Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 251

 The mansion of the Lord of the Riana Territory.

The office of its master, Riesel, is the place for him and his subordinates. Additionally, there are seats prepared for Seriana and, at present, Elena as well as her subordinates.

Previously, the room had a large space for receiving guests, but that area has been halved and replaced with desks. It has become a more work-focused room.

A month has passed since returning from the royal capital, and with the mansion having been vacant and Riesel newly appointed as the lord, work has piled up. Riesel, Seriana, Elena, and even Teresa are helping out. Though I mostly just laze around, I am often there too.

I once peeked in, and at that time, the farmers’ petitions were being brought in en masse by the commercial guild. I don't know the details, but until the deputy and clerks are in place, the lord has to handle everything personally, which is tough.

In the midst of this, the sound of nails being filed can be heard.

After finishing my business at the adventurers' guild and returning to the mansion, I took a shower, changed clothes, and came to this room. Today, Auguste is also working here, and members of the knights' order have been coming and going several times.

Then, his deputy Mio and the captain of the first squad, Rick, arrived, and after reporting the arrival of the trade caravan, we took a short break.

Taking advantage of the timing, I talked about the first matter the branch manager had requested.

It seems that a large monster is in the depths of the forest, and the monster's habitat has shifted a bit. Adventurers from other places are venturing too far and if things continue, casualties are likely to increase.

Hearing this, Seriana took a deep breath...

"If idiots want to die, let them."

She said dismissively.

I had expected her to either laugh out loud or become irritated, but she simply wasn't interested. When she was a newbie, it might have been within her tolerance because of that, but it seems those who died or are about to die are seen as responsible for themselves...

Well, her standards are clear in a way.

But what to do about this atmosphere...

Elena, being used to this, drank her tea unbothered, and Teresa trimmed my nails and then filed them. The nail clippers in this world are bulky like nippers, so I’m not good at handling them, and I appreciate her doing it, but... It’s impressive how she remains unfazed by this atmosphere.

Even the aides attached to Riesel and Auguste are calm, but Rick and his team are not. They’re trying to hide it, but I caught them looking nervous.

"Adventurers driven by greed often lose their lives, but their cooperation is essential for the future development of the territory. If they keep dying without any action taken, we’ll be avoided regardless of how much we earn."

Changing the room's atmosphere, Riesel spoke to Seriana with a smile.

"Sera."

"Yes!"

I wondered if he was going to give some instructions, but he turned to me.

"You said you heard this from Branch Manager Kahn, right?"

"Yes."

"Then his aim must be to let us know. He’s probably looking for support because it's difficult to take measures on his own."

"Exactly..."

I decided not to mention that he also said it was fine if we ignored it.

"How troublesome..."

Seriana said with an exasperated look.

"True. But the branch manager can’t restrict the activities of adventurers, right? So, what should we do, Captain?"

"May I?"

Before Auguste could respond to Riesel’s question, Rick, who had been silent until now, spoke up. He seemed to have recovered.

"What is it?"

"Sir! May I take this matter up with the first squad?"

"Hmm... What do you think, Captain?"

"Rick, how do you intend to handle it?"

"Yes. The casualties are adventurers from other places, and such people gather at the adventurers' guild. Therefore, we will first send people from the first squad to raise awareness there. If we continue for about ten days, we should be able to inform almost everyone. Additionally, we will patrol the forest. Even if words aren’t enough, showing the presence of soldiers at the hunting grounds will act as a deterrent. We have some personnel back from escort duties, so we have enough manpower and this won’t hinder our regular operations."

It was a flawless, exemplary answer. Auguste nodded, having no particular points to critique.

"Very well. The first squad will handle this matter."

"Yes, sir!"

Rick glanced at me briefly, then straightened up and accepted the assignment.

I wonder why? Maybe he sees the second squad as a rival?