“This… this is, madam!?”

The guard stationed outside Liesel’s office let out a startled cry at the sudden appearance of Seriana.

“I need to see Liesel. Let me through.”

“Understood! Please wait a moment… You may enter.”

Despite his surprise, the guard immediately checked inside and received permission for her to enter.

He was diligent in his duties.

“Good work.”

With just those words, Seriana stepped inside.

“Ah, Seri…a. What brings you here?”

Inside, as always, Liesel and the bureaucrats were hard at work, undeterred by the rainy season.

Liesel, upon seeing Seriana, widened his eyes in surprise.

Seriana’s current appearance was entirely different from usual—tight pants, a jacket, knee-high boots, and her hair tied in a ponytail.

Additionally, she was floating on a 【Floating Orb】, holding me on her lap.

For the record, I was wearing a maid outfit without the apron, sitting sideways on Seriana’s lap.

If someone like this suddenly walked in… well, yeah, of course, they’d be surprised.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

“…It’s pouring outside. Are you going to use an umbrella?”

Liesel was clearly puzzled by Seriana’s abrupt statement.

Compared to Seriana’s room, this office had more and larger windows, making the sound of the rain even more intense.

For someone like Seriana, who rarely ever left the house, to say she was going out in this weather—of course, that would raise eyebrows.

“Sera’s blessing repels the rain. There’s no issue.”

“Sera’s blessing…? Ah, wind. It can even deflect rain?”

“I didn’t know either. Seria-sama told me to step outside and try it, and it worked.”

“I see… Well, if it’s you, there shouldn’t be any danger. But still, be careful, alright?”

Hearing my words, Liesel smiled wryly and pondered for a few seconds, resting a hand on his chin… before ultimately granting permission for the outing.

If it’s Seriana, she can sense hostility from enemies.

Plus, with my snakes’ vision and 【Fairy Eye】, we can gather even more detailed information.

On top of that, with the high mobility of the 【Floating Orb】 and the defensive power of 【Wind Cloak】, our protection is actually better out there than in here.

As for 【Amber Shield】… does it activate if I’m attached to her?

Well, whatever.

In terms of city defense, this is the highest level of safety we could ask for.

“Of course.”

“Sera, take care of Seria.”

“Got it!”

Yep. I can say that with confidence.

Now that we had permission, we left Liesel’s office and headed for the mansion’s entrance.

Sure, we could’ve just left through the window, but for some reason, that was a no-go for Seriana.

The first time we flew out, we did use the window… but that was at night, and no one else was around. Maybe that’s why it was fine back then?

◇

“Hold on tight.”

At the grand entrance, the mansion’s servants watched us nervously as we floated in place.

Ignoring their concerned stares, Seriana was fully ready to take off.

She had one arm around my shoulders, and I had my arms wrapped around her waist, just in case…

“Can I let my tail out too?”

I wasn’t entirely confident.

Compared to how compact I used to be, I had grown a lot… If I fell, it would be a problem.

“…I’m holding you with one arm. There’s no way I’d drop you. But fine, just keep it light.”

“Alright.”

As I activated 【Snake Tail】, I heard a small yelp from one of the servants, likely unfamiliar with the sight.

I quickly shrank it down and wrapped it once around Seriana’s waist.

Now we were ready.

“All good. 【Wind Cloak】 is set too!”

“Excellent. Let’s go.”

With a single nod, Seriana—

“Whoa!?”

—didn’t gradually increase speed, but shot off at full acceleration.

The space in front of the entrance was wide enough for carriages to pass each other, but we cleared it in an instant, soaring over the outer gate as well.

The guards stationed outside in the rain pointed up and shouted something, but in the blink of an eye, we had shrunk to the size of a pencil tip in the distance.

“Seria-sama!? This is way too fast!”

Clinging onto her for dear life, I shouted in protest.

There was no wind pressure, so it was hard to gauge, but… we were going incredibly fast.

“…This blessing is quite convenient.”

Ignoring my panicked cries, Seriana had already reached the skies above the Adventurers’ Guild.

It seemed she was quite fond of the combination of 【Floating Orb】 and 【Wind Cloak】.

Well, aside from blocking the wind pressure, it also repelled the rain.

It really was ridiculously useful.

“…Glad to hear it. So, do you have any business here? You came straight here, after all.”

I had assumed she was just going out because she was bored, but I hadn’t asked for any specific reason.

I let go of my grip and looked at her face—she was staring down at the ground.

Following her gaze, I saw…

“Oh?”

The Adventurer’s District had weapon and armor shops, as well as stores selling potions and other supplies, but no restaurants.

There had been talk about wanting a place to eat, but…

Typically, people in this area went straight to their destinations, rarely stopping in the streets.

However, there was now a notable presence of people in the alleyways.

From up here, I couldn’t see them clearly, but…

“A covered stall? …They sure came prepared.”

Looking down, Seriana commented in a mix of exasperation and admiration.

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

Sera ・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Cloak】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake 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