Accompanied by the maid, I floated toward my father’s 【Hideout】.

Unlike Liesel’s office, which is wide and bustling with people working simultaneously, my father’s room is more compact… Well, saying “compact” might be a bit misleading. It’s designed to let him focus on work alone.

There are many civil officials working in this mansion as well, but they have their designated rooms where they do their tasks.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the maturity of the territory?

Even without the lord present, the work seems to proceed smoothly.

When we arrived at the door to the 【Hideout】, the maid guiding me bowed and took her leave.

We probably wouldn’t be discussing anything too important, but even so, it would involve internal matters of another territory.

Still, acting without saying anything… Are the maids in Riana’s domain a bit more laid-back?

Maybe they’ll grow more diligent as they gain experience.

Anyway, since the door was opened for me, I guess I’ll head inside.

“Ah, Sera. You’ve arrived.”

Inside the 【Hideout】, my father and his butler, Luick, were waiting.

They must have received notice while I was bathing and changing clothes… Well, this is par for the course.

“Long time no see!”

I greeted both of them casually and handed Luick the bundle of letters I had brought with me.

After giving them a quick check, Luick passed them to my father. I made myself comfortable on the sofa, watching their exchange.

It’s always the same routine.

◇

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Oh, not at all. That was rather fast. Are you already finished?”

My father, having gone through the letters, looked up from his desk.

It had only taken about ten minutes.

Even though there were quite a few letters, he’d finished reading all of them already?

“I only need to grasp the contents,” he replied. “Now then, Sera. I have a few things I need to confirm with you.”

“Oh, sure.”

Though his expression and tone were calm, his eyes were sharp.

What does he want to ask me?

“Riana said that our forces wouldn’t be necessary for the Demon King-type dungeon conquest. Is that correct?”

“Hm? Yes, that’s right.”

Thank goodness… It’s about the dungeon. That’s something I can handle.

Relieved, I answered. But upon hearing my response, my father glanced toward Luick.

“What do you think?”

“Most likely…”

“Indeed.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

As I stood there, dumbfounded, my father turned back to me and spoke again.

“I’m aware that the appearance of the Demon King-type monsters was confirmed. I spread that information myself. However, while Riana does have a number of individuals with extraordinary combat abilities, neither Seriana nor Liesel would base their entire strategy on that alone.”

“Yes. If the subjugation were to fail, it would result in casualties and a significant loss of military strength… It’s not something that can easily be retried.”

“Exactly. Despite that, Riana claimed that reinforcements weren’t necessary. Sera, does that mean the subjugation has already been completed?”

“Uh… well…”

I wasn’t sure what the letters said, but he hit the nail on the head.

How should I answer this?

If I admit it, it’ll mean the dungeon is already conquered. But then, there’s the issue of how the Holy Coins were transported.

Since the transportation unit was supposed to pass through Zelkis, they should know that the convoy hasn’t arrived yet… This is troubling.

“Hmm… Most likely, they transported the coins via a waterway or some alternative route. Speaking of which, didn’t you and Teresa visit the royal capital in the spring? You might have negotiated something back then…”

He doesn’t know about 【Hideout】, so he’s just speculating on the method… but it’s pretty much all exposed.

“With Sera’s blessing, it would be possible to meet with the royal family without any intermediaries. The young lady really thought it through,” Luick said.

My father chuckled, and Luick followed suit.

Perhaps they were pleased with Seriana’s growth.

But still!

I couldn’t bring myself to laugh along with them.

What’s going on with this situation?

As I floundered, my father let out a soft chuckle.

It was a gesture that Seriana often did. Maybe she picked it up from him?

“Were you told to keep it a secret? Don’t worry. I’m not going to press for details, so you can relax. As long as we have enough assurance to withdraw our troops, that’s sufficient. It seems there’s no issue, so I’ll notify the other territories myself.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Hearing my father’s words, I let out a small sigh of relief.

Still… He doesn’t cut in as sharply as Seriana, nor does he have the overwhelming presence of the old man.

Instead, he speaks gently, but gradually encircles you with logic until you’re cornered.

It’s exhausting.

I hadn’t discussed anything particularly important with him before… but so this is what it’s like.

Well, I should consider this reassuring.

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

Seria: 【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】, 【Serpent’s Tail】, 【Ankle Bracelet】, 【Amber Shield】, 【Purple Wings】 ・11 cards

Seriana: 【Area Identification】, 【】 ・28 cards

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

Alec: 【Strong Strike】, 【Red Shield】, 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 ・8 cards