The Party

A day later...

The trio managed to return to the villa gates by morning.

Lord Levine and Mr. Sanchez met them at the main gate.

"So, you got the treasure?", Mr. Sanchez asked.

The trio handed out their satchels, but Lord Levine suddenly said, "The satchels are all yours, just take out the plants and the bags where you stored in those treasures."

The trio was delighted and expressed their thanks, and did what Lord Levine told them to do inside the villa.

"Let's split up the treasures later, the three of you should go rest first.", Lord Levine said.

...

Inside the guest bedroom...

Allen wore his new clothes and put away his black garbs. The shirt that removed now had a large hole on it due to the dragon's tail.

The kid touched his chest where the tail of the dragon pierced through. Truth be told, he didn't know why he suddenly rushed in front of Kate to protect her from the tail.

He sat on his bed, trying to forget the dream where he killed his little brother, but the more he tried to forget it, the more he remembered it.

"That won't come true, right?", Allen asked himself. He'd rather kill himself than kill his little brother. The kid then heard somebody knocking on the door.

"Come in, the door's not locked.", Allen said.

Mr. Sanchez walked in the room, and sat beside Allen at once.

"Good job on killing the dragon.", Mr. Sanchez commented.

"Huh... so you knew all along that there was a dragon in there.", Allen raised one of his eyebrows. Afterwards, he thought, 'Looks like he doesn't know about that village, but he knew the dragon?!'

He, Kate, and Drake has already promised to the elders of the remnant barbarian village that they won't spread the news of their existence on the outside world.

"Do you think the three of you would agree that you would be sent to go kill the dragon?", Mr. Sanchez asked a question with a very obvious answer. The answer would obviously be no.

It was a plan made by Mr. Sanchez and Lord Levine so that the trio would go towards the mountain in search for the so-called treasure, which was in fact, under the care of the dragon.

"And do you think that I'm just some sort of commodity?", Allen slowly asked with a slight raised tone.

Mr. Sanchez was caught off guard by the tone on Allen's question, he composed himself and answered, "No! Of course not! I care for the three of you!"

"You only care for Kate and Drake. I'm just some usable item, am I right? That's how you saw me when you found out that I got the dagger.", Allen retorted.

"...", Mr. Sanchez wanted to speak, but he didn't continue it.

"So I am right.", Allen said. "All those warnings and those 'take cares' were in fact just a farce."

After a pause, the kid added, "But you should've just sent me alone instead of letting Kate and Drake go along, they could've died."

'In fact, all of us should have died already if it weren't for that elder from that remnant village.', Allen's inner thoughts echoed within his own mind.

Before Mr. Sanchez could begin talking again, Allen intercepted him and said, "You know, because of that, I risked my sanity again. Even though I didn't sell anything part of me, it still takes a toll on my sanity. I might even kill my little brother anytime after we return!"

A faint squeak could be heard at Allen's last sentence. He knew within himself, that he was getting more hungry for the power of the Erchian Dagger after each uses. 

Mr. Sanchez stood up and walked to the door, before he left the room, he said, "Go get dressed up, there are clothes inside the cabinets, we'll go the earl's manor later today."

Allen lied down on his bed and breathe out a mouthful of air in stress. He felt that his body became lighter when he let out his feelings earlier.

'I think Mr. Sanchez is mad right now at me.', Allen thought.

...

Later that day, Allen walked out of the villa wearing formal clothes. He saw a coach inside the villa grounds, while Kate and Drake talking to each other with Mr. Sanchez, who were also wearing formal clothes; Lord Levine was also present as he was having a conversation with the carriage driver.

"Oh, Allen!", Drake waved from far away. After Allen approached them, Mr. Sanchez walked away from the area, which made Kate and Drake look towards the boy.

"We... had a fight, sort of.", Allen shrugged and didn't say a lot about what happened.

"Oh.", Kate and Drake just nodded in understanding.

"Anyone knows why are we going to the earl's manor?", Allen shifted the topic.

