"Follow me." Leonard stood up and walked toward the remains of the statue.
"Where to?" Midgard asked curiously, just as she was about to turn the ruins upside down.
She still couldn't see the illusory door or the floating Mysterious Symbol.
"To get out of here, of course. You already said you don't want to be buried with that pile of rocks," Leonard replied.
As for whether that door was another trap... Leonard felt it was very unlikely.
From the symbols at the ruin's entrance, the strange magic saturating the area, and the stone statues powered by that very magic—statues with extraordinary resistance to ordinary spells—this ruin seemed to have been built for a very specific group of people.
These were people who could control that peculiar magic and wield special spells.
Strictly speaking, Leonard wasn't one of them. He had only gained their traits with the help of Ancient Sprout. Midgard had told him that Ancient Sprout was discovered by a wizard in a ruin that had already been thoroughly ransacked.
That ruin was most likely connected to this one as well.
Because of the peculiar magic and the Mysterious Symbol, ordinary wizards couldn't see the truth hidden within these walls. Perhaps the plundered ruin still held some secrets too.
Leonard didn't know what state that ruin was in now, but he was certain this one should have been abandoned long ago.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain how the Vault within it had become ownerless, only for Leonard to stumble upon it and make it his own.
He had no idea who the previous owner might have been. If the chance arose, he could ask the goblins at Gringotts. Finding a clue would be ideal, but Leonard didn't hold out much hope. Too much time had passed; the traces had likely been erased by history.
Standing beneath the Mysterious Symbol, Leonard reached out without hesitation. With Ancient Sprout's aid, he made contact with it.
The moment his finger touched the mark, a familiar sensation swept over him—the surge of knowledge flooding into his mind.
His eyes lost focus as a map unfolded in his thoughts.
It was of an English castle perched on a cliff. From a bird's-eye view, Leonard looked down at the entire structure. Around it stretched a forest, and a vast lake that encircled half the castle. He was certain he had never seen it before, yet for some reason, it felt oddly familiar.
"That's the Black Lake? And this side must be the Forbidden Forest? Could this be Hogwarts?" Leonard wondered. His view suddenly plunged through the castle walls and floors, stopping inside a hidden chamber.
"Is this the Chamber of Secrets?" he muttered, noticing how the chamber's design was strikingly similar to that of the ruin he was standing in.
No, not just similar—the style was identical. If anyone claimed otherwise, Leonard would gladly gouge out their eyes and ask if they were blind.
"There's an ancient magical chamber under Hogwarts too? So the underground of Hogwarts really is crowded. How many chambers are there? Could the entire foundation be hollowed out and held up by magic? No, wait... I'm not even sure this really is Hogwarts."
Leonard tried to take in more details—the castle's position, the chamber's exact location, its layout—so he could find it again in the future.
But to his surprise, the vision abruptly cut off.
More accurately, it ended right there.
"That's it?" Leonard was dumbfounded. That was a ridiculously vague clue to the next ruin's location. Who was supposed to find it with that?
Was this thing supposed to test their geography skills? Or did all of these people have photographic memories?
While he was still reeling from the thought, the accumulated knowledge and memories in his mind stirred again.
From the Ancient Sprout to the Mysterious Symbol carved into the Vault's walls, fragments had always remained even after the knowledge and memories had fused into complete spells. When the vision of the next ruin appeared, those fragments were triggered once more.
This time, however, they didn't form a new image. Instead, they merged into a circular disk with a needle, like a compass.
Unlike a normal compass, though, the needle pointed firmly in one direction, but there were no letters marking north, south, east, or west.
"So this needle points to the next ruin? That's pretty thoughtful," Leonard mused.
It seemed this ruin had been carefully prepared, even leaving a guiding tool for those who came after.
"Leonard? You okay? Did you burn your brain out from using too much magic?" Midgard asked, giving him a push when she saw him standing there dazed again.
Leonard snapped out of it and rubbed his eyes.
"I'm fine, same as always," Leonard said. "I think I've found the location of another ruin."
"Another ruin? This is part of a series?" Midgard frowned. "Don't you dare think about charging in alone."
"Relax, I'm very attached to my little life. I'll make sure I'm fully prepared before entering, and I'll definitely let you know," Leonard replied. "Besides, the location is vague. It'll take some time to track it down."
