“Nu?”

I tilted my head without thinking when my eyes suddenly met Seriana’s.

The other three around us also looked puzzled, wondering what was going on. But Seriana continued to stare at me for about ten seconds, as if contemplating something, and then she finally spoke.

“You don’t have any ideas on how that place could be used? As long as it’s not something too strange, we might be able to be flexible.”

When thinking of organizations that would want that location, there’s the guilds… and maybe each guild’s respective branches too?

None of them seem likely to back down, so the negotiations will probably drag on… but is it okay to jump the line like this?

“Is it really okay to decide on our own?”

“It’s fine. Only one or two organizations will end up securing that location anyway. But if we get involved as well, there won’t be any trouble later on, right?”

“I see…”

Since it’s a matter of competing over the location, no matter who ends up with it, there’s no guarantee everyone will be satisfied. But if someone on the lord’s side is involved, it becomes harder for the others to openly complain.

Even if disputes arise behind closed doors, that’s a matter between guilds. As long as it doesn’t escalate too badly, it should be manageable. But if the conflict spills over and the residents start noticing, it could seriously hinder the management of the territory.

Still, when it comes to whether the lord’s side could use that location for anything… nothing comes to mind.

If it were a facility on the lord’s side, it would likely be something like a relief center or a Knight Order facility—but those already exist in proper form. It’s not something that needs to be built in that spot now.

Having someone like me—who is on the lord’s side but unrelated to the city’s vested interests—come up with a proposal doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

If it’s something outlandish, they can just reject it, and even the mere possibility of my involvement might help push the debate forward.

But still… being put on the spot like this, I really can’t think of anything.

“Well, your idea won’t necessarily be adopted. And even if it is, we won’t ask you to take on the management of it, so don’t worry.”

“Yeah…”

What came to mind first were things like a parking lot or a park—but that’s because of my previous life in Japan.

And as Seriana mentioned, there’s also the matter of management.

Even if I’m not the one handling it, it would be troublesome to build something that takes a lot of effort to maintain…

Is there some kind of facility that wouldn’t require much upkeep and wouldn’t feel out of place there?

“Well, it’s not something we need to decide right away. Take your time and think it over during the winter.”

Seriana said that with a wry smile, perhaps surprised at how seriously I was taking it.

“Funnunu… yeah…”

Maybe I should take it a little less seriously… but it’s hard.

A parking lot or a park are clearly out of the question, and while an orphanage might get shut down, the church would remain there, so I want something that would harmonize with it… but my thoughts are stuck.

Something church-like… church-like…

I wasn’t really involved in religion in my past life—maybe a New Year shrine visit or a trip to a grave at most…

“Ah!?”

As I was mentally connecting things that might suit a church, one idea suddenly came to mind—something that might be fitting for that place.

“Oh? Did you think of something?”

“How about a cemetery?”

I don’t know how long the church or the orphanage has been around, but it’s probably not just ten or twenty years.

Most likely, more children died there than the number of Undead we fought in that place.

Not all corpses turn into Undead, after all.

The bodies were buried behind the orphanage, but calling it a “burial” would be generous—it was crude and careless at best.

I don’t know if there are any records left in the church or the orphanage, and we might not even know their names individually, but even so, I feel like having a proper cemetery wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“A cemetery… a graveyard, huh. There’s already a public cemetery, though. What should we do?”

“Hmm… Considering the circumstances, it’s not a bad idea, but…”

Seriana looked a little troubled at Teresa’s words.

“Ah… right. There already is a cemetery…”

There’s already a communal cemetery for commoners, so maybe it’s not necessary to create another one.

Even so, judging by Seriana’s face, I feel like if I insisted, she’d agree to have one built… but that feels a bit off.

“Lady Seria, what about a memorial monument? From now on, the church will probably be operated by someone on our side. Its role will change. But to make sure the people don’t forget the Holy Nation of Medallia’s cruelty, I think it’s a good idea.”

As I was lost in thought again with a “funnunu…”, Elena chimed in with a supporting suggestion.

Seriana looked down and seemed to think for a moment, but then she raised her head, having come to a conclusion.

“A memorial monument… I like that. Bring it up at tomorrow’s meeting. It has clear meaning, and it won’t take up much space. It’ll probably be approved immediately. Sera, you’re okay with that too, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I nodded back at Seriana as she looked at me.

A memorial monument, huh…

It might be a bit grandiose, but I think it’s a good idea.

Of course, I want to properly lay the dead children to rest, but I also want to put my own feelings—this lingering unease or guilt—at ease.

Even if we can’t have a cemetery, if we can leave something behind in its place, I’d be happy with that.

I don’t know what form it’ll take, but we should at least be able to leave some flowers there.

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

Sera ・Blessed・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Water’s Garment】 Blessed Item ・【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 ・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards