"I'm sorry, Mr. Locke. You'll have to stay here in the cave today."

"Okay."

　We were taken to a cave right next to the Dragon's cave.

　And left as soon as he showed us the way.



　The place was too beautiful to be a prison, but it was a normal house that could only be opened from the outside by magic once inside.

　However, it was quite tall and deep enough to accommodate several lucky dogs.



　The room is furnished with a bed, a light, a table, and furniture so that one can sleep comfortably.

　It is not as bad as it seems.



Ivan, what kind of room is this?

"This is the room where the escorting adventurers stay. Many of the guards that the merchants bring with them are unpredictable at night. Those who seem a little dangerous will stay here. I think Mr. Locke and the others stayed over there because they were considered harmless. And then there was Mr. Domorte."

"I see."

　It makes sense, considering the fact that the chief was looking down his nose at Domorte.



　A few moments after we entered, Domorte came in as usual.

"Rock, listen to me!　I've learned crystal warding. You can seal it with this!　There is almost nothing to seal, though. It's a rather useless magic, but as a byproduct, it can amplify the magic power from the magic stone, which is much more useful. It was a fun warding magic."



"I'm glad you're having fun. You can try new things as much as you like.

What's the matter?　The room you're staying in is different from yesterday...

　I'll give Domorte the same explanation as before.

　That we were attacked and that the chief didn't trust us at all.



"I see. Margret knew this and that's why she was unwilling to do it. Maybe Margret is planning to release the dragon at the right moment."

The dragon?



"Yes, I mean, the crystal warding is a top quality warding, but I think he wants to finish it in his own time."

"That's not true!　Grandma would never do such a thing!　She's the best warder in the world! Don't talk nonsense you bone monster!　They're the ones who'll free us!　You sound like you're one of them!

Ivan, listen to me!



　Ivan, who had never shown much emotion, denied Domorte in a loud voice.

　It was probably because of his trust in Margrethe. It is natural for anyone to get angry when someone denies his family.

　Even if it is a misunderstanding.



　The air in the room becomes tense.

　Ivan's hair stood on end, and the magic inside him grew visibly.

　I quickly gave Ivan a slight shock to the neck, knocking him out, and laid him down on the bed.



"Domorte, what was that ......?"

"That's quite a bit of inner magic," he said. I have never seen such a thing in a small child.

　There was a shaking underfoot and another earthquake.

　The dragon must be on the rampage again.



"Why would Margret release the dragon?　Why would Margret release the dragon? If it were sealed up here, the village would be safe in the winter.

"I think he doesn't want her to be his heir. It's too hard for him to stay here."



　I do feel sorry for Ivan.

　Ivan's help today was the final straw.



　I hope they release the dragons or ...... fly away to someplace more natural, but if they are released and run amok in this country, I'm afraid they'll be in big trouble.　　　

　If they are really going to be released within a few days, we may not have time to consult the guild after all.



It means there is a possibility that the release will happen soon."

"I got the feeling that they are waiting for the right time. I don't know when that timing is, but ......"

"Then again, maybe it's just in time for tomorrow night's attack."



　Ivan said that the dragons would be released soon, but that Margret would not do it on purpose.

　It would not be a release, but a natural process. What the hell did Ivan hear?

　But with the way he was angry, it would be difficult to find out so easily.



　We talk for a while, and then there is a gentle knock at the door.



"Yes?"

"It's me, Guitin. Can I open the door?

"Yes, it's okay."

I'm coming in.



　When the door was opened, Guitin, Ando, and the other members who had been digging in the cave came in with food and drinks. Behind them were small children and women who seemed to have brought their families with them.



"What's wrong?"

"We were supposed to serve drinks, weren't we?　Besides, I wanted to know if what AND told me was true.




　With that, more and more dishes and drinks are placed on the table.



　The aroma of fresh flowers and fruits, which I had never smelled before, was unique to the local cuisine. The delicious aroma alone is enough to make me suddenly hungry. This looks quite delicious.



