Eugene’s Open Scheme

On that basis, the documents Eugene had provided were insufficient to prove that those magical creatures were "beasts" "incapable of overcoming their savage natures."

In truth, they were capable of overcoming their natures; they simply did not want to when circumstances allowed otherwise.

This was evil arising from individual subjective will, and it was difficult to use objective proof to extend it to an entire species.

It was like the arrested dark creatures: the ones who had not been arrested could simply claim, "They are only the bad portion of our species and do not represent all of us."

"An objective statement, sir. However, what I intend to do is not classify them as ‘beasts.’"

Eugene’s words left the man unable to suppress his confusion.

The Ministry of Magic had only four classifications for beings.

People, beasts, spirits, and non-beings.

To kick those creatures out of the "people" category without assigning them to "beasts"—well…

"Minister, you mean to…"

He could not help swallowing.

"Wipe them all out?"

It was impossible for those magical creatures to become "non-beings." That left only one possibility: kill them all and see whether they could become "spirits."

That made even Eugene freeze for a moment before he hurriedly explained.

"Not at all. I intend to fundamentally change the Ministry of Magic’s current rules for classifying beings… Please look at the final section of the document for the first agenda item."

With such a thick stack of documents, naturally no one could read every page before the meeting began. They had merely skimmed the outline, intending to read the details as each matter came up.

As soon as Eugene finished speaking, the meeting room filled with the sound of turning pages.

"Nine-compartment classification?"

A voice rang out, and its owner frowned instinctively.

"My God. The Ministry’s previous four categories took centuries of debate before they were finally settled. When will nine categories ever be resolved?"

"Classifying beings according to their moral alignment is a very novel idea. If it succeeds, it truly would be far better than the current system."

The current Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, also one of the witches Adam had just pointed out as secretly in love with Eugene, spoke up. But then she looked at Eugene and shook her head.

"However, Minister, have you considered how we are supposed to determine someone’s moral alignment? Wouldn’t this simply bring us back to the Ministry’s previous unreliable testing method?"

Did the Ministry of Magic not know that method was absurd and idiotic?

Of course they did!

But the issue of classifying beings had already been argued over for centuries. It had been difficult enough to find a method that all sides could provisionally agree upon; no matter how ridiculous it was, they had needed to get it done first.

"There is no need for concern on that point. What we seek is the absolutely objective moral alignment of each species, so I will rely on certain external means to achieve that goal."

"External means… Could it be?! You intend to use Veritaserum?"

The witch spoke in surprise.

At first glance, the idea sounded somewhat absurd, because Veritaserum would more or less cause some negative effects in those who took it.

However… if Eugene truly insisted, it was not impossible.

Had the Ministry tried to do such a thing before, it would certainly have been attacked from all sides. Leaving aside the pressure from magical creatures, that was never the Ministry’s main concern. The real pressure would have come from within the wizarding community.

After all, there were always wizards with too much time on their hands, people who had yet to protect the rights of their own kind but spent every day thinking about protecting the rights of other species.

And the Ministry of Magic at least needed to uphold light and justice in name, so it truly had no good way to deal with them. If it took action, it would at least be in the wrong.

But things were different now. A great many dark creatures had followed Voldemort in resisting the Ministry’s rule and disrupting the order of the Wizarding World.

Using that as justification, the Ministry could administer Veritaserum to magical creatures. There would certainly still be voices of opposition, but at least both sides would have grounds for their arguments; the Ministry would not be wholly in the wrong.

"Veritaserum is indeed an available option. But for those who do not wish to suffer negative effects for no reason and are willing to cooperate with the Ministry’s testing, the Ministry has other choices as well."

As Eugene spoke, he glanced in Adam’s direction, then snapped his fingers. His assistant, who had been waiting nearby, brought forward a golden set of scales.

"…What is that?"

"A divine artifact from Egyptian legend: Anubis’s Scales. It can remove the test subject’s heart without harming them. If the subject does not lie throughout the process, they will remain unharmed. But if they tell a lie during it…"

Eugene’s unfinished sentence caused a distinctly audible gulp to echo through the meeting room.

Faced with something that demanded either the most genuine thoughts in one’s heart or one’s actual heart, how many people could remain calm?

"Um, Minister, can the origin of this artifact be trusted?"

An older department director asked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"The only son of the current Egyptian Ministry of Magic Minister studied at Hogwarts for certain special reasons, and he shared a dormitory with me."

Eugene offered an explanation.

Not everyone knew of the Egyptian Ministry of Magic’s special circumstances, but after those in the know explained, everyone quickly understood.

This was an item provided by the next Minister of the Egyptian Ministry of Magic. It had the reputation of an entire nation’s Ministry behind it. Regardless of how credible it truly was, no one could casually question it without evidence.

"…"

Seeing everyone fall silent, Eugene smiled faintly.

"Then, does anyone have any further questions regarding this agenda item?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Setting aside the unsettling feeling brought by Anubis’s Scales, Eugene’s proposal was indeed highly feasible and would produce excellent results if it succeeded.

First, they had reviewed the Nine-compartment method of classifying beings. It sorted beings according to moral values. Different individuals of the same species might differ, but establishing broad classifications would already provide immense help.

Second was the testing of moral values. Eugene had clearly written in the document that the results from testing a large number of individuals from the same species through a series of questions would be used for classification. The only issue was how to make the subjects tell the truth.

The two options Eugene offered were an open scheme in the most upright sense of the term—

First came Veritaserum. Under the current circumstances, using it meant occupying the moral high ground. The Ministry could completely ignore objections; everything was for the stability of the Wizarding World.

Then, for those who thought, "Veritaserum can harm the body. If I can avoid physical harm, I will definitely cooperate," Eugene produced Anubis’s Scales.

True, its side effect was far harsher than Veritaserum’s. It could kill them outright.

But were they not cooperating?

If they were willing to cooperate, why would they fear Anubis’s Scales?

Especially since Eugene had written one sentence in the document that delivered the final blow:

Anubis’s Scales would be controlled solely by Eugene throughout the process, and Eugene was willing to swear a magical oath.

That one sentence eliminated the last possible doubts about Eugene himself, demonstrating that he had absolutely no selfish motives in the process. Anyone who still opposed it under such circumstances… was an enemy of the Ministry of Magic.