Hearing Seriana’s story didn’t make me feel sick, but it did leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

The ones who came up with the plan, and the ones who jumped on it afterward… yeah, they’re kinda pissing me off.

If I hadn’t left the orphanage, I probably would’ve ended up as one of those Undead myself.

“…There’s a battle happening right now, isn’t there?”

“Yes. There are a lot of Undead, but we’ve prepared well, so there shouldn’t be any problem. That’s why you stay here.”

Apparently, they had anticipated the appearance of the Undead, and Fiora had been taking the lead in dealing with them.

From what I’ve heard, Rick and the others should be able to handle it just fine.

There’s also Seriana’s protection to consider, so I understand I can’t just leave… but if someone told me to go, I wouldn’t exactly say no.

“…Mmh.”

“Don’t just sit there groaning. If your hands are free, why don’t you make the tea for once?”

Seriana pointed to the kitchen and gave the command as I grumbled.

Usually, Elena or Teresa would be the ones to prepare tea in situations like this. But right now, Elena is watching the corridor, and Teresa is keeping an eye on the town from the window—they can’t leave their posts.

Fiora’s not exactly a maid either…

Well, I guess it’ll be a nice change of pace.

Let’s show off a bit.

◇

“…So that girl can do housework.”

“If she puts her mind to it.”

As she sipped the tea I made, Fiora gave me a surprised look.

It’s not like I’m bad at housework or anything—it’s just that I usually avoid it because I’m small and not very strong.

Same goes for cooking.

The kitchen tools here are a bit hard to use, so I don’t really do it, but brewing tea is a different story.

Steam the leaves properly, warm the cups… If you don’t cut corners, the flavor comes out just right.

Looks like she enjoyed the taste, which is good.

I feel a little calmer now, too.

“Phew…”

I took a sip and let out a breath.

Looking toward the entrance of the room, I saw Teresa and the others still standing guard.

I’d prepared tea for them as well… but will they actually come over if I call?

Even while I was making the tea, Rose came by a few times as a messenger, and it seems the battle to purge the Undead in the town is going smoothly.

Even if you defeat an Undead, apparently it can possess another suitable corpse nearby and start moving again.

However, it takes time for the magic essence to adapt to the new body, so from the second round onward, they apparently get weaker.

I haven’t seen it firsthand, so I don’t know if it matches my image exactly, but I get the gist of it.

If you can use magic to completely erase the spirit inside the corpse, that’s apparently the fastest way—but since it’s hard to use such powerful magic in a populated area, they’re using the slower but safer method.

Right now, outside, all of the first-wave Undead that appeared in the church district have been defeated, and they’re fighting the second wave and beyond.

At the same time, they’re also searching the rest of the city to see if any appeared elsewhere.

Apparently, more people are assigned to the search than the battle itself, but this city is huge… so they’re having a bit of trouble.

The noble district and the newly developed areas since this city became a territorial capital are one thing—but the old parts, the so-called “Old Town,” are pretty chaotic.

Plus, while it wasn’t lawless back in the day, the city’s morals were definitely lax. Burial practices might’ve been ignored, making it a prime spot for Undead to appear.

They’re going around prodding under eaves and in waterways with spears to check.

Of course that’s gonna take time.

“Elena, Teresa. Why don’t you two take a little break as well?”

“…You’re right. Elena, let’s have some tea too.”

“Yes.”

They’d been at their posts for almost two hours without moving, but at Seriana’s words, they came over.

They can’t afford to let their guard down completely, but they’re not the only ones defending this mansion.

Rest is important, too.

◇

After finishing their tea and taking a short breather, Teresa and the others returned to their watch.

From time to time, Seriana used Blessings and Blessed Items to scout the area, but it seems the sweep operation was still ongoing.

Considering we can’t hear the noise all the way out here, it seems to be going relatively well… but still.

As I was getting irritated just sitting around, Teresa—who hadn’t left the window except during tea time—turned and came toward us.

“…Madam. It seems the battle is over. The signal has been given.”

“Ooh!”

This Undead operation was the enemy’s final trump card.

We took every countermeasure we could, but from their side, it was a do-or-die gamble. You never know what someone desperate will pull.

That’s why we let them make the first move and stayed on the defensive… but it looks like we came out on top.

After all that prep to strengthen the mansion’s defenses, it ended up being unnecessary.

Yeah. That’s a good thing.

Or so I was thinking, relieved—when I saw Seriana’s expression harden at Teresa’s report.

She extended her right hand toward me and spoke.

“Hand over the 【Fairy’s Eye】.”

“…Hm? Alright.”

I handed it over as she requested, and she immediately attached it to her ear and activated it.

Then…

“Just as I feared. This is beyond the Knight Order now. We’ll need to prepare ourselves too.”

She said, standing up from the sofa.

…There’s still more?

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

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