Victor's mouth curled into a careless arc, and he asked, "Sorry, the chair's not long enough."
Ezra Hughes' facial lines appeared particularly hard under the dappled shadows of the trees.
He said in a steady voice, "Then let's discuss your recent itinerary."
"For instance... how did you get the qualification to participate in the Alchemy Competition?"
"Also, you previously took the same flight with Vid Gray, an assassin from the Scourers, and others to the United Kingdom. I remember when buying the ticket, you said it was to study some old British cultural knowledge in depth."
"And the reason you told other wizards was that you wanted to study British Magic World's Alchemy."
"Did your studies finish? Why did you return to New York immediately after less than a week in the UK?"
"Also, when my team was investigating the Harrington family death incident, do you know what they found in those Muggles' memories?"
He did not wait for Victor to answer and directly gave the answer:
"Before the bodies were discovered, someone saw two bodyguards patrolling in the courtyard in the rain. And one of them... for some reason, looked very similar to Mr. Victor."
Victor shrugged: "People do look alike! They say at least six strangers in the world look almost exactly like you without any blood relation."
As he spoke, he casually shifted his body to the side, the wooden bench making a slight creaking sound.
"Please sit." Victor said lazily, "Actually, I was just looking for someone to chat with."
Ezra Hughes sat down calmly, his gaze then falling on the black dog crouching nearby.
Those obsidian-like eyes were watching from below, without the curiosity, wariness, or closeness typical of a pet dog.
Ezra Hughes had a very clear intuition—it was observing him.
The gaze felt tangible, landing on his skin, making the hairs on his arm quietly stand on end; its nostrils flared slightly, as if a low growl was suppressed in its throat.
Noticing his gaze, Victor casually asked, "Mr. Hughes, are you interested in my dog?"
"Ah."
Hughes replied vaguely, his thoughts, which were already certain, started to waver again.
Such a realistic creature, is it really artificial?
He had bought a Poppet Pet for his youngest daughter, but those little things were like plush toys meticulously crafted by Muggles—looking very real at first glance, but when truly interacted with, the fake parts became apparent.
He slowly reached out, intending to pat the black dog's head. But the dog quickly dodged, baring its teeth in a vicious expression.
"Sorry, it doesn't like strangers touching it."
Victor said languidly, reaching out to pat the dog's back, only to have it decisively shake him off.
The black dog rose and went to the other side of Victor, laying down again, with only its ears trembling slightly.
Hughes' hand hovered in the air for a moment, then withdrew, his face showing no surprise, just certainty: "It was this fellow who saved people in the rain a few days ago, right?"
Victor chuckled: "Save people? What, did you find... others saw a similar dog too?"
Hughes ignored his evasions, simply watching Victor, and asked slowly and clearly, "Is it a... poppet?"
"Poppet?" Victor raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like Mr. Hughes suspects I have something to do with... the Harrington death? First, you say my dog saved people in the rain, then you call it a poppet..."
He chuckled lightly, "Do you want to label me as a criminal, or forcefully make me a hero? Or perhaps..."
He suddenly leaned in, staring intently into Ezra Hughes's eyes, a dangerous smile on his face.
"Is Mr. Hughes actually trying... to blame the British wizards for all the deaths?"
"Why not be direct, maybe... I'll cooperate?"
Victor said in a low voice, with a tone of amusement and provocation.
Ezra Hughes said impassively, "I just want to know the truth."
Victor rested his arm on the back of the bench and asked, "Does Mr. Hughes think I can give you the truth?"
Ezra Hughes looked at him and said, "At least you... or your people behind you, possess information we don't know."
After a pause, he added, "I'm not your enemy, Mr. Klafchuk. If I came with ill intent, then I wouldn't be the only one meeting you."
"In some ways, our goals are even aligned."
He looked at Victor, knowing that without producing some pivotal evidence, he could not earn the trust of the person in front of him.
After a brief silence, Hughes finally spoke slowly, "From a Harrington family survivor, we learned about the existence of that organization..."
He slowly relayed the information he had.
Victor's gaze shifted to Hughes's face, speaking with a tone of cautious inquiry: "The Auror Office simply believes the testimony of two terrified young people without doubt?"
"... Before that, they drank Veritaserum." Hughes said slowly, "Even a drop, the power isn't something Muggles can easily resist."
This answer didn't surprise Victor much because that night, they also consumed a lot of their Veritaserum reserves.
After a moment, Hughes exhaled gently, as if releasing a slight burden: "In fact... we can't help but believe. Because those words were like the last puzzle piece, explaining mysteries that had been scattered for years."
His fingers tapped unconsciously on his knee, his eyes carrying the weight of memories, as well as an unfathomable fatigue.
"The old wizard living in seclusion disappeared silently, by the time we found out, the dust in the room was as thick as a Knut."
"Foreign wizards who came for tourism occasionally disappeared midway in the Human World. Initially, we thought they used illegal international Portkeys, but later found out... that wasn't the case."
"Also, the number of children enrolled in Iphamoni was always less than we estimated. Headmaster Fontana investigated several times, but no matter how we investigated, no anomalies were ever discovered..."
"We've long suspected..."
Hughes looked into the distance, his voice low, "In the United States, a vast shadow has been entrenched. But we've never been able to determine what it is..."
Victor didn't immediately respond, merely narrowing his eyes slightly.
Then, in a whisper, he said, "So, Mr. Hughes, about your investigation yielding nothing... have you considered that it's not because the enemy is too strong, but perhaps because your own internal affairs aren't clean?"