“So, are you bringing Sera along? Today’s exploration confirmed my thoughts—rather than working in a small group, that girl’s abilities shine best when she’s part of a larger force.”

As the conversation reached a pause, Yusef suddenly voiced his thoughts.

However, the answer was obvious.

“Sera? No, she’ll be staying at the estate.”

“Oh? She possesses quite the useful blessings and divine protection. Wouldn’t she be a great asset for your first battle, Your Excellency?”

“At the academy, from my tutors, and especially from you—I’ve been told countless times not to base military operations on blessings and divine protection.”

Hearing Liesel’s words, Yusef laughed heartily, as if reassured.

“I’m relieved. You’re just as wise as when you were in the royal capital. My apologies.”

“Think nothing of it. This is your role, after all.”

When one gains territory, opens dungeons, and finds themselves in a vastly different environment, it’s easy to become overconfident, forgetting past teachings and acting recklessly.

The academy had drilled this lesson into us countless times.

Despite being the Knight Order’s commander, Yusef was chosen to lead this unit partly because he could stand firm against Liesel.

Blessings and divine protection are certainly convenient, but not everyone can wield them.

Over-reliance on them poses a great risk—if their wielder is killed or incapacitated, the entire structure collapses.

Defeating a single individual could yield massive results.

For an enemy, such a scenario is a godsend.

This principle applies not only to military actions but to organizational management as a whole.

That is why this teaching is strictly enforced in the Mesaria Kingdom.

Although, in my opinion, it should be utilized in a way that considers these risks yet still maximizes its potential.

Following this discussion, we moved on to logistics—how to transport our troops to the royal capital.

Since my domain includes a village with a dock, we could use that, but as a gesture of respect toward my father, we decided to gather in Zelkis before proceeding.

According to Yusef, the entire eastern faction would be following this plan.

It would be a good opportunity for a formal introduction.

After all, this deployment of Riana’s forces was merely a diplomatic display. That alone would suffice.

With that, our discussions concluded.

While we briefly touched upon matters concerning the domain during my absence, we did not go into detail.

To Yusef, anything related to Riana should be decided by Riana herself.

That made things much easier for me.

Even Yusef and the others seemed more relaxed.

Even though they knew the sacred currency was not physically being transported, overseeing its movement, along with negotiations with the lords east of the capital, must have been a heavy burden.

But now, that task was done, and with Liesel acting as host, the conversation had shifted to discussing affairs across the kingdom.

Sera should be waking up soon.

Since we were done discussing war, I could call her over.

“Hey.”

I instructed one of the soldiers waiting outside to summon Sera.

◇

“Excuse me~”

Just as the discussion shifted from domestic affairs to foreign matters, Sera entered the room.

It must have taken about twenty minutes.

Since male soldiers couldn’t enter the south wing, they had to go through intermediaries, which naturally took time.

Usually, when something needed to be conveyed, Sera would be sent, so it would only take a few minutes. But if we needed to call Sera, it was inevitably a hassle.

I wasn’t particularly fond of having too many people accompanying her, but perhaps we should assign female soldiers for such situations.

As these thoughts crossed my mind, I glanced over at Sera.

She wore that peculiar sleepwear of her own design, with a robe draped over it—perhaps even she found it a bit chilly.

Still, as always, she was barefoot.

I handed her a lap blanket as she sat down beside me.

“Thanks~,” she said in a sleepy voice.

Does this girl not feel cold…?

“Hey, Sera. Did you rest well?”

“Like a log!”

Despite her words, she immediately curled up in the blanket.

“…Are you planning to sleep again?”

“Just bundling up~”

Seeing this, Riana’s group chuckled, accustomed to her antics.

Kiira and Yusef, however, looked surprised—perhaps they hadn’t expected her to be quite like this.

A brief silence fell over the room before Alec composed himself and resumed the earlier discussion.

“…I heard that a named Demon Lord species was defeated?”

“Ah… yes. It was about four years ago. But apparently, they kept it hidden until recently. And even then, it wasn’t officially announced—it only came to light because someone who happened to be present let it slip. The authorities had no choice but to confirm it.”

Yusef cleared his throat before rejoining the conversation.

“A Demon Lord species?”

Hearing those words, Sera peeked out from her blanket, sitting up.

She always said she didn’t want to fight Demon Lord species, yet her curiosity was undeniable.

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

Sera ・【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind Cloak】 ・【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】 ・15 cards

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

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

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