Tet let out a breath of relief as the meeting with his ever-growing Pantheon came to a close. Everyone had successfully connected to the new world, which they had named Terra Mystica — literally Latin for "Magic Earth." Meanwhile, the supernatural realm was dubbed Terra Superno, meaning "Supernatural Earth."
While not very creative — a fact Tet readily admitted to himself — the names would do. As far as he was concerned, their original Earth would simply remain Earth, despite Apollo's loud and dramatic protests, arguing that it should be renamed Terra Ultra.
Terra Mystica had new life breathed into it, just like Terra Superno, and magic was slowly on the rise once more. As far as Hades was concerned, there were no pressing issues with its afterlife. According to him, it mostly ran autonomously. Still, he'd mentioned — in his usual dry, stoic tone — that he'd like to assign an overseer to it eventually. But for now, it was fine.
Finished with business, Tet already had plans in motion for what he wanted to do over on Terra Mystica. When he connected to that world, he discovered that the date there was August 1992 — about a month before Harry Potter's second school year would begin.
Plenty of time to make some changes.
With a mischievous grin curling across his lips, Tet vanished in a swirling kaleidoscope of shimmering colors.
---
A few days later, Tet was casually strolling through Diagon Alley, eyes flicking between the various magical wares and eccentric witches and wizards bustling about. From beside him, a feminine, sultry voice purred with amusement:
"Quite the interesting place you've brought me to. Care to explain where we're going?"
Tet glanced to his side at the woman walking beside him. She was tall and slender, with pale, almost porcelain skin, amber eyes that gleamed with intelligence and mischief, and sleek black hair that fell gracefully to her shoulders. Three beauty marks were neatly arranged beneath her left eye. She wore a regal, purple fur-lined overcoat, thigh-length purple shorts, and matching high-heeled leather boots. Her appearance was as stylish as it was commanding.
This was Merlin — the enigmatic sorceress from the Seven Deadly Sins, future court mage of King Arthur, and one of the greatest magic users across the multiverse.
Tet took in her appearance for a moment, then grinned slyly and said, "You really like the color purple."
Merlin chuckled, a smooth and elegant sound that drew a few curious glances. "It is my favorite color," she admitted with a faint smirk. "Now stop dodging the question. Where are we going? I thought you said you wanted me to teach at a school, yet... I don't see one."
Tet casually spun on one heel and said, "Right now, we're heading to a bank. One run by goblins, Merlin."
She raised a curious brow, her amber eyes narrowing slightly with interest. "Run by goblins, you say? That's a new one — even for me. Why do we need to go there, though?"
Tet adjusted his hat with a nonchalant shrug. "Well, no halfway-decent school is going to hire some unknown person to teach witches and wizards how to defend themselves from dark magic. We need to prove your identity first."
Merlin tilted her head thoughtfully, one hand resting on her hip. "But I do not have an identity in this world."
Tet smirked. "But your other self does. And logically speaking, the two of you should share the same DNA… or magical signature. The goblins will run a test on you to see if you are who you say you are — which, in this case, will be you claiming to be Merlin's descendant, named after your famous ancestor, rather than being Merlin herself."
Merlin nodded slowly, her expression now more serious. "I see… that does make sense, I suppose. But why did you want me to teach in the first place?"
Tet's mischievous grin returned full force. "Because that school's going to have a string of terrible Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. This year especially. They were going to be taught by a charlatan who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag — much less fend off an actual dark wizard. I wanted them to get a proper education."
Merlin's eyes narrowed, her lips forming a disapproving frown. "I see… Then I suppose I'm even more glad I accepted your offer. Not only do I get the chance to acquire magic from another world, but I also get to keep young minds from being poisoned by an incompetent mage."
Her smile turned sharp and knowing. "And don't worry — I remember the part of our agreement where I swore I wouldn't perform any invasive or traumatizing experiments on the students."
Tet chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I definitely appreciate that."
He then gestured ahead with a dramatic flourish. "Anyway… we've arrived."
As they entered Gringotts, they saw, carved above the entrance, a single ominous passage:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take but do not earn
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned,
Beware of finding more than treasure there.
After reading it aloud, Merlin gave an amused hum and said with a sly smile, "Quite the clever verse. I'm glad I didn't bring Ban—he'd most likely take it as a challenge."
Tet rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed. "Are you kidding? It's bad enough I let you bring Meliodas and Escanor. I ain't bringing an immortal kleptomaniac bandit on top of that."
Merlin laughed, a light and melodic sound, her amber eyes glinting with mischief. "The two of them begged to come—something about wanting to acquire new types of alcohol."
Tet huffed and muttered, "Yeah, and as soon as we arrived, they ran off." He sighed and rubbed his temple. "Good thing I gave them money beforehand... And even if we didn't bring Ban, I'm almost positive Hermes already plans to break in. Simply for the thrill of it."
"Hmm," Merlin hummed in thought, brushing back a strand of hair from her face. "Seems we're both are associated with with entertaining people."
"Anyway," Tet said, clapping his hands together, "let's get going."
The two of them approached the nearest bank teller. Merlin cleared her throat politely to get his attention, her posture regal, and said, "I'd like to prove my ancestry to access my family vaults, please."
The goblin behind the counter regarded her with a squint and a bored grunt. "Name, please."
Merlin answered calmly, "Ambrosius. Merlin Ambrosius."
The goblin rolled his eyes and gave a deep, exaggerated sigh. "Oh, here we go again. Do you have any idea how many witches and wizards come in here claiming to be descendants of Merlin?" He waved a hand lazily. "Well, whatever. It's your money to waste if you want."
Another goblin, leaner and wearing polished glasses, approached. The teller gestured toward him and said, "Follow him, please."
