I could’ve just gone home after leaving the shop… but since I came all the way into town, I figured I’d wander around a bit.

Partly because of something I overheard on my way out—it stuck with me… and besides, the weather’s nice!

I’d already left my goggles and pouch to be repaired, so until they’re back, I’ll be refraining from going too far. I’ll be walking around the city without an escort, but once in a while that’s fine.

When I return home from outside the city or from the adventurer’s guild near the dungeon, I’m usually flying overhead. But today, I’m seeing things from a pedestrian’s perspective.

From above, I can easily spot empty lots or buildings under construction, and I had the impression that the city still had a ways to go… but just changing the point of view makes the whole place feel quite different.

Well, I guess that’s to be expected, huh?

On the main street, all kinds of shops line the sides. Carriages are parked out front, errand boys and apprentices rush down the street, and the townsfolk are out shopping as usual. It’s buzzing with life.

Man… this city’s really grown.

Though I’m from here originally, I don’t know this area very well, so I don’t have much to compare it to…

Anyway, whatever that old guy was concerned about, I’m not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Maybe I’ll wander around a bit more?

So, with that decided, I strolled here and there—and while I was at it, I ended up buying some things that caught my eye.

I didn’t have a backpack or anything, and honestly, I was just window shopping with no real intent to buy. But the commerce guild said they’d pack everything up and deliver it to the estate by evening, so I ended up browsing more shops and buying more things… I kind of went on a shopping spree.

Well… it’s not like I dipped into my hard-earned savings or anything. It’s well within my allowance, so once in a while, spending a little money isn’t so bad.

When I get home, maybe I’ll tidy up the 【Hideout】 before the stuff gets delivered.

◇

“Sera, your packages have arrived. Come out here.”

Seriana’s voice echoed through the 【Hideout】.

Looks like the things I bought earlier have been delivered.

“Oh?”

I’d been so absorbed in cleaning that I hadn’t realized it was already evening.

It’s hard to tell when there are no windows to check outside…

Anyway, guess I should go receive the delivery.

“Heave-ho.”

I hopped on the nearby 【Floating Orb】 and, before heading to the entrance, checked the monitor to see outside—there was Seriana, hands on her hips.

Better hurry…!

◇

As I exited the bedroom, Seriana was standing right outside the door.

The packages had already been carried into the southern wing of the estate by the servants, but they must be in the room next door.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“That’s fine. They’re stacked over there—go ahead and get them put away quickly.”

“Okay!”

Since I bought things from several different stores, I wasn’t sure how much it all amounted to—but judging by this, it’s quite a lot.

“…Whoa.”

I stepped into the adjacent office, and right near the entrance stood three servants who had carried the boxes, Teresa, and three stacked wooden crates.

Three crates, huh.

Did I really buy that much…?

“Princess, if you could sign here, please.”

What Teresa handed me was a document from the estate.

Whenever deliveries are made, a record is kept of what came from where and for whom, and a signature is required when it’s handed off to the recipient.

It’s a safeguard against embezzlement.

Come to think of it, I rarely receive packages directly from them…

It’s been a while since I’ve signed one of these.

“Oh, sure. Thanks for going out of your way. Were they heavy?”

As I walked over and signed the receipt, I thanked the women.

“They weren’t too bad. There were some fragile items, so we were careful, but everything’s fine.”

They replied with warm smiles.

Hmm… they’re all slender, but they’re strong enough to lift me with ease, so they’re pretty powerful.

Even so, from the main building to here isn’t a short distance. It must’ve been a hassle to carry all this.

I activated a 【Prayer】 toward them, hoping they wouldn’t get sore muscles.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Yup. Here, I’ve signed it.”

“Confirmed. Thank you very much. Now then, excuse us, ma’am.”

After accepting the receipt, they bowed to Seriana and left.

Now then… with them gone, it’s just us.

What should I do with this stuff…?

“You can bring it to the back. You’re using it back there, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Mostly tableware and such.”

The things I bought in town today were mostly tableware and cooking utensils for use in the 【Hideout】.

Lately, I’ve been using the tableware from Seriana’s room more often, but I still wanted to expand the selection in the 【Hideout】 a bit.

There aren’t many people who use the 【Hideout】, so what we have is more than enough… but using the same stuff all the time is kinda boring.

I also bought a large iron frying pan and a pot.

Not that I needed them or anything, but, well… they’ll come in handy eventually, and since I was already out, I figured I might as well.

“Oooh…”

As I talked, I opened the lid of one of the wooden crates to check the contents, and it was stuffed with cloth used as padding around the dishes.

It didn’t seem like that much… but now I get it.

They were packed with extra space to prevent breakage.

The frying pan and pot in the other boxes had been similarly packed.

“…You really do buy some odd things.”

“Well, you never know when something’ll come in handy! Alright, I’ll go take these to the back now.”

Replying to Seriana’s voice from above, I placed a hand on the crate and activated the 【Hideout】.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera ・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Blessing of Mira】【Wind’s Garment】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Lung of the Dragon】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・4 cards

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・39 cards

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

Alec ・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards