NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: chapter 13
Chapter 13: See, I Knew You Were a Villain Too!
"…So, there are five adults inside, all men. Some might have gone out and haven't returned yet. We haven't found any guns, but there are plenty of weapons like machetes," Voldemort said, sketching a rough floor plan on the ground and marking the locations of the men inside.
"Are there any children locked up?" Jacob asked.
"Yes. They're all kept on the first floor. There are eight children crammed into this small room on the left," Voldemort pointed to the smallest room in the sketch.
"Eight kids squeezed into such a tiny space… Disgusting," Jacob frowned.
Voldemort remained silent on that but said urgently, "I suggest we let the snakes go in first to attack. They'll panic, and then we can sneak in and finish this quickly. It's getting late—we still need to get to Diagon Alley today!"
"Alright, let's do it." Jacob didn't waste time and led Voldemort around the alley to the back of the house.
There was a back door, but it was locked.
Voldemort picked up a stone and handed it to Jacob. "When the chaos starts inside, we'll break the lock and rush in."
Jacob glanced at Voldemort and tossed the stone away.
"Why'd you throw it?" Voldemort asked, confused.
"Tom—" Jacob paused, then smirked. "I mean, Voldemort… We're wizards."
He casually ran a finger over the lock.
Click!
The lock opened silently.
"A Complete Explanation of Low-Level Spells gives a detailed guide on unlocking spells," Jacob said smugly.
Voldemort stared in shock. "You… You can actually do that?"
"I just figured it out," Jacob said vaguely. "Let's get started."
Voldemort didn't press further. He crouched down and began hissing in Parseltongue.
Within moments, Jacob heard a rustling noise.
Snakes slithered out from the nearby grass, rooftops, and sewers, slipping inside through cracks in doors and windows.
Moments later, terrified screams erupted from inside.
"Now!"
Jacob and Voldemort pushed the door open and rushed in.
---
A Few Minutes Later
Voldemort knelt beside an unconscious man, peeling a grass snake off the man's frozen face.
Poking at the man's stiff features, he muttered, "So… how exactly did you do that?"
He hadn't even needed to fight. Before he knew it, all the traffickers were turned into statues.
Jacob shrugged. "I just gave it a shot. Maybe I accidentally used a petrification spell?"
As he spoke, he rummaged through a small box and pulled out a wad of cash.
"You think this money can be exchanged for wizarding money?" Voldemort asked while tying up the immobilized traffickers with rope. "Wizard money looks completely different from Muggle money."
Jacob smirked. "Don't worry, it can be exchanged. Our existence proves that not all wizards come from wizarding families, meaning there must be a place for exchanging currency. And besides…"
He tilted the small box, revealing its contents.
Voldemort peered inside and spotted more than ten small gold bars.
"Gold is valuable everywhere," Jacob said confidently.
Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "You know way too much…"
"Ahem. I read a lot of books before… Anyway, let's not get sidetracked. We came here for a real reason, remember?" Jacob slung the bag of money over his shoulder.
"Hah! I knew it. You never intended to just save people," Voldemort scoffed.
Jacob grinned. "Of course not! Now, move your snakes away. We don't want to scare the kids—we're not like them."
Voldemort muttered something in Parseltongue, and the snakes slithered away.
The two approached the locked iron door at the corner of the first floor.
Behind it, they could hear faint, panicked whispers.
Jacob placed his hand on the lock while Voldemort watched closely, hoping to learn how he did it.
But before he could see anything—
Click!
The lock popped open effortlessly.
Voldemort blinked in disbelief.
"Creak…"
The heavy iron door swung open, and a foul stench filled the air.
Voldemort wrinkled his nose in disgust and stepped back.
Inside, seven or eight children huddled together in the corner of the dark room, eyes wide with fear.
"You're safe now! Let's go!" Jacob called out.
The children exchanged hesitant glances but didn't move.
Jacob frowned. "Get out here right now and line up, or I'll beat you!"
The children scrambled out of the room instantly.
Voldemort gave Jacob a look that screamed, See? I knew you were a villain too.
"Shut up, Voldemort," Jacob muttered.
Facing the trembling children, he took out a handful of cash and handed each of them some.
"Those traffickers have been taken down by some adults in my family. You're free now. Go home," he said.
The children, still skeptical, finally noticed the traffickers tied up on the floor.
Only then did they believe him.
(Though it was strange that none of these so-called adults were actually in the room…)
Before they left, Jacob asked, "Were all the captives kept here?"
"There's still… one more boy and one girl missing," a frail-looking boy hesitantly answered.
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "A tall, strong man and a woman with a hoarse voice?"
The children nodded.
"Yeah, they've been caught. Now, hurry home and report this to the police. Tell them to come arrest these guys."
The children nodded eagerly, whispered their thanks, and dashed away, clutching their newfound money.
---
System Notification
Ding!
[The host has dismantled a human trafficking ring! Reward: 1,000 Merit Points!]
Ding!
[The future Dark Lord has done a good deed thanks to the host's influence, slightly altering his destiny! Reward: 100 Merit Points!]
Jacob checked his balance—1,400 merit points.
Nice.
"Alright, let's go. We still need to get to Diagon Alley," Voldemort urged.
Jacob waved a hand dismissively. "Relax, Voldemort. We actually have money for a proper ride this time."
Before he could finish—
BOOM!
The house trembled violently.
Jacob grabbed the nearest sofa for support.
Voldemort, caught off guard, stumbled and fell to the floor.
BOOM!
Another tremor.
Voldemort's eyes widened. "Something… Something's coming up from underground!"