Upon leaving the Knight Order headquarters and heading toward the mansion, I noticed that the window of the second-floor office was open today.

It was already open when I arrived at the front of the mansion, so that must mean Seriana is in the office.

…Is it alright for her to be entertaining Ms. Minea?

She should be in the mansion, right?

“I’m home—”

At any rate, there were various things on my mind, but there was no point hovering outside, so I decided to head into the office.

At this hour, when the sun is beginning to set, Seriana is usually working here, but today was different.

She was in the reception area at the back.

And sitting directly across from her was a beautiful blonde woman who closely resembled Seriana.

It was Ms. Minea.

“Oh my, you really do come and go through the window.”

Minea looked amused as she watched me come in through the window and laughed.

It wasn’t the usual cold smile Seriana often showed, but a natural laugh.

Even if their faces were similar, this part of them definitely wasn’t alike…

“You did the same at Zelkis’s mansion, didn’t you?”

“This is my first time actually seeing it happen like this… Sera, it’s been a while.”

She laughed at Seriana’s jab and then turned her gaze toward me again.

“It’s been… a while? Um… what brings you to our place, Lady Minea?”

We had just met last month when I visited Zelkis’s mansion, but I suppose it’s technically been a month, so it has been a while?

For now, I played along—but more than that, I was curious.

Even earlier downstairs, I wondered: why is she here?

She was dressed in her usual blue dress, and her maid, Rose, stood at attention behind the sofa where she sat.

They must have come together… but everything looked business as usual, and I couldn’t imagine any sudden reason for her to visit Riana.

I wanted to ask her that, but…

“Sera, go wash up first. We’ll talk after.”

“Nu.”

I was still in my hunting gear from being out in the forest.

Normally, even without guests, I’d go straight to the bath after a hunt—and now we had visitors.

Yeah… staying like this wasn’t exactly ideal.

“Let’s talk later, okay?”

“Ah, yes…”

Following Seriana, Ms. Minea also said that and waved her hand.

“Princess, shall we?”

“Nu. Yeah.”

Apparently, Teresa would be joining me, and we left the room together.

She probably knows why Ms. Minea is here, but since neither Seriana nor Minea mentioned it, I doubt she’d answer even if I asked.

And since they said we’d talk later, I figured Ms. Minea would be staying at the mansion today.

That being the case, there was no need to rush. I decided to take my time in the bath and wait to hear the story later…

◇

Some time after my bath, Seriana returned to the room, having finished her work.

Just then, I was relaxing with some tea Teresa had brewed, and I took the opportunity to ask about Ms. Minea’s reason for visiting. But she still wouldn’t tell me, saying she’d explain later.

Apparently, dinner would be earlier than usual today, so maybe I’d find out then?

At the moment, she was meeting the children, with Elena accompanying her.

Now that I think about it… right, there was something like that.

Zelkis had sent people to observe the children during the commemorative festival and such, and I had received proper reports.

But no one from the Müller family had actually seen the children in person until now.

Still, is that alone really enough of a reason for her to come all the way to Riana?

For the time being, I gave my report on today’s tasks, including the situation at the eastern base.

By the time I finished, it was just about time for dinner, and everyone moved to the dining hall.

It was a modest event, but it doubled as a welcome party for Ms. Minea. Nobles from the capital also gathered, so there wasn’t really a chance to talk with her.

I quickly slipped away from the gathering, so in the end, I still didn’t get to ask why she came…

◇

And then!

Perhaps because the mansion was currently full of women, the welcome party wrapped up relatively early despite the occasion.

Along with the usual Seriana group, Ms. Minea and Rose came to Seriana’s room.

It seemed they had gone straight to the office upon arriving at the mansion, so this was their first time entering this room.

They looked around curiously, but what stood out most—though I’m not sure if “out of place” is the right word—was the shelf adorned with carvings of monsters.

They stared at it with interest.

“This room really feels like Seriana.”

“That was all arranged by Sera. None of it is mine.”

“Oh, really? You’ve given him quite a bit of freedom, haven’t you… That’s the bedroom over there, right? And that door?”

“That’s Sera’s room. Anyway, the tea is ready. Shall we get to the main topic?”

For some reason, I found Seriana being on the defensive amusing and ended up watching her.

But it looked like we were finally getting to the conversation.

Now, at last, I might learn the reason she came to Riana.

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

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】・13 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

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

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