“Let’s see… I’m not fully prepared yet, but it should be around the 10th of next month. Once you’re done with your current patrol along the highway, make sure not to schedule any long trips afterward. Well, knowing you, if there’s nothing urgent, you probably won’t leave the mansion anyway…”

Seriana said this with a small, amused chuckle.

“Hmm…”

I felt like she was mocking me a little this time… but it looks like I’ll be heading to the royal capital sooner than expected.

Even now, with something important coming up, I can’t afford to go hunting in a dungeon.

I probably wouldn’t end up in serious danger, but still—there’s always that one-in-a-million chance.

…Actually, come to think of it, I’ve already run into that “one-in-a-million” more than once, even outside dungeons.

At least I’ve got Liesel and the others over there, and our mansion in the royal capital too, so there’s no problem living comfortably.

The Müller family estate is nearby as well, so I can probably pop in for a visit and kill some time.

Still… that leaves me with about two weeks of free time.

Just like Seriana said, I’ll probably end up lazing around the mansion… what should I even do?

That thought must’ve shown on my face, because Elena, who’d been quietly listening, joined the conversation.

“Sera. Your current mission outside ends in about a week, right? Since Alec and Lord Zighart are mostly operating around the eastern base now, why don’t you tag along? Lady Seriana, it should be fine if those two are around, right?”

“Hm?”

“Oh, yes, that might be better than just lounging around the mansion. Sera, that okay with you?”

“Yeah.”

Satisfied with my answer, Seriana nodded and moved on to the next topic.

With spring approaching and people beginning to travel again, news of trends from various regions was starting to reach us—mostly centered around the royal capital. The conversation shifted to fashion from other territories.

The silhouettes of the clothes, the colors…

They don’t usually change their wardrobes drastically, but they do seem to enjoy fashion nonetheless.

But me? I’m not interested in that.

What I care about is hunting near the eastern base.

That’s far more important.

Up until now, I’d gone out that way occasionally, but never used it as a hunting ground.

I was just patrolling the area, really.

There were a few reasons for that.

First, the monsters around there are simply strong.

In a one-on-one, I wouldn’t lose easily. Even if I couldn’t beat it, I could escape without much trouble. But monsters don’t usually wander around alone.

Naturally, when it comes to facing multiple enemies, the danger increases.

Next, dealing with the corpses is a pain.

Even if I enthusiastically took down a bunch of monsters, I’d still have to figure out what to do with the bodies…

I don’t know how many adventurers around there would take on collection requests from me, and even if I wanted to use the patrolling soldiers, they’re busier now, with wider patrol ranges than before.

And if I decided not to collect the bodies, the only real option would be to burn them to ash—but setting a big fire like that in the middle of the forest… yeah, no.

That applies to pretty much any forest. You just can’t start big fires in the heart of the woods. So ultimately, I’d have to retrieve the corpses.

There are other reasons, too, but honestly, hunting in that hardcore area wouldn’t yield different results for me compared to hunting somewhere closer. So I never bothered going that far.

But now I’d be going there with Alec and the others as escorts.

Of course, it’s not just the two of them—there’ll be other soldiers too… sounds like it might actually be fun!

◇

About a week had passed since I started the highway patrol.

Not every encounter turned into a battle, but there were definitely some fights.

The types of monsters weren’t too varied—mostly wolves and goblins—and they felt a bit weaker than your average monster.

Easy wins all around.

Since I was wandering solo, I got attacked, but I doubt anything would bother a group of well-armed humans traveling together.

Anyway, I made good progress through the patrol routes, and today was the final stop: the town of Sol on the border of this territory.

There, a battle had broken out just west of the highway outside of town, but I managed to take care of it without issue.

Then, together with the stationed soldiers, some merchants, and a few adventurers who happened to be free, we came to retrieve the corpses.

Just like other places, neither monsters nor beasts seemed willing to approach the battlefield remains, so we didn’t have to worry about ambushes or assembling elite guards for protection.

Still, that didn’t mean I let my guard down—I stayed alert.

At that moment, the squad leader, who was heading this unit, called out to me.

“Vice-Captain Sera, the collection’s done. You don’t sense any more monsters nearby, do you? I’d rather not get hit from behind…”

“None. Same as the other places—they don’t come near because of the smell from the corpses.”

“Yeah, the stench is awful… Alright, let’s move out!”

Responses echoed from various directions.

In the end, I never figured out why we were doing this patrol and monster extermination on this highway, but the job’s done, and there weren’t any big problems. So all’s well that ends well.

Now I’ve got a bit of free time before I head to the royal capital… time to enjoy myself at the eastern base!

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

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

Blessed Item ・【Floating Orb】+1 【Shadow Sword】+1 【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 Detection】・【】・0 cards

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

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