Gringotts Terror

Good things brought people good moods.

Cypher released the Snowy Owl from his shoulder and let it soar freely through the sky.

Seeing that it was still early and the sun had yet to set,

Iris dragged Cypher, who had his head raised to the sky and seemed lost in thought, onward without another word.

As they passed an ice cream shop, Iris's eyes lit up.

She hurried over to the storefront.

"Hello! I'll have this one! Yes, yes! The blue one!"

Iris spoke excitedly to the young woman in front of her.

"Deep Sea Waves! It's your first time here, isn't it, little miss? This is our most popular flavor every summer. In winter, it's Volcanic Passion. You're welcome to come try it then."

The saleswoman skillfully prepared Iris's order while smoothly making small talk and slipping in an advertisement.

"Okay, I'll bring my friends here to try it."

Seeing the saleswoman occasionally glance toward her side, Iris remembered that she had dragged Cypher over here with her.

She hurriedly pulled Cypher to the front.

"Uh..."

Cypher, having been pushed over, stared at the various flavors before him, somewhat at a loss.

"I'll have the same as hers!"

"Certainly! That'll be three Sickles!"

Cypher froze and turned to look at Iris.

Iris stuck out her tongue and handed over a Galleon from beside Cypher.

The woman swiftly handed them their ice cream and change. It took Cypher quite some effort to figure things out, while Iris carelessly tossed the coins into her little satchel.

The two found an empty table and sat across from each other.

The moment she sat down, Iris eagerly picked up her little spoon and brought a scoop of ice cream to her mouth.

The wonderful texture, coupled with the faintly chilling sensation that spread through her whole body,

made Iris cry out in amazement.

Seeing this, Cypher took a bite despite the toppings looking like the eggs of some creature.

It was like popping candy infused with mint!

The two silently finished their respective ice creams.

"Cypher, I forgot to tell you. Your owl doesn't know where your home is right now, because there's no magical marker there."

"So? Once I get home, can't I just have my owl find you?"

Looking at Iris, who was lightly tapping her cheek with one finger and frowning in slight distress, Cypher did not understand.

"That's not it. Well, that's important too. Remember, once you get home, have your owl come find me!"

"I mean, you bought quite a lot of things. Look!"

With that, Iris opened her little satchel and waved her wand.

Cypher's textbooks, cauldron, Wizard Robe, and all sorts of miscellaneous items piled across the little table.

That was true. How was he supposed to bring all this home?

And... looking at the brand-new textbooks,

Iris must have secretly paid quite a bit for him, right?

"Come on! Come with me to Gringotts!"

Just as Cypher was about to ask why, a memory surfaced in his mind.

"Gringotts is the Wizarding Bank?"

Iris looked at Cypher in surprise.

"Yes! But it's run by Goblins and serves wizards."

With another wave of her hand, the items on the table went into Iris's satchel.

"Let's go!"

Gringotts was located in the central area of Diagon Alley.

It was a tall white building, its walls covered in patterns.

Iris dragged Cypher, who had been captivated by the building's exterior.

They climbed flight after flight of stairs to Gringotts's entrance.

The first door of Gringotts was a gleaming Bronze Doors, guarded by Goblins in scarlet-and-gold uniforms who bowed to customers as they entered.

The second door was silver, engraved with the following words:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

The heavy, timeworn floors and walls, paired with bright crystal chandelier lights,

truly gave people a sense of stability, safety, and trustworthiness.

Passing through the second silver door, they entered a spacious marble hall. Around a hundred Goblins sat behind long counters, hurriedly recording entries in massive ledgers.

Some weighed coins with scales, while others examined gems through eyepieces.

Cypher could not understand it at all. They worked where outsiders could watch? Was it to display their competence and attitude? Were they not afraid of environmental distractions?

Iris pulled Cypher over to the service area.

A middle-aged Goblin sat in a tall chair, his head lowered as he wrote something.

"I want to withdraw—"

Before Iris could finish speaking,

the hairs on Cypher's back stood on end.

Without thinking, he shoved Iris to the ground.

At the far end of the hall was a narrow passage.

Passing through it allowed people to take carts down to the underground vaults.

But at that moment, someone violently broke through the sealing mechanisms within.

The wall exploded, and chunks of stone flew everywhere.

In that critical moment, Cypher thought of the strange spell he had devised and named Mage Hand.

He did not need a wand.

As long as he supplied enough magic and held firm enough conviction,

the flying rubble was stopped behind Cypher's back.

"Quick, get behind the table!"

Before the dust from the explosion had settled,

the two scrambled behind the table.

"What—mmph—"

After their brief daze, the Goblins in the hall understood what had happened.

They shouted, hurling curses in English and Goblin language.

Cypher clamped a hand over Iris's mouth.

Trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, Cypher secretly prayed that the attacker would leave quickly.

He was far too weak right now and had no power to resist at all.

Sure enough, another explosion rang out.

A blast wave surged past both sides of the table.

In his panic, Cypher tightly held Iris, whose body was equally rigid.

Tap, tap—

Footsteps came from the passage.

From the sound of it, someone was confronting a Goblin who was resisting him.

But judging from the Goblin's labored breathing, he was already at the end of his strength.

"Seriously? The Ministry of Magic actually thought we wouldn't know they had transferred this thing to Gringotts?"

"Tell your Minister, Hector Fawley, that his little scheme is utterly laughable."

As the words fell, another voice came weakly from nearby.

"As long as even one of us at Gringotts remains standing, we will not let you take it out!"

Hearing that, Cypher cursed the Gringotts Goblins viciously in his heart. Couldn't they just send this plague god away already? If the two of them were discovered, their lives would depend entirely on the intruder's mood.

"Forget it. I've got the thing anyway. Still, I have to say, I didn't expect you to chain a Fire Dragon outside the vault. It delayed me for a while."

"Ah! The Portkey is about to activate. I won't play with you anymore. Bye-bye~"

Boom—

Another violent explosion resounded.

Perhaps the intruder had already escaped Gringotts.

In any case, the scene fell silent, save for the crackling of flames burning wood.

Cypher had never imagined that death could come so close.

After a long while,

his trembling hand finally moved away from Iris's mouth. Even then, his mind remained a complete mess.

Iris also realized that she was temporarily safe, but she was still terrified.

So she turned and threw herself into Cypher's arms, remaining motionless for a long time.