Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 291

 "The hallway is chilly..."

As I head toward Riesel's office after getting out of the bath, I can't help but let out a sigh at the coldness of the hallway.

This mansion is equipped with magic tools for heating and cooling, and the rooms are well-heated, but it seems like the hallways aren't quite warm enough. It wasn't like this last winter, so maybe it has something to do with the renovations this year? It might also be because I'm lightly dressed, but my feet feel cold.

For the record, my current outfit consists of a towel wrapped around my head, a black dress with only the apron removed from my maid uniform, and I'm barefoot... I chose this outfit because it's comfortable for lying around without getting wrinkles. Maybe I should have worn something over it? After all, I got nice and warm in the bath, and now it feels like I'm going to get cold again.

"Good work, Seria-dono. Please, go ahead."

"Yes, thank you."

When I reach the front of the office, the soldier standing by the door silently opens it for me to enter.

This room is where the leaders of the territory gather, but I guess I have free access because I'm considered one of them too? Still, I wonder how they explain my absence...

"Seria, I'm coming in."

After announcing myself, I enter the room. Inside are Seriana, Riesel, and the usual bureaucrats, all working as usual.

"Welcome back, Seria-kun. You've done well."

Riesel looks at me and greets me with words of appreciation. Even though the sun is about to set, he doesn't seem tired... He's a tough guy.

"I'm back. Teresa hasn't arrived yet, has she?"

It seems Teresa still isn't here... She was carrying letters from the Count and was supposed to hand them over as soon as she arrived at the mansion, but I didn't expect her to head straight for the bath. There are other items as well, but I've already stored them in the 【Hideout】.

"This is from Teresa. I'll hear directly from her as well, of course... but it doesn't seem to be anything urgent."

As he says this, Riesel shows me a letter that was on the desk.

I've already heard a summary of what's inside.

It's about simplifying the procedures for transporting goods between territories and exempting certain crops from taxes. Of course, nothing has been finalized yet, and discussions are expected to continue for several years.

But that's as much as I know, and without Teresa, there's nothing I can do. Are we just going to wait for her?

"Riesel, you've mostly wrapped up today's work, haven't you? In that case, let's call it a day."

◇

After Seriana's declaration, the meeting was adjourned. It seemed that most of the work had already been taken care of, but the atmosphere was pretty relaxed... On the way out, we picked up Teresa, and we moved from Seriana's room to the 【Hideout】.

Once inside, Seriana listens to Teresa's report while I have Elena dry my hair.

"All done. You can move now."

"Thanks."

As a bonus, she braided my hair into a thick braid, and it was complete. I thanked Elena, got off her lap, and boarded the 【Floating Orb】.

"You're welcome. Did Zelkis have fun?"

"Yeah. I also got to properly test out the 【Danrem Thread】. Ah, madam!"

Before I forget, I need to report back to the adventurers' guild about the 【Danrem Thread】, and I also need to hand over the share of sacred coins I earned to Seriana...

"Madam? What's with that strange look?"

She furrows her brow and looks at me. Seriana rarely shows much expression, so this is a rare sight... Did something happen?

"Maybe because some time has passed... When you call me 'madam,' it makes me feel terribly old."

"Well, I am the only child around you, after all."

I don't know if it makes her feel older, but everyone else around here is an adult, and aside from Elena, most of the people in the office are men. It's not surprising that it feels odd if a week passes...

"Fine. From now on, you will address me as Seria."

The Müller family usually calls each other by their names, even among family members, instead of using nicknames. So far, only Riesel and Elisha call her that.

That's quite a bold proposal she's making...

"Seria... -sama."

Despite my hesitation, I muster up the courage to call her that. At first, I tried to stop after just "Seria," but she glared at me with such intensity that I hastily added the "sama," to which she nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good."

Well, she's a young lady, after all, and it does feel more natural than calling her "madam."

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Seria ・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira's Blessing】・【Floating Orb】【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee's Stinger】【Fairy's Eye】【Dragon's Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem Thread】・1 card (11)

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・35 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】・5 cards

Alec ・【】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horn】・12 cards