Before the rainy season, Liesel’s office was always busy.

There was city maintenance, preparations for winter, organizing the artisans, and all sorts of adventurer-related matters…

And that was just for the city proper—she had to oversee the entire domain as well.

Once the rainy season began, things would settle down, but before that, of course it would be hectic.

But this year, it’s quiet.

That’s because we’ve taken care of what could be done ahead of schedule, and some tasks have been postponed this year.

Well, I suppose that’s what it means to not be in normal times.

However, the problem is that Liesel isn’t here.

Normally, during the rainy season, Sera and I would have time to relax, but this year, she’s serving as acting lord.

Even if things are quiet, she still has to be in the office.

When chunks of free time like this popped up, she used to invite noblewomen from the capital to the mansion for tea parties, but she can’t invite them here, so that’s not happening either.

Because Liesel isn’t here, there’s free time. But because Liesel isn’t here, there’s no way to spend it.

What a dilemma.

◇

It was already past noon, the time of day when things start to drag a little. Even so, I couldn’t leave the office and was spending a rather dull time there.

The civil officials had small day-to-day duties to handle, and both Elena and Teresa were occupied with various tasks, but Seriana, though seated at her desk, was only reading a book.

And my current role was to serve as Seriana’s maid and bodyguard, so I couldn’t just wander off and was holed up in this room too.

Maybe I should take a nap?

I was just thinking that when Carlos entered the room.

Carlos, Liesel’s butler, and Rose, her maid, had remained at the mansion instead of going with her.

When Liesel was around, Carlos would assist her in this office, but now he was overseeing the overall management of the mansion’s work.

Thanks to that, the mansion was running smoothly… maybe a bit too smoothly.

Anyway, Carlos headed straight to Seriana when he entered the room.

Did something happen?

“Madam, here you are…”

Seriana seemed to have received something from Carlos. After a brief pause, she called my name.

“Sera.”

“What?”

I lifted myself off the sofa where I’d been lying and looked at her. She beckoned me over.

When I approached, she handed me a sheet of paper.

It looked cheap… not an official document, apparently.

I assumed Carlos had brought it, but…

“Let’s see here… Hmm.”

I took it and read the contents… I see.

It was a request from the servants—they wanted to borrow me for some minor high-up work inside the mansion.

If it were just inside rooms or hallways, they could manage, but for magitech devices installed on the hall ceiling and such, they couldn’t handle it.

Apparently, they usually asked the craftsmen to do it during the rainy season inspections.

Now that I think of it, they did the same at Zelkis’s mansion.

Even though I was only there for a short while, I helped out during my stay.

That takes me back.

“I don’t mind, but what do you think?”

“You’re not doing anything anyway, right? With those two here, it’s not a problem if you go.”

I glanced over at Teresa and Elena; both gave small nods.

Yeah… if those two are here, it should be fine.

Still…

“Well then, I’ll leave this with you.”

Just in case.

I decided to hand Seriana the 【Floating Orb】.

“Thank you. I’ll keep it safe.”

Seriana accepted the 【Floating Orb】, transferred to it from her chair, and began to gently float.

With that, she’d be fine even if something serious happened.

“Alright then—Carlos. Let’s go, shall we?”

Now then…

Time for me to get some work done!

◇

This mansion was originally a magistrate’s residence that had been renovated and expanded.

Since it was designed for a magistrate, some basic infrastructure for magitech devices had already been in place. Fiora had further upgraded it, making it highly functional and convenient.

“This place?”

“Yes! I’ve cut the supply over here, so you can go ahead and remove it!”

I called out while hovering near the chandelier-shaped magitech device hanging from the entrance hall ceiling, and Carlos appeared from behind the stairs, shouting back.

He was standing by something like a breaker, apparently managing the magic power supply to the hall’s magitech devices.

Of course, neither I nor the regular servants are allowed to touch it, and we can’t even activate it.

There’s some kind of special key given only to a few people that’s used to operate it.

Probably to prevent the mansion’s systems from going down all at once, even if something fails.

Though really, Carlos didn’t need to do it himself…

“Alrighty then.”

Anyway, time to work.

I activated the Serpents’ Eyes just to be safe and confirmed that the magic supply had stopped. Then I detached the core component of the magitech device and brought it down.

The craftsmen would apparently use a ladder to bring the entire chandelier down, but… that’s not something I could manage!

“Good work. Here’s the replacement. …Something wrong?”

When I reached Carlos, he handed me the new part.

Seeing someone like him—who oversees all the mansion’s chores—doing this kind of task was unexpectedly amusing, and I found myself watching him closely. He seemed to notice and found it odd.

“I was just thinking… so you do this kind of detailed stuff too, huh?”

“There are others who could handle this, yes. But this is an emergency. I’m overseeing everything. Honestly, I’d like to give all the servants a break if I could.”

Carlos answered with a wry smile.

He didn’t seem overly burdened, but he was still meticulous—maybe even thorough to a fault… I’m the older one here, but somehow he reminds me a little of August.

How should I put it… As expected of Liesel’s right-hand man?

I listened, nodding thoughtfully, and then he continued with a serious expression.

“Also, I’m here to guard you.”

“…Huh?”

A bodyguard? For mansion work? Was he worried about the servants?

That’s what I was wondering, when—

“You look like you’d die just from tripping.”

He grinned mischievously as he said that.

“Guh…!?”

Seriously!? That was a joke!?

He scared the crap out of me!

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

Sera ・Blessing・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】 Blessed Items・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【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】・【】・0 cards

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

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