After Sera and Teresa left, the atmosphere in the office remained unsettled for a while.

It seemed that everyone was astonished by how much faster her movement speed was compared to what they previously knew.

“That was quite fast… Did Sera manage to achieve that speed on her own?”

“She likely used both 【Wind Cloak】 and 【Amber Shield】 together. Before departure, she mentioned that she might be faster than usual… even so, I’m surprised.”

A glance at the room’s clock revealed that it was still before noon.

They said they had left after breakfast, but it seemed like it hadn’t even been three hours.

When I sensed their presence at the back of the mansion, for a brief moment, even I thought they had returned.

Even knowing her true speed, I was surprised. It’s no wonder they reacted that way.

I’ll overlook the idle chatter and slacking off for now.

Though…

“You fools! What do you think you’re doing, chatting idly during work?!”

Carlos, however, wasn’t as forgiving, shouting angrily at them.

Startled, they immediately shut their mouths and returned to work.

Now that things had quieted down, perhaps I should take the time to read some letters.

◇

Liesel, who had finished reading the letters before me, summarized the contents to everyone in the room.

It was the schedule for the surrounding territories following the dungeon’s opening, and it appeared to be even more detailed than my own.

Though the dungeon had already opened in this territory, most people weren’t aware of that fact.

It made sense to have ample information when explaining things to others, which must have been why the additional details were provided.

I may have caused them some unnecessary trouble…

As I pondered that, the conversation shifted to preparations for an inevitable war with the western regions.

When it came to deploying troops, the eastern faction would be led by my father… Despite my family’s higher noble rank, it was reasonable to consider his influence in the eastern territories.

One of the civil officials voiced his opinion.

“If I may, given Sera-dono’s ability to move at such speed, wouldn’t it be possible to make arrangements with other territories? It might make more sense for Riana-sama to take the lead. After all, her noble rank is higher, so it would be more natural, wouldn’t it?”

He seemed to believe that Liesel should hold the reins instead, and a few others in the room agreed with him.

While the proposal wasn’t entirely wrong, it was premature.

Relying solely on royal prestige and Sera’s speed for communication would be unsustainable.

Liesel understood this too and reprimanded those who had voiced and supported the idea.

“Depending on Sera-kun for everything will only jeopardize the future of our territory. Besides, while she may be my wife’s attendant now, within a few years, she will become a countess. No one will be able to command her then.”

He said this with a chuckle.

Some laughed along with him, but others, unwilling to give up, glanced at me with lingering regret.

“…! M-my apologies!”

They backed down after a mere glare from me. They should just give up sooner if they can’t handle a little intimidation.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, suppressing my irritation.

Their opinion stemmed from concern for the territory’s benefit, after all… I’d let it slide this time.

“What is it?”

Noticing Liesel gazing at me with a smile, I questioned him.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Hmph.”

Good grief…

◇

After several rounds of questions and discussions, the session ended when Sera returned from her bath, and it was nearly time for lunch.

Normally, we would resume work after lunch, but today’s duties at the mansion would end in the morning.

Tomorrow, Alec and the others were set to leave for an expedition to the lower layers of the dungeon. August would also head to the dungeon to assist in exploring the shallower areas and upper levels during their absence.

Since the dungeon’s existence was still a secret, we had to come up with cover stories for their absence and assign them dummy tasks to handle.

While I felt it was a waste of manpower, it was only a few more months until things settled.

“Sera-kun, was there anything unusual on your end?”

After lunch, we moved from the dining hall to the lounge, and Liesel inquired about Sera’s time away.

Given his short stay in Zelkis’ territory and the neighboring lands, it made sense that he’d be curious.

Tilting her head slightly, Sera began to answer.

“Hmm… Not much seemed different? Oh, right… Before heading to the mansion, I wandered around the town for a bit. There were more adventurers than usual. Judging by their appearance, they weren’t locals.”

“It’s likely that word of the new dungeon reached them, and they’ve started arriving. If they’re staying in Zelkis, they might be observing us. What do you think, Alexio?”

“I agree. They’re probably assessing potential earnings, lodging options, and the security of the territory. Since information about Riana’s lifestyle is scarce, they’re likely gathering intel before fully entering the region. Moving once they’ve settled in won’t be easy, so they’re watching from Zelkis for now.”

Sera seemed impressed by Alexio’s analysis, her mouth slightly agape.

“Hmm… So if they come to the capital, it’ll be after the dungeon opens to the public? There’s still about two months left.”

“Indeed. However, we don’t have enough lodging facilities to accommodate all the adventurers drawn to the dungeon. We’ll need to disperse them to nearby villages and towns.”

“Well… It’s within expectations.”

We had already discussed this with the local administrators, and preparations were in place to manage the situation.

Looking at Sera, who had brought this information, I noticed she seemed disinterested and was playing with her snakes instead.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera: 【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind’s Garb】 ・ 【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】 ・ 11 cards

Seriana: 【Range Detection】 ・ 【】 ・ 28 cards

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

Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・8 cards