As Wentworth stepped out of the Headmistress's office with a radiant smile on his face, Juma smiled too. Yet as he smiled, Juma also shook his head and said:
"Wentworth, we could have been friends, you know."
Hearing Juma's words, Wentworth shrugged, a touch of resignation in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Juma. But the ambition of your Kalembo Tribe... it's simply too great. And I don't make friends with schemers."
Unbothered, Juma responded casually:
"Wentworth, you didn't have to go this far. You could've just pretended to know nothing. It wouldn't have cost you a thing, on the contrary, you'd have gained a seat on Uagadou's Board of Governors, free of charge. Isn't that a win for you?"
Faced with Juma's temptation, Wentworth's smile only deepened. He replied slowly:
"A seat on Uagadou's Board? I've already got one. In fact, I'm the Chairman of the Board."
At that, Juma's previously warm expression turned cold. His gaze shifted to Lakayla standing beside Wentworth, and he asked sharply:
"Headmistress Adisa, what does he mean by that?"
Looking at her own student standing before her, a flicker of complexity passed through Lakayla's eyes. But she still answered:
"Just as Wentworth said, I have accepted your tribe's proposal to establish a Board of Governors for Uagadou. However, I've decided to appoint Wentworth as the Chairman. As for the selection of the remaining board members, he will have full authority."
Upon hearing this, Juma let out a low, derisive chuckle. His eyes darkened as he stared at Wentworth and said:
"So it seems Headmistress Adisa has told you everything, Wentworth. But let me remind you: our Kalembo Tribe has worked toward this for a long time and paid a steep price. Do you truly think you can steal our accomplishments all by yourself?"
"You should remember, this isn't Europe. And it certainly isn't Hogwarts."
As Juma's voice fell, the students of Uagadou who stood behind him, members of the Kalembo Tribe, surged forward, quickly surrounding Wentworth and Lakayla Adisa.
Yet Wentworth appeared unperturbed, as though he didn't even notice the witches and wizards encircling him. He kept smiling and said to Juma:
"If you want to kill me, Juma, just say so."
Juma shook his head in response, replying calmly:
"Wentworth, I genuinely don't want to kill you. Do you see the two wizards beside me? My father sent them to protect me. They're both very skilled."
"If you're willing to put down your wand and come over, they can erase the memories from your mind, those that you shouldn't be holding onto. After that, we can still be friends. You can still serve as a governor at Uagadou."
At those words, Wentworth burst into laughter. When he finished, he pointed at Juma and said:
"Juma, do you think I'd actually believe you? If I put down my wand and walk over, I'd probably be met with an Avada Kedavra the moment I get close!"
But Juma shook his head repeatedly and said:
"Trust me, Wentworth. I wouldn't do that. The last thing I want is to incur the wrath of the greatest white wizard in history, Albus Dumbledore."
Hearing this, Wentworth scoffed and shook his head with a sarcastic smile:
"Juma, how dull. Still playing these games at a time like this? You think I'd fall for it?"
"I'm certain that if I put down my wand and walked over, I wouldn't live for more than five seconds. Even if Dumbledore came himself, you'd just come up with some story, say I disappeared, right?"
"A Hogwarts student, visiting Uagadou for the first time, vanishes without a trace... No matter how it's spun, Uagadou would inevitably be implicated. But what does that have to do with your Kalembo Tribe? In fact, you could use the incident to justify establishing the Board of Governors, as a measure to 'enhance oversight.'"
At this point, Wentworth sighed deeply.
"What a venomous plan. Tell me, if today hadn't happened, and I still refused your proposal, would you have done the same anyway?"
Juma fell silent for a moment. But then, quite suddenly, he smiled again.
Looking at Wentworth with a beaming face, he said slowly, word by word:
"Wentworth, there's one thing I meant sincerely. I truly wanted to be friends with you. I don't know why, but I've always felt we're alike. In another place, under different circumstances, perhaps we really could've been friends."
Wentworth's smile didn't fade as he replied:
"Juma, since you've already said we're alike, then you should understand, whether our words are sincere or not doesn't really matter."
"Man or ghost, it's two sides of the same coin. We're both pawns crossing the river. Too many things are beyond our control. Even if we did become friends, when the time came to strike, neither of us would hesitate."
Juma nodded slowly and replied:
"You're right. From now on, every year on this day, I'll bring flowers to your grave. After all, it's rare to find someone our age who understands me so well."
Hearing this, Wentworth frowned slightly and said:
"You see, that's where we differ. Flowers are all flash and no substance. Every year on this day, I'll bring you good food instead. But I'm busy, so if I forget... I trust you'll understand, won't you?"
Juma chuckled and shook his head. Then, while drawing his wand from his robes, he said:
"Come on, Wentworth. Let me send you off, one last time."
Naturally, Wentworth didn't back down. He drew his own wand and responded:
"It should've come to this from the start. All that talk, and we still end up here. Just as well, I've long been curious about what makes Uagadou's magic so special."
As the duel between Wentworth and Juma was about to begin, Lakayla grew anxious. Quietly, she reached for her wand inside her robes.
But in the next moment, a spell shot toward her without warning. Thankfully, she reacted swiftly and countered with a spell of her own.
Looking toward the direction the curse had come from, Lakayla spotted two black-robed wizards, each holding a wand and staring silently at her. One of them even spoke:
"Lakayla Adisa? I've been waiting a long time to see what the Headmistress of Uagadou is truly capable of!"
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]