"I don't know.", Drake shook his head.

"I guess there's going to be a party?", Kate guessed.

"Hmm, probably.", Allen agreed.

"Will the three of you just keep standing there all day?", Lord Levine called out to them.

The trio approached the feudal lord and the latter said, "Go inside the carriage. You're leaving now."

The trio walked in the carriage and took their seats. Allen was seating beside Mr. Sanchez while Drake and Kate sat beside each other.

As the door of the carriage closed, Mr. Sanchez suddenly said, "Drake, let's switch places."

"Huh?", Drake was baffled.

"You shouldn't be sitting beside Kate, specially if the both of you are wearing formal clothes, others might think of something else.", Mr. Sanchez said.

"Erm... alright.", Drake could only agree, this was his master, after all. The both of the switched places, after which Mr. Sanchez looked out the window.

Allen bowed his head down in shame, he knew that there was an another reason why Mr. Sanchez switched places.

Meanwhile, Drake and Kate looked at each other, somewhat understanding the severity of the 'one-sided fight' they had earlier on.

...

It was already pass afternoon when the carriage stopped by outside the gates of the manor grounds.

The security was quite strict. Carriages weren't allowed to enter. Under the scorching hot rays of the sun, the armored guards were maintaining their posts and patrol routine inside and outside the grounds of the manor.

The carriage stopped by a grassland, along with the other carriages of the other nobles. As soon as the trio and Mr. Sanchez stepped out of the carriage, they spotted other nobles under the shade of the umbrellas that their servants were carrying.

"I hate these kinds of fancy meetings.", Kate murmured.

"Well, we can't do anything, can we?", Drake said. "I just wish we had umbrellas."

The last one to exit was Allen, he shadowed his eyes from the sunlight.

"Hear ye, hear ye. The gates are now opened for all the visitors in the earl's daughter's birthday party!", a nearly bald servant of the earl called out towards the nobles.

The gates of the manor was slowly opened by the guards on duty.

"Looks like the long wait is over.", a noble said.

"Finally, I'm sweating all over my body already!"

"Prepare the gifts."

...

The trio overheard everything what the nobles said, and placed attention on the gifts.

"Wait, do we have gifts?", Drake anxiously asked.

"Of course! Why would we even go into a birthday party without bringing a gift?", Kate looked at Mr. Sanchez.

Mr. Sanchez noticed Kate's gaze and the former answered, "Don't worry, we have a gift."

...

The party wasn't really held in the manor itself, but at a newly renovated castle inside the grounds.

This particular castle had a long history, but we'll just go into the specifics: During the time of the Barbarian Wars, the said structure has served as the commanding outpost that looked over the river after the Mount Watchtower was supposedly taken over by the barbarians.

After the war, this served as the main garrison of the Southern Royal Army of the Trigurniburg Kingdom; though after a few years, the troops moved to an another location, abandoning the castle.

Inside the main hall...

There was a long table which stretched from near the entrance, up to the end of the hall. There were serving plates, plates for eating, bowls at any kind of sizes, which all were decorated with bronze, silver, and gold; candles engraved with gems; and silver utensils. Even the cover of the table has sewed gold as its decoration.

"This looks more like a noble's banquet than a birthday party.", Allen commented.

"Aren't they just the same?", Kate asked.

"Well, if we compare this to a true birthday party, this is more formal and mature. I heard that the earl's daughter only turned ten this year, so it would be weird if she enjoys this kind of atmosphere.", Allen explained.

"So, you mean that they treated the party like some sort of a meeting between adult nobles?", Drake asked.

"Yes.", Allen nodded.

"I'll be talking with somebody else.", Mr. Sanchez told the trio and approached a group of nobles.

"So, what should we do now?", Allen asked towards Kate and Drake.

"Are we allowed to go to the other locations in the castle?", Kate pondered.

"Probably, because some of the children of the nobles were checking around the castle.", Drake said.

"Let's go?", Allen asked.

"Alright."

"Mhm."