Chapter 124: The Sixth Box

The more Shiven thought about it, the more he felt that Dumbledore had deliberately prevented Jacob from choosing that suitcase. It was as if Dumbledore had merely intended to make Newt believe it was the real one, or perhaps, Dumbledore had staged the entire scene specifically for Grindelwald to see.

If that were the case, then the suitcase Newt had chosen was likely a decoy as well. It was even less probable that Dumbledore would have arranged for the Muggle, Jacob, to carry the real suitcase, as that would have placed both him and the Qilin in extreme danger. With two fake suitcases ruled out, was the one containing the Qilin truly among the remaining three?

Shiven shook his head to himself. Neither Theseus nor Hicks was better suited than Newt to hold the case containing the real Qilin. A man as wise as Dumbledore would never leave the final result to chance; he would choose a foolproof option, someone who would be completely overlooked by Grindelwald. Therefore, it was highly probable that all five suitcases in the Room of Requirement were fakes. There existed a sixth suitcase at a location unknown to them.

Shiven suddenly looked up at Bunty, who remained waiting where she had been left—the assistant who had always been so low-profile, and at times, even appeared servile. Yes, if there was one person whom Grindelwald would most likely overlook in the visions he foresaw, it would not be Newt, who had thwarted his conspiracies multiple times; nor the brilliant Charms professor, Hicks; nor the Head of the Auror Office, Theseus. Instead, it had to be Bunty, the assistant who had always followed Newt like an appendage.

"Hello, Mr. Strange," Bunty said with a shy smile, interrupting Shiven's complex train of thought. "I'm sorry to trouble you with accompanying me today!"

...

In Bhutan, in a village at the foot of the Himalayas, many local wizards dressed in traditional Bhutanese attire—known as "gho" and "kira"—cheered enthusiastically, welcoming wizards arriving from all over the world to attend the International Confederation of Wizards election. The houses in Bhutan were primarily painted in white, red, and yellow, featuring white walls, triangular shingled eaves, and pale yellow window frames. Many round, blue-feathered Diricrawls lived here; whenever a wizard approached, these little birds would vanish into thin air, only to reappear in a different spot.

Wizards from across the globe waved placards and banners supporting their respective candidates, shouting their names. Different colors represented different candidates: yellow for Vicência Santos, red for Liu Tao, and green for Gellert Grindelwald. When the election arrived, voters from all regions would cast their ballots by firing sparks of the corresponding color into the sky. The International Confederation of Wizards would count the sparks to determine the vote tally for each candidate and decide the next Supreme Mugwump.

In a secluded corner of the village, a golden portal appeared out of thin air, and a witch and a ghost stepped out.

"Mr. Strange, I think you need to be less conspicuous," Bunty whispered to Shiven after stepping through the dimensional door. "Your status as a ghost is far too eye-catching here."

Shiven nodded and rendered himself invisible. Only then did Bunty breathe a sigh of relief and walk into a dilapidated courtyard, acting as if nothing were amiss. She tapped her clothes gently with her wand, transforming her British trench coat into a traditional Bhutanese "kira" and covering half her face with a veil. Then, in the corner of the courtyard, Bunty cast a silent spell, and the sixth suitcase appeared before them.

"So, you had already been here once before?" Shiven asked from beside her, remaining invisible.

Bunty gave a subtle, silent nod. She silently cast a Disillusionment Charm on the suitcase and then carefully picked it up. Suddenly, a cacophony erupted from the distance; the village halfway up the mountain had become chaotic. Shiven floated upward, gazing at the scene, and could vaguely see many of Grindelwald's followers engaged in fierce combat with people on the rooftops and on the ground. Spells flew wildly, and flashes of various colors illuminated the area; it was clear the battle was exceptionally intense.

"They have encountered danger," Shiven said, descending quickly and speaking to Bunty with some urgency.

"Mr. Strange, trust in their abilities!" Bunty’s lips moved as she spoke in a voice only Shiven could hear. Then, she picked up the disillusioned suitcase as if nothing were wrong and began to walk toward the mountain peak, unhurried, like an ordinary Bhutanese devotee.

Watching the composed Bunty, Shiven let out a long sigh and calmed himself. Now was not the time to worry about others. Shiven and Bunty had only one task: to ensure the real suitcase reached the venue safely. With this realization, Shiven floated silently into the air, observing the surroundings from above and occasionally pointing out safe paths for Bunty that were free of Grindelwald’s guards. The fighting halfway up the mountain quietly subsided; it was unclear who had emerged victorious.

However, the calm lasted less than five minutes before the situation spiraled out of control. Countless loaves of bread flooded the village paths, slamming into Grindelwald's followers, while numerous magical books relentlessly bit at the Acolytes. The entire mountainside was in total disarray. Shiven could roughly tell that the infinitely multiplying bread was the result of a Gemino Curse, likely accompanied by a Tracking Charm to distinguish friend from foe. Both were simple spells, but achieving such an effect was not simple at all. Thus, Shiven easily guessed it was a spell cast by Dumbledore. When the suitcase was opened, the magic within would be triggered, causing the items inside to multiply endlessly until the magic was exhausted.

Seeing this, Shiven felt a sense of relief, knowing the others should be able to escape the scene amidst the chaos. He descended to Bunty’s side and whispered, "At least two suitcases have been opened; we must hurry."

Bunty nodded stoically and turned in another direction.

"Stop! What are you holding in your hands?" As Bunty bypassed a thatched hut and moved along a small path, a large, well-dressed wizard suddenly pointed his wand at her. Although the suitcase had a Disillusionment Charm on it, at close range, one could still see from the shape of her hands that she was carrying something. Of course, she had never intended to hide it from everyone; as long as Grindelwald did not notice her, her mission would be a success.

Bunty did not stop for a second, continuing forward at her original pace and rhythm.

"I said, stop—ahhh!" Before the large wizard could cast a spell at Bunty, he suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness and fell into a portal Shiven had set up, tumbling back down to the foot of the Himalayas.

"To prevent Grindelwald from discovering you, do not take action yourself," Shiven said softly. "Leave the enemies to me."

For the rest of the journey, every enemy they encountered was quickly and unexpectedly neutralized by Shiven. Consequently, Bunty reached the wooden bridge leading to the final election venue without a single pause. The temple that Dumbledore had sketched in the Great Hall stood prominently on the peak ahead!