“Fiora?”

After finishing the hunting in the dungeon, I quickly returned, but right outside the dungeon, there was a small renovation underway in the hall.

It was for the installation of a potion storage room, and Fiora seemed to be supervising it… though for some reason, she was holding a hammer and had a tool belt around her waist.

Her outfit was also not the usual mage-like attire, but rather a practical pants style for easy work.

“Ah, Sera? Is your exploration already over?”

“Yeah… it was crowded today. What about you, Fiora? What are you doing?”

She seemed to have guessed what I was trying to ask based on my gaze at her clothes.

Shrugging, she began explaining.

“This hall was built sturdy, incorporating monster materials, so it’s not easily breakable. It’s quite a hassle to work with.”

Saying that, she took out something like a chisel from her belt and showed it to me.

It was made of a dark metal, but… could it be…

“It’s made of magic steel. I’ll use this to detach part of the wall from the magic formula and then proceed with the work.”

As expected, magic steel.

This entire hall was like a large magical tool of sorts. By connecting it to the dungeon, it absorbs mana and strengthens, or perhaps hardens, in any case, it’s made to become more durable.

I didn’t know exactly how it was installed, but if they were to renovate it, such specialized tools and people like Fiora would definitely be necessary.

She continued explaining enthusiastically about how the connections would be made and what materials would be used, but during that time, people kept coming to her for instructions.

“Well then, Fiora. I’m going back to the mansion.”

Fiora can be a bit laid back, and when she switches into explanation mode, it could interfere with her work.

It was probably best to leave before I became a nuisance.

“Oh, is that so? Then we can continue later at night.”

“Uh… yeah, I look forward to it.”

She had already entered explanation mode, it seemed.

That was close… I thought to myself as I left the hall.

◇

This mansion has several baths.

The one I usually use is the bath attached to Seriana’s room.

It’s most convenient because I usually end up in Seriana’s room, so using her bath is the easiest.

However, sometimes I use the grand bath on the second floor of the South Wing, which is reserved for female guests.

It’s typically when I come back from hunting in the afternoon, and Seriana’s room is empty.

I also sometimes use the bath at 【Hideout】, but if it’s troublesome to wash and dry my hair, I’ll sometimes ask the maids to accompany me and use that one.

Today was one of those days.

I was covered in dust, and it would be too much trouble to do it by myself, so I asked for help.

However, there’s something I need to be careful about in this case.

“Did you go to the forest today, Sera-chan?”

One of the maids, who was washing my hair, casually asked.

I don’t think there was any deeper meaning behind the question.

It was probably because there was dirt mixed in my hair or something like that.

But if I happened to slip and mention the dungeon, that would be a disaster.

“Yeah, yeah. Just went to a little open area over there.”

So, as usual, I answered casually.

In this territory, there are many people who never leave the town or village, so it’s not hard to get away with it… but I can’t relax too much.

Maybe I should change the subject.

“By the way, I wonder if there are any guests around today? I was thinking of heading to Seria’s place after this…”

“Well, all the guests who were staying at the mansion have already left, but the lady is in the master’s office working.”

“Is she busy?”

“Apparently, she was behind on work due to the festival, so she’s probably quite busy…?”

“Yeah… it seems like the people working at the main house were busy today as well… So, I guess it’s better to wait.”

“Well, Sera-chan, I think she’s having a meal with the other ladies right now, right? You could ask her during lunch.”

“I see, I see. Alright, I’ll do that.”

I managed to divert the conversation smoothly, but it seems Seriana was busy… Well, in my previous life, things were always hectic after long weekends too.

Now, what should I do after the bath?

Hmm… I thought as the maids’ conversation took a few more twists and turns.

“By the way, Sera-chan, do you know about the hairstyle that’s popular in the royal capital?”

“Popular in the royal capital? Oh, that one… the one that takes a lot of time to do.”

She seemed to know it well. I was surprised, but while she was a commoner, she came from a rather good family in the territory.

Even though she might be a little behind, she probably has connections to get such information.

Well, at least this conversation completely steered away from the hunting grounds.

Still, I never expected the first time I’d be asked about that hairstyle to be by one of the mansion staff…

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

Sera ・【Hideout】 +1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Garment】 ・【Floating Orb】 +1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】 ・10 cards

Seriana ・【Range Identification】 ・【】 ・28 cards

Elena ・【】 ・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】 ・3 cards

Alec ・【Strong Strike】 ・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 ・7 cards