He wasn't planning to look for it anytime soon anyway. School was about to start, and he needed to secure a spot at Hogwarts for planting—a place to build his own botanical garden.
Magic couldn't be neglected either. Though the spells taught at school were simplified for younger students, each professor was a leading expert in their field. As long as Leonard showed a bit of talent, he was sure they'd give him extra lessons.
But magical plants were another matter. Hogwarts' Potions class did use some dangerous plants, like Venomous Tentacula and mandrakes, but professors strictly controlled student contact with them.
Seeds were completely out of the question.
So collecting plants would still fall to Midgard. Once his magical plants matured and renewed, he could then consider exploring the ruins. Leonard had come to realize that while magic was powerful, sometimes outside help was essential.
Plants with diverse abilities and unique effects were invaluable. Without the support of Bitterthorn in the last battle, Leonard was sure he'd be dead by now.
"Plant a batch, use magical creature materials to cultivate the right abilities, then pass them down as parent stock. After that, use seeds from their offspring in battle." Leonard quickly mapped out his future combat strategy.
Breeding plants through consumption was the true way forward. If he had to feed magical creature materials to plants on the spot during every fight, not even a vault full of Galleons would last him long.
Lost in thought, Leonard suddenly felt a sharp sting on his forehead. Snapping back to reality, he realized Midgard had tapped him. A werewolf wizard's strength was no joke—Leonard's head buzzed instantly.
"How can someone your age brood so much? What's got you so absorbed again?" Midgard muttered. "We need to move. Did you find the exit? If not, we'll be buried with that giant rock."
"Found it. Same as before—grab my shoulder," Leonard said.
Midgard glanced at her claws. "The bandages tore off. That'll be tough."
The battle had been brutal. While distracting the knight statue, Midgard had nearly reverted to primal form, scrambling on all fours, and most of the bandages had worn away.
Seeing this, Leonard took her hand and pressed his other palm against the ethereal door.
A sensation like a Portkey transfer swept over them, and in the next instant they were back inside Vault 12. The heaps of Galleons gleamed as brilliantly as before.
Recognizing the familiar sight, Midgard let out a breath of relief. She'd half-feared they'd end up in another ruin filled with towering statues.
"How long were we inside?" she asked.
Leonard pulled out his pocket watch. "Fifteen minutes."
"Those fifteen minutes felt longer than a month." Midgard sighed, glancing at her tattered robes. "What now? Go out like this? That goblin will see us."
"So what if he does? He's not going to bite you." Too tired to think, Leonard headed for the door. "Come on. I need sleep."
"Fine." Midgard shrugged and followed him out.
At the vault entrance, the goblin was still standing dutifully, waiting for them to return. Fifteen minutes hadn't tested his patience.
Organizing a vault—especially an ancient one with a private passage—took time. That was understandable. And besides, no matter how many Galleons there were, they all stayed in Gringotts. Just thinking of that filled the goblin with fresh determination.
Galleons were meant to be hidden!
Then came footsteps from inside. Hearing them, the goblin turned, ready to prove he hadn't been slacking off, and to see how many Galleons the customer had taken.
Every time he thought about wizards walking away with those beloved coins, the goblin felt like he was parting from a sweetheart—heartache cutting deep.
But this time, he didn't even have the chance to grieve.
"Customer, now we'll return to the anc—" The goblin froze mid-sentence as a massive, furry figure loomed before him.
He lifted his gaze, locking eyes with a towering figure, pale-gold eyes gleaming—something that looked like it could snap three goblins in a single bite.
"W-w-werewolf!!!" The goblin shrieked, trembling. His eyes rolled back, foam bubbled at his mouth, and he collapsed unconscious.
Midgard, stepping out of the vault:
Leonard, peeking from behind: ???
Wasn't that a bit much of a reaction?
The goblin's scream drew the attention of the vault guards. Soon, short and stocky goblins in uniform swarmed in, surrounding Leonard and Midgard in a tight circle.
The problem was, though they surrounded them with much fanfare, not a single goblin dared step closer.
One goblin, apparently of higher rank, shouted, "Werewolf inside! You're surrounded! Release the hostage and surrender at once!"
Midgard glanced back, then looked down at her own furry claws.
Hostage? What hostage? Weapons? What weapons?
Leonard: So sleepy... I really need to sleep.
Midgard poked his forehead. "Stop spacing out. Explain."
