A few days had passed since the cushion arrived.

In addition to my daily routine of reading and napping, designing new cushions had now become part of my schedule.

Well… calling it “designing” was an exaggeration—it was really just doodling between reading sessions.

The craftsmen’s skills were far beyond what I had expected.

I had originally intended for the cat cushion to be simple, but now it seemed possible to make something more intricate, so I was putting in some effort… or at least, I had been. Lately, I was starting to lose a bit of motivation.

It was fun, so I got carried away, but honestly, how many cushions does a person even need?

Rather than that, maybe I should commission a carving of the Wolf Demon King Type for the woodworking workshop…? The craftsmen were usually busy during the winter.

A quick glance at the wall revealed that 【Red Sword】 was not hanging there today.

Teresa had gone to the training grounds this afternoon, so she must have taken it with her.

If I recall correctly, she was supposed to be training the female soldiers… would she be showing off there?

They had been assigned to guard the mansion during the attack, so this might be their first time seeing it in action.

Even I had only seen her use it briefly in the dungeon for suppression—I’d never actually seen her wield it properly.

I hope it doesn’t overwhelm them…

“Nnngh…”

Deciding to call it a day, I put down my pen, sprawled on the sofa, and rested my head on the black cat cushion.

I couldn’t really feel much just by sitting on it, but with my head, I could sense the cushion’s core.

That gentle pushback sensation… not bad.

“…What are you doing?”

As I was enjoying the cushion’s springiness by bouncing my head on it, Seriana’s voice rang out.

She shouldn’t be able to see me from behind the backrest… was it the sound?

“A little break. Was I too loud?”

When I sat up and looked at Seriana, our eyes met—she seemed a little tired.

“No… but, I think I’ll call it a day too. Shall we have some tea? Sera, I’ll prepare it, so come to the back.”

“Oh? Alright.”

Writing and reading letters at her desk… it seemed Seriana was getting bored as well.

She probably wanted a change of pace, doing a bit of housework at 【Hideout】 to refresh herself.

She had already stood up and was heading to the shelf where the cups were kept.

◇

After brewing tea at 【Hideout】, we returned to Seriana’s room.

We set out some tea snacks that were already in the room and enjoyed a relaxed moment together… but she took my black cat cushion.

…Does she like black cats?

“Hey… Seria-sama, do you have a favorite animal?”

“What? That’s sudden…”

“I was thinking about cushion designs… If you like black cats, I could order another one?”

I had been stuck for ideas, so getting Seriana’s input didn’t seem like a bad idea.

If she preferred black cats, I could go with a slightly different design this time.

That was all I had in mind when I asked, but…

“Hmm… I don’t particularly dislike any animal. I’ll leave it to you.”

“…Oh. Alright, I’ll do my best.”

The response wasn’t helpful at all.

In fact, it kind of felt like I had just been roped into ordering one for her.

As I was grumbling to myself and sipping tea, I noticed Seriana had stopped moving.

She was facing outside the room… toward the main building.

“What’s up?”

“Teresa has returned.”

“Huh? Guess she’s done with work?”

I glanced at the clock—it was just past 3 PM.

I didn’t know what Teresa’s duties were today, but it wasn’t an unusual time for her to come home.

There shouldn’t be anything particularly suspicious about it, but…

“Yes… but she’s with someone. Someone I don’t recognize.”

She tilted her head slightly.

I wasn’t entirely sure how Seriana’s blessing identified people, but apparently, she could recognize familiar individuals.

She had mentioned before that she could keep track of those close to us and the people working in the South Wing.

Judging by her reaction, though, this person wasn’t among them.

Teresa had her own acquaintances, of course, but if she had brought someone back to the mansion, it probably wasn’t just a personal guest.

That meant it was likely a visitor for Seriana… but someone from the training grounds?

That was definitely worth looking into.

“Want me to check? Where are they now?”

Teresa would probably send someone to fetch us anyway, so it would be faster if I went to her directly.

“Yes. They’re halfway up the hill. Go see for yourself.”

“They’re outside, huh… Got it.”

I knew that if she focused, she could extend her awareness over a wide range, but even during a casual tea break, she was keeping watch beyond the mansion walls…

Does she ever get a moment to relax?

Well, anyway, I had an errand to run.

Downing the rest of my tea in one gulp, I hopped onto 【Floating Orb】 and shot out the window.

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

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】・19 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・34 cards

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

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