After Lunch, the Human and the Dragon

  As soon as Kathe’s voice thundered through the room, Grulf shuddered and jumped to his feet.

  “Groof.”


  “Grulf, you can sleep if you want?”


  “Groof!”


  “Maybe you should sleep on the bench instead of the floor?”


  “Groof?”


  And so Grulf slowly walked over to the bench in the drawing-room.

  He lay down and yawned.

  Then Kathe entered the room.

  “Hmm? Were you all eating lunch then?”


  “We were.”


  “Kathe, did you eat already?”


  “I have not eaten at all.”


  Just as she said this, her stomach growled loudly.

  “Then you should eat too.”


  “Do you mean it?”


  “Yeah.”


  “Thank you!”


  And so Kathe sat down and ate lunch with us.

  After I finished cleaning up, I went to the drawing-room to find Kathe sitting next to Grulf.

  Grulf showed no signs of being cautious as he slept on his back.

  “Grrrr…”


  He snored.

  It was hard to imagine that he had been shuddering at the sight of Kathe a moment ago.

  “Grulf is so cute.”


  So saying, Kathe began to pet the sleeping Grulf.

  It didn’t look like he would wake up.

  “I think he’s really gotten used to you.”


  “I am a good dragon. Grulf must have realized that.”


  I sat down next to her.

  “So, did you go around patrolling the ruins today?”


  “Yes. But it was another peaceful day.”


  “That’s good.”


  “It may not be as good as you think.”


  Said Philly from behind me.

  I turned around to see her and Tama standing there.

  “Philly. What do you mean?”


  I said as I gestured for her to sit on the bench opposite of us.

  Philly and Tama both sat down on the bench.

  Tama sat with good posture next to Philly.

  He was the exact opposite of Grulf, who was snoring on his back.

  “It could be…that they have no reason to invade the ruins anymore.”


  “You mean they have finished collecting the necessary magic tools and machines?”


  “Yes. It is possible.”


  “However, I have been monitoring all of the ruins in this region.”


  “Maybe they went to ruins farther away…Maybe they are going to ruins that are not owned by dragons.”


  “Hmmm.”


  Kathe groaned with a serious expression.

  Her tail was drawing circles in the air as it shook.

  “Philly may be right.”


  “See?”


  “Besides, it does seem likely that they have succeeded in mass-producing the Fool’s Stones…”


  “My suspicions are mostly because of the number of automated machines that you encountered.”


  Philly was right.

  The Fool’s Stone or the Philosopher’s Stone. Dorgo said that you needed one or the other to make the magic machines.

  And so we had given up trying to make them.

  However, the dark ones had fifty of them stationed near the palace of the Wind Dragon King.

  “I would think that the Wing Dragon King’s palace would be pretty low on the list of places to station the machines. What do you think, Locke?”


  “That’s true. It would make more sense to have them protect the barrier of the dark god or the medal that collects curses or the items that break the divine barrier. Those seem more important.”


  “I see. You might be right.”


  Kathe listened with interest.

  “If they can sacrifice the water dragons, they would have achieved their purpose. Maybe they are right at that point now.”


  “So their plan is moving along very smoothly then.”


  “What a frightful thought.”


  Kathe said with a nod.

  Just then, a bell rang.

  “I’ll get it!”


  Milka said as she dashed towards the door.

  “You don’t have to open it if you don’t know who it is.”


  “I know that!”


  The person who had visited was Dorgo.

  Like Kathe, I had made it so that Dorgo could enter through the gate.

  Still, he had bothered to ring the bell.

  That was very much like him. Always polite.

  “Locke. I’m sorry to bother you.”


  “I’m glad you came.”


  Philly and Tama got up and moved to a different bench.

  I suggested that Dorgo take a seat. He did so and then said,

  “Oh, you’re here again, Kathe.”


  “Not just me. You are here too, dad!”


  “Oh, nevermind.”


  Then Dorgo looked at me.

  “I have talked with the water dragons.”


  “And what were the results?”


  “They would be glad to accept your help, Mister Locke.”


  “That’s a relief.”


  Dragons were a proud species, and it was said that they did not accept the help of humans.

  But now we would finally be able to focus on the protection of the water dragon settlement.