The night after Sera and her group successfully defeated the lower-layer Demon Lord species and returned safely.

A messenger arrived from Liesel, instructing me to come to her room after her work was finished.
If she wanted to talk, it could have been during dinner. If it were something confidential, she wouldn’t have summoned me with a messenger.
What could this possibly be about?

“Come in.”

Accompanied by Elena, I made my way to Liesel’s room. The guards, upon seeing us, promptly opened the door after checking inside.

“You stay here and wait.”

“Understood.”

Leaving Elena outside, I entered the room to find Liesel buried in a mountain of letters and documents.
Despite keeping her office desk tidy, her personal room was a different story entirely.

“Ah, Seria. …Sera isn’t with you, is she?”

“She’s tired and is resting. I’ll wake her up for dinner since I want to hear her report too.”

After transporting the materials out of 【Hideout】, she headed straight for the bath but seemed to have exhausted herself and fell asleep.
Not just Sera—whether Alec and the others are also resting at home remains uncertain, but everyone appears to be recuperating.
From what I briefly heard from Teresa, the Demon Lord species they fought in the middle layers was considerably stronger than the Giant Apes from before.

“You seem tired too. Shall I have Sera use 【Mira’s Blessing】 on you after dinner?”

Could it be from the endless greetings with the guests already arriving in the capital for the commemorative festival?
Liesel, who greeted me, had weariness written all over her face.

“I’d appreciate that… But more importantly, for the past few days, I’ve been meeting with outsiders, and most of the conversation revolves around Leo and Lio’s future.”

“Well… that’s expected.”

Although they’re not even a year old, it’s not uncommon to discuss their future, even if it doesn’t involve formal engagement yet. Especially for a pair of male and female twins, they’re bound to attract attention.
However, such matters were predictable and shouldn’t warrant summoning me to her room.

“That’s true. But at the same time, there’s been talk about Sera too—what she plans to do going forward. While she’s your direct subordinate and I won’t interfere, it’s likely similar discussions will come your way during the festival. If necessary, feel free to use Mother or Sister’s name as leverage.”

Ah, so this is about confirming that.
But… this has already been addressed with Father and Mother.

“It’s not an issue. I’ve already made arrangements for her, so you can rest assured.”

Perhaps anticipating this response, Liesel didn’t press further and instead handed me a bundle of letters.

“What’s this?”

“Proposals to take Sera as a bride or adopt her. The contents are considerate of us, but even if you intend to decline, you should at least read through them.”

“…She’s quite popular.”

I couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback by the weight of the letters.
It seemed far more serious than the proposals often made to noble daughters.

“She’s someone who could strengthen ties across different houses, including ours. If I were in another family with a candidate of similar standing, I’d likely do the same.”

“True enough… I’ll look through them.”

“Thanks. Sorry for calling you over. Let’s talk more at dinner. We’ll have a simple celebration with everyone who participated in the battle.”

“Alright, see you later.”

After saying my farewells, Liesel returned to her work.
I’ve delegated tasks to Elena and Teresa, but as a lord, there are likely many duties Liesel can’t pass on to others.
Most of it is probably trivial, but she bears the burden nonetheless.

◇

Dinner time arrived.
While Teresa and August were still tied up with work at the knight order, those who had participated in the Demon Lord species subjugation had gathered.

“…Is something wrong with Sera?”

Liesel, noticing Sera sulking beside me, asked curiously.
Sera seized the opportunity to recount what had happened earlier.

“If you were awake, you should have come out sooner. You weren’t planning to skip dinner, were you?”

She had likely intended to eat something stored in 【Hideout】 instead.
While that’s understandable during travel, in dungeons, or as an adventurer, I wouldn’t allow it while she’s here at the mansion.

“Urgh…”

“Come on, don’t be so harsh. She’s been constantly fighting. She even dealt a major blow to that mantis. She’s done more than enough.”

It wasn’t meant as an excuse, but Zighart stopped drinking to describe the battle.
Though he can wield a sword, his expertise lies in magic, offering a broad view of the battlefield.
His perspective, different from Teresa’s, was fascinating.

“Sera, did you get hit during the fight?”

I hadn’t heard about that.

When I looked at Sera, she turned her head away conspicuously. Grabbing her chin to make her face me, she then averted her gaze diagonally upward.
There had been no report of injuries, but…

After questioning her, she explained the situation.
Indeed, who would have expected an attack even after decapitating the enemy? It wasn’t negligence.
Given the circumstances, no one else could have defended her either.
It couldn’t be helped, but without the armor crafted from the Demon Lord species, as well as the blessings and divine item acquired with the holy coins, she would’ve lost her life.
Judging by her slightly awkward demeanor, she seemed aware of this.

What should I do with her…

“Sera, Seria is quite skilled with a sword. Why not learn from her? Even if you don’t use a sword, it could help improve your combat skills.”

“Oh, that sounds good. While I’m no expert, I can wield a sword a little. It wouldn’t hurt for you to learn some self-defense techniques without relying on blessings or divine items.”

Fiora agreed with Liesel’s suggestion.

Previously, I had sparred briefly with Sera for training. At that time, I used 【Floating Orb】 to have her attack me while I focused on movement.
This time, it would be about teaching her defense.
That might not be a bad idea. While she usually avoids physical exertion, she doesn’t seem to dislike sword training… though her progress remains stagnant.

Seeing her carefree expression, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“…Sigh.”

“What!?”

At my sigh, Sera raised her voice.

“Nothing. Once the commemorative festival is over, let’s train together, alright?”

“…Okay.”

Though she wore a displeased expression, she would likely cheer up soon enough.

“Now, eat more.”

She had stopped eating altogether, leaving her plate half-full.
At the very least, she should finish what was served.

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

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Robe】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Crimson Bee’s Stinger】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・7 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards
Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・3 cards
Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・7 cards