In John F. Kennedy International Airport's special terminal, a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel led by Smith and some military soldiers, stood on the runway, watching a massive plane land.
Once the plane came to a complete stop, Smith quickly ushered everyone into vehicles and headed towards the plane's entrance.
This plane had flown in from Scotland.
After a year of study, the students from the San Soliel School of Magic in Scotland were finally enjoying their vacation. The wizards, who had appeared at Buckingham Palace and called themselves the Order of Merlin, were allowing these students to return home temporarily.
As the Earth's officially recognized individuals who had learned supernatural knowledge, these wizards returning home drew the attention of government agencies from all countries.
This time, Smith, along with S.H.I.E.L.D. and some military personnel, was there to welcome and guard the arrival of these wizards. The President himself wanted to be there, despite his advanced age, simply to witness magic. However, due to the President's busy schedule, this idea was eventually dismissed.
In reality, the decision to keep the President away was to prevent him from blurting out something unexpected or acting on a whim. After all, this time, it wasn't just the American wizards who were coming, but also apprentices from other countries.
For various reasons, these individuals had temporarily stayed in America instead of returning to their home countries. Even so, these wizards were being closely monitored by their respective governments, just in case the Americans tried anything.
Smith thought about this as he looked around. Members from the embassies of China, Japan, England, and other countries were present. They were here to welcome the wizards from their respective nations. Seeing this, Smith shook his head helplessly. Dealing with the interests of so many countries made him cautious. America couldn't afford to play tricks.
Moreover, after going through a series of extraordinary events, the present United States no longer brags. He had long learned to be humble.
As the aircraft door opened, under the watchful eyes of Smith and others, more than ten teenagers walked out. Besides two from the United States, the rest were apprentices from other countries.
Only these apprentices were seen wearing the kind of cloak-style magical robes that people typically associate with. The robes were not particularly extravagant, just a simple black, seemingly made of cashmere, exceptionally warm. What caught the eye, however, were the mysterious runes adorning the robes. According to the information obtained earlier, these were the apprentices' magical robes, and those enigmatic runes provided the apprentices with the most basic protection.
These were magical items!
Though Smith was envious, he didn't dare ask the wizards to take off their cloaks for scientific research. Even though the temptation was strong, Smith knew he couldn't afford to do that.
Among the dozen or so individuals present, there were Caucasians, Africans, and Asians, spanning a diverse range of ages. The eldest appeared to be around twenty, while the youngest might not even be ten yet. Smith who was well-versed in intelligence and information already knew the three leaders who led these wizards.
Among the group of wizards, there is a young woman named Su Wei from China. It is said that before heading to the magic school, she was a university student, currently twenty years old.
Another is a pure-blooded American named Alex, a teenage boy with a complicated family background, currently fourteen years old.
As for the last one, whom many recognize, it's Princess Charlotte from the English royal family. This princess gained strong magical abilities after eating a golden apple, leading her to attend the magic school. The golden-haired, blue-eyed little princess was only seven years old.
These three individuals span three different age groups, and at the magic school, they hold leadership positions among wizards of their respective age groups, akin to the role of class representatives.
The group of over ten wizards, as they disembarked from the plane, displayed a mix of nervousness and curiosity. Seeing this, Smith breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, these wizards were relatively young, the type that was easier to manage and influence, making his job less challenging.
"Hello, Miss Su Wei, I am Smith, the director of the Americas S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Smith, accompanied by diplomats from various countries, stepped forward to greet the young woman from China. He chose to greet her first, primarily because she was the oldest among the wizards, and many of them seemed to look up to her. As for Princess Charlotte and the young boy named Alex, they were too young for direct communication with officials.
Su Wei, the beautiful girl from China, hesitated for a moment. She made a gesture signaling them to wait. Soon, several wizards in the group lowered their heads slightly, chanting strange incantations and making peculiar hand gestures. After completing these actions, Su Wei looked up and smiled at Smith. "Hello, Mr. Smith. By the way, does your S.H.I.E.L.D. have Iron Man? I really like Tony Stark..."
Seeing the young woman greet him so openly and even cracking a small joke, Smith understood that she likely came from a well-off family and had been exposed to many upper-class individuals in the past.
"Sorry, the name of our agency was just a joke made by our president. We don't have Iron Man."
Smith shrugged, expressing helplessness, and then asked about his earlier confusion, "...May I ask what you just did?"
He thought it might be some wizard etiquette.
"That's right, Mr. Smith. When I was in university, I studied Japanese with English as a minor. However, my English proficiency is quite average, and I can't communicate normally with people. What I did just now was a magic called 'Language Comprehension,' which apprentice wizards can use. As long as it's not a language with supernatural powers, this magic allows us to communicate."
Su Wei explained with a smile.
Smith was taken aback, looking again at those who had performed the strange actions earlier. He realized that indeed, none of them were from English-speaking countries. Only Alex and Princess Charlotte didn't participate in those actions because they were American and English, respectively.
In disbelief, he exchanged glances with the diplomats around him, internally expressing various sentiments.
He couldn't help but think, Damn, you wizards are breaking the rules! This is a blow to those who've worked hard to learn multiple languages!
Swallowing his spit, he forced a dry laugh and asked, "...So, you mean, using this magic, you can now speak many languages?"
"Exactly, because all languages on Earth lack magic. After using that magic, I can now communicate in all the languages on Earth within the magic's effective period. Of course, it's limited to spoken communication, and it doesn't allow me to understand written text. The kind of magic that enables understanding written languages is beyond my capabilities."
Su Wei's tone carried a hint of pride and satisfaction.
The other wizards also wore similar expressions of pride.
Smith could understand their pride. After all, he couldn't help but feel deep admiration for himself.
This was magic, and it was truly mysterious!