With Philip's reminder, William immediately understood the situation. If no spaceship had appeared, Nick Fury's actions—damaging relations between the U.S. and England and even causing the U.S. to lose credibility with its allies—would certainly have led to severe consequences.
But now, if the Americans learned that the one-eyed man could contact and command aliens, he wouldn't be punished; instead, they would value him even more.
Seeing William's expression grow increasingly cold, Philip knew exactly what he was thinking. He reached out and patted William on the shoulder, reminding him,
"I know killing Nick Fury wouldn't be difficult for you, but keeping him alive will make it easier for other members of the World Security Council to become estranged from the U.S. Besides, even if you want to kill him, it's best to wait until we're fully prepared."
William nodded helplessly. After all, even if he wanted to kill the one-eyed man now, he couldn't find him. There was no need to waste words with Philip on this matter.
Just then, Sunday reported that the rescue pod launched from the spaceship had already landed.
"Let's go, Your Majesty. We should ask Mr. Potter if there's any magic that can identify the Skrulls' transformations."
With that, William took the lead and walked out of the observation room. Philip, who hadn't received a definite answer, could only shake his head helplessly and follow.
As soon as they appeared outside the interrogation room, Harry Potter, who had been observing the Skrull, urgently asked,
"Mr. Devonshire, what exactly is this humanoid creature?"
"He's Charles Cavendish," William replied directly before asking, "Mr. Potter, do you have a way to detect their transformations?"
"This…?" Upon learning that the alien in the interrogation room was actually Charles, both Potter and his companions were shocked. They immediately realized the implications and the potential threat. After pondering for a moment, Potter said,
"I need him to transform again before I can try."
"You heard that—do it," William commanded the Skrull restrained at the table.
The Skrull, initially unwilling to transform, suddenly remembered that his communicator was still active. Hoping to gather more intelligence, he also wanted to see whether Earthlings—besides William—had any means of detecting their shapeshifting ability.
This way, his people would have time to evade future searches—or even leave the country entirely.
Thus, under the stunned gazes of Philip, Harry, and the others, the restrained Skrull transformed into an exact replica of Philip.
"My God!" Philip nearly had a heart attack upon seeing a perfect copy of himself.
Just as he felt short of breath, he saw William's hand glow with a greenish energy before William placed it on his shoulder.
"Natural energy?"
Before Philip could even think about what William had done, he felt as if his aging body had been infused with newfound vitality.
Not only did his breathing become easier, but he also felt a surge of strength.
Hearing Harry Potter exclaim something about natural magic, the now-rejuvenated Philip immediately asked William,
"What kind of magic is this? Why do I feel like I've become ten years younger?"
William shook his head.
"No, Your Majesty, you haven't actually become ten years younger. The magic only nourished your body's cells and repaired past damage, making you feel younger.
Unfortunately, this energy will only remain in your body for about ten seconds before dispersing back into the world."
Philip was just about to express his disappointment when William added,
"However, restoring your body to its best condition means you'll rarely fall ill in the future."
Philip eagerly asked, "Will this magic extend my lifespan?"
"Are you joking?" William said with a look of disdain. "If it could extend lifespan, do you think I'd be stupid enough to use it on you? That would make me a target of worship—or assassination—by the world's elite."
Philip, Harry, and the others naturally nodded in agreement. If such magic truly existed, they wouldn't reveal it so easily either.
After considering this for a moment, they turned their attention back to the Skrull. Harry pulled out his wand, and with a flick, a wave of magical energy flew toward the Skrull, who had transformed into Philip.
Surprisingly, the first test was a success. As Harry and Philip were about to celebrate, they heard William say,
"This spell is still too conspicuous. We can't perform magical checks on every high-ranking official in England while openly telling them the truth.
The fewer people who know about magic and aliens, the better. So, try another spell—preferably one with no visible effect at all."
The logic was easy to understand. Harry nodded in agreement. Then, William snapped his fingers at the Skrull, who had returned to its original form.
Through further testing, they confirmed that there were indeed multiple silent and invisible ways to dispel a Skrull's transformation.
However, when William asked the bearded Potter for advice, the wizard refused to reveal the spell's name under the guise of confidentiality—let alone teach it to him.
William sneered. Inwardly cursing, he thought, If you won't teach me, I'll just go find dark wizards to learn from instead.
The atmosphere grew awkward and tense, but just then, the rescue pod deployed by the spaceship floated into the room, guided by Philip's butler.
Wanting to show off, William extended his hand. Under Potter and his companion's puzzled gazes, he gestured toward the restrained Skrull.
With two crisp clicks, the handcuffs locking the Skrull to the table automatically released.
As the Skrull rubbed his wrists in confusion, he suddenly found himself lifted into the air by an invisible force.
He wanted to shout, to speak, but he couldn't even open his mouth. Floating horizontally in midair, he was carried out of the interrogation room and into the now-open rescue pod.
The pod's hatch closed, the stasis program activated, and the Skrull quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Under Sunday's control, the rescue pod left the building, was retrieved by the spaceship, and then disappeared into the evening sky.
Now that the matter was settled, William no longer cared about Harry Potter, who had kept his magic a secret. Instead, he smiled at Philip and said,
"It's over. I need to find Abigail. If you'll excuse me, Your Majesty."
"Yes, you should head back early. If today's main guest isn't present, some of the attendees might start overthinking things," Philip said with a smile. "Go on, I still have some matters to handle here."
"See you later, then." William nodded at Harry before turning to leave.
Once William had entered the elevator, Philip turned to Harry Potter with a serious expression.
"You shouldn't have refused him. If you don't teach him, he'll learn from your enemies—or simply take it by force."
"I…" Harry fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "It's not that I don't want to teach Duke Devonshire—it's that I don't dare to."
"What do you mean?" Philip asked, confused. "Even if dark magic is out of the question, you could have taught him ordinary spells."
"But he gives me a more dangerous and powerful feeling than Voldemort ever did," Harry admitted anxiously. "I've never seen a wizard who can materialize their mental energy—who can control a person with just a thought.
If someone like him learns dark magic, I don't know if there's anyone left who could stop him."
(End of Chapter)
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