The corpse recovery in the grasslands was completed safely and much earlier than expected, with no unexpected incidents.

I had been watching the operation from above, and while I could tell from the sway of the grass that the wind was blowing—toward the forest, in fact—no monsters ever showed up in the end. Just as the adventurers had said before the operation, they might have been avoiding the area altogether.

That’s good news, at least from my perspective.

Monsters’ behavior doesn’t vary too much, so if things go like this here, it should be the same elsewhere too.

Of course, I shouldn’t get complacent, but still… I was pretty anxious during the whole operation.

After a battle, we go all the way to the city to request recovery, and if a new group of monsters were to gather at the site while the corpses were left unattended…

It wouldn’t just be me—we have Knight Order soldiers and adventurers, so eliminating them wouldn’t be an issue. But the merchants are with us too…

If they’re merchants active in Riana, they can probably handle themselves against a few monsters, but if faced with a large group, who knows what might happen?

It’s best if no one dies, of course, but even if soldiers or adventurers were to fall, it’s still considered part of their job. Merchants, on the other hand, are non-combatants.

If any of them were to become casualties, it would create all sorts of complications, and we couldn’t afford to reduce their escorts.

Ideally, it would’ve been better not to bring merchants along for corpse recovery at all, but that’s easier said than done.

The Knight Order is busy right now, and more importantly, this mission of mine is only temporary.

Rather than having them rearrange their assignments just for this, it’s more efficient to contract civilians.

That said, you’d still need adventurers who are skilled enough to handle both the recovery work and the escort duties. But how likely is it to find such convenient individuals during daytime hunting hours?

Today just happened to go well—we made a big haul, and even the adventurers waiting in town made a profit—but it’s not like we can expect that every time.

Seriana’s messengers sent to each city explained all this in advance, so the adventurers must be prepared. Still, even if it’s just for ten days, we’re asking them to give up their prime earning time without knowing if they’ll be called on.

It’s no surprise if frustration starts to build.

Alec and the others were involved in planning this initiative, so if they didn’t object, then it must be within acceptable limits… but if we can avoid issues, all the better.

If it were a nearby city like Arios, it wouldn’t be a concern, but from tomorrow onward, I was starting to worry… Still, if there’s no risk of monsters being drawn to corpses, then that solves both the safety of the merchants and the issue with the adventurers.

◇

After finishing my work outside, I returned to the territory capital and headed straight for the estate…

“Hm? It’s not open. …At this hour, she should still be working in the office though…”

Usually, when I enter the estate grounds, Seriana notices and opens the window to her room.

She should be in the office around this time, and even if there are guests, she usually lets me in from there… Maybe she’s not inside?

“Guess I’ll go around back then.”

If I pressed myself against the window, someone inside would probably notice and open it, but let’s not forget—windows aren’t really meant for people to go in and out of.

Especially second-floor windows.

That won’t do… Scratching my cheek, I crossed over the roof and made my way around to the back entrance.

◇

“Visitors?”

“Yes. They said they had business with Madam, and just a short while ago… they arrived with the branch manager of the Merchant Guild.”

After entering through the back entrance of the estate, I ran into one of the main house servants in the corridor and asked if someone had come to visit.

According to her, the ones here to see Seriana were Klaus, the Merchant Guild branch manager, and the head of one of the largest and most established trading companies in the territory capital.

Seriana doesn’t have any particular favorite craftsmen or shops she uses exclusively, but when buying from other territories or countries, she sometimes uses their services.

It’s not that other stores are bad, but in a frontier region like Riana—at the edge of the human domain—if you want guaranteed procurement, it’s best to go with an old, proven company.

Especially this year, after that situation with the church district, we had to deal with a few long-standing but small-scale trading companies operating in the city…

That company is part of the Merchant Guild and has deep connections not just with other merchants and individual shops, but also with workshops and artisans—other departments within the same guild. Furthermore, they maintain good relations with the Adventurer Guild and the Hunting Guild. In this city, they’re one of the big names.

I don’t know what business they have with Seriana, but if someone’s going to visit us, they’re the best candidate.

They’re the best… but has something ever come up that would make someone like that visit personally?

If something major were going to happen in the estate, we’d wait for Liesel to return first…

It’s probably not about the eastern outpost.

Things still haven’t settled down over there.

In that case…

Maybe it’s about the planned residence for Zelkis?

No idea.

Guess I’ll ask her later!

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

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 ・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

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

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