The Southern Wing of the Lord’s Mansion.

The second floor was strictly off-limits to men, of course, but even the first floor was under Seriana’s jurisdiction. You could say this place was essentially her castle.

On the first floor of her castle, there were several parlors and reception rooms meant for receiving male visitors. Over the past few days, various supplies had been brought into one of those rooms.

With the men away from the territory due to the war, they had to prepare for any potential emergencies.

The servants had been told that these supplies were to prepare for a possible siege.

“Aah, could you put that one over there?”

“Sure, sure.”

“Sera-chan, what should I do with this one?”

“Umm… just stack it in that corner!”

“Got it.”

“Sera-sama, is it okay to take out the boxes that are empty?”

“Yeah. Please do.”

I had been entrusted with managing all of this, giving instructions efficiently not just to the staff of the southern wing, but also to those from the main building.

Well… it’s because I have 【Prayer】, after all.

Men were allowed on the first floor, and since I could reduce the workload, we could finish everything quicker.

Right person for the right job!

“Sera-sama, that’s everything for today.”

“Okay, roger that. I’ll check everything from here, and if anything needs to be moved again, I’ll sort it out. Everyone, good work today.”

While I had been floating in the middle of the room giving instructions, it seemed that the deliveries for the day were now complete.

According to the list, everything had been neatly lined up against the walls of the room.

Perfect.

After thanking everyone for their hard work, I reapplied 【Prayer】.

Just as I’d told them, checking and sorting from here on out was my responsibility.

Of course, it’d be tough alone, so Teresa and Fiora would be arriving later.

We’d do it together…

It’s more efficient and accurate to do checks in a smaller group.

Everyone understood that, and they quickly left the room to avoid getting in the way.

“Alright then… time to get started!”

About ten minutes passed after the last servant left the room.

Now the real work began.

“Let’s see… ah, there it is. Heave-ho.”

Even though it had been placed in an easy-to-find spot, all the boxes looked so similar.

I ended up wandering around the room a bit, but I eventually found the box I was looking for.

I placed the box in the center of the room and opened the lid.

Inside were several jars cushioned with straw.

These must’ve been heavy…

Thinking that, I opened the lid of one jar. Inside was a fine, white powder.

Flour.

I checked the other jars too—salt, sugar—everything matched the order.

Alright, this box is good to go!

Let’s move on to the next one.

I marked it off on the list and started searching for the next box.

◇

“Thanks for your hard work. Sorry we’re late.”

“Apologies for the delay, Princess.”

I’d been silently working through the checking process when Teresa and Fiora arrived together, about halfway through.

As soon as they entered, they both apologized. But I knew they were busy with other things too.

“No worries. It’s just checking, after all. I’ve already done about half.”

I handed the list to Fiora and pointed out the sections I’d already completed.

“Right. That pile over there is what needs to be moved. I’ll handle the checking—so you and Teresa take care of the transport.”

“Got it. Teresa.”

“Yes. Let’s get started.”

Following Fiora’s instructions, I headed to the center of the room. While touching the boxes and Teresa, I activated 【Hideout】.

“Okay. I’ll carry them inside, so please take care of the sorting.”

“Leave it to me.”

After re-dividing the tasks with Teresa, I resumed the work.

Well, we’d been doing this for the past few days, and all the details were already worked out.

This should be over quickly.

◇

“Thanks for your hard work. I’ve just finished as well.”

After finishing up our tasks in the 【Hideout】, we came back outside to find Fiora had completed her checks too.

The staff had been told we were preparing to take refuge in the mansion, but in truth, it wasn’t the mansion we’d be holed up in—it was the 【Hideout】.

Of course, any leftover supplies would be used in the mansion, so it wasn’t exactly a lie… but still felt a little awkward.

“Is that everything for today? You had potion ingredients too, right?”

“Yes. We’ve brought in the equipment too. Preparations are complete for now.”

By the way, the items we moved into the 【Hideout】 weren’t just daily necessities and food.

We also included healing potions and the materials and equipment needed to make them.

Seriana and I would leave before things got too dangerous, but the others would stay behind until the end.

That’s why we had to make sure the things they’d need were left in Seriana’s room.

Hopefully, all this preparation ends up being for nothing… but who knows.

“Hehe… don’t worry. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

“Ugh… yeah. You’re right.”

I guess my anxiety was showing on my face.

The two of them smiled to reassure me.

Man… I’ve never had to fight against other humans before, so all I can think about are worst-case scenarios.

But this is all just a precaution—hopefully it won’t even be necessary.

What Seriana and the others are focused on is resolving everything quickly and without harming the town.

I’ve got to shift my mindset toward that too!

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

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】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・40 cards

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

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