The Congress atrium was once again filled with every kind of sound: hurried footsteps, peaceful discussions, and wizards chanting spells.
Wands waved as the ruins created during the battle were swiftly restored to their original state. Ordinary wizards with neither suspicions hanging over them nor official duties could finally leave.
People hurried along, their faces bearing the exhaustion of having survived a disaster.
The bodies of the dead were carefully placed to one side and covered with white sheets. Unrestrained sobbing rose in the courtyard from the families of the deceased who had rushed over after hearing the news.
Klinch Barrett crouched before the family members kneeling on the ground and weeping. Although none of this was his responsibility, his face was full of guilt as he apologized in a low voice, doing his best to explain the situation gently and promising an investigation and compensation.
At that moment, his ordinary round face bore an incomparable sincerity, which somewhat soothed the emotions on the verge of collapse.
Against this busy backdrop, Wade had already taken off his pale blue healer's assistant uniform. Dressed in an inconspicuous dark Wizard Robes, he came to the blast ruins beneath the podium, whose rough outline had just been cleared.
The ground was charred black, the stone slabs shattered. Nearly crimson blood could still vaguely be seen mixed with mud, indistinguishable from it.
Wade bent down and picked up an ant's corpse beside a piece of rubble. It was a very, very tiny ant. Burned black, it looked like a sesame seed.
He straightened up and gathered the remains into his palm. As he turned around, he saw someone walk up behind him.
It was Antoine, without any disguise at all.
"You're just showing up at the headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United