The calendar had quietly slipped into the third month of summer.

The talk of war that Liesel had made public during the commemoration festival had now calmed down, and the excitement of that time had settled.

That said, even if there wasn’t any public uproar, it seems the townsfolk—merchants, farmers, adventurers alike—were all discussing it in taverns and such.

Which country would achieve the most military success?

Who would stand out the most?

Would a hero be born from this war?

How much strength would Riana’s soldiers display?

Basically, the topic of conversation was built on the assumption of winning… and overwhelmingly so.

Incidentally, the leading candidate for becoming a hero was Zighart.

I kind of agree.

He’s so strong that I start to feel sorry for any monster standing in his way, and if he ever got serious against humans… well, let’s not go there.

Back when I recommended recruiting him, I was right.

Now that all preparations are complete, I can’t quite say whether I’ve just come to terms with it, but I don’t feel any anxiety anymore.

According to Seriana, it’s certain that there are still people in the domain capital who harbor strong hostility toward us.

Moreover, it seems they’re grouped together in set numbers.

It would be best to strike them all at once, but to avoid letting any escape and cause further damage, we need to make them act first.

From time to time, Seriana checks around the city using 【Fairy’s Eye】, and apparently even the strongest of them are barely on par with the average adventurer here—well within manageable range.

Naturally, that information is also shared with Luick and Teresa.

With all these precautions in place…

There’s no point in me getting scared now!

And so, with the long preparation for war that had kept us occupied since around summer finally wrapped up, today we’re all relaxing with tea in Seriana’s room, joined by Elena as well.

The group is the usual Seriana bunch, and of course, I’m here too.

However, I’m not drinking any tea.

“…I wonder what’s up with Sera?”

“Just when I thought she’d finally come to terms with what’s happening this fall, she turns around and acts like this. Honestly, what a troublesome girl…”

Seriana answered Elena, who had looked at me and spoken with concern.

Apparently, she was holding a cup, ready to drink.

“My, you don’t look particularly unhappy about it, though?”

“Both the madam and the princess have been quite busy lately, so we haven’t had much time to relax together.”

Fiora teased playfully, while Teresa added with a more considerate tone.

Then, setting her cup on the table, Seriana spoke again.

“In the end, we never made it to the dungeon, did we? Things had just been too hectic. But now that there’s finally some breathing room, she seems to have remembered it, and she’s been sulking since this morning. Come on, you too, get up already. Your tea’s getting cold.”

With that, she started patting my rear, as I had my face buried in her lap.

I wasn’t sulking, really, but just like she said—now that my mind had settled, I remembered that I had hardly left the mansion since spring.

It’s not that I dislike this place. I actually like it here and have no real complaints.

But still… I feel like things will stay this way even after fall, and I’ve basically spent this whole year in the mansion.

I’ve done my job properly, of course, but I used to live a life of hunting outside or in dungeons every year, so… this feels off.

As I explained all that while sitting up, Elena seemed to come up with an idea.

“That’s it! Sera, why don’t you come to our place with Lady Seria, using the underground passage? You always came from above, so you’ve never used that route, right?”

“Oh, that sounds fun. I’ve never visited your home either, and I’m curious.”

“…Hoh?”

Just like Elena said, whenever I visited her and Alec’s house, I always used the 【Floating Orb】 and entered from the sky.

The first time I went there, I came in through the front door, but after that, I got permission to arrive from above.

Their home functions not only as a residence, but also, together with the August estate across the road, as a kind of fortress guarding this mansion, so soldiers are always stationed there, and it’s fine to drop in from the sky.

But the underground passage, huh…

I’ve used the underground passage before, but I’ve never taken it to their home.

There’s a small hall, with passages on either side connecting to their house and the August estate.

Soldiers maintain a 24-hour watch there.

I probably wouldn’t get in trouble for passing through, but it’s technically a temporary passage and not usually used.

Even Zighart and Fiora, who often use the underground route, normally go through the front door instead, so I never thought of using that passage.

They keep records of who goes through it, and I’d feel bad disrupting their work just for fun.

But still…

“That actually sounds kind of fun.”

Even if it’s a place I’ve been to many times, taking a different route can make it feel new again.

The underground passage here at the mansion is just too large—it’s more like a commercial complex merged with a subway hall from my past life, not very interesting.

But Elena and Alec’s house, while grand, is still just a private residence.

…Yeah.

That does sound interesting.

The homeowners have given permission, and the lady of the domain will be with me.

That makes it perfectly legitimate business!

“Alright. I’ll make the arrangements. Come with Lady Seria tomorrow.”

Seeing my face, Elena could tell I was on board.

She smiled as she said that.

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

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Blade】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・40 cards

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

Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards