Just as we had predicted the other night while gathered in my room, the rainy season came to an end two days later.

This year’s rainy season began with an unexpected event on the very first day, but thanks to the thorough preparations made beforehand, even with Liesel and the Knight Order members far from the city, we were able to get through it without issue. It looks like we’ll be able to welcome winter with peace of mind.

There are still some muddy patches on the ground, but before winter fully sets in, merchants and others will begin moving between towns again.

And those merchants will surely spread news of the incident that occurred here to other places.

Although war is currently ongoing with several nations in the west, intervention in the east—centered around the Church—should begin to subside.

Well… there are still plenty of things to be cautious of in winter, so we can’t let our guard down entirely, but that’s the same every year, and there’s no need to do anything out of the ordinary.

In any case, while the untamed wilderness of this land still poses a problem, at least the human-led sabotage attempts against Riana have largely been repelled.

From here on, it’ll be a matter of steadily working through issues one by one to stabilize and develop the territory.

As for Riana’s future, to be honest, it’s not really something I should be deciding.

Guiding this domain is the job of Liesel and Seriana.

Of course, I’ll still do my best with any work given to me, and if anyone asks for help, I’ll give it my all…

But I think the major responsibilities I held—as the resident adventurer who dealt with the monster attack right after we moved here, the early days of Riana Territory’s founding, the battles with Demon King Types, the dungeon expeditions, and the various monster-related crises—have come to a close.

I’d say I’ve fulfilled the role I promised Seriana when I became her personal adventurer.

Today is my fourteenth birthday.

Not that there’s any kind of party or celebration going on—I’ve already received my gifts, so there’s no particular event—but in the spring, it’s been decided that I’ll become part of a high-ranking noble house, an Earl’s family. So, I guess that means I’m graduating from being an adventurer.

Well, I’m only an adopted member, so I won’t have much real authority, but even so, I won’t be in this sort of vague, wandering status anymore—I’ll officially have the solid position of a noble.

It’s the first morning of my adulthood.

Standing in front of the mirror and looking at my reflection, I wonder if the awareness of that change is showing through—my face seems a bit more serious than usual.

“You… what’s with that weird look you’re making in front of the mirror first thing in the morning?”

Seriana, who spoke from beside me, had woken earlier than I had and was already fully dressed.

Now that a few days have passed since the rainy season ended, she’s returning to her duties as acting lord today.

She probably got a proper rest during the break, so I’m sure she’ll be working full force again starting today.

There’s a slightly sharper air about her, probably from the return to her responsibilities.

Not wanting to fall behind her, I was getting myself fired up too… and then she called it a weird face?

How rude!

“I’m psyching myself up!”

“…Heh.”

I shot back at Seriana, but she just gave a nasal chuckle.

Seriously… she just doesn’t get it, this sis of mine.

“Well, whatever. Hurry up and finish getting ready, would you?”

“Yes, yes.”

After replying, I stepped away from the mirror and took some socks from the dresser to put them on.

Then I got on the 【Floating Orb】 that had been sitting at my feet and gave it a few test spins in place… It’s been a while since I rode one, but no issues with the controls.

I’ve been riding it for years, after all. Just because I haven’t used it for two weeks doesn’t mean I’d forget how.

Satisfied with that, I floated over to where Seriana was waiting by the door.

◇

It’s been a while since I was last in Liesel’s office.

Before the break, it had been a slow time, but now that the rainy season has passed, the busyness is gradually returning.

The faces in the room haven’t changed, but there’s a different energy compared to before the break.

“Scribble scribble scribble… Stamp… and done.”

Usually, I’d be lounging on the sofa watching everyone else work, but today’s different.

I received an overwhelming number of birthday gifts just recently, so now I’m writing thank-you letters.

Well, technically speaking, Teresa came up with the wording, the scribes wrote the body and the addresses on paper, and bundled them into sets of ten letters each for me.

All I’m really doing is signing them and stamping them with the seal of the Second Squad Vice-Captain. Writing formal letters is tough.

Sometimes you need to tailor the message to the person’s rank or region, so it’s not like I’m slacking—it’s a whole profession in itself, writing these things.

Still, I at least check who each letter is going to!

Recipients include nobles and merchants within the domain, as well as letters to Zelkis and the Mercenal Territory, nearby domains… and even some from the royal capital. It’s quite a diverse lineup.

It’s kind of strange, knowing that people from so many places—people I’ve never even met—know who I am.

“All done!”

I called out to Teresa after finishing one bundle.

She approached with the next batch in hand and first checked over the ones I had just completed.

“…Confirmed. That completes this set, milady.”

“Okay. There were so many… Feels like the number increases every year.”

As I flopped onto the desk and said that, Teresa responded with a smile.

“Most likely, next year will be the peak. After that, it should settle down.”

This year marked my coming-of-age, and next year I’ll be formally entering the nobility—so maybe the circle of connections will change again. Perhaps she’s right.

If it kept increasing forever, I’d be pretty depressed… but if the end is in sight, I can hang in there a bit longer.

I’ll do my best.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera ・Blessing・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】 Blessed Item ・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Lesser 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