Under the urging of Agilbert Fontaine, everyone took their seats. Professor Morry naturally placed his arm around Vid's shoulder, guiding him towards the judges' bench:
"Come, Vid, sit next to me."
Once Vid was seated, he found that Morry and Chairman Fontaine were between him and Ms. Picquery, making it difficult to exchange information, let alone a glance.
Ms. Picquery seemed unconcerned with this arrangement. She gently thanked the staff member who pulled out her chair and then, adjusting her shawl, sat down gracefully.
Vid's gaze slightly sharpened.
Nearby the judges' table, a few staff members had been bustling about—sometimes guiding spectators who accidentally approached too close to their seats, sometimes helping judges receive invitations or letters from others. Vid thought the organizers' arrangements were quite meticulous.
Now, as most of the audience was seated, the finally idle staff members showed varying demeanors—
Most appeared relieved, sporting a "finally can rest" expression, with some going for a drink, others sneaking off to rest near the spectator stands.
However, two wizards with serious expressions maintained a close but not too close distance from Ms. Picquery, even amidst their prior busyness, and now, no attempts at rest were made.
Their stances didn't resemble guards, as guards would focus primarily on potential external threats.
Instead, the two's attention intermittently and subtly focused on Ms. Picquery, strategically positioned out of the other judges' sightlines, yet able to comprehensively observe her actions.
This isn't protection... it's surveillance.
Vid gave the two a long look, noting down their appearances and names—
[Angus Walker];
[Leo Bertren].
At that moment, a voice came from beside him:
"They're staff sent by the Ministry of Magic, responsible for ensuring no trouble arises during the event, akin to the Auror lady who brought you all here."
The speaker had a distinctive accent, speaking slowly and deeply, with a magnetic voice that, despite its imperfect pronunciation, made people want to listen patiently.
Vid turned his head, discovering it was the judge from African Uagadou, Professor Abdullah, sitting beside him.
This man, tall and imposing, exuded a gentle aura. His deep chocolate skin was tattooed with complex texts and patterns, seemingly traditional Egyptian scripts, unfamiliar to Vid.
His robe, vividly colored with red, gold, and deep blue, adorned with intricately carved gold bracelets on his wrist, was neither jarring nor bizarre, but rather had a unique sense of harmony and beauty.
At this moment, Abdullah turned his head, looking down at Vid with a warm smile.
"Don't worry, they're not bad people."
He said softly, "When Ms. Picquery was serving as the President of the Magic Congress, she made significant contributions in halting the spread of the Witch Pure Party's influence. Now, with the party resurging, the American Magic Congress is concerned that she might be targeted by them, hence they've been sending people to protect her."
"I see." Vid showed a relieved smile, "I thought they were surveilling Ms. Picquery!"
Their conversation was not particularly loud, but seated on Vid's other side, Professor Morry naturally overheard and couldn't help but chuckle as he patted Vid's head:
"Silly boy, we're all here! If Seraphina is threatened, would we sit idly by?"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot about that..."
Vid appeared a bit embarrassed. He lowered his head, rubbing his nose, a hint of embarrassment on his face.
Agilbert Fontaine, observing a group of people setting up broadcast equipment, heard Professor Morry's laughter and curiously asked, "What's going on? What are you talking about?"
Before Vid could respond, Professor Morry let out a gentle and joyful chuckle, explaining:
"Haha... Vid, this kid, probably still haunted by past encounters with the Mysterious Man and those Witch Pure Party members, sees everything as a potential threat now..."
Headmaster Fontaine, upon hearing this, instantly smiled with understanding, waving his hand broadly, his voice booming and confident:
"Ah, I see! Rest easy, Little Vid! America is safe! The Death Eaters' forces have never successfully penetrated these lands. As for before... the Witch Pure Party indeed had intentions here, but under Ms. Picquery's leadership, the Magic Congress successfully thwarted their plots!"
Ms. Picquery, uncertain why they brought up this topic, still offered a humbled smile upon hearing Fontaine proudly recounting her past achievements.
"You exaggerate, Agilbert," said Ms. Picquery gently, "The main credit goes to Dumbledore and Mr. Scamander."
"Don't be so modest, Seraphina."
Fontaine said, "Without your support, their actions wouldn't have gone so smoothly. That's equally crucial!"
"A contrary example would be that Cornelius Fudge from the British Ministry of Magic. He had numerous conflicts with Dumbledore—I heard they argued several times. When I went to watch the games last year, I found their relationship very strained..."
"Well, who would've thought the result would be Fudge stepping down voluntarily, which did make me see him in a new light," Ms. Picquery said slowly. "Not continuing to cling to power... was a very wise choice."
"Ha, just a coward!" Fontaine dismissively waved his hand, "He simply couldn't handle the complex situation and dumped the trouble on his successor!"
Ms. Picquery added, "Recognizing one's limitations, isn't that a form of wisdom too?"
Fontaine, silent for a moment, grumbled, "...If you had seen the fellow yourself, you wouldn't have given him such praise!"
While the two discussed the recent changes in the British Ministry of Magic, on the other side, Abdullah looked at Vid and said, "Don't feel embarrassed about being cautious, young man. In unfamiliar environments, keen observation is a valuable asset. You've done well."
Vid nodded and said, "Thank you, Professor Abdullah."
Abdullah smiled again, glanced at Vid, and turned his eyes to the competition field.
Soon after, Vid's peripheral vision once again caught sight of Ms. Picquery's "guards".
The two stood symmetrically behind Seraphina Picquery. Occasionally, they glanced around, but whenever Ms. Picquery spoke, their attention immediately focused on her.
—Protection from the Ministry of Magic?
Ha!
It's a pretty convenient excuse!