Rey and Helena exchanged a smile, like the closest of friends.
Both of them were mentally mature beyond their years, so when they were together, it felt like an interaction between two adults.
They had plenty to talk about, shared a common language, and approached problems from similar perspectives.
Mature minds could quickly shake off the initial excitement of discovering treasure and focus on the immediate problem.
There was treasure in the cave, but no sign of the dragon.
The dragon was an extremely dangerous creature. The newly formed Black Lake outside was proof enough of its terrifying power.
Helena claimed she wanted to see the dragon, but in reality, she probably wanted to verify the legend of the dragon's hoard.
Now, the dragon was nowhere to be seen, but the legendary treasure lay beneath their feet. Transparent diamonds and gems were everywhere, hers for the taking.
Their goal had been achieved so smoothly that it was almost surprising.
"What do we do now?"
Toying with the pendant on her chest, Helena asked Rey.
To be honest, having achieved their goal so quickly, Rey didn't know what to do next either.
"How about you pick a few nice gems, and we leave?"
Rey suggested uncertainly. He didn't sound confident at all.
Standing on a fortune of incalculable value, taking only a handful and leaving felt unsatisfying. The moment the suggestion left his mouth, he mentally rejected it.
It wasn't just him; even Helena frowned slightly, muttering, "We just leave like this?"
"Well..."
Rey hesitated. If possible, he certainly didn't want to leave just like that. If his spatial pouch were big enough, he would have packed up the entire hoard.
Power intoxicates, and treasure makes one hesitate.
Just as the two were paralyzed by indecision, faint sounds echoed from outside the cave.
Thump, thump, thump...
The sounds were soft, barely audible, but Rey's sharp ears picked them up. Helena heard them too. They exchanged a glance, confirming what they both suspected: someone was coming, and it wasn't just one person.
---
Footsteps of varying weights. At least three people were heading this way.
Since when was a dragon's treasure hoard so easily accessible?
Rey and Helena had luckily fallen into the Black Lake and entered through a breach. calling it good fortune wasn't an exaggeration.
But how did this group get in? How did they bypass the dragon?
The dragon wasn't here, which meant it was likely guarding somewhere on the upper levels. Rey still vividly remembered the dragon breathing fire at the entrance when they first arrived.
Did these people kill the dragon? That possibility wasn't even worth considering. Even the Four Founders struggled against it; anyone else didn't stand a chance.
Since someone had already infiltrated this far, Rey wasted no time. He and Helena immediately threw the Invisibility Cloak over themselves and retreated to the deepest corner of the cave.
The Invisibility Cloak was infinitely superior to a Disillusionment Charm. As long as they stayed quiet, even the dragon wouldn't detect them.
The floor was covered in gold coins and gems, making a distinct clinking sound with every step.
The sound of metal on metal was sharp and recognizable.
If they could hear footsteps from outside, logic dictated that the people outside could hear the clatter of coins from inside.
Once Rey and Helena stopped moving, the coins fell silent. However, the footsteps outside stopped too. The intruders were likely trying to identify the source of the noise they had just heard.
After all, in a dragon's lair, one can never be too careful.
The cave fell silent instantly. Holding his breath, Rey could hear the faint whisper of the wind flowing through the tunnels.
Of course, he could also hear Helena's breathing.
After a long silence, the footsteps outside resumed.
But this time, they were softer and slower.
---
No matter how quiet the footsteps were, they grew louder as the distance closed. Rey and Helena waited tensely until the intruders reached the corner entrance.
Sure enough, there were three of them.
When the three appeared at the entrance, their expressions were priceless. Their minds were completely captivated by the cavern full of treasure.
At the same time, seeing them made Rey's heart skip a beat. He was equally shocked.
Because Rey recognized these three. They looked exactly like the three bandits who had ambushed them by the Black Lake.
They shouldn't be here. At least, not all of them. The one-legged man and the one-handed man had been killed by Rey and Terence.
One had his throat slit by Rey's Sectumsempra, bleeding out on the ground; the other had taken a Killing Curse from Terence.
As for the earless old man, even if he survived, he shouldn't be here.
If the old man appearing here was truly that old man, did that mean Terence was dead or captured?
Rey dared not think about it, and Helena looked equally horrified. Both wore expressions of disbelief.
"We hit the jackpot this time."
The earless old man spoke excitedly. His voice was raspy, like broken porcelain grinding together—grating and unpleasant to hear.
"It's not him!"
Rey and Helena exchanged a glance, instantly certain after hearing the voice. They had heard the earless old man speak during the ambush.
His voice had been unpleasant, but not like this. This was a different person.
Same injuries, same clothes, similar height, but not the same person. The other two were the same story. upon closer inspection, slight differences emerged.
The height of the amputation was different; the thickness of the wooden peg varied slightly.
Two groups of people so similar must have some connection.
---
When faced with immense temptation, people often lose control of their emotions.
The three disabled wizards at the entrance were no exception.
The sheer volume of treasure made them forget their earlier caution. Especially the two younger men beside the old man—they rushed into the pile of gold coins, grabbing handfuls greedily, looking like they hadn't seen a knut in eight lifetimes.
Coins clattered as they scooped them up. But greed made them clumsy; the more they tried to hold, the more slipped through their fingers.
Coins were hard to carry in bulk, but the gold artifacts were large enough. Tossing the coins aside, they started grabbing the larger golden objects.
Coins flew everywhere, dazzling the eye. Several even hit Rey and Helena, but the three frenzied wizards didn't notice.
Fortunately, the spot where Rey and Helena stood didn't have any particularly valuable artifacts; otherwise, these three madmen would surely have discovered them.
The three lunatics were acting recklessly, terrifying Rey.
This was a dragon's lair. This treasure was guarded by a Great Dragon.
If they had just grabbed a few things quietly and left, maybe it wouldn't have been a huge problem.
But now, they were completely carried away. Making this much noise without the dragon showing up seemed impossible.
Sure enough, just as the three were lost in their greed, a voice filled with majestic authority boomed from the entrance: "Who gave you permission to touch my treasure?"
The dragon had appeared. And it spoke in human tongue.
It had appeared silently at the entrance, its massive body blocking two-thirds of the opening. Its dark golden eyes stared at the three wizards, who froze mid-action.
"Damn it!"
Rey cursed silently. These three wizards who popped out of nowhere had finally summoned the dragon.
Not only were their lives forfeit, but Rey and Helena were now trapped too.
If the dragon, who clearly wasn't in a good mood, decided to unleash a breath of fire, everyone in the cave—including Rey and Helena—would be roasted alive.
---