Upon entering the lounge connected to the office, Liesel had me sit down while he began preparing tea.

“You really fixate on strange things, don’t you?”

“Is that so? There’s actually quite a bit of depth to it, you know?”

He was brewing a black tea recently sourced from Mercenal, using a set of specially-made tools.

Unlike black tea made from leaves, this type uses roasted beans ground like pepper, with the powder extracted to make the drink.

It’s much more bitter than traditional black tea and still not widely adopted in Riana, mostly due to limited availability. But both he and, surprisingly, Sera, are fond of it.

“Here you go.”

Liesel poured the black tea into a cup and handed it to me.

“Thanks.”

Everyone has their own way of drinking black tea. Liesel drinks his straight, Sera adds sugar and milk, and I take mine with only milk.

I added milk to the cup he handed me and took a sip.

Liesel brought his cup to his mouth but didn’t drink right away, instead enjoying the aroma.

He stayed that way for a moment, then, apparently satisfied with the result, took a sip and set his cup down.

Now we can finally talk…

“So, Liesel. I have a rough idea already, but what’s this about?”

“Ah… it’s nothing major. Just a matter of sharing some information. You can choose who to pass it on to, but I want your side to be informed as well. War is certain. We’ll depart in the first month of autumn. By the end of the rainy season, the allied nations will be moving to regroup in Luzel.”

Luzel, the leading country of the Great Forest Alliance… It borders the west and often becomes the battlefield.

Liesel paused, watching for my reaction. Seeing me nod, he continued.

“As per our prior investigation, the Empire, the Allied Nations… and maybe even the Church forces were originally involved in this war? But they’ve already pulled out, it seems. Looks like a minor nation that was abandoned by them didn’t realize it and went rogue. That about sums it up.”

And now, agents who failed to withdraw remain in the church district of the capital, unaware… Nothing particularly new here.

“Some commoners are starting to catch on… but how’s the public mood? I haven’t heard much from the adventurers yet…”

Goods from the west bound for Riana have to pass through several nations, whether by land or sea, due to our location.

So if even one of those countries blocks passage, the shipments get delayed or stopped altogether.

It’s unclear if the blockade is on the western or eastern route, but it’s understandable that some want to avoid entanglement with factions preparing for war… though it’s still quite a nuisance.

That said, adventurers within the territory aren’t overly concerned. They’re glad that the foreign adventurers escorting the caravans aren’t coming and taking their jobs.

At worst, warrior bands and clans are grumbling about not being able to exchange information with western adventurers. That’s easy enough to cover for.

“It’s fine. The Commercial Guild reported that some craftsmen complained about delayed deliveries, but we had them explain it was a temporary issue. It’s only a portion of the goods, and the craftsmen understood.”

“I see… Well, I won’t press further. You’ve probably handled it well.”

This time I heard about it through Sera, but the Commercial Guild is under his management.

I am curious about the details of the exchange… but I’ll trust him to handle it.

◇

After covering several topics, the conversation shifted to Sera’s room.

Liesel had designed that room but had never set foot in the southern wing, nor had he seen it personally.

It seemed to be on his mind.

“You all seem to be enjoying yourselves quite a bit.”

“That girl would practically live in her bed and the area around it if we left her alone. This was a good opportunity.”

At first, Liesel looked slightly exasperated, but hearing that, he gave a weak smile.

When designing one’s own room, one tends to default to something modest, mindful of others’ opinions. But with Sera’s room, we had full freedom to modify it, and we’ve certainly been enjoying it.

“I had that room built as a precaution, just in case something happened while we’re away from the capital… But if it’s useful for more than that, all the better.”

“You worry too much…”

Sera’s room has a window facing the mansion’s courtyard.

The only plausible surprise attack would be a long-range strike from outside the blessing’s protection range.

The only possible location for that would be the city wall to the south, and even from there, targeting the courtyard would be impossible.

If enemies ever infiltrated the mansion, that room offers a direct route out from mine.

I know he had it built so Sera and I could take the children and escape in the worst-case scenario.

I still think he worries too much, but he probably wouldn’t feel at ease unless he did all this.

Of course, we haven’t told Sera about this. He feels guilty for turning the room into part of an emergency escape plan without her knowing… but from what I’ve just said, it seems to have eased his mind a bit.

“Well, if there’s anything you need, just say the word. I’ll do everything I can. Tell Sera the same.”

“I’d prefer you didn’t spoil that girl too much… But alright, in that case, how about brewing me a fresh cup of black tea?”

“A refill…? Oh, is it for Sera?”

He noticed my cup still had tea in it, so he realized it was for Sera. He looked surprised—rare for him.

“She seems to have found someone suitable in the underground lab. She’s being carried now, so her speed’s increased. Monica, perhaps?”

“The errand was a bit far for her. Got it. Then I’ll have to make an especially good cup.”

With that, Liesel stood to fetch a new cup.

He looked genuinely happy, somehow.

He must really enjoy making black tea.

As I watched Liesel…

“I’m back! …Huh? Where’s Lady Seria?”

Since she was carried halfway, she probably still had energy left.

That overly energetic voice of hers carried into the room next door.

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

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】【Monkey’s Arm】・4 cards

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

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

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