Published: September 9, 2025
Satou here. Back when the mansion mystery genre was popular, whenever I saw a Western-style mansion, I’d often imagine bizarre, gruesome incidents. For some reason, many stories featured the lady of the house as the mastermind.
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Now then, two days after setting up the engraving plate for moving to the new hunting ground—the 74th district—we decided to return to the mansion. I had been using "return teleportation (return)" about once a day to check on the mansion, but since Arisa and the others wanted to see Ms. Mitelna’s face, we were currently returning via the 4th district.
We didn’t come back the next day to hide the space magic. It would have looked unnatural to return earlier than the explorers who were supposed to have turned back after defeating the maze cockroaches, so we delayed by a day.
Nana and I had already teleported directly to the mansion ahead of the others. The destination was the stables. We confirmed that no one except the horses was there. It’s admirable that they aren’t surprised when we suddenly appear. As a reward, we decided to give them a special feed—a new blend with crushed corn added.
We left the stables and headed to the main building. The girls working in the garden noticed us and came over. I think their names were Logy and Annie.
“Welcome back, sir noble.”
“Welcome back.”
“Ah, I’m home.”
It seemed Ms. Mitelna noticed the girls’ cheerful voices because radar detected her heading toward the entrance.
I had already confirmed the children’s and Ms. Mitelna’s status using the clairvoyance magic. While they couldn’t be said to be completely familiar with each other, they seemed to be getting along reasonably well.
“Welcome home, master.”
“I’m back. Did anything happen while I was away?”
“Yes, two letters arrived.”
In the living room, I asked Ms. Mitelna about visitors and events during my absence.
The letters were from Viscount Seemen and Marquise Ashinen. The viscount planned to return to the Duke’s Capital the day after tomorrow and invited us to dinner tomorrow night.
The marquise invited us to a tea party scheduled for the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. The tea parties regularly gather the wives and daughters of prominent nobles in Selbira. Since my connections in the Duke’s Capital have been quite helpful, I wrote a letter accepting the invitation and entrusted it to Ms. Mitelna.
Oh, speaking of letters, that reminded me.
Last night I worked hard to write a thick stack of remaining moving greeting letters, which I handed to Ms. Mitelna. She seemed a bit surprised by the thickness. This batch was for acquaintances in the Duke’s Capital and the dwarves in Boruehart. Of course, I also properly wrote letters for Princess Menea of the Royal Capital and Lirina, the prefect’s young lady.
For Sera and some close friends, besides the usual greetings, I included simple updates on my recent situation.
Unlike the distant Baron Muno’s Domain, regular trade caravans run between the Royal Capital and Labyrinth City, and airships operate from the Royal Capital to the Duke’s Capital, so sending letters is easy. The Dwarf Village is a bit far, but there are regular caravans to the Duke’s Capital, so it should be fine.
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Thanks to the magic potion imbued with nutrition, the children we rescued had recovered enough to handle simple chores. Once they gain a bit more fat and recover muscle strength, they should be fine.
At Ms. Mitelna’s suggestion, the children moved their beds from the main building to the servants’ quarters.
The reason those kids were in such a place was apparently that they were seeking a type of grass growing near the stables—called Tamikeshi seed—which is extremely astringent but serves as a painkiller. However, it contains a slight toxin, so consuming large amounts can cause disorientation and lethargy.
The need for such a painkiller stemmed from injuries suffered in the labyrinth. Especially for the porters who broke bones, their only options were to sell themselves to slave traders or die in the wild. The children said even the slave traders had abandoned them. Being saved in such a case was rare, so the kids were extremely grateful.