Harry Potter: Demon Monarch

Chapter -66.

In the hall, a group of high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic, led by Minister Smith, walked toward Carlson.

Seeing Minister Smith leading the pureblood officials toward him, Lester didn't act aloof and also stepped forward to meet Minister Smith.

Just like in business warfare, while these high-ranking officials of the Ministry might not have high levels of magic, their political acumen was certainly not low, and power struggles were commonplace.

Since they were willing to give him face, he would reciprocate and give them a way out.

Beside him, Minister Smith, seeing the strong 'Carlson' also approaching him, felt his favorability toward this Auror strengthen significantly.

Since old times, it has been the norm for subordinates to report to their superiors, but in the magical world, where strength is revered, Minister Smith was still willing to give this strong Carlson some respect.

"You are truly talented at such age!"

As soon as he made contact with Lester, Minister Smith pretended to be very affectionate, patting his shoulder and showering him with insincere praise.

What a talented man, the future of the magical world relies on you, and you will surely be valued in the future—empty words.

Lester didn't take Minister Smith's empty promises to heart at all.

After all, when it comes to making grand promises, he, coming from the 21st century, was much better at it than Smith; his promises were grand and appealing. Thus, facing Smith's unreciprocated flattery, Lester remained completely unfazed.

"All thanks to the minister's leadership; it's all the minister's doing!"

Lester pretended to reciprocate the praise, but while he said that, his expression was utterly indifferent, giving off a sense of a forced smile.

"Good, good, good!!!" Although he knew Lester was engaging in mutual flattery, Smith still nodded happily.

On the surface, it was merely mutual flattery, but the seasoned Minister Smith naturally understood Lester's meaning, which was that he could let Smith take the credit for suppressing the chaos caused by the prisoners.

Indeed, if news spread about the chaos caused by the prisoners led by Arlis at the Ministry, others in the magical world would likely explode in outrage.

Even though the purebloods of the Ministry controlled public opinion, the Ministry was currently in flames; anyone could see that something was wrong. No amount of 'explanation' to fool the public would work anymore.

If the people of the magical world knew how incompetent their high-ranking officials were when faced with danger, needing an ordinary Auror to save the day, their careers would likely be doomed.

"Carlson, right? What a great Auror! The Ministry of Magic really needs someone like you, strong and responsible," Minister Smith continued to flatter, and the senior officials from various departments joined in, surrounding Carlson with praise.

Under Minister Smith's leadership, the hall was truly a harmonious scene, with a group of high officials surrounding Carlson, showing concern and warmth. Those who knew the situation understood that a great battle had just ended and Carlson had saved the day; those who didn't might think the leaders were there to offer condolences.

At that moment, an unharmonious voice broke in.

"What good is it to be so powerful? Can you extinguish the fire at the Ministry of Magic?" A plump woman with a toad-like face and large round glasses spoke bluntly.

Hearing the woman's words, Minister Smith feigned dissatisfaction and scolded, "Can't you see the hero is resting? Once he's refreshed, he will naturally help put out the fire at the Ministry. After all, we are all part of the same system, working for the peace of the magical world. What do you think of our hero?"

Watching the two perform their duet, Lester remained silent, appearing indifferent, and said, "Sorry, Minister, I consumed too much magic power while subduing that beast, so..."

As he spoke, the 'subdued carlson' next to him pretended to moan in agony to increase Lester's credibility.

Help extinguish the great fire at the Ministry? Did these high officials really think he was a fool? They hadn't even discussed benefits yet, and they were already ordering him around, treating him as one of their subordinates.

If these high-ranking officials were truly that foolish, then he had no need to cooperate with them.

After all, although they were the only legitimate regime in the magical world, who said it had to be them in power?

If they were to leave, there would surely be many pure-bloods willing to take their place.

"Carlson, why don't we go somewhere private to talk?" Seeing that Carlson was unyielding, Minister Smith finally compromised.

"Mm," seeing Smith's concession, Lester nodded, knowing that the real drama was about to unfold.

Minister Smith directly signaled to the surrounding high officials, who immediately understood and cleared a path, stepping aside to let Lester and Smith pass.

The experienced officials knew that Carlson had already passed the test, and it seemed that another power struggle was about to arise within the Ministry!

If Carlson didn't hold his ground, they would treat him as a subordinate, giving him a few perks to gain a powerful ally.

But if Carlson stood firm, they would have to place him on equal footing. Even though he was a wizard of Muggle origin, his strength was enough to allow him to stand on equal ground with them.

Once they were in a secluded corner, Minister Smith opened up and asked directly, "So, what do you desire?"

He had seen Carlson's performance earlier; the reason he hadn't spoken before was not that he didn't want a reward, but because he wanted more!

Surprised, Lester glanced at Smith; he had expected to go back and forth a bit, but he didn't expect Smith to be so direct.

So he decided to be straightforward as well: "I want to be the warden of Azkaban!"

"And I want the authority to command those Azkaban prisoners!"

"Lastly, mobilize all your resources to help me find my lost child in the Muggle world!"

A series of demands were laid out all at once, leaving Minister Smith stunned in place.

He had anticipated Carlson would ask for something substantial, but he never expected such a huge appetite!

With Carlson's strength, if he really became the warden of Azkaban, wouldn't he become the iron-fisted ruler of Azkaban?

Moreover, there was only one prison in the british wizarding world, and that was Azkaban!

This meant that whether it was a major crime like murder or a minor offense like theft, those criminals would all be sent to Azkaban; it was just a matter of different cells.

If Carlson truly became the warden of Azkaban, wouldn't all those prisoners become his underlings?

If one day Carlson became dissatisfied with his position and wanted to advance further, he could directly lead those prisoners into the Ministry of Magic, repeating what the subdued beast had done!

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