Asking Kathe About Her House

  And so I explained it to her carefully.

  “You have to use money when doing pretty much anything in human cities.”


  “Oh?”


  “So, you should always ask how much something costs first.”


  “Hmm. Hmm.”


  “You can read human writing, can’t you?”


  “Of course, I can!”


  “Then you should look carefully. They usually have the price written down.”


  “I see. You are very clever, Locke.”


  Kathe said as if very impressed.

  Shia watched this exchange and said seriously,

  “So your palace has been taken over by the vampires?”


  “Ah, that is right. Is it not horrible?”


  “Yes. Was there anything in your palace, Kathe?”


  “Anything……well…… Stuff I used everyday.”


  “If it is your palace, then it must have existed from many years ago, right?”


  “Oh, how did you know?”


  Shia was sharp.

  Kathe must be living in an ancient dragon ruin. And a ruin that used to be a palace, no less.

  Serulis asked Kathe,

  “Was there any kind of machine in this place that you lived in?”


  “Hmm. There was…… But it wasn’t the kind of machine that the dark ones would want.”


  “And what kind of machine was that?”


  Philly said as she came closer.

  Philly knew more about machines than anyone else here.

  Also, it was surprising to see that none of them were intimidated by Kathe.

  “Let me see……”


  “How were you using it?”


  As Philly was asking Kathe this, I turned on my communications ring.

  “Eric. Goran. Can you hear me?”


  “What is it, Locke? Is this a test?”


  “Ah, I can hear Eric and Locke at the same time. So you can talk with multiple people at once.”


  This was an especially expensive communication tool.

  “The dragon I talked to you about is here.”


  “Hm? What do you mean?”


  “She turned into a human and visited me at my mansion.”


  “But wasn’t this Kathe a great dragon?”


  Goran was right to be surprised. But I would ask about it later.

  “I’ll ask her about the details later. Right now, she has told me that her house has been taken over by High Lords.”


  “What!”


  I told Eric and Goran that Kathe had been driven out of her palace.

  Both of them were very concerned about the Evil Dragons and magic machines.

  “I will go to your mansion as soon as I can.”


  “Me too.”


  “Thank you both.”


  And then I turned back to Kathe.

  “Here, take this.”


  “Hm? What is this?”


  “It’s a bracelet that allows you to talk with others. You can use……”


  Kathe’s eyes glimmered as she listened.

  “I see. So I will be able to talk with you whenever I want if I have this!”


  “Yes. And with Eric and Goran.”


  “Hmm.”


  She expressed no interest in talking with either of them.

  Kathe had yet to meet Eric and Goran.

  So I guess it was to be expected.

  “Anyway, Eric and Goran are coming over now. They’re both very strong.”


  “Oh? If you say so, then I will have high expectations.”


  “So, Philly. Did you learn anything?”


  “I’m not confident…… But if my worst assumption ends up being correct……”


  Philly said ominously and then continued.

  “It is a tool that Kathe used as an all-purpose trash can…… It might have actually been a machine to make the automated magic machines.”


  “What?”


  I looked at Kathe with surprise.

  Kathe shook her head frantically.

  “Impossible! What a groundless fear, Philly! My father and grandfather used it for their trash as well.”


  “For generations?”


  “My palace has been in our family since my grandfather first started living there.”


  “But you said that the place you lived in was ancient, didn’t you?”


  “Yes, but my grandfather lived thousands of years ago. Is that not ancient for humans?”


  “I guess. Yes, you are right.’


  Kathe wasn’t human, she was a dragon.

  “Hehe. I am starting to learn the ways of normal humans.”


  Kathe said smugly.

  “Us dragons take good care of our cultural property. I cannot allow them to take our ancient ruins and live in them!”


  “Of course. In any case, is the trash can itself, something new?”


  “.……About that……”


  Kathe said vaguely.

  “What?”


  “While I care about the culture, my father and grandfather did not.”


  “I see. So it’s possible that they brought it from some other ruin?”


  “.……Yes. Yes. Though, I do not think it a good thing to take things without permission.”


  While Kathe would have liked to return it to its proper place, the trash can had been there since she was born.

  Even if she tried to ask, her father and grandfather insisted that it had always been there.

  So she could do nothing but give up.

  “Well, leaving the origins aside for now……if it really is what is creating the machines, we have to hurry.”


  Time was on the enemy’s side.

  “We’ll go as soon as Goran and Eric arrive.”


  “I’ll……”


  Serulis raised her hand a little hesitantly.

  She clearly wanted to come.

  “.……Serulis.”


  I paused.

  Serulis had stayed at the palace during the fight with the Vampire High Lord.

  “I have improved.”


  “That’s true. But……”


  “Serulis. Don’t make this hard for us.”


  It was Goran. He stated this plainly as soon as he entered.

  “The vampires are one thing, but from what I’ve heard, these machines sound very dangerous. Serulis. You will only get in the way.”


  “.……Yes. I understand.’


  Serulis said glumly.

  “Serulis and Shia. I want you two to stay in the mansion and protect Lord Gerberga and Philly.”


  “.……I understand. Protecting them is also an important job.”


  Shia said with a calm nod.

  Then Eric arrived.

  After a quick greeting, I told Eric and Goran that it was possible that the enemy would have even more of the magic machines.

  And so we decided to head for Kathe’s palace at once.

  “Well, then. Let us go.”


  “Kathe. Could you turn back into a dragon outside of the city and take us there?”


  “Very well.”


  And so we started to run in the direction of the city walls.