinely hadn't expected Minister Peter to choose such a method to exonerate himself. They had indeed underestimated him, as he managed to find a way for a Director of a Department to sacrifice his freedom and reputation to take the blame.
But at this moment, Minister Peter's heart was bleeding. What others didn't know was how great a price he had paid to ensure he could escape unscathed today! To ensure Michelle would devote himself entirely to him, Minister Peter chose to provide him with the Elixir of Life in advance! And he promised that he would do everything possible to rescue him later! Agreeing to this condition meant that he would have to continuously supply the medicine; otherwise, Michelle would certainly turn on him and go down fighting. This actually meant that Minister Peter had given Michelle leverage over him, but unfortunately, he had been pushed to a dead end and had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
Fortunately, he had finally passed this hurdle. With someone taking the blame for colluding with the club and instigating civilian groups, his position would not be threatened for the time being. Although he knew that his actions could not deceive everyone, for those vultures in the Wizengamot, as long as he paid enough, he would still be able to gain their support later.
Thinking of this, although Minister Peter was heartbroken, he still calmly urged Director Andre, "Director Andre, today's inquiry won't end here, will it? Please continue!"
Seeing that Minister Peter still had the nerve to make sarcastic remarks, Director Andre couldn't help but sneer, "Don't worry, the next person involved won't disappoint you. Silence!" Director Andre re-established order in the room, then announced loudly, "Although Michelle has been brought to justice, the hearing will continue. Next, I call upon the next person involved, the former owner of Clement's Magical Supplies, Milan Claremont!"
The wizards present had originally thought that today's farce was over, and that what followed would merely be a formality, since the person who had committed all the crimes had already confessed. However, upon suddenly hearing a familiar name, everyone immediately perked up again. Few of these local Germans didn't know Clement and his magical supplies store.