　But are these people allowed to do this?

　It would be bad enough if they start dividing the village in two.



"Are you sure about this?　Won't the village head antagonize us if we do this?

"I don't care about the animosity. This village is so closed that it can't manage crisis. Normally, if both sides of the issue are not in danger, they would consider it a little, but they don't. ......



"That's fine. We'll get the missing tables for you. Patra, please."

"Yes, yes..."

　Patra brought a large table outside by herself.

　Everyone looks at her with surprise. Well, that's understandable.



　No one would have imagined that such a small and pretty girl would show up with a desk bigger than her own body.

　Other orange-antes came out of the box yard one after another with food and other items in their hands.



"I was surprised when I saw it during the day, but ...... it's amazing. The fact that he didn't escape from the room, but instead was locked up in a room, ...... makes him different from the rest of the outsiders."

"Other outsiders?"



"Yeah, most of the adventurers we've seen so far have either gone berserk or tried to escape from here before entering this place. But the entrance to this place is warded, so they can't escape so easily. We can hear the sounds of the ruckus inside from outside, so there are many people in the village who don't like adventurers."



　It seems that the adventurers' behavior was quite bad as well, though they may have disliked outsiders.

　Adventurers are all different.

　By the way, they use wards in places like this.



　When I first saw it, I thought it was made in such a way that it could not be opened from the inside, but I was surprised to know that it could be used in such a way.



"It's amazing that they use wards in places like this.

"Yes, it is. You can break down the door from the inside if you want.

"Are you sure?　You'll probably break it."



　Guitin sniffs with a proud grin.

　There's no way he could do that.



"It's not that easy," he says, "no matter how sure of himself Locke is.

"Okay, let's give it a try."



　I put my hand on the door to analyze the magic, and found that the warding was not as strong as the dragon's. "This will be easy. This is easy. This is interesting, by the way.

　I feel a different kind of magical power from the magic I usually use.



　Maybe Domorte can teach me later. Following the flow of magic, I found a crystal hidden in the room.

　This crystal seems to play a role of a magic circle to create a boundary.



　This means that if we can break the flow of the magic, we can get .......

　I move away from the door and open the door of the chest of drawers in the room. I find a palm-sized crystal there and put my hand on the door again with it.

　Hey, I guess I can make it even stronger if I feel like this.

　The position of the crystal makes a big difference in amplifying the power.



"Locke, you're not going to analyze it and make it even stronger, are you?"

"Of course I'm sure."



　Domorte said, looking at me with a stern stare.

　Dangerous, I was about to play with it just for the fun of it when I thought I was going to unlock it.



"I'll cry if you simply nullify my efforts of the past few days!"

"Mr. Domorte, he's got a record, you know."

　Lara, who had not been seen recently, came out of Domorte's pocket.



"Lara, haven't you been a long time?"

"I've been away since I came to this village. I've been away for a while since I came to this village, on orders from the master!　I thought I was going to die from the cold... but this time we're going to beat you! The last time we used the Holy Magic, it was this one that got us, but this time we're the ones who will save this village."



　Lara looked very confident as she turned her small body to the side.

　Does saving the village mean doing something about the dragon?



"What are you doing researching?"

"Well, you don't need to know anything about it and leave it to Master Domorte. Domorte will take care of everything.



"I see. Well, let me know if you need anything. I'll help you.

　With that I break the spell and open the door.



He opened the door so fast.

You're kidding me.

"That's what locks are for, isn't it?"

　I only opened the door because I was told to.



　Mr. Gargoyle and the others come out from the box yard and start preparing for the party.

　I wondered if it was all right to be so carefree, but I decided that the raid could wait until tomorrow.



　Since the people of this village have come up to us, we have no choice but to enjoy the party together.

　I feel a lack of tension, but there is no point in being anxious for no reason.