that factored into her refusal. However, if I’d brought her with us, I’d probably have had to bring Aisha too. That would have made us a party of eleven, definitely a crowd. I didn’t feel comfortable taking that many people to meet someone I didn’t really know. “Lord Perugius spends his days in seclusion now, but after Laplace’s War, he lived in Asura Kingdom for a time. The people there think of him as an equal to their own king. It’s said he once brought a hundred servants with him when he visited the palace. Someone like that would hardly bat an eyelash at a tiny group of nine people,” said Ariel. “I guess so.” In a completely unrelated tangent, Ariel’s voice sure was pleasant to listen to. It was surely natural to be annoyed when visitors came knocking with no prior notice, yet Ariel’s words made it sound as if everything would be perfectly fine. It was honestly disconcerting. Her voice was like the devil’s whisper. I glanced over at the princess. “If he was fed up with life at the palace, then maybe he doesn’t like the concept of visitors at all.” “Were that the case, Lady Nanahoshi would not have agreed to let me come along.” “I don’t really think she puts that much thought into it,” I mumbled, recalling the circumstances that led Ariel to join our group in the first place… When Nanahoshi first mentioned Perugius, I felt as excited as a little kid on the morning of my birthday. This was the Armored Dragon King we were talking about. I knew all about him. I’d read a book about him, not long after I reincarnated into this world. Perugius was a hero from Laplace’s War 400 years ago. According to what I read, he could control twelve familiars, had restored an ancient floating fortress to its former glory, and had even