Hermione was referring to the murderer, not the Goblins Hall's enemies.
Vincent tightened his grip on her large arm and focused his attention on the solid gold gate that had been assembled.
There are dozens, even hundreds, of gemstones embedded in the door, each about the size of an egg.
Those Goblin scripts weren't just decorations; if they hadn't been broken, they should have provided a powerful defensive effect.
Sirius Black and Lupin stood up after confirming the condition of the body several times.
Do you have any leads on your end?
Vincent shook his head. "Too much time has passed. The magical traces left on it have completely disappeared. We can only roughly determine that it was caused by the Reductor Curse."
A simple Reductor Curse certainly couldn't have shattered the pure gold gate forged by Goblin.
Sirius Black looked towards the passageway behind the door, "It's like this outside, I'm afraid it's inside..."
For at least six months, the greedy Goblin have not only failed to clean up this place, but have also allowed gold and jewels to pile up like garbage. Could it be that the murderer was so cruel as to leave no survivors?
Lupin carefully examined the passage that reflected a golden light, and only after confirming that there were no traps did he cautiously extend his wand inside.
The light from the tip of the staff revealed that the entire downward passage, from the ceiling to the floor, was made of pure gold.
The passageway wasn't very long, and it seemed to connect to a large hall at the end.
The doors are made of pure gold, the passageways are made of pure gold, and the lobby is probably the same.
If they leave so much gold untouched, the Goblins Hall might really be destroyed.
Lupin flicked the light from the tip of his cane into the ceiling of the passageway. "I'll go in first, you all follow me."
Sirius Black strode ahead, saying, "If there really was a trap, we would have fallen into it outside the tree hollow long ago."
Lupin followed behind him with a helpless expression. "Please, there are children too."
Sirius Black turned to look at the two people holding hands at the back, then squinted at him, "Child? Remus, who are you calling a child?"
Lupin was speechless.
Vincent and Hermione are not children, either physically or mentally; the two even managed to capture Peter Pettigrew last year.
Perhaps because he had been a professor, Lupin felt it was his duty to protect the two students.
Sirius Black casually patted him on the shoulder. "Remus, when did you become one of those adults we used to hate the most?"
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the same?"
"I'm very popular with the children." Sirius Black waved his wand lightly as he walked alongside Sirius at the front.
Halfway through the passage, the four discovered a second Goblin corpse.
They wore the same magnificent armor, and their cause of death was also the Killing Curse.
Walk a dozen or so steps further, and there's another Goblin corpse.
The fourth body... the fifth body... the sixth body...
With each additional body discovered, the four men's expressions grew increasingly grave.
Finally, they arrived at the hall, and the scene inside made Hermione, whose face had turned pale, unable to help but close her eyes.
The corpses of Goblin were everywhere, creating a stark contrast with the magnificent hall.
She hugged Vincent tightly, feeling as if tiny insects were crawling all over her body.
Sirius Black and Lupin were numb; they had almost forgotten how many corpses they had examined.
None of them had any external injuries. Whether they were wearing armor or luxurious robes, the cause of death for Goblin was the Killing Curse.
Outside the hall,
Vincent handed Hermione a bottle of Calming Draught. She felt much better after drinking it, but she still couldn't look directly at the hall filled with the aura of death.
A rough estimate suggests there are at least thirty or forty Goblin corpses here.
Including those outside, there are conservatively estimated to be more than 50 corpses.
The most conspicuous object was a corpse lying face down on a huge, pure gold round table.
The round table, with a diameter of ten meters, was the only one of its kind. Its magnificent robe emitted a faint golden glow, as if it were woven from Adamantium threads.
Clothing is an outward symbol of identity and status; he must be the owner of the Goblins Hall.
Hermione, enduring immense discomfort, peeked out from Vincent's arms and looked into the hall. The intense visual impact made her feel nauseous and churning.
She hurriedly shrank back, "This is too cruel! This is simply the work of the devil!"
Vincent turned and glanced around the hall, his voice trembling slightly, "I've seen things that are even more brutal."
Hermione met his sorrowful eyes.
You won't know what a hellish scene is until you see it with your own eyes.
Knockturn Alley, the Half-Girl Pub where Muggle were imprisoned for the wizards' amusement; Muggle turned into Inferi by Voldemort to protect Horcrux...
Compared to the Goblin here, the Muggle are truly innocent.
Hermione cupped Vincent's face in her cold little hands. "I can definitely overcome this."
After saying that, she endured the intense discomfort and stepped into the hall.
There seemed to be even more tiny insects crawling all over her body. Although the scene wasn't bloody at all, you could still feel a bone-chilling cold.
Her little hands suddenly felt warm, dispelling the insects and the terrifying chill.
Vincent squeezed her small hand tightly. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The familiar sense of security returned, Hermione responded by squeezing his large hand tightly.
The Goblins Hall's magnificent hall is exceptionally spacious, almost half the size of Hogwarts' Great Hall.
Aside from some precious decorations, there were actually several Magical Projection placed here, including a large one.
Behind the enormous, solid gold round table was an exceptionally ornate cabinet, neatly arranged with exquisitely crafted magical equipment.
Vincent took out a silver-iron longsword and swung it a few times, then picked up a bronze shield and examined it carefully.
Beneath its gorgeous appearance lies the unparalleled craftsmanship of the Goblin, making it a top-tier magical equipment that even the wealthy and powerful cannot buy on the market.
How could someone have the power to slaughter the Goblins Hall, yet leave behind treasures that could drive any wizard mad?
"The murderer is him." Vincent took a deep breath and slowly put the magic cloak back into the closet. "Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"Crunch—" Sirius Black and Lupin clenched their fists at the same time.
In the entire Wizarding World, only Voldemort could cast the Killing Curse so casually and disregard the Goblin's magical equipment.
"Why did he..." Hermione turned to look at the Goblin corpses, "Why did he do this?"
Vincent closed the display window. "Tom has always looked down on Magical Creatures other than wizards. Remember what I told you about Kreacher? If it weren't for his neglect, we wouldn't have been able to destroy the Soul Shard in the Slytherin Locket."
"Damn it!" Sirius Black slammed his fist into the solid gold floor. "He's definitely possessing Jorkins. If we don't take action now, there will only be more victims!"
Lupin gently pressed his shoulder. "We need to discuss this carefully. At least we should inform Dumbledore first."