Future Looks Bright

Pedro smiled until his face fell, then sighed and reached into his chest, pulling out a rope of blue-violet light.

"I've always wondered when I'd signed this 'Unbreakable Vow' Charm with someone. Now that I think about it, Rosier must have cast it on me. This must be the binding agreement he made me to take care of Anna."

With a pop, the rope of light dissolved into points of light and sank back into his chest.

He was silent for a long while, then looked seriously at Anna. "Child, I want to know whether I really am your grandfather, too. I'm already hundreds of years old. Goblin history is too heavy a burden. I've carried it for hundreds of years, and I can hardly bear it anymore. Perhaps my life will quietly slip away one day soon."

"When people grow old, they always become especially concerned with passing on their bloodline."

"This world stopped being the goblins' world long ago. The goblins of Gringotts aren't the goblins of ancient times anymore, either. The goblin history I carry will only bring them calamity. Let me take it with me into death and put an end to this longing."

Anna nervously grabbed his sleeve. "No! Don't die! Anna doesn't have her mother anymore. She can't lose her grandfather, too."

Pedro affectionately ruffled her little head. "I won't. Ancient goblins live the longest. Who knows? I might even help you look after your children one day."

"Huh? Children?" Anna's face suddenly turned bright red.

"Heh heh." Pedro smiled kindly. "Anna will grow up, get married, and have children one day."

"Believe me, I'll recover the memories of the Blood Curse and let you live like a normal person."

As he spoke, he looked toward the others.

First was the old wizard. He gave a cold laugh. "Heh. Let's skip him."

At last, he looked at Anton.

"I was unconscious earlier, but I could still receive information from the outside. I'm grateful you didn't abandon me on the Island."

Anton smiled faintly. "There are things one should do, and things one shouldn't."

The old wizard couldn't understand the phrase in English, but the goblin, with his wealth of experience, understood it.

He smiled and nodded. "Your Biomimicry Charm is very interesting, but clearly, you still haven't discovered the secrets of Fiennes's Wizard's Eye potion."

The old wizard looked astonished. "What secrets?"

Pedro rolled his eyes. "I don't want to talk to you. Go away."

He turned back to Anton. "With the Wizard's Eye potion and the Biomimicry Charm, you can learn goblin magic."

Anton stared at the goblin. "You're going to teach me goblin magic?"

There was no such thing as a gift without a reason. That was what he'd learned over the nearly year since he'd crossed into this world.

Knowledge in particular represented immense power and wealth in the Wizarding World, building towering walls between countless levels of society.

Pedro nodded. "I'm certain I haven't erased my memories of the Blood Curse. So they must still be in my mind, even though I don't know why I can't remember them. I need someone to help me search through those memories."

"Drink the Wizard's Eye potion, learn my Secret Art, the Goblin's Eye, then use it to enter my memories and search."

Anton looked puzzled. "Wizard's Eye, Goblin's Eye?"

Pedro shrugged. "Clearly, my foolish apprentice thought he had to be better than his teacher, so he decided to create an eye-magic of his own."

The old wizard looked smug. "I did create it!"

So, there was the problem.

The various Potion Ingredients required for the Wizard's Eye potion were the result of the old wizard's seventy years of collecting.

Where could they find them now?

Anna's eyes lit up. "They're in the castle at Manyflower Manor!"

"My mother didn't like living in the castle, so my father built a wooden house outside. They hardly ever went to the castle. Last year, for my birthday, my father gave me the castle as a present. I know how to get in!"

With Pedro, who was quite powerful, their journey finally became much more convenient.

With a faint pop, they appeared on a hillside not far from Manyflower Manor.

Pedro snapped his fingers, and Anton felt a chill wash over him, as if he'd been rinsed in cold water. "A goblin Secret Art, similar to a combination of a wizard's Disillusionment Charm and Confundus Charm."

"Remember, the most important thing about time travel is not to interact with anyone, especially yourself."

Anton looked uneasy.

The old wizard immediately mocked him. "Aha! Coming from you, that's just hilarious."

For once, Pedro didn't snap back. He sighed. "Yes, I'm a case in point. I interacted with myself too often, and my memories became muddled."

The castle was enormous. There was a fountain at the entrance.

A statue stood in the fountain: a beautiful goddess in the form of a mermaid. Her swaying tail rippled through the water, sending out a rainbow-colored glow. One hand reached out of the fountain, and her eyes held a compassionate pity for all the world.

Anna rose onto her tiptoes and placed her little hand on the goddess's. Magical light flowed over their hands, and a doorway appeared beside the fountain. Beyond it, stone steps descended underground.

"Hee hee." Anna introduced it to Anton with some pride. "This is the only safe way into the castle. It's full of Animated Puppets, and they're really fierce."

Anton gazed up in amazement. The castle looked especially tall, with different statues rising above its pointed towers. Bathed in sunlight, it seemed imposing and ancient.

"I only just realized—you're a little rich girl."

Anna clasped her hands behind her back and held her neck elegantly straight. At his words, she smiled shyly. "Let's go inside."

The castle's interior was lavishly decorated. Dark gold frames hung on Stone Walls bearing the marks of time, each a relic of a different era. Every tiny detail spoke of the Rosier family's ancient heritage.

The only downside was that the castle was ridiculously dark.

And cold, too.

Anton finally understood why the Chinese in ancient times hadn't liked building castles. Their sturdiness only made them suitable for borderlands plagued by constant warfare. Aside from that, Anton felt as if he were walking through a grand tomb.

Especially with a headless Ghost floating beside him, the atmosphere was perfect.

Anna hadn't had a Magical Power outburst and couldn't cast Charms. Pedro, the old goblin, was too proud to do the work himself. Everyone was looking hopefully at Anton.

"..."

Damn it, he hadn't learned the Lumos Charm. His schedule was packed to the brim. Who had time to learn something like that? Wouldn't it be better to turn on the lights?

The old wizard had clearly seen his predicament. He cackled maliciously, but still gave him a hint. "Wizards as Gods."

Pedro exploded the moment he heard that. "You foolish human! Gods? Have wizards grown so arrogant now?"

Anton smiled and stopped them from bickering endlessly. "Anyone can stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods—not because of where they come from, but because of what's in their heart."

He closed his eyes and fell silent for a moment. Then he opened them and waved his wand.

"I command you!"

"Full Illumination!"

Countless points of light poured from his wand. Then, as if a gust of wind had swept through, they all burst open.

It was as if the lights had suddenly been switched on in a dim room. The entire castle was bright as day.

"Wow!" The old wizard clapped in admiration.

Anna's eyes sparkled. Pedro looked astonished.

Anton, though, frowned. "That took enough out of me to cast Protego twice."

The old wizard cackled. "Just like you always say, the future looks bright, doesn't it?"