"Yes, young master!"
Krell answered loudly, finally revealing a satisfied smile.
Dumbledore looked at Krell and Link with suspicion.
He had a constant feeling that he had been tricked.
And in fact, he had.
Krell knew very well that he had no authority to interfere with the settlement plan that the New International Wizarding Alliance had spent so long discussing and agreeing upon. He also understood that Link didn't actually care whether the Beauxbatons students would rebel.
That was because the power Link currently possessed was simply too overwhelming.
Compared to him, the people of Beauxbatons didn't even have the slightest chance.
So what Krell had wanted from the very beginning was inspection authority over the Beauxbatons students.
With that authority in hand, he would undoubtedly be able to do many things.
He could also push the settlement plan, which Dumbledore had exhausted himself fighting for, one step further in the direction Krell and the others wanted.
Dumbledore might realize all of this afterward, but by then it would already be too late.
Chuckling smugly a few times, Krell quickly left the tower.
He had preparations to make for the work ahead.
As Krell departed, the atmosphere inside the tower office returned to its earlier ease and comfort.
Besides Link, Dumbledore, and the staff of the British Ministry of Magic, there were also magical projections of Piquely, August, and many others inside the office.
Thanks to this new technology developed by the British Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries, long-distance video conferences had finally become possible in the wizarding world.
Over the past two days, it was through one such video conference after another that Link and the others had reached several decisions regarding Beauxbatons.
It sounded like a serious matter.
But in reality, it wasn't much different from dividing the spoils.
Because the core topic of these meetings was this:
How should the gains from the Battle of Beauxbatons be divided?
Never underestimate Beauxbatons.
Although it was only a magical school in name, magical schools in the wizarding world, especially famous ones like Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, actually possessed astonishing reserves.
For example, the student population itself was a huge asset.
No Ministry of Magic could resist the temptation of increasing the number of students in the magical schools within its territory.
After all, a large portion of the students who graduated from these schools would remain in the local area to work and spend money.
All of that would effectively strengthen the Ministry of Magic.
Not to mention that if a genius happened to emerge, it would be an enormous gain.
That was why, when dividing up the student population, Link and the others chose to distribute Beauxbatons' first through third year students among the various magical schools.
Officially, this was to prevent them from gathering together so they could be reformed.
But in reality, it was simply dividing the benefits.
Of course, doing so would inevitably affect the children's parents and was practically equivalent to stripping them of their right to educate their own children.
The New International Wizarding Alliance had already come up with a solution.
They simply charged those children with violating the Anti-Wizard Act and Endangering Public Safety.
That wasn't really an injustice to them, since they had indeed followed Norton and the Shadow Men in doing many things.
Afterward, Link and the others reduced their criminal responsibility on the grounds that they had been controlled by the Imperius Curse and had acted under coercion, sentencing them only to undergo mandatory specialized education.
Thus, the New International Wizarding Alliance achieved its goal of dividing up Beauxbatons' student population.
Once the most troublesome resource, the students, had been divided, everything else became much simpler.
The magical books preserved in Beauxbatons' library, its reserve funds, its educational resources...
Link generously took out most of the wealth owned by Beauxbatons and divided it among the Ministers of Magic of the New International Wizarding Alliance.
The greatest beneficiary was, without question, the British Ministry of Magic represented by Link.
Because they had been the first force to enter Beauxbatons, and Link himself was the one cutting the cake.
Link directly kept Beauxbatons Island, along with all the artifacts and original magical books inside Beauxbatons Castle, while also retaining a large portion of the students and wealth.
This move would ensure that, in the future, Beauxbatons, and even the entire French wizarding world, would truly become a colony of the British Ministry of Magic.
At the same time, Link could use this act of mercy to command the wizards who had come from Beauxbatons.
Naturally, Piquely, August, and the others were extremely envious.
But none of them were in a position to say anything.
Because, fundamentally speaking, the Battle of Beauxbatons had been won solely by the British Ministry of Magic.
The combined Auror forces from the other countries had, at most, served as extra numbers and taken the opportunity to train their troops.
To use Krell's words, those Ministries of Magic should have been paying the British Ministry of Magic instead, thanking them for providing such a valuable training opportunity.
So this division of the spoils could actually be seen as Link giving the Ministers of Magic a taste of the rewards.
And it worked very well.
Just by looking at the cheerful, spirited expressions on the faces of the Ministers inside the holographic projections, Link knew that they were already eager to attack Sky City and divide up even more benefits.
Sure enough, Link and Dumbledore had only just managed to steal a moment to drink some tea when Piquely and the others, who had been chatting among themselves in the holographic projections, could no longer hold back.
The office first fell silent.
Then Piquely spoke in an unusually cheerful voice,
"Lord Flamel, when do you plan to begin the next campaign against the rebels occupying Sky City?"
Hearing this, Link and Dumbledore also put down their teacups and turned to look.
All the Ministers in the holographic projections were staring at them with bright, expectant eyes.
The corners of Link's lips lifted slightly.
He exchanged a glance with Dumbledore but said nothing.
Seeing this, Piquely wasn't embarrassed and continued on her own.
"I think the sooner, the better. Since losing the coordination and support of the International Confederation of Wizards, the Statute of Secrecy is now close to collapsing. Many Ministries of Magic can no longer maintain their previous dominant position before Muggle rulers and have been forced to cooperate closely with Muggles to continue suppressing information about magic."
"Although this approach guarantees temporary stability, in the long run it is actually undermining the very foundation of the Statute of Secrecy."
