“Sera here. I’m coming in.”

Although Liesel’s office door was open, I still called out before stepping inside.

Inside the office, Liesel and the civil officials were quietly handling documents at their desks.

Hmm.

It’s hard to believe how chaotic things were just a few days ago.

The reason why August and the members of the Knight Order are sparse must be because they’re handling matters at headquarters or out in the field.

“Liesel, has something happened?”

Liesel, unchanged as ever, looked up and asked.

Seriana had seemed drained of energy, but he showed no signs of that.

Well, either way, I should get this matter taken care of.

“Oh, yeah. Lady Seria suggested going to the dungeon, so I came to get permission.”

“…You’re heading to the dungeon?”

Liesel looked slightly surprised.

The dungeon had been closed off by order of the lord, and even though she was the lord’s wife, she couldn’t just ignore that.

Besides, Seriana was still a target.

Whenever she went outside, she was always accompanied by guards, and she generally avoided going out altogether.

That being said, the dungeon could only be accessed through the Adventurer’s Guild or the underground passage from the mansion, and right now, the Adventurer’s Guild entrance was closed off. In terms of security against suspicious individuals, the dungeon was one of the safest places.

That’s why, while Seriana and the others were preparing—changing clothes and getting ready—I came here to get Liesel’s permission.

Since today’s outing wasn’t a serious dungeon exploration, I wasn’t even changing into proper gear.

“Besides Seria, who else is going?”

Liesel hummed in thought before asking about the rest of the group.

“Me, Elena, and Teresa. Fiora is busy, so I didn’t invite her this time.”

Everyone coming along was a familiar face.

Fiora was occupied dealing with monsters, so she wasn’t invited.

In terms of combat strength, having Fiora around would be reassuring, but this trip was mainly for Seriana’s relaxation. It wasn’t meant to be a full-scale exploration or a monster-hunting expedition. We weren’t going deep either, so our group was more than enough.

After explaining that, Liesel nodded in understanding.

“Alright. That shouldn’t be a problem. Wait a moment.”

Saying that, Liesel pulled out a sheet of paper and swiftly began writing.

Once he finished, he handed it over.

“Use the underground passage. This will serve as your permit, so show it to the guards.”

“Got it!”

Taking the permit, I cast 【Prayer】 on everyone before leaving the office.

◇

“Are you all ready? I got the permit.”

Knocking before entering the room, I saw that everyone had finished preparing.

Teresa and Elena were clad in armor, while Seriana wore a short, thick jacket—pretty light clothing.

Not that I was one to talk.

Elena was equipped with 【Green Fang】, but the other two had ordinary weapons.

“Teresa, do you want to use 【Red Sword】? If so, I’ll bring it out.”

Since its scabbard wasn’t finished yet, 【Red Sword】 was still stored in 【Hideout】.

If she needed it, I could fetch it now, but Teresa shook her head.

“Thank you. However, I’ll be using a shield today, so my current sword is enough.”

She patted the sword at her waist as she spoke.

“I see…”

Since Alec wasn’t here today, Teresa would be taking the role of the party’s shield.

Well, Seriana and Elena preferred to move while fighting, so the shield might not see much action. However, since the lord’s wife was with us, we needed to be prepared for the unexpected.

Alec and Teresa both had a knack for taking on multiple roles. That kind of versatility was impressive.

Meanwhile, I handled various tasks, but in a way, I was just the errand guy…

“Sera.”

While I was lost in thought, watching Teresa, Seriana reached out toward me.

“Here.”

I handed her the permit, which she read over before folding it up.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With Seriana leading the way, we left the room and headed toward the underground passage.

She seemed lighter on her feet than usual.

Even aside from today, maybe she had been interested in this dungeon for a while.

◇

Passing through the underground passage, we arrived at the hall leading to the dungeon.

Usually, this place was bustling with activity, but with the dungeon closed, it was eerily quiet.

Instead of adventurers, the Adventurer’s Guild staff were taking breaks in the hall.

Although there was a break area upstairs, both the front and back of the building were crowded today, making it difficult to rest.

Here, they couldn’t lie down, but at least they could relax in peace.

Many of them were slumped over tables, taking a breather.

However…

“L-Lady Seriana!?”

One of the staff members suddenly noticed her, and the resting guild workers scrambled to their feet.

Well, if their boss’s wife suddenly showed up mid-break, that was bound to happen…

Understanding this, Seriana didn’t reprimand them. Instead, she held up the permit and spoke.

“Thank you for your hard work. Please, remain at ease. We’ll be entering the dungeon for a short while. This is the lord’s permit.”

“I see… Understood. While there’s no doubt about your strength, please be careful.”

After glancing at the permit, the staff member quickly gave his approval.

That was fast.

Well, considering Elena and Teresa were with us, it made sense…

At last, we could enter the dungeon.

Normally, we wouldn’t be stopped here, but today, there were extra questions even along the passageway, which took more time than usual.

Still, it showed how thorough the security was.

Being in a leadership position must be tough…

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

Sera・【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】【Red Sword】・15 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・33 cards

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

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