The hole where the coffin had been buried was already firmly filled with soil, and on top of it, a large stone slab had been placed like a lid.

Not just this hole—similar slabs were placed in other places as well.

The difference, it seems, is whether or not the name of the deceased is inscribed on the slab.

This country, from its founding and even within its cities, carefully collects information on the deceased.

Until now, I had simply thought, “Wow, the bureaucracy really works well here,” rather carelessly, but maybe it was actually for anti-undead measures.

If those things started appearing frequently in the city, it’d be a huge problem…

Even adventurers made a point to recover ID cards from corpses whenever possible and confirm their names.

…Given that situation, it really shows how influential the Holy Nation once was in these remote regions, including this town, being able to treat the dead so freely back then.

Well, here in Riana, the Holy Nation’s influence is practically gone now, and sooner or later, they’ll probably be driven out of Mesaria too…

The church will likely be run independently by the people of this country.

…Farewell, Holy Nation!

“Vice-Captain Sera. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Okay, let’s get started.”

Standing before the grave, I’d unintentionally started mulling over the church and the Holy Nation, but Rick’s voice called out from behind, snapping me back and prompting a hasty reply.

“Alright then…”

Opening the lid of the bottle I pulled from my pouch, I began sprinkling the liquid inside onto the grave.

Using the 【Floating Orb】 to hover in the air, I let the drops fall gently, soaking into the entire filled hole bit by bit…

The liquid I’m sprinkling now enhances the effect of dispersing the residual magical energy left behind in a corpse.

At burial, limbs are severed to prevent zombification, but apparently this is what’s done to prevent wraithification.

That said, that’s not the only reason.

The body we buried today was already completely skeletal, and any lingering magical energy had long since dissipated.

There’s no chance of it turning into a wraith now, but we still do this—it’s more like a ritual.

If the deceased was affiliated with adventurers, Karn would oversee it. If from the Merchant Guild, then Klaus. If unaffiliated, then August handled it.

In this case, the identity was unknown, so August should have done it—but he’s not here now…

By Knight Order hierarchy, Rick should probably be doing it, but as Seriana’s representative, the task has fallen to me.

“…Alright. It’s done.”

After finishing with all the graves, I turned to Rick, who had been watching, and reported that it was complete.

“Yes, I’ve confirmed it. I’ll have you come to headquarters, but I’ll handle the rest of the paperwork.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Even though all I did was sprinkle some liquid from a bottle… I was really nervous.

…Come to think of it, could this be the first time I’ve done something religious in this world?

I never really came near this part of town, but now that I have, I finally understand what they’ve been doing here…

There’s still so much I don’t know.

I’ll leave the rest to Rick and go relax at the mansion.

◇

“I’m back… hmm? Hey, did something happen?”

Since I had stopped by Knight Order headquarters on the way, I returned to the mansion through the underground passage, but as I entered the office, I noticed that something felt different.

Well… Seriana and the others were as usual, but the civil officials seemed strangely cheerful.

Come to think of it, the mansion’s servants and the guards seemed their usual selves too… is it just this room?

“Welcome back. A messenger just arrived earlier. More importantly, did the burial go properly?”

“Ah… yeah. It’s done, but…”

Seriana brushed off my question curtly.

A messenger… It doesn’t seem like bad news, but maybe it has nothing to do with me?

Hmm…?

Just as I tilted my head in thought, Elena, sitting beside Seriana, spoke up.

“Lady Seria, how about taking a short break? I’d like to hear Sera’s report, and I’m sure Sera wants to hear what’s going on here too.”

She wasn’t as cheerful as the other civil officials, but she also seemed to be in a good mood.

Even her voice right now sounded lively…

“…Fine. Sera, come here.”

Seriana let out a small sigh and stood from her chair.

Looking around the room, I met Teresa’s eyes.

She was smiling wryly at Seriana and Elena, but she herself seemed the same as always…

Those two haven’t changed, but if there’s information that would put Elena and the civil officials in such a good mood…

Ah, could it be news about Alec and the others?

If it’s about Alec, that would also mean news about Liesel and the rest—and if that’s the case, the atmosphere in this room makes perfect sense.

Teresa doesn’t have any close connections who went off to war, and Seriana… well, she’s her usual self.

It’s February in the winter—this timing makes sense.

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

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】【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 ・【Range Detection】・【】・0 cards

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

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