"After all, those Muggle rulers won't help wizards without expecting anything in return. They want something."
"And what they want is to share in the benefits that magic brings."
After saying that, Piquely raised an eyebrow toward the German Minister of Magic beside her.
Receiving the signal, the German Minister instantly dropped his grinning expression, became serious, cleared his throat, and said,
"That's right! If this continues, the Statute of Secrecy will collapse sooner or later! And when that happens, the living conditions of lower-class wizards will once again become miserable! Our newly established New International Wizarding Alliance doesn't yet possess the authority and capability that the International Confederation of Wizards once had. Therefore, our top priority is to replace the International Confederation of Wizards! Eliminate the rebels occupying Sky City and rebuild order in the wizarding world!"
His speech received the approval of nearly every Minister of Magic present.
For a moment, the entire office erupted with applause and cheers.
Yet the German Minister himself nervously watched Link's expression.
He knew perfectly well that Piquely had pushed him out to test Link's attitude.
If Link reacted badly, he would become the scapegoat and bear the consequences for Piquely.
The risk was enormous.
The German Minister had no desire to offend someone as ruthless as Link Flamel.
Fortunately, although Link didn't express approval after hearing him, neither did he oppose him outright.
The mysterious smile remained on his face, allowing the German Minister to breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing Link's reaction, August finally couldn't hold back any longer.
She slowly raised a hand.
The noisy Ministers immediately fell silent.
Only after the office had returned to complete quiet did August calmly say, "Launching an expedition against Sky City is something we will definitely do. But I believe everyone here also knows that because Sky City possesses spatial technology, its exact location is constantly changing. Other than the two attacks it launched against the Polish Ministry of Magic and the Japanese Ministry of Magic, we've never actually confirmed where it was."
"And even if we do locate it and surround it with our forces, Sky City can still use spatial magic to escape."
"So before we can formally attack Sky City, we still face a very serious problem."
"How exactly are we supposed to locate Sky City and successfully 'capture' it?"
August sat back down.
The office became noisy once again.
The problem she had raised was an extremely difficult one.
After hearing it, most of the Ministers present found their minds completely blank.
But that didn't stop them from proposing their own solutions.
After all, if their proposal were adopted, then at the next meeting to divide the spoils after defeating Sky City, they would be entitled to a larger share.
Driven by such enormous interests, suggestions like "tie Sky City up with ropes" and "have the Muggle rulers bomb it directly with nuclear weapons" were proposed one after another.
Many of the ideas were so absurd that even Dumbledore couldn't help laughing.
In the end, August stepped forward once more.
"Since everyone can't reach an agreement, let me present my proposal."
As she spoke, she took out the minutes from a meeting with the Russian Muggle leadership, displaying them clearly in the holographic projection.
"Our Ministry has already reached an agreement with the Russian Muggle government. They are willing to use satellites to search the entire world and help us locate Sky City."
"Impossible!" Piquely objected. "Sky City is protected by the Unplottable Charm and Muggle-Repelling Charms. No Muggle means of observation can detect it!"
"That's true," August said casually. "But if we help them improve their observation lenses, they'll be able to see it very clearly."
"Not only that, but the Russian Muggle government is also willing to provide us with military assistance. Once Sky City is found, we can use their rocket launch systems to rapidly approach and enter Sky City."
"Oh, I know what you're about to say. Launching people with rocket systems is dangerous. Of course I know that. Ordinary Muggles would certainly die if they tried such an assault."
"But we're wizards."
"Everyone here knows how to use Shield Charms, don't they? Then we'll also equip our Aurors with alchemical protective suits. That way they'll be perfectly fine."
"And finally, if we truly can't defeat the Sky City rebels, then the Russian Muggle government has authorized us to use nuclear weapons!"
"You all know what nuclear weapons are, don't you? The two bombs the American Muggles dropped on Japan half a century ago. Only this time, the ones the Russian Muggle government is willing to provide are supposedly far more powerful than 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man.'"
"Of course you know. Someone even suggested bombing Sky City with an atomic bomb just now."
"It's just that most of you treated it as a joke."
"Piquely, if I remember correctly, you were laughing the hardest, weren't you?"
Piquely's expression immediately became extremely unpleasant.
At the level occupied by her and August, even if a Minister of Magic did absolutely nothing during the war and merely lent their name to it, they would still receive a share of the spoils in the end.
So the main target August wanted to attack was her.
"I actually understand you very well, Piquely. Given the way you and MACUSA think, it's only natural that you can't understand the feasibility of this plan," August said proudly. "But in reality, this is by far the most efficient method!"
"Your Majesty Link Flamel, what do you think?"
"What you're proposing is the true betrayal of the Statute of Secrecy!"
Piquely spoke first.
"Just as I said before, your Russian Ministry of Magic is a perfect example! You've colluded with the Russian Muggle government, violated the Statute of Secrecy, and engaged in trade! Why don't you honestly tell us what promises you made to the Russian Muggle government for them to hand over something like nuclear weapons?"
"That's a blatant slander!"
"No, it's merely a reasonable deduction! After all, the plan you've proposed is simply too unreasonable!"
———
Piquely and August began arguing like that.
The Ministers of Magic from the other countries all watched with alarm.
They simply couldn't understand how these two Ministers, representing the Russian Ministry of Magic and MACUSA, could argue like two fishwives during such an important meeting.
Only Link and Dumbledore showed almost no change in expression.
They watched the entire scene with smiles, as though enjoying a stage play.
The greatest reason they could remain so calm was that they had already come up with a plan to locate and capture Sky City.