Merlin and Tet exchanged mildly amused glances and followed the new goblin deeper into the bank, both curious about how the staff would react once the test was complete.
They were escorted to an elegant lounge area, its furnishings surprisingly luxurious for Gringotts. A few moments later, a goblin entered the room holding a tray with archaic-looking instruments. He gave a curt nod and introduced himself.
"My name is Odbert. I'll be conducting the test." He turned his beady eyes toward Merlin and added, "Miss Ambrosius, if that is your name, please place a drop of blood on the device receptacle."
Merlin narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sharp and commanding. "Very well," she said coolly, "but attempt to curse me and you will regret it."
Odbert sighed, as though he'd heard such threats a thousand times before. "We do not do that here. Now, please—just a drop."
Merlin held her palm up elegantly, conjured a small blade of light with a flick of her fingers, pricked her finger, and placed a single drop of blood on the device.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly, a puff of red smoke burst from the device, and Odbert let out a startled yelp as he fell backward out of his chair. Scrambling to his feet, his eyes wide with panic, he bolted out of the room screaming, "GET THE HEAD GOBLIN!"
Tet blinked. "Well, that escalated."
Merlin merely smirked in quiet satisfaction.
Moments later, another goblin entered—this one older, with a more dignified posture. He bowed deeply to Merlin, his tone respectful. "Miss Ambrosius, I offer my sincerest apologies for any rudeness you have suffered within these walls. My name is Griphook. How may I serve you today?"
Merlin looked pleased, her tone measured but amused. "I'd like to claim my estate."
Griphook straightened, already moving into motion. "Right away. I shall take you to your vault. If you'll both just follow me."
Merlin and Tet followed him through winding halls and eventually boarded one of the vault carts. The ride through the tunnels was fast, chaotic, and full of sharp turns, but both passengers took it in stride.
They arrived in front of a massive, ancient vault door.
Griphook stepped forward with a reverent expression. "Vault 225." He approached the door and retrieved an ancient-looking key from his robes. After carefully disarming the layers of magical and mechanical security, he inserted the key and unlocked the heavy vault door, which creaked open with a deep groan.
He turned and offered the key to Merlin with both hands. "Take your time. I'll be out here when you wish to disembark."
Merlin took the key, nodding regally, and she and Tet stepped inside.
What greeted them was a sight to behold.
Small mountains of gold, silver, and copper coins glittered under magical torchlight. Priceless gems gleamed in open display cases, and the walls were lined with ancient spell tomes and grimoires. Tables and shelves were stocked with rare reagents and potions preserved with powerful stasis charms. At the very center of the room, resting on a marble pedestal, was a leather-bound journal—the original Merlin's private notebook.
Merlin's eyes sparkled with undisguised joy and nostalgia. Her lips curved into a wide, childlike smile as she whispered, "Just this made this trip worth it. Everything else after is just a bonus."
She raised a hand, and with a graceful flourish, everything in the vault vanished into her personal dimensional storage. The room was left completely bare.
Outside, Griphook sighed, visibly disheartened. Just one more century, he thought bitterly, and it would've been bank property. Oh well…
He escorted them back to the main floor. At the door, he bowed again and said with a professional smile, "Please think of us for all your future banking needs."
Merlin smiled back, her tone polite but playful. "Of course. Until next time."
As she and Tet stepped out into the sunlight, Merlin was humming happily. She turned to him and said, "Now I'm massively wealthy in two worlds."
Tet chuckled, hands tucked behind his head. "Not to mention famous. But honestly, it's hard to find a world that doesn't know you, Merlin."
She laughed lightly, a proud glint in her amber eyes. "Oh? I exist in other places as well? Perhaps I should work on dimensional travel and compare notes with my other selves."
Tet visibly tensed, his smile growing tight. "Please don't. The thought of you traveling the Omniverse genuinely scares me."
Just then, a cheerful, nonchalant voice called out, "Yo! Looks like you guys are done!"
They looked up to see a small boy with a messy button-up white shirt under a black vest and red tie. He wore white pants, black and green shoes, and had near shoulder-length blond hair and mischievous green eyes. Behind him stood a towering, muscular man with a refined, gentlemanly mustache and near-orange brown hair. He wore a nearly destroyed white shirt beneath a green vest and red tie, green pants, and worn brown shoes.
They were Meliodas and Escanor.
The two of them were grinning proudly as they pulled two large carts overflowing with crates, barrels, boxes, and bags.
Meliodas beamed. "Check out this haul! We got tons of food and alcohol we've never even heard of!"
Escanor added, smiling warmly, "Yes… even I must admit, these vendors had impressive selections. I can't wait to sample them… and consider what might pair well with each."
Merlin turned to Tet with a perfectly arched brow and asked sweetly, "How much money did you give them?"
Tet stared wide-eyed at the mountain of goods. "...Way more than I thought, apparently."
"Well," Tet continued with a sigh, "let's get you guys home. Merlin, tomorrow we'll go for a meeting with Headmaster Dumbledore and get you the job."
Merlin nodded, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Looking forward to it."
And with that, the four of them disappeared in a burst of kaleidoscopic color.
Meanwhile, back on Earth…
Hermes stood alone in a dimly lit room, the only source of illumination a single desk lamp casting a pool of golden light over blueprints spread across the table.
He took a slow sip from his coffee mug,eyes narrowing in thought as he leaned closer. His fingers drummed rhythmically against the wood as he studied the diagrams. Scribbled in bold ink across the top of the blueprint were the words: Gringotts Bank.
After a few moments of silence, Hermes stroked his chin thoughtfully and muttered with a sly grin:
"I'm going to need a crew…"