Mnotia's Den

 Having finished patrolling the attic of the south wing, I moved on to the main building, which houses Liesel's room. It seems you can come up from the office on the second floor. There's a sturdy wall, a door, and even a window with a transparent pane. You can tell at a glance, but is it really okay like that? "...That's the place, right?" "Yes. Unlike the other side, there are guards permanently stationed here, so it's fine." "Huh... oh?" Even though we floated noiselessly, the soldier inside, hearing the conversation, rushed out. "Lady Seriana. Is something the matter?" "I'm inspecting the mansion. Don't worry about it. Return to your post." "...Understood. Excuse me." Though he seemed somewhat unsatisfied, he quietly returned. Well, if someone suddenly appeared with a child on their lap, you'd wonder what they were doing here, right? It was a bit of a surprise, but that was the only issue. Like ...

 "Got nothing to do." "Yeah, pretty bored..." Today, just a few days before the rainy season is expected to end, we were hit by the heaviest rain of the year. It's likely to continue raining like this today and tomorrow. The rain is so heavy that I can barely see the four houses built just a stone's throw away on the same premises. No customers are coming, so the residents have the day off today and tomorrow. It was me who went to inform them. Having never tried it before, I found out today that the "Floating Orb" is weak against rain. Or maybe I'm the one who's weak... Even though using an umbrella wouldn't have made any difference, I dashed out fully prepared to get soaked, but instinctively tried to avoid the rain, resulting in a weird trajectory. Seriana, who was watching from above, said she thought I was going to leave the premises... I had to really focus and muster up my courage to move straight ahead. It was an unexpected weakn...

 One day, about halfway through the rainy season, I was called to a room by Liesel along with Seriana. We had been spending our days gathering and spreading rumors, so it seemed odd to be summoned this way. If Liesel had business with Seriana, there was no need to call me, and if it was me she needed, she could have called me directly or through Seriana. "What could it be?" "Who knows?" If both of us were called, it must be something that concerns both of us. But what could it be? "Liesel, I'm coming in," Seriana said, knocking briefly but entering without waiting for a response, with me floating along behind her. "Ah, Seria, Sera. Sorry to summon you out of the blue," Liesel greeted us cheerfully, rising from his chair, showing no concern that we had entered unannounced. He was as breezy as ever. In the room were the butler, Karlos, and the maid, Rose. There was also an unfamiliar older man. When our eyes met, he nodded in greeting. Who coul...