The Return to the House

  For now, I cast a Hardening spell on the wall that led to the palace.

  After that, I added a Permanence spell.

  Now no one would be able to enter easily.

  It should be good enough to last until tomorrow, which was when I would do the serious construction work.

  And with that done, we returned down the secret passage. We walked quickly, as it was a path we had already been through once before.

  We arrived at the spot with the broken wall that led to the sewers in no time.

  “Now, to plug this hole.”


  “But how are you going to do it?”


  I passed Gerberga over to Luchila.

  “For now, we will stack up some rocks and create a physical barrier. After that, I’ll strengthen it with magic.”


  “I see.”


  “With the rocks that are right here? Some of them are crushed…”


  Milka said in a worried voice.

  “That’s not great. But we will be doing it again tomorrow anyway. This is just temporary.”


  “It is so no one else enters through here, isn’t it?”


  “That’s what it is.”


  It was one thing to have people invade my house, but it would be a disaster to have them invade the palace.

  “Leave it to me! I will stack the rocks.”


  “Ah, thank you.”


  “I will help too.”


  Milka began to pick up the rocks. I did too.

  Luchila also put Gerberga on the ground and began to help.

  Gerberga began to wander around.

  After a while, the hole was sealed.

  “There are still some cracks.”


  “Yes. It can’t be helped, since some of it was chipped when the wall broke.”


  And so I put dirt between the cracks in the rocks. After that, I held it together with Hardening magic.

  I really wanted to use magic on the entire tunnel, but it would have to wait.

  It was currently in the middle of the night.

  “Now, let’s return.”


  “Yes.”


  “Cluck-cluck!”


  And so we returned to the basement.

  When we got there, Milka said,

  “Well, see you tomorrow then. Let me know if there is any work.”


  “Milka, what are you saying?”


  Apparently, Milka intended to sleep in the basement.

  She had snuck into the basement in order to sleep in the first place. That’s why she misunderstood me.

  “I-I can’t? Do I have to sleep outside then?”


  “No, there is no bedding here. You should sleep in a proper room.”


  “Do you mean it?”


  “Of course. You are my apprentice now, after all.”


  “Thank you!”


  And so Milka came up with us to the first floor.

  I told her where the bathroom was before heading to the second floor.

  “I wish I could have you choose a room out of the empty ones. But it’s night right now, and there are guests, so it will have to wait.”


  “No way. I don’t mind any room.”


  Milka seemed very nervous ever since coming into the mansion.

  “You can sleep in this room for now. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”


  “Thi-this room is so big… Mister Locke, thank you!”


  “Don’t mention it.”


  After that, I separated from Luchila and Gerberga and returned to my room.

  When I opened the door, the wolf, Grulf, was there.

  He had been in a deep sleep when I left him, but was awake now.

  “Groooff, grrrooff…”


  “What is it, Grulf?”


  He started to rub against me.

  Perhaps he had been worried after waking up at night and seeing that I was not there.

  He must have thought that he had been abandoned. For now, I scratched his fur.

  Even after we got into bed, Grulf had not calmed down, and began to lick my face.

  And so with a quiet voice, I explained what had happened.

  “Luchila came to tell me that there was a strange noise. And so I went to investigate.”


  “Grr.”


  Grulf whined quietly. He was being careful not to sound loud, as it was night.

  I think he was saying that I should have taken him too.

  “But you didn’t wake up even when Luchila and Gerberga were here.”


  “…Grrr…”


  Grulf whined again and rolled onto his back. I suppose it was an apology.

  I scratched his belly.

  “You were tired. It can’t be helped.”


  “Grooww-grr…”


  Grulf’s ears and tail were pointing upward.

  I felt that there was a strong will to never repeat that mistake again.

  But I couldn’t understand him, so maybe it was just me.

  In any case, there was no point in thinking about it. And so I went to sleep.

  Early in the morning.

  “Grrr-grrrr-grrrrr!”


  I woke up to the sounds of Grulf’s growling.

  Maybe it was an attack on Gerberga.

  I quickly left the room and ran towards the howling.

  “St-stop! Let go, you!”


  “Grrr-grrr!”


  When I arrived, I saw that Milka was lying face down on the ground and Grulf was on top of her.

  Grulf was very big, and so of course, Milka could not move.

  Grulf’s tail began to wag upon seeing me.

  “Groof.”


  Maybe it was just me, but his face looked smug.

  Now that I think about it, Grulf didn’t know about Milka.

  He had captured her, thinking that she was an intruder.

  Milka noticed me as well.

  “Mister Locke, help me!”


  “Grulf. Let her go.”


  “Grr.”


  It wasn’t Grulf’s fault. He didn’t know about Milka.

  Capturing intruders was the job of a guard dog. Or guard wolf.

  And so I petted Grulf.

  “Grulf. This is Milka. She is staying here from today.”


  “Grrr?”


  “Oh, that was horrible!”


  “You get up early, Milka.”


  “You said that I would be cleaning the house. So I was walking around to see what I could do, when I was attacked!”


  And so I introduced Grulf to Milka as well.

  “I see. It’s a guard wolf? Rich people are amazing. Nice to mee you, Grulf.”


  Grult snorted at Milka’s offered hand and turned his nose away.

  As Grulf had been here first, he was proving to her that she was beneath him.

  Or trying to, anyway. Dogs can be like that.

  But Milka didn’t seem to notice Grulf’s attitude and began to pat him on the head.