Infiltrator

In silence, Eiffelduo's eyes widened, staring in disbelief at August, who was already sitting up in bed.

He tried to open his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

At that moment, a thin red line appeared on his neck. Drops of blood seeped out, and this line widened further and further, gradually forming a complete wound around his throat.

He clutched his neck in vain, trying to put his wobbling head back in place, but his consciousness drifted further and further away, and soon darkness engulfed his senses.

Eiffelduo's head dropped from his neck, bouncing twice on the floor like a ball.

Without his brain's command, his body slumped to the floor, and hot blood continuously flowed from the clean cut on his neck, forming a small puddle on the ground.

It was August's first time killing someone, and strangely, he seemed to feel nothing; he only found the strong scent of blood a bit pungent.

Tom was still waiting outside, so August had to proceed to the next step quickly.

He used a [Levitation Charm] to move Eiffelduo's body to the bed and covered it with a quilt, then separately picked up Eiffelduo's head and put it into a pre-prepared bag.

Next, he took out a small bottle, removed the stopper, and put the hair he had just plucked into it.

"Disgusting!" He looked at the Polyjuice Potion in his hand, unwilling to taste it.

But this was part of his plan, so August had to try it even if he didn't want to.

He pinched his nose, tilted his head back, and brought the bottle to his lips. Instantly, an indescribable taste filled his mind.

"It tastes awful, cough, cough..." He coughed twice, still not making any sound.

After August drank the Polyjuice Potion, his body began to change, suddenly swelling, and his face started to bulge with protrusions.

His hair color also changed, from August's original dark brown to Eiffelduo's grayish-white, and his body became taller and sturdier. In a short while, August, looking identical to Eiffelduo, appeared in the room.

"It tastes terrible. I don't want to taste it ever again."

This bottle of Polyjuice Potion was temporarily brewed by him after he decided to double-cross someone. The recipe was recorded in the books he bought, and since a little witch could learn to brew it herself in school later, there was no reason he couldn't.

These potions weren't rare; they were quite common on the market, and he had most of the ingredients from his purchases. Only the most important material, a part of the person he needed to transform into, could be obtained at that moment.

A shrewd merchant like Tom must have many safeguards in his vault; even if he could easily deal with him, he wouldn't find the location.

So August decided to disguise himself as the taciturn Eiffelduo and then look for an opportunity to get everything—whether it was Tom's property or his own Dragon Egg, he wanted it all!

August's clothes were identical to Eiffelduo's; he had already changed into them. After quickly tidying the place, August opened the door.

"Did you kill him?" Tom didn't suspect him. Seeing Eiffelduo come out, still wiping bloodstains with a silk handkerchief, he impatiently asked, "Why so slow?"

"He woke up, it was a bit troublesome." August pretended to be a ruthless killer, his face calm, and pointed towards the bed.

Tom looked and saw a puddle of blood on the floor, and the quilt on the bed was stained crimson around the neck. He roughly understood the cause of death.

"Couldn't you have used a more direct method?" he asked with some dissatisfaction. Old Tom particularly hated messy scenes.

August, however, feigned a look of habit, a cruel smile on his lips.

"Forget it, do what makes you happy, as long as he's dead." Tom stepped inside, picked up August's case from beside the bed, and peered inside with his magical eye. "Good, the Dragon Egg is still here."

"Carry him, we'll do the next thing." Tom pointed to the ground and cast a cleaning charm, wiping away the bloodstains. Then he motioned for August to carry the body and follow him.

Late at night, the two walked through the dense forest.

"Eiffelduo, what do you think of Grindelwald?" Perhaps walking was too boring, so he asked August, perhaps wanting to understand what Eiffelduo, a former Dark Wizard, thought.

"Powerful, mad." August's current persona was that of a taciturn person, so he tried to be as concise as possible.

"You're right, he's a madman, but his ideas are very appealing, especially to those who call themselves noble aristocrats."

Tom seemed to complain a bit: "I once thought of allying with him, but I've always believed that an overly powerful leader isn't good."

"What's more, making money is my hobby. Rather than war, I'd prefer to count my lovely gold coins again." When Tom spoke of money, his eyes lit up. "I have an eighth of Goblin blood; it's a racial trait."

No wonder this old man was short and ugly; it turned out he had goblin blood. He wondered how desperate his ancestor must have been.

August grumbled silently, subtly despising Tom's ancestor.

"Alright, we're here."

After walking for a while through the night, a large tree growing on a rock appeared before them, its roots enveloping the rock like an octopus.

"Fangs! Dinner time!" Tom whistled, and something behind the tree stirred.

"Roar..." A low growl, and a black, lizard-like monster descended from behind the tree. It had a mane of wildly growing spines and tough membranes covering the area between its front legs and body.

This was undoubtedly a fire dragon, specifically a Hungarian Horntail, whose danger level was no less than that of the Ironbellies.

He didn't expect Old Tom to secretly keep such a fierce fire dragon. August looked at it.

"Eiffelduo, give Fangs the body. He must have smelled it by now." Tom first stroked the Horntail's enormous head as it approached, then directed August, wondering how he had tamed such a fierce fire dragon.

August tossed the bundle containing the body towards the Horntail. The fire dragon bit it, blanket and all, and then retreated to its nest.

"Follow me!" Tom took out his wand and pointed it at the rock beneath the roots.

A faint light spread, and the rock's surface rippled. Tom stepped closer, merging with it as if walking through water, finally leaving only one hand out to beckon: "Hurry up and follow me!"

August followed. This was probably where the old man kept his items; it was a truly secret location. No one would have thought there was a treasure cave beneath a dragon's lair.

After entering, August found a long staircase inside. Luminous stones embedded in the walls, somewhat narrow, served as illumination.

August carefully followed him, unsure of what traps might be inside.

After walking for a while, winding around, August knew he was descending. Soon, a vast space appeared before him.

Suddenly, a burst of golden light engulfed him, almost blinding August.

Before him was a mountain of Galleons, cabinets filled with art pieces made of precious metals, and portraits hung on the surrounding walls, their subjects looking at him with curiosity or solemnity.

Indeed, he had goblin blood. The wealth of this vault was unimaginable, yet Tom still resorted to dirty tricks for the value of a single Dragon Egg. He truly lived up to the reputation of being the most greedy race in the wizarding world.

"Welcome to my family vault." August suddenly found it strange that Tom so calmly brought a mere subordinate into such a secret location.

"Eiffelduo, a month ago you swore eternal allegiance to my family, so now you are one of us. There's no need to hide our family's greatest secret from you. Here is the wealth accumulated by generations of our family. I allow you to take a share; this is your reward."

So Eiffelduo had already taken an oath. A wizard's oath was not to be taken lightly; once sworn, it had to be fulfilled, or one would suffer a negative repercussion, a fate no one wished to face.

August understood the reason at that moment. As Tom took the Dragon Egg from the case, he extended his right hand backward.