After the Attack

  As I inspected the magic tool, Goran watched from behind me.

  “Locke. Is that the magic tool that can break through the barrier?”


  “It might be.”


  “Do you know how it works?”


  “To be honest, I don’t. I’ll have to ask Philly about it later.”


  Eric was also looking at what was in my hands now.

  “The materials is the Fool’s Stone, isn’t it?”


  “It looks like it……”


  So the dark ones and the Most High King had succeeded in making them after all.

  When I was done inspecting the ashes, I then looked at the barrier.

  I wanted to look carefully and find out if it had broken in any places.

  Once I was sure that it was fine, we all moved back to the water dragon palace.

  This was so we could discuss future plans with Leea and Grand Chamberlain Morris.

  “Groof.”


  Grulf followed me closely the whole time.

  He looked a little tired.

  “Grulf. You did very well today.”


  “Groof.”


  I sat down in the drawing-room and petted him.

  “It is quite late now. I hope you will stay with us tonight.”


  Grand Chamberlain Morris said.

  While there was a teleportation circle, the water dragon palace was very big.

  It would take a while just to walk to the building that housed the circles.

  Besides, there could be another attack.

  “I think you should stay too!”


  Leea said as she grabbed my arm.

  “Yes. I think I will.”


  “Hehehe.”


  Leea looked happy.

  “Groo……”


  Grulf opened his mouth wide and yawned.

  “We are now doing everything we can to search the area. You should get some rest, Mister Ruck.”


  “Shia and the others have already returned.”


  “I see.”


  They had gone back while I was inspecting the barrier.

  They had been woken up in the middle of the night while they were sleeping.

  So they must be tired. I was tired.

  And so Grulf and I headed to the room that was prepared for us.

  The room was very large. There were several dim lights.

  I could see just fine, but it wasn’t too bright to sleep.

  There was also a row of beds now. They had been added since the last time we visited.

  “Mister Morris prepared some beds for us.”


  “Groof.”


  It had been decided that everyone would be using it, and so changes had been made.

  Even those who had returned to the mansion tonight would use it someday.

  “Locke. Good work today.”


  “Yeah, you too. Eric and Goran. Are you going to stay here too?”


  “Well, it’s too much trouble returning to the palace now.”


  “Still easier than me. At least you can use the secret passage, Eric.”


  They could have also slept in my mansion.

  In any case, it wasn’t much of a difference whether they slept here or there.

  It was a huge room, but Eric and Goran chose beds that were next to each other.

  Which also happened to be close to mine.

  “Groof-groof!”


  Grulf jumped onto my bed and rubbed his back against the blankets.

  He was the size of a horse, but the bed was big enough so that it didn’t matter too much.

  “Grulf. Move over a bit.”


  “Groof!”


  I pushed him a little and then got into the bed.

  Then Grulf put his jaw on my stomach.

  “You fought very well today, Grulf.”


  “Groof!”


  His tail was wagging.

  “Oh, Grulf did well?”


  Goran asked. And so I talked about what he had done in the fight.

  It was also in order to tell them about how the vampires fought.

  “When you are fighting the evil dragons, the vampires will turn into mist so they can appear right behind you.”


  “That would be hard to deal with.”


  “But it is then that Grulf would tear into their throats.”


  “Ohh, that’s brilliant.”


  “Not only that, but they can’t turn back into mist when Grulf is biting them.”


  “Really? I suppose it is similar to how the beastkin wolf are strong against vampire attacks.”


  I talked about Grulf’s accomplishments in the fight as I petted him.

  “Still, it is really terrible that they have teamed up with these evil dragons.”


  “It is not too bad for us, but the others will find them difficult to fight.”


  As we talked like this, Dorgo and Kathe came.

  For some reason, Leea and a man we didn’t know was also there.

  He looked about the same age as us.

  “What is it?”


  “We thought we would sleep here too.”


  “It’s too much trouble going back to your mansion, Locke!”


  Dorgo and Kathe said.

  “And who is this?”


  “I am Morris.”


  Grand Chamberlain Morris could also turn into a human.

  “If you can turn into a human, does that mean you are part of the royal family?”


  “I am the younger brother of the former queen, Leea’s mother. So I am her uncle.”


  “I see.”


  Kathe and Leea got into the same bed.

  “I’m going to stay with you, sister Kathe.”


  “We are friends, after all!”


  They both looked happy. That was good.

  Dorgo also got into a bed. Morris took the bed next to his.

  Apparently, he was going to sleep here too.