"This is an extremely difficult task, Evans. Are you ready to face the challenge?"
"Yes, Prime Minister!"
...
That exchange had taken place three days earlier, when senior military officer Camby Evans had accepted the mission personally assigned by the Prime Minister in an exceptionally resolute voice.
What he had not expected was that he would be transferred to a civilian department called the Joint Operations Office.
Or rather, that he, a military officer, would be doing clerical work in an operations department.
That change alone had made him feel out of place immediately.
Of course, there was something even harder for him to adjust to.
Magic.
From the moment the office began to be set up to now, three days later, when it had finally been established, he had at last understood what kind of "joint" operation this was.
A joint operation between magic and technology.
In truth, joint operations were a very common thing in the military.
Cooperation between different units and branches, for example, had always been a key part of military training.
And in a government office, there was also the need to coordinate with intelligence services, police departments, and even Parliament.
But this time, they were actually going to be working alongside wizards.
If the Prime Minister had not sworn it was all real, and if the Chief Secretary to the Cabinet had not been acting as director of this seemingly absurd office, Evans would never have stayed here for even a second.
"Hey, lads, what do you think, those... wizards? That is what we call them, right? How are they supposed to get here?" a dark-skinned man asked teasingly as he sat on top of a desk.
Bruce Baker.
Judging by appearances, compared with the somewhat refined Evans, the broad-shouldered Bruce looked much more like a hardened soldier who had seen real battle.
And yet the truth was just that ironic. He was actually a veteran staffer who had worked in the British government for years, knew the responsibilities and authority of almost every department, and was one of the people best at keeping the office atmosphere lively.
So as soon as he asked the question, the few colleagues in the office immediately looked up from their desks, Evans included.
"Maybe on broomsticks, or flying carpets?" a girl named Crystal joked, setting off a burst of laughter around the office.
"Oh, come on, don't say that. These are noble wizard gentlemen. Maybe they walked here?" Bruce replied with a grin, drawing even louder laughter.
"Ahem."
Years of military life made Evans turn around and snap to attention the moment he heard the cough.
"Good morning, sir!"
What surprised him, though, was that this time the Chief Secretary had three men with him.
One was as powerfully built as Bruce, seemed somewhat reserved, and stood at the very back of the group.
Another was impossibly handsome, more like some wickedly charming villain from a film, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the office with amused interest.
The last stood only half a step behind the minister. He carried himself with elegant poise, wore a well-tailored suit, and was looking around the office layout with obvious interest, as though quite pleased by what he saw.
If Evans had not been absolutely sure he had never met him before, and had never heard of some hidden royal prince kept out of sight, he would have thought this man was some aristocrat from who knew where.
The Chief Secretary, however, looked a little embarrassed.
As the nominal head of the office, especially one formed through cooperation, it was downright humiliating that his own subordinates were being so rude to the colleagues they were about to work with.
Fortunately, as a politician, he had a thick enough skin, and he quickly covered up that embarrassment.
"This is Mr. Tver Fawley, advisor to the Joint Office, and also, er, the International... United Wizards..."
"The British representative to the International Confederation of Wizards," Tver kindly reminded him.
"Yes, right, exactly. In any case, Mr. Fawley is the true leader of all operations in this office, and all of you will be under his authority!"
Evans and Crystal immediately began clapping, and everyone else hurried to follow.
But Tver could still hear the reluctance in it.
In their eyes, this office had probably looked like a real power department, personally established by the Prime Minister and led by the Chief Secretary to the Cabinet.
And instead, some young man from who knew where, not to mention a wizard they did not understand at all, had taken the real authority. Naturally, that left them feeling disappointed.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Tver said, stepping forward and slowly sweeping his gaze across their expressions, "I know you do not understand magic, and you do not understand wizards."
"But that is all right. In the missions ahead, you will come to understand all of it."
"The premise is that you let go of your resistance."
"To be honest, I do not know what standard your usual operations are meant to reach, and I have no interest in finding out."
"Because here, you are nothing more than a group of little nobodies hiding in an office and enjoying the air conditioning..."
"Answer me, Major Camby Evans." Tver walked up in front of Evans and met his eyes directly. "Or are you saying you cannot even adapt to a minor role like this?!"
The muscles in Evans's face twitched with anger. He took a deep breath and broke eye contact first.
"No, sir!"
"Very good." Tver nodded in approval, walked past him, and looked at the others in the office.
"Since this office is under my command, your performance and abilities will be reported by me directly to your esteemed Chief Secretary and Prime Minister."
Tver gave the Chief Secretary beside him a timely nod.
That both gave the man face and reminded him that these wizards had been arranged by the Prime Minister himself.
"I assume none of you wants the report placed on the Prime Minister's desk when this office's mission is successfully concluded to say that you were completely useless, do you?"
"No, sir!"
With Evans setting the example, the office staff immediately responded in loud voices, like soldiers.
"That's what I thought. Otherwise, the minister wouldn't have been praising you all the way here."
Tver gave the Chief Secretary a smile, as though they really had been discussing the staff just moments ago.
The minister, however, sent him a subtle look, as if there were something private he wanted to discuss.
That worked out well, since Tver had finished speaking anyway.
"Crystal, take Marvolio and Viktor to their desks and introduce them to everyone."
Yes, Marvolio and Viktor.
Ever since Marvolio had truly come back to life, the magic he could cast, especially the Imperius Curse, had improved enormously.
By now, he could already control the real Dawlish and make him go to work at the Ministry, while also arranging a new Auror identity for himself and living in his original body.
This time, Tver had brought him over to help.
As for Viktor...
In his own words, "I still can't figure out what this department is for, so I came to learn."
And then he resigned from his post as the Bulgarian representative and strongly insisted on joining the joint department Tver was part of.