"So annoying. If a werewolf isn't rampaging, that means there's no danger, right? Otherwise, would a werewolf really be standing here listening to them chatter? He'd have killed them already..." Leonard yawned. "Are all goblins this stupid?"
"Maybe they're just too nervous. But werewolves can't even infect goblins," Midgard said with a shrug.
"Forget it, I'll explain." Leonard stepped forward and called out, "This werewolf is my friend. She came to the Vault with me."
With a werewolf? In the Vault?
At that, the goblin guards erupted into chaos.
"Sir, if you've been kidnapped, blink your eyes," a goblin guard whispered. "We'll definitely save you... we'll make sure your Vault is handed over to your immediate family."
Midgard burst out laughing. "Pfft—ha! They're already having you write your will."
Leonard's face darkened. "Use your stunted brains for once! Would a mindless Werewolf stand here negotiating with you?"
"Right, this Werewolf does look pretty calm."
"Are you joking? That's a Werewolf! Look at that poor fellow—he must've been mauled to death."
"But should we really fear Werewolves? We can't be infected."
"We're worried about compensation if the guest gets hurt!"
"But the guest doesn't seem the least bit afraid."
After much heated bickering, the goblin guards finally reached a conclusion. The two boldest shuffled forward, trembling, to check on the fainted goblin.
Once they confirmed he'd only passed out from fright and saw that the Werewolf was perfectly calm, they let out a collective sigh of relief—only to turn red with humiliation. In a fit of frustration, they slapped the goblin hard across the face.
It was all his fault they'd thought they were doomed.
Dazed from the blow, the goblin slowly opened his eyes. Spotting his companions, his face lit up with excitement.
"Thank goodness you're here!" he shouted. "There's a Werewolf! Quick, arrest him!"
The two guard goblins stepped aside with blank expressions, revealing Midgard standing behind them, boredly picking at her nails.
"Quick, arrest the Werewolf—" He froze mid-sentence, catching sight of Midgard. "There's a Werewolf—ah!"
The goblin fainted again.
Leonard: So sleepy... when will this end?
...
The ridiculous scene finally ended when the guards hauled the goblin away. One particularly bold guard took the cart, escorting Leonard out of the Vault.
All the way, the guard kept sneaking nervous glances at Midgard, as if terrified she might suddenly snap and claw him to death.
Midgard ignored him completely. She only pinched Leonard's collar with two fingers to keep the drowsy boy from slipping off the cart.
The cart rumbled to a halt at the private passageway. Midgard gave Leonard a light pat. "We're here."
"Hm? Where?" Leonard blinked groggily, his eyes slowly regaining focus.
"We've reached your private passage," the goblin explained. "From the doors at the end of the hall, you'll return to your original entrance at Gringotts."
The goblin didn't leave right away. Instead, after glancing at Midgard, he addressed Leonard. "Esteemed guest, though it may be impolite to say, please refrain from bringing Werewolves into Gringotts again. Their presence endangers the safety of other customers."
"Who I bring with me is my own business. You've no right to interfere," Leonard snapped, bristling at the blatant discrimination.
He was about to curse him out further, but Midgard stopped him.
"Don't worry. I won't be coming back," Midgard said flatly, her face expressionless.
"That's for the best." The goblin let out a breath of relief, then turned and rode the cart back toward the Vault.
Leonard looked at Midgard's impassive face and sighed inwardly. The goblins' behavior seemed to hurt her more than the battle itself.
"Midgard..." Leonard hesitated, wanting to comfort her but unsure how.
"What's with the sighing?" Midgard gave him a sidelong glance. "You don't really think those dwarves' words could hurt me, do you?"
"Uh..." Leonard was at a loss.
"Relax. I'm not who I used to be. The old me might have flown into a rage, tearing their mouths apart no matter the cost—because back then, that was the only way I knew how to fight back."
Midgard's expression lightened. "But things are different now. My wolf cubs are living better lives. I don't even have to lift a finger to see them growing stronger. I won't resort to violence so easily anymore."
Her words even caught Leonard by surprise.
"It's good you think that way," Leonard said. "You really don't need violence anymore. Keep growing, and just your name will be enough to keep them awake at night."
"Exactly..." Midgard narrowed her eyes. "Besides, I can now stay sane while transformed, and I still retain my full strength. Maybe one day, I'll be able to master the Werewolf shift entirely."
"I believe that day will come," Leonard said approvingly.