“…Oh?”

I arrived at the corridor leading to Liesel’s office… Normally, from here, I’d see a soldier standing in front of the door.

But today, there were a lot of them.

Their attire was different from ours—central army soldiers, perhaps?

Yusef seemed to be inside, so were they his guards?

“Vice-Captain Sera! Please wait a moment.”

Noticing me approach, one of our soldiers moved with unusual efficiency and checked inside.

…They’re usually more relaxed, but I guess that’s because outsiders are here.

“Ah… Hey.”

As I watched, he gave a slight nod, so I responded with a small bow.

Even seeing me floating on a 【Floating Orb】 didn’t make them react with surprise or suspicion.

They seemed to know about me—so they really were Central Knight Order soldiers.

“Sorry for the wait. Vice-Captain Sera, please go inside.”

“Alright. Sera, going in~.”

Well, whatever. Let’s just head in.

“…No one’s here.”

I entered the room, but instead of Liesel and the others, only the officials were bustling about.

“Vice-Captain Sera. The lords are over there.”

One of them pointed toward the door in the back.

I see… The reception room.

“Thanks… It’s Sera. I’m coming in~.”

I knocked on the door while calling out. Before I could open it, it swung open from the inside.

◇

The office had been crowded, but this room was just as packed.

The difference in size made the numbers incomparable, but in terms of density, this room might have been worse.

Zighart wasn’t here, but there were plenty of other intimidating figures.

“Ah, Sera. Is this Seriana’s reply? Sorry for making you come all the way.”

Taking Seriana’s reply from Carlos, Liesel opened the seal and started reading.

He nodded slightly as he read… What was written in there?

If there were no issues, he’d probably tell me later.

More importantly… I took in the atmosphere of the room.

Liesel, August, Alec, and Luick—Riana’s Knight Order executives—were all seated.

Across from them, separated by the table, sat Yusef and a group of pompous-looking old men.

Well… I guess they really were important people.

The atmosphere wasn’t exactly hostile, but the conversation seemed to have paused, leaving the room feeling heavy.

Too much intensity… every single one of them.

Even our side was silent—should I just keep floating here?

I hovered awkwardly in place when—

“Lady Sera, it has been some time. I am relieved to see you well.”

…Yusef?

What’s with that creepy formal tone…?

I must have made a disgusted face without realizing.

“Come now, don’t look so displeased. Won’t you be adopted into the Müller family eventually? Your rank will be higher than mine. This is the proper way to address a young noblewoman.”

He smirked as he spoke.

“…I’m a commoner right now, though?”

“Don’t bother with the small details. You should get used to it.”

He then turned to the others as if seeking agreement.

“Right, everyone?” He laughed with his mouth wide open.

As if on cue, the others joined in with a “Wahaha!”

…Ugh.

But thanks to that, the atmosphere in the room seemed to lighten.

Both our side and theirs relaxed.

Luick, though… he didn’t change.

Well, whatever.

“So? What were you all talking about?”

I didn’t plan to force an answer, but since they used me as a topic, I wanted to know at least that much.

“The dungeon. Lord Liesel will be heading for an expedition, right? For his escort, Riana’s Knight Order will send the Captain, me, Zighart, and you. From outside, there’s Luban.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And to oversee things, the other side wants to send some people as well… They’re pushing for Yusef and an entire unit.”

“That’s a lot!?”

I didn’t know exactly how many made up a unit, but we were only six.

Wouldn’t the overseers outnumber us?

“Not at all. A young duke is entering an unexplored dungeon. If anything, it’s not enough.”

I see.

Whether his youth mattered or not, I could understand why someone from the royal capital might think, “Wait a minute,” when they heard about a small party diving into an unknown dungeon.

We had already done thorough research, so extra caution wasn’t necessary, but they wouldn’t know that.

Their conflicting concerns must have led to this tense atmosphere.

“But Lord Liesel is ridiculously strong. With Zighart there, too, nothing will happen, right?”

Liesel was plenty strong, and Zighart was, of course, an excellent guardian.

Plus, I was there to focus on scouting.

Even in an unknown dungeon, a light exploration in the shallows didn’t require this level of precaution.

And moving in large groups made things more cumbersome.

At that moment, Liesel chuckled.

Had he been waiting for our conversation to wrap up?

“Yusef, if Sera says that much, you’ll have to accept it, won’t you? You can bring… one or two others at most.”

“…I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Yusef sighed deeply and shook his head.

…Was I called here for this?

Did I give the right answer?

◇

I later found out it didn’t really matter what I said.

No matter how I answered, they had already planned to keep the number small.

If they expected me to say “keep it small,” that was fine.

And if I had argued for a bigger group, they would’ve countered with something like, “Are you saying Lord Liesel isn’t strong enough?”

Well… In the end, Yusef and his men had to return soon anyway.

Reducing their numbers meant less exhaustion, which they secretly appreciated.

But given their position, they couldn’t bring it up themselves.

In the end, letting me decide was simply the least contentious way forward.

Appearances were important, after all.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera ・【Hideout】+1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind’s Mantle】 ・【Floating Orb】+1 【Shadow Sword】 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 【Fairy’s Eye】 【Dragon’s Lung】 【Amber Sword】 【Danrem’s Thread】 【Serpent’s Tail】 【Ankle Bracelet】 【Amber Shield】 【Purple Wings】 ・15 cards

Seriana ・【Area Identification】 ・【】・28 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】 【Amber Sword】 ・4 cards

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