The reception room on the first floor of the main building.

Today, Seriana is attending to guests here, and I am also present.

That said, as usual, I don’t really do anything—just float aimlessly around the room.

This room doesn’t have a space where I can lounge around comfortably.

Occasionally, a guest glances my way, but no one really talks to me…

“This will be all for today, Lady Seriana. Please excuse us.”

The man stood up as he said this, then, before leaving the room, he bowed his head toward us once more before stepping out.

Everyone who visits seems to do the same.

With the general opening of the dungeon finally set for tomorrow, the number of guests seeking an audience with Seriana has reached its peak.

Merchants are under Liesel’s jurisdiction, but the skilled adventurers—Seriana is in charge of them. Not just the merchants within the territory but also those from other domains and even foreign traders—she has been swamped.

“Sera.”

When I turn toward Seriana’s voice, I see her tapping her shoulder with a finger.

“Yeah, yeah.”

I move behind the sofa where Seriana is sitting, place my fingers on her shoulders, and start pressing firmly.

At the same time, 【Mira’s Blessing】 activates, and I continue massaging her shoulders.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“I’m not tired… I’m just bored.”

“…Oh.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to Seriana’s exasperated words, but I could understand how she felt.

The discussions with the adventurers she employs—the introductions, the requests—the faces may change, but the topics remain almost identical.

The conversations drag on, yet they all end with Seriana’s single word: “Rejected.”

If it were only one or two groups, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But handling over a dozen groups a day…

It’s honestly surprising how many people are staying in this city.

Some of them have already established shops in the capital, but I wonder what will happen to the rest.

“Elena, are there still more guests today?”

“Hm? Two more groups. There’s nothing scheduled for tomorrow, so that’ll be it for now.”

Elena, while giving instructions to the servants tidying the room, answered my question.

I’m not sure what she means by ‘for now’…

“Still two more groups… but at least it’s almost over.”

Saying this, I finish her shoulder massage and move on to her neck while letting out a sigh.

“The hardest part starts now. Some of them have already set up shops in the capital, but there’s no way all of them can.”

“Yeah.”

That was exactly what I was wondering about.

“They understand that too. That’s why they’re trying to secure the best locations possible within the territory. But unlike here, the other cities are already well established, so expansion isn’t easy.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

The capital is already protected by a barrier, but the other cities aren’t.

They can’t just tear down walls at will.

…Well, the cities that received materials from Demon King Type creatures might be an exception.

When I mentioned this, Seriana nodded slightly.

“Exactly. But everyone thinks the same way. They’re just waiting for the magistrate’s approval. That’s why they’re trying to establish connections with Liesel and me to get priority in negotiations.”

“Ohhh.”

So it’s all about networking… well, that makes sense.

“Liesel and I delegate everything in each area to the appointed magistrates, so technically, there’s no point in speaking to us. But they’ve already invested heavily just to get here, so they won’t give up easily.”

She let out another deep sigh.

Seriana probably thinks, “I already said no, so just give up.”

But from their perspective, they have their own reasons for persisting.

More importantly, they’re following all the proper procedures, so outright rejecting them wouldn’t be fair.

That would just be selfishness.

And Seriana, with her personality, would never allow that.

“By the time the rainy season ends, things should settle down. After that, you should be able to relax for a while.”

“…That’s still a long way off. Sera, that’s enough.”

“Alright.”

It seems the next guests have arrived.

She signaled for me to step back, then called for Elena to fix her outfit.

Two more groups to go.

I’ll leave the rest to her!

◇

“…Whoa. It’s packed.”

The morning of the dungeon’s general opening.

Following Seriana’s orders, I was surveying the city from above.

As expected, the area around the Adventurers’ Guild near the dungeon was lively, filled with adventurers and merchants eager to hire them. But it wasn’t just that area—the entire city was bustling with people.

Security patrols had also increased to match the crowd, and so far, no disturbances had broken out.

Still… there were just so many people.

Even outside the city, in the First Forest, I could sense plenty of movement from a distance.

The information from the preliminary dungeon surveys had been distributed through the Adventurers’ Guild, so many groups were likely completing Magic Territory commissions as a warm-up before tackling the dungeon.

Given the season, foot traffic would slow down for a while, but for now, everyone was incredibly busy.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera ・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【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