After finishing my work in the Noble District and returning to the mansion, I noticed that the window in the office was open.

Since it’s been cold lately, I’ve been coming in through the front entrance instead. It’s been a while since I returned through this route.

The window I usually use is right next to Seriana’s seat, but this time it’s slightly off.

…Must be because of the cold.

“I’m home—”

Anyway, I jumped into the room through the window and greeted everyone first.

Then, I looked around the room.

Recently, perhaps because the discussion about how to use the Church District has settled down, the branch chiefs of both the Adventurer Guild and Merchant Guild haven’t been showing up.

Of course, the staff dispatched from both guilds still looked busy as ever.

I wonder what the Church District is ultimately going to be used for?

Hmm… As I was pondering, Teresa, who had just closed the window, came over to me.

“Princess, allow me to take your coat.”

“Ah, thanks.”

I took off my coat and handed it to her, then headed over to Seriana to report that the task was complete.

As always, a mountain of documents sat atop her desk.

There have been constant ups and downs lately, with periods of being organized and chaotic in turn, but today seems to be one of the busy days.

“Lady Seria. Here you go. I’ve finished replacing all the lighting in the Noble District. I’ll bring the magic crystals over to Fio-san later.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Any issues?”

“None at all. The guards were doing their jobs properly too. …Ah, right.”

I gave my usual report and confirmed there were no strange happenings in town—it’s become routine these days.

Seriana probably thought that would be the end of it, but when I continued speaking, she gave me a curious look.

“Hey, you know that big empty lot down the road, opposite from the mansion? What’s that going to be used for?”

I said that while pointing in the direction of the land I saw earlier today.

Well… I already had a pretty good idea.

“The opposite side…?”

At my sudden question, Seriana looked puzzled for a moment, but then something seemed to come to mind and she muttered softly, “Ah.”

“That place… well. I’m swamped with work right now, so let’s talk about it tonight.”

When Seriana glanced around the room, the scribes and Merchant Guild staff who had been watching quickly lowered their eyes. Maybe they were reacting to her gaze?

“Hmm… Got it.”

She probably really is busy, but more than that, it felt like she was being mindful of those around her.

Even I could guess what it’s about, so they’ve probably figured it out too. But depending on which construction workshop gets involved or once the information becomes official, there could be a lot of consequences.

It’s probably not something to talk about here.

In that case… I should take care of the remaining errands first.

“Well then, I’m off to Fio-san’s place.”

I gave a light tap to the pouch at my waist, which held the magic crystals.

“Okay. See you later.”

“Yup—”

Alright then, let’s head down to the basement.

After saying goodbye to everyone, I stepped out into the hallway.

◇

Still… that’s something, huh.

From the way everyone in the room was acting earlier, it seemed like the scribes already had a pretty good idea about the topic and probably know what that land will be used for.

But it’s likely just the purpose—they don’t seem to know the details yet.

Judging by the flow of things, this is probably a project led by Seriana.

The Müller family’s mansion, huh…

I wonder what it’ll be like.

Will it have that usual no-nonsense feel?

As I slowed down the speed of the 【Floating Orb】 just a little, I spent the walk to the underground laboratory thinking about that.

◇

That night.

As usual, we all gathered in Seriana’s room to chat. Just as we were settling in, Seriana looked at me, sitting next to her, and spoke.

“Come to think of it, we didn’t finish our conversation from earlier today.”

“Earlier?”

Fiora responded, tilting her head.

She wasn’t in the office at the time, so she must not know.

Teresa began explaining what happened.

Normally, the things I bring up aren’t particularly important, so they often get pushed to the end of the conversation. It’s kind of rare for something I said to be brought up first.

Maybe it’s a relatively important matter?

“You mean that plot of land? Are you building a mansion for the Müller family?”

“Yes. I’m impressed you figured it out.”

“I heard the master had secured that land… But he usually tells us everything, so if something’s being kept secret, it felt more like something Lady Seria would do.”

Hearing that, Seriana smiled faintly at me proudly puffing out my chest and gave a small chuckle.

Then, she began to speak.

“We haven’t decided yet which workshop will handle the construction, nor who we’ll entrust with furnishing the mansion… so there was no rush. But eventually, it’ll be yours. So I thought this would be a good opportunity.”

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

Sera ・Blessed Item・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Water’s Garment】

Blessed Item・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Lesser 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・【Range Identification】・【】・0 cards

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

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