“Ah? You’re still awake?”

“Oh, welcome back!”

As I was rolling around on Seriana’s bed, Seriana entered the room. She had removed her makeup, and her clothes and hair had changed from formal to something more suitable for bedtime. Her work was probably done by now. Maybe she had even taken a bath?

She looked around the room and seemed to notice that Fiora was no longer here.

“Did Fiora leave already?”

“Yeah. She was here just a little while ago.”

Fiora had been writing something—maybe a report or a paper—in the 【Hideout】. Her house was shared with Zighart, and I had stayed there for a few days in the past. It was filled with magical tools, and while it was quite comfortable by this world’s standards, the 【Hideout】 was more user-friendly. This was the first time I saw her working inside, but she seemed to like it quite a bit.

“I see…”

“…Hmm?”

Seriana then pushed me aside from the bed and lay face down in the center. She bent her arms and pointed to her lower back.

…Could it be 【Mira’s Blessing】?

“Alright.”

I straddled her waist, placed my hand on the back of her head, and activated it. That should cover her upper body for now.

“What’s wrong? Are you tired?”

“Yeah… I’m exhausted. Things are coming together, but there’s still so much work to do, and we’re short on people. There are so many little things that need to be decided by me and Liesel. The royal family is helping, but… we can’t rely on them for everything…”

She sighed deeply.

Yeah, she’s definitely tired.

The knight squads have managed with the first and second squads divided, and even former adventurers have been making do. What’s required is strength, after all. These adventurers are already well-equipped for that. As long as the second squad clears that hurdle and maintains some level of dignity, the rest is manageable.

However, the bureaucrats… That’s a different story.

Apart from the royal academy, each territory has its own educational institutions. There are branches spread across each town within the territory, where they pick out people to manage the domain’s affairs.

Of course, there’s something similar in Riana’s territory, but it’s only been two years since it was founded. The educational program, the teachers, and the students… everything is lacking. It’s going to be busy for a while… That’s why Teresa is so valuable.

◇

“Here we go… here we go…!”

While keeping 【Mira’s Blessing】 active, I moved my hands down from her neck and shoulders. I decided to give her a shiatsu massage along the way. Unfortunately, unlike the massage therapist from my previous life, I couldn’t feel where the tension was with my fingertips, but well… it shouldn’t hurt.

Seriana was of average height for a woman in this world, about mid-160s cm, but she had an excellent figure. Her limbs were long, and although I didn’t know her exact measurements, she was well-proportioned. She appeared slender at first glance, but after all, she had been properly trained, so she had a solid amount of muscle.

“Fuhn! Fuhn!”

It seemed I needed to apply more pressure to make it effective.

“Seria.”

Push, push! As I pressed along her spine, Seriana called my name.

“Hm? Oh, was I…?”

Maybe I applied too much pressure?

“You can use more strength.”

“Ah, yeah…”

I thought I was already using all my strength… but I guess not. Maybe I should use 【Prayer】? No, I’m not sure about the pressure, and I might hurt her. I’ll just focus more and try to push harder!

After finishing her back, I moved on to her waist, thighs, calves, and feet… and finally finished. There was a foot reflexology tool around here somewhere… maybe I should have one made…

“…Done… Huh?”

I told Seriana I was done, but she didn’t respond. What’s going on? I leaned in closer and heard soft sleeping breaths. She had fallen asleep without me noticing. She must have been really tired. It was a good time for me too, so maybe I should sleep now as well.

“…Ah.”

It seemed cruel to wake her, so I decided to let her sleep. But Seriana was lying on top of the blanket. What should I do? I can’t carry her… The air conditioning is on, but it’s not cold enough to worry. I guess it’s fine to leave her as she is.

As I thought about it, I dimmed the lights and got into bed myself.

◇

“…Mm… Mmm~…!”

She’s awake!

Is it morning or afternoon? Yesterday, the noise from the festival could be heard from the room, but today, it’s all quiet. I slept soundly…!

Seriana was already gone, probably busy with her work as my wife.

“…Huh?”

For some reason, the blanket where Seriana had been sleeping was now neatly folded. Come to think of it, I don’t remember pulling the blanket off when I woke up. I’m sure I went to bed last night, and I usually sleep well, so… did Seriana move it?

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

Sera・【Hideout】 +1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Garb】・【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】・7 cards

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