Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 196

 "Sera?!"

As I entered the main building's first conference room at the official's residence, everyone inside turned to look at me.

"Oh...? There's still a lot of people here."

After informing Liezel that we had defeated the boss of the monsters and confirmed there were no more reinforcements in the vicinity, I received permission to return. There was nothing more I could do, and given the time, it was a reasonable decision to head back before I caused any unnecessary trouble.

With a simple instruction note from Liezel in hand, I returned. Despite it being late at night, the conference room was filled with Seriana and her entourage, knights, and high-ranking members of the Adventurers' Guild. There were even some commoner-looking people who hadn't been there when I left. Perhaps they were merchants?

"Welcome back. You look quite dirty; are you injured?"

As soon as Seriana saw me, she said that. Now that she mentioned it, my clothes were stained with blood and other substances.

"No, I'm not hurt. This happened while I was helping with treatment. Anyway, here, this is from His Highness."

I handed the instruction note I had been given to Seriana.

Having defeated the boss and moved to mop-up operations, it was decided to remain vigilant outside just in case. Messengers would be sent out to various locations in the morning, and the injured had already been transported to the medical facility.

Although I had been briefed on the contents, it was something like that. Detailed reports would likely be gathered and presented at a later date.

"Understood. I'd like to hear more from you, but first, you need to get cleaned up. Come with me."

After reading the note, Seriana handed it to a waiting knight and headed towards the door.

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"There were more than I thought."

"Yeah, there were a lot. They weren't very strong, so there weren't many serious injuries, but there were a lot of them."

"I see..."

With just that, the conversation seemed to end as she closed her eyes while sitting on a wooden chair.

After leaving the conference room, we headed to the bathroom opposite Seriana's room. Not only was Elena there, but so was Fiora, so I figured we wouldn't be using the hideout. I didn't expect to be taken to the bath and made to report while being washed. A maid was even brought in to scrub me from head to toe.

Being the only one naked while everyone else was clothed was quite uncomfortable... but there was no helping it.

Now, to avoid falling asleep in the bath, I'm lying on a bed in the bathroom, being slathered with some mysterious liquid.

"This is my first time using this... It's kind of slimy. What is it?"

It was a skincare product of sorts, but I had never used one before. The liquid had a herbal scent and felt warm where it was applied. It wasn't unpleasant, but I wondered what it was made of.

Fiora answered my casual question.

"It's oil extracted from the Alro grass, used as a potion ingredient. While potions are made by drying and powdering the grass, this is the oil extracted from it while fresh. The effect is weaker but lasts longer. It might not be necessary for you, but it helps warm the body, so it's good to use."

I see. It's something similar to a potion. It did feel good on the skin.

"Sera."

Seriana, who had been quietly thinking, spoke up.

"The monsters that attacked us were mainly goblins and wolves, right?"

"I think so. I didn't see them all, so I can't say for sure, but..."

"There were over 400 that you were able to count?"

"Yeah."

I was surprised there were so many. With the cold, the bodies wouldn't decompose quickly, but we'd be busy for a while.

"There were too many... What about their types?"

Types? I hadn't thought about that.

"I don't know, but I didn't sense anything unusual. The monsters we defeated didn't seem odd..."

"Alright. You've done well. You can use my bed to rest. I'll leave the rest to you."

With that, she left with Elena and another person.

Does using Seriana's bed mean I'll be woken up in the middle of the night?

"Alright, let's rinse off."

The maid, Yuri, poured water over me. I think her name was Yuri.

"Yuri, right? I can handle the rest myself."

The oil had warmed me up, and all I needed was a quick soak.

"You look like you're about to fall asleep. If something happens, I'll be the one scolded, so just stay put."

"Okay..."

I had been able to stay up later recently, but I had worked hard today.