“…Wow.”

The number of people working inside Liesel’s office had increased even more compared to yesterday.

The Adventurers’ Guild, the Commercial Guild… and the Knight Order members, who were usually stationed at headquarters, were also present.

There were a lot of middle-aged men in Knight Order uniforms… A high ratio of middle-aged men.

Seriana and Elena were there as well, engaged in some discussion with the Adventurers’ Guild representatives.

When I entered the room, they briefly glanced at me before returning to their discussion.

They looked busy…

“Princess, over there.”

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of middle-aged men, I had stopped moving right after stepping in. Teresa pointed toward the reception area.

There, Zighart and Fiora were seated at a table, spreading out maps and documents.

It seemed like they were working as well… but unlike the rest of the room, their area was refreshingly quiet.

“Good morning!”

Teresa had some business to attend to in another room, leaving me alone. I walked over to them and greeted them, to which they both looked up and responded.

“Yo.”

“Good morning. But it’s already past noon, you know?”

“I just woke up…”

I dodged Fiora’s jab and took a seat in an open chair.

“Is this a map of Riana?”

The map spread out on the table was a simplified copy of Riana, showing the locations of the town, forest, and roads.

Upon closer inspection, several spots around the capital and Arios’ town were marked.

These locations were…

“Ah, they’re predicted locations of monster swarms.”

The spots included slightly open areas deep in the forest and places with water sources—likely places where monster hordes would gather.

I’ve never been there myself, but they’re the places the Adventurers’ Guild warns people to watch out for.

“You figured that out quickly. Well… we can’t exactly launch an attack against monsters, but it serves as a rough guideline for vigilance. After repelling an attack, we also plan to send out an investigation team.”

“Hmm… Well, our side seems fine, but Arios’ town looks like it’ll have a harder time. …I wonder if Alec is okay?”

The capital was on alert for an open area about a kilometer south of the eastern outpost.

It was connected to a route from the First Mountain, with a water source nearby, making it a known monster gathering spot. It was a popular hunting ground but also a high-risk area for attacks.

Additionally, while smaller in scale, it had convenient access to other monster gathering points.

If a boss were to remain in place during an attack, this location was the most likely candidate.

However, Arios’ town had multiple such points scattered throughout the northeastern forest.

The conditions were similar across all of them, making it extremely difficult to monitor them all.

“He’ll manage just fine, won’t he?”

Despite my concern, Zighart responded casually.

And before I noticed, August had appeared beside us, having been too focused on the map to realize it.

“Oh, Captain… Good morning.”

“Ah, good morning, Lady Sera. So… you were talking about Alexio? It’s true that his area has a wider range to cover, and the number of regular soldiers is relatively low. However, the monsters there aren’t as strong as the ones here, and Alexio is skilled at organizing adventurers. It won’t be easy, but there’s no need to worry.”

“…Huh. You know, Alec has a really high reputation. I mean, I know he’s capable, but still…”

Not just August, but even Liesel often left things entirely in Alec’s hands.

They were usually meticulous about everything else, so why was it different with him?

“That’s because he’s of commoner origin.”

As I tilted my head in confusion, Teresa spoke from behind me.

When I turned around, she was holding a box.

Ah, so she went to get that…

Setting that aside, does being a commoner raise his evaluation?

◇

The connection between Alec’s commoner background and his high evaluation was… actually quite reasonable.

Even though he was from another country, he had spent a significant amount of time in Zelkis’ territory and had earned widespread recognition as a skilled adventurer.

Moreover, he had married a noblewoman and risen to a position in the new ducal Knight Order.

That background was apparently crucial.

A shared experience, so to speak?

Compared to nobles who smoothly ascended to high-ranking positions in the Knight Order, commoners who started from the bottom tended to have more in common with their peers and were easier to follow.

Adventurers, in particular, were often self-assured.

In situations like this, where monsters were involved, even if the Knight Order took command, adventurers might resist, thinking they knew better.

To suppress that resistance, it was effective to have a commander they saw as one of their own.

“This is a role no one else can fill. Of course, it’s because Alec is highly capable that we can entrust him with it.”

As Teresa spoke, August nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Zighart wore a complicated expression.

Well, in his case…

Though he wasn’t married, he had a similar background to Alec. However, he was simply too strong.

There was no one who could see themselves in him.

Basic magic aside, when someone can obliterate an entire monster horde with high-powered spells, they become more of a legend than a teammate.

Rather than fighting alongside him, people could only follow and watch.

Zighart himself seemed to enjoy leading a team into battle, but in situations like this, he probably wasn’t the best fit.

Tough luck, Zighart.

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

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】【Red Sword】・15 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・33 cards

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

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards