“What should I do…?”

As I waited for the old man’s next words, he finally opened his mouth.

“Sera, there are several reasons why we want to adopt you into our household. One of them is that there have been concerns from members of the royal family and domestic nobility that you might be drawn to another country. Interestingly, though, it’s not for political reasons…”

“…Yeah. I’ve heard about that.”

Apparently, it was mostly a concern among the ladies of the court.

That’s why they’re pushing for this arrangement—to keep me in this country.

And from what I’ve heard, Seriana suggested making me an adopted child of the Müller family, the least complicated option.

There was nothing strange about it, and I had no objections… but—

“There are also other roles for you, such as serving as a liaison between the eastern and central regions. Well… those are the reasons others are pushing for you to join our family.”

“…Haa.”

It didn’t sound much different from what I already knew.

So why was he going out of his way to tell me this again…?

As I mulled over my doubts, the old man took a pause before continuing.

“Of course, those are valid reasons. But, Sera, what do you think of the Zelkis Territory?”

“…Huh?”

“Was that too unclear?”

I had no idea what he was getting at…

“The Zelkis Territory is governed by me, the head of the Müller family, along with my two wives, Minea and Flora. Additionally, those with close ties to the Müller family help support us.”

He then gestured toward Luick and the others.

“…Haa.”

Well, even in the Riana Territory, relatives of the Müller family still served as local officials.

So it wasn’t surprising that the core positions in Zelkis would be filled by family members.

It’s important to secure key roles with trusted people.

“However, cracks have begun to show recently. To put it simply, there are factions forming around Minea and Flora, and signs of conflict are beginning to emerge.”

“…Oh dear.”

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

From what I’d seen, those two seemed to get along well, though…?

“I believed I had a good relationship with both Flora and Luciana… but this is troubling.”

Behind me, Minea let out a sigh.

It seemed that the issue wasn’t between the women themselves, but rather with the people around them stirring things up.

The old man nodded in agreement with her words.

“You know about Eizen and Luciana, right? Their supporters are trying to strengthen their respective factions.”

“I see…”

So it’s turning into something like a successor dispute?

Then each faction would want to take control of the territory for their own benefit…

“Creating factions and promoting your allies isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We’ve already decided that Eizen will be the successor, and none of them seem to be trying to overturn that decision. However… they’ve started trying to crush the opposing faction. If left unchecked, it could divide the territory, and that must be avoided at all costs.”

“…Hmm.”

“Zelkis has vast lands and has long bordered the Demon Zone. Until now, we didn’t have the luxury to engage in internal power struggles. But since part of our land was ceded to Riana, and we’ve distanced ourselves from the Demon Zone, some people have started to entertain dangerous ideas.”

“Ah, I see…”

I’d heard that in this country—or at least in the eastern region—they couldn’t afford to have messy internal power struggles.

Even without the Demon Zone, there were monsters roaming around everywhere.

The faction leaders seemed to understand that interfering with the succession would be risky.

Instead, they aimed to take control of the territory by eliminating rival factions.

But from the old man’s perspective, that was unacceptable.

And that’s why he wanted to adopt me—to serve as a deterrent.

…Why me, though?

Would adopting me really make any difference?

“I became the head of the family at a young age, but I’ve spent much of my time acting as a mediator behind the scenes. That might be why… some of the more militant individuals don’t take me seriously.”

As I stood there with a puzzled expression, the old man let out a faint chuckle.

It was a bitter smile, unlike his usual demeanor.

“…Haa.”

Well, the previous head was my grandfather, after all.

He handed over the family leadership early and devoted himself to clearing out monsters and developing the eastern frontier.

There’s even a key stronghold in Riana named after him.

I’ve seen him wield a sword before, and I know he’s as strong as they say. But to those who didn’t witness his strength firsthand, the old man, who mostly worked behind the scenes, probably didn’t leave as strong an impression as my grandfather did.

Still, I couldn’t figure out how this led to the decision to adopt me…

“Master.”

Luick, who had been silent until now, suddenly addressed the old man.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Sera looks bored.”

The old man turned to look at me upon hearing that.

I wasn’t exactly bored, but I did feel like I wasn’t getting the full picture.

Meeting his gaze, I gave him a slight nod.

“You’re rambling. The internal affairs of Zelkis aren’t the point—just explain the situation at home.”

Minea chimed in, sounding exasperated.

The old man looked a bit sheepish.

Well, seeing that, it was clear he didn’t have the same intimidating aura as my grandfather…

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Seria – 【Hideout】 +1, 【Prayer】, 【Mira’s Blessing】, 【Wind Garment】, 【Floating Orb】 +1, 【Shadow Sword】, 【Scarlet Bee Needle】, 【Fairy Eye】, 【Dragon’s Lung】, 【Amber Sword】, 【Danrem’s Thread】, 【Snake’s Tail】, 【Ankle Bracelet】, 【Amber Shield】, 【Purple Wings】 – 11 cards

Seriana – 【Area Identification】, 【】 – 28 cards

Elena – 【】, 【Green Fang】, 【Amber Sword】 – 4 cards

Alec – 【Strong Strike】, 【Red Shield】, 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 – 8 cards