Nathan hesitated, then confirmed that their faith in these associations had changed, implying something had happened to break their trust.
Nathan's face suddenly hardened with indignation as he spoke up.
"After being locked up by those silver wand goons, we found out that the folks behind these breeding parks are linked to the silver wand, and all those community groups are closely tied to the club as well."
He went on, his voice rising with frustration.
"Even the wizards from those groups didn't hide it, they openly admitted they've been serving the club all along. They even bragged to us in prison, saying they stirred up tensions between East and West Germany. Most civil organizations in both East and West Germany are secretly funded and directed by the club!"
Nathan's words stirred up quite a buzz among the wizards around him.
Many had heard rumors before, but hearing it confirmed like this, especially that these civil groups were connected to the club's secret base, really got people thinking.
The fact that this was tied directly to the conflicts between East and West Germany over the past decade made things feel even more unsettling.
There was clearly a lot more going on beneath the surface.
Just as murmurs of shock and speculation filled the room, a voice cut through the crowd from the spectators.
"I object!" the voice called firmly.
"You can't base your conclusions on empty accusations like this. Those wizards were under pressure in prison, and some might have said nonsense. It's normal. Germany's major civic organizations have a long history and strong reputations, so you can't just take some prisoners' words and jump to conclusions."
Everyone turned to see who had spoken, and their eyes landed on Matt Rorayamon, the director of the East German office for Magical Beast Management and Control.
Besides his role at the Ministry of Magic, he was also an East German official.
No wonder he reacted so strongly to Nathan's claims.
But Nathan wasn't backing down.
With a resigned but fierce tone, he shot back, "It's not just a few people making these claims. There are hundreds locked up in that prison, and nearly a hundred belong to those groups."
Many people were making similar arguments, so didn't that explain the problem?
Matt scoffed coldly.
"That's hard to say... And right now, it's just your word. Who knows if someone told you to say all this nonsense?"
He glanced at Andre on the stage, whether on purpose or not, making his meaning quite clear.
"I'm telling you, what I said is the absolute truth. I'm willing to swear on it!"
Nathan's face flushed with excitement as he swore fiercely right then and there.
The people around started looking at Matt more and more amused.
They weren't fools; everyone was quietly judging how believable Nathan's words were.
Even Pete in the front row shot a look of displeasure at Matt.
He knew Matt was just protecting his own interests, but attacking a witness now, especially when Nathan was bold and fearless, was just plain foolish.
'Why on earth would Michelle send this idiot up to speak?'
As the room grew louder with arguments, Andre on the podium slammed his gavel hard.
"Silence!"
Slowly, the crowd quieted down, and Andre spoke calmly.
"This is question time, not for arguing."
Then he fixed a cold glare on Matt.
"Matt, don't use your words to attack others, or you'll have to leave first."
Matt felt a bit guilty under Andre's stare, and with Pete winking at him, he settled down.
Andre then turned to Nathan.
"It's really unfair to accuse all major civil groups of colluding with the club based just on your words, Nathan. Please step down. We'll hear from other victims next."
Nathan looked like he wanted to argue but was quickly stopped by a sharp look from Andre and reluctantly left the hall, clearly annoyed.
Pete, sitting nearby, was surprised to see Andre speaking so fairly.
'Is Andre truly impartial, or just confident enough to handle things this way?'
Before Pete could think further, Andre called out, "Next up, Matthew Durn."
A young wizard then stepped into the hall, ready to speak.
The next round of questioning went much like Nathan's.
This time, Matthew stepped forward.
He was also part of the patrol team at the breeding park.
He, like Nathan, was known as the ultimate leaker and happened to be Claremont's nephew.
After a brief introduction, Matthew's story matched Nathan's in many ways, except that Matthew was the one who stayed inside the prison, waiting for rescue.
Andre, speaking in his usual flat tone, asked, "Matthew, you said you're a member of the patrol team at the breeding park. Can you give us a quick rundown of your job?"
Unlike Nathan, Matthew was less reserved and spoke more smoothly.
"Yes, sir," he replied. "Our patrol team works in two shifts each day. We're responsible for guarding both inside and outside the protective cover, making sure no one accidentally wanders in or tries to attack the park. I started out patrolling inside the park, but later got promoted to the external patrol team. They even gave us advanced equipment for the job."
Andre pressed on.
"What do you mean by preventing someone from attacking?"
Without hesitation, Matthew answered bluntly.
"Of course, we're there to stop the Department of Law Enforcement from attacking. My uncle, His Excellency Claremont, specifically told us to alert the Aurors if we ever spotted them, then retreat into the protective cover. With the park's defenses, even dozens of Aurors wouldn't be able to break in right away."
Andre smiled and asked, "Then how did you get captured so easily?"
Matthew shrugged with a helpless expression.
"I didn't expect the park to be breached from the inside! The park belongs to the silver wand Lords. Who would've thought they'd turn against their own place? Even in prison, they tried to brainwash us into mindless workers for them."
Matthew's words sparked an uproar in the room.
The patrol members had already said the main authority was the club, and now two witnesses had confirmed it, making the truth hard to deny.
The wizards loyal to Peter's faction grew anxious, but before they could speak up, Andre's stern gaze silenced them.
"Enough!"
Then, turning back to Matthew after restoring order, Andre asked, "You said those breeding parks belong to the silver wand Club. Do you have any proof?"
"The core members of our 'West German Endeavor Society' basically know that. I wasn't originally supposed to be privy to this secret. But since my uncle Claremont is the leader of the Endeavor Society, I'm allowed to know these things.
I've picked up a lot of information about what goes on between the club and the park, things like how they handle magical creatures, how the park operates, my own experiences working for the Endeavor Society and even the black market, and. How my uncle Claremont stirs up trouble within the society itself," Matthew began, speaking with confidence and detail.