Boom!
The sudden explosion froze the bustling crowds of Diagon Alley instantly.
Wizards who had been frantically shopping only moments earlier stood rooted in place, completely stunned.
Even the Aurors nearby looked bewildered.
Ever since Voldemort's disappearance, Britain's wizarding world had experienced years of relative peace.
And now—
An explosion had erupted inside Gringotts itself.
The most heavily protected location in magical Britain.
Lucien reacted immediately.
"All Saints members, battle positions!"
"Secure the perimeter!"
After pretending to hesitate briefly in shock, Lucien instantly began issuing orders with calm authority.
Several Saints members remained behind to maintain order around the crowded stores while the majority followed Lucien directly toward Gringotts.
Hidden among the crowd, Vita and several elite Saints operatives quietly blended into the chaos without drawing attention.
Lucien wasn't worried in the slightest.
His instructions to Vita had been incredibly simple.
Cause trouble.
Make as much noise as possible.
Destroy Gringotts' reputation completely.
After being attacked twice in succession, while still insisting nothing valuable was ever stolen, the goblins already looked suspicious enough.
Another public disaster would only worsen things further.
By the time Lucien arrived outside Gringotts, several furious goblins had already rushed out to block the entrance.
"What are all of you doing here?!"
"You think this is some kind of robbery?!"
The goblins aggressively blocked the Saints members from approaching further.
Lucien immediately stepped forward politely.
"Excuse me, sir," he said calmly, "we heard an explosion occurred and came to offer assistance."
Even under tense circumstances, Lucien's tone remained impossibly refined.
"No assistance is needed!"
The goblin snapped angrily.
"Gringotts forbids outsiders from entering!"
"Leave immediately!"
"Understood."
To everyone's surprise, Lucien nodded without argument and turned away immediately.
His objective had already been accomplished.
Vita successfully escaped suspicion.
Pressing further now would only make him look guilty.
Unfortunately for the goblins—
The surrounding wizards interpreted the scene very differently.
Over the past months, Lucien's image as a polite, generous, and approachable businessman had already become deeply rooted in public opinion.
Compared to greedy pure-blood merchants and arrogant goblins obsessed with profits, the Saints Group had earned enormous goodwill through constant promotions and fair treatment.
The moment Lucien was driven away despite offering help, public outrage exploded instantly.
"A bunch of ungrateful little bastards!"
One wizard spat furiously.
"Mr. Grindelwald left his own business to help them and they chase him away?!"
"Who knows what happened in there?" another shouted suspiciously. "Maybe the goblins are hiding something!"
"That's exactly it!" someone else agreed loudly. "Last time Gringotts got attacked, they claimed nothing was stolen. Now they refuse to let anyone inside? Something's definitely wrong!"
"Nonsense!"
Several goblins became visibly agitated.
"You're spreading lies!"
A few even rushed aggressively toward the crowd of accusing wizards.
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then—
"Bombarda."
A violent explosion erupted directly beside the entrance to Gringotts.
The thunderous blast instantly froze every goblin in place.
Lucien slowly lowered his wand.
Then he asked quietly:
"Are the goblins preparing for a third rebellion?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Cold sweat instantly drenched the lead goblin's back.
Every wizard nearby immediately drew their wands instinctively.
The Goblin Rebellions remained infamous throughout magical history.
The wars during the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries devastated enormous portions of wizarding Britain.
Although goblins eventually lost and became dependent upon Gringotts for survival, tensions between goblins and wizards never truly disappeared.
Even now, many wizards still believed goblins secretly desired another uprising.
And now Lucien had openly voiced that fear.
The atmosphere instantly became explosive.
Several camera flashes erupted nearby.
Reporters who originally came to cover Christmas shopping frantically photographed both Gringotts and Lucien.
This was front-page material.
Potential goblin rebellion.
Explosion inside Gringotts.
Public confrontation.
Every detail guaranteed massive headlines.
"N-No!"
The lead goblin panicked immediately.
"Respected wizard, you misunderstand!"
"We were merely emotional for a moment!"
"We'll return inside immediately!"
The goblins retreated at astonishing speed.
Faced with dozens of hostile wands, none of them dared continue arguing.
Only after the goblins disappeared back into Gringotts did the tension ease slightly.
Lucien turned toward the crowd and bowed gently.
"Thank you for your support."
The surrounding wizards immediately responded enthusiastically.
"You're too polite, Mr. Grindelwald!"
"That's right! We've hated those goblins for years!"
"I'm withdrawing all my money from Gringotts next week," another wizard announced loudly. "I don't trust them anymore!"
Countless voices joined together criticizing Gringotts openly.
The goblins' reputation was collapsing in real time.
Then finally—
The Aurors arrived.
The group was led personally by Rufus Scrimgeour.
The moment he noticed Lucien standing prominently near Gringotts surrounded by Saints members, his expression darkened immediately.
Scrimgeour had never trusted the Saints Group.
Even after repeated warnings from Fudge, he still secretly investigated their activities constantly.
Without hesitation, Scrimgeour pulled out his wand.
"Mr. Grindelwald," he said coldly, "I think you need to explain why you're here."
The reaction was immediate.
Before Lucien could even answer, dozens of nearby wizards instantly drew their own wands and stepped protectively in front of him.
The atmosphere turned explosive again.
To the surrounding crowd, the situation looked completely obvious.
Lucien abandoned his own business to help after the explosion.
He even risked angering Gringotts directly to protect ordinary wizards moments earlier.
And now the Ministry arrived only to target him first?
Absolutely unacceptable.
"What are you doing?!"
Scrimgeour barked furiously.
"I represent the Ministry of Magic!"
"Put your wands down immediately!"
For the first time in years, the veteran Auror actually looked nervous.
Several hot-headed wizards already had offensive spells glowing at the tips of their wands.
The surrounding Aurors hurriedly raised their own wands defensively.
"Stand down!" Scrimgeour roared again.
"I am Head of the Auror Office!"
"Attacking Aurors is a serious crime!"
Unfortunately…
Nobody listened.
No matter how loudly Scrimgeour shouted, the crowd simply ignored him completely.
The atmosphere remained dangerously tense.
Then suddenly—
Lucien slowly raised one hand.
"That's enough."
His calm voice wasn't loud.
Yet almost instantly, the surrounding wizards began lowering their wands one after another.
"Mr. Grindelwald's right."
"Put them away."
"No need to escalate things."
"We'll listen to Mr. Grindelwald."
The crowd gradually dispersed peacefully.
One particularly angry wizard even spat toward Scrimgeour before leaving.
Scrimgeour stood frozen.
Completely stunned.
He had shouted himself hoarse for several minutes without effect.
Lucien spoke one sentence—
And everyone obeyed immediately.
For the first time, Scrimgeour truly realized something terrifying.
Somehow…
This young man's influence among ordinary wizards had already become greater than the Ministry's own authority.
....
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