“Fuu… thanks for the meal.”

While listening to the conversation and occasionally replying absentmindedly, I finally finished eating.

They always keep my portion light, but my eating speed never seems to improve.

I’ve been like this since I was little, so maybe it just won’t change anymore.

“You’ve finished eating. There are a few things I want to confirm with you, so shall we change places?”

“Yes. Once they clear the dishes, I’ll head over as well.”

Before waiting for my reply, Seriana stood up, and the others followed her example, getting up from their seats.

Then, they briskly walked toward the bedroom in the back.

I just finished eating, so I wanted to relax a bit… but oh well.

“Alright…”

I stood up from the sofa and hopped onto the 【Floating Orb】 to follow Seriana and the others.

◇

A few minutes after moving to Seriana’s bedroom.

I sensed the servants coming and going from the adjacent room, probably clearing the dishes.

Soon after, Teresa appeared carrying tea and arranged the cups in front of everyone.

What they had been discussing earlier was mostly harmless—things like the state of Zelkis town or the condition of the highway from here to there.

Probably to prevent any leaks when the servants entered the room.

Given the people in the room, anyone approaching would be noticed immediately, but their caution never wavered.

Still, since they deliberately changed locations, maybe the discussion would get a little more in-depth?

“Sera.”

“Yes?”

After taking a sip of tea, Seriana put down her cup and spoke.

“Thank you for the dispatch to Zelkis.”

“Yeah. It was fun traveling out after such a long time.”

Seriana smiled softly and continued.

“Good. Between your report and the letter from Mother, I’ve been able to grasp the situation of the war’s outcome, the royal capital, and Zelkis to a certain extent.”

“Yeah.”

A letter from Minea… I wonder what was written in it.

My report probably wasn’t much.

I’m sure Dad and she have shared information properly.

I haven’t really seen Minea working much, so honestly, it was a bit surprising.

“Riana had zero casualties, but it seems Zelkis and the eastern faction’s territories suffered a few deaths. Well… they did send many more troops than we did, so it can’t be helped.”

“I see…”

We hardly participated in battle, but maybe other places didn’t have that luxury.

Well… zero casualties probably isn’t realistic.

But even so, just a few each.

That must’ve been quite the overwhelming victory.

“More detailed reports will come after Alec and the others return… they’re returning as planned, right?”

“Yes. Though they could return faster by waterway with a ship, they said they’d take the chance to inspect the surrounding lands on the way back.”

“Good. At this point, there’s nothing for us to act on; we’ll wait for Alec and the others’ return. By the way, you said you took a detour—was there some errand?”

I shook my head at Seriana’s question.

It wasn’t an errand. It really was just a detour.

“Since it was a rare chance to go out, I thought I’d try a slightly different route instead of the usual path.”

“Oh… so it really was just a detour. Did you find anything unusual?”

“I didn’t find anything unusual, but on the way back…”

I decided to tell them about the merchants I encountered during my return.

Surely no merchant from Riana would head for the next town after dark.

They might travel locally to neighboring areas, but this land is full of monsters waiting for any careless travelers.

Still, now that I think about it, I don’t actually know much about accidents in this territory.

Maybe incidents happen frequently in places I’m unaware of?

“Well, information is important for business, and I can understand pushing hard to make a profit… But how about us, Teresa?”

“Since the jurisdiction is with the 1st squad, I don’t know everything, but in Riana, strict curfews are set for towns and villages, and no one should be moving around at night. Until a few years ago, Riana was part of the Zelkis territory, but even so, the frequency of monster encounters here is higher, and residents have a different sense of caution. So, there’s no need to worry.”

“I see. It’s one thing in a hunting ground, but if deaths occur unexpectedly in other places, it would affect the territory of surrounding monsters. It’s good there’s no cause for such concern. Still… you come up with some strange ideas.”

“Just… a whim.”

It was a sudden thought even for me…

Anyway, it seems such incidents won’t happen in Riana.

That’s a relief.

After that, we briefly discussed the expected return date and the rewards for the soldiers who participated, but I ended up giving in to sleepiness and excused myself.

Even though I was just sitting, maybe the rare trip out was tiring after all.

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

Sera・Blessed・【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・【Range Identification】・【】・0 cards

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

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