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“I’m sure you heard it during dinner last night, but if we have the help of our friends, we don’t need to be dragged around by the guild. The guild ultimately moves based on money anyway. If we have the right amount of cash, they’ll be the ones bowing their heads and coming to us. So don’t worry too much, even without our friends’ help, there are other ways for money to flow.”

Early in the morning, I had asked my friends for permission and was taking care of business. I knew it wasn’t the best thing to leave guests unattended, but as the lord of the territory after such a long absence, there was no other choice. No matter how much Uncle Gilbert had been handling things, a territory left without a master for over ten years had quite a pile of tasks waiting.

Of course, I’ll have to leave again soon to hunt the Demon King, but before that, I should do some traffic management to nip any potential problems in the bud.

“And let’s increase the budget for donations to the Church just a bit more. For the time being, due to our tight finances, we’ve had to keep the donations to a minimum, but if we show a little sincerity first, the Church will surely return the favor in a bigger way.”

“Yes, understood. I will draft the official document and send it over.”

There’s a reason the Church can’t do otherwise. After all, a warrior of the goddess is the lord of our territory—how can they just sit idly by? To expand the Church’s influence, they have no choice but to promote me as the Hero, and naturally, they will take special care of my territory.

For now, since I’ve been so quiet, the Church hasn’t felt the need to flaunt that, but if I extend my hand first, they will surely take my hand in return.

The Church holds considerable influence in the Empire, though it may not be as much as that of the Emperor. Especially now that the Demon King has resurrected, it’s something words alone can’t achieve.

After all, the existence of priests who can use divine magic is desperately sought after by both nobles and commoners.

Moreover, the financially stable temples often carry out social welfare tasks, like running orphanages or offering education for children, tasks that should typically fall to the territory.

So unless the living situation is extremely tight, even donating just a little extra money to support one more priest is a profitable deal.

Someone might mock me for being worldly if they knew my true intentions, but as a lord, these are concerns I naturally have to consider. Each of these decisions builds up to strengthen the territory, ensuring that we won’t fall to outside invasions again.

And if there were to be a problem with any of this, surely Goddess Serena would have made it known first, but seeing how quiet things have been, it seems she’s not overly concerned either.

In addition, I took care of various important matters that had piled up and remained untouched. I didn’t plan to handle everything accumulated over ten years, but rather focused on urgent matters that needed quick resolution.

After haphazardly having sandwiches for lunch and dinner, I finally got a breather, looking around as the evening glow had already settled and it was getting dark outside.

“I wonder what the kids are up to….”

The first thought that popped into my mind was my friends. Even though I asked for their understanding, I didn’t expect to be cooped up in my office all day. Of course, even if I wasn’t there, Gilbert or the other butlers and maids would have taken good care of them so there wouldn’t be an issue, but I couldn’t help but worry.

“Shall we check up on them?”

“No. Let’s take a walk and see if we can find them ourselves.”

I stretched lightly and stood up from my seat.

“Anyway, I’ve taken care of all the important matters, so please have Uncle Gilbert carry out the rest according to my wishes.”

“Understood.”

“I know it’s a bit rude to ask you for another favor after all your hard work, but one last request.”

“This is my job, so please don’t concern yourself. I’m actually grateful that you trust me enough to leave it to me.”

Thanks to pouring my whole day into work, I was able to complete everything smoothly. I could now leave confidently to hunt the Demon King once again.

“Oh! And a few people will be coming from the capital with recommendations for our territory. They’ve been carefully chosen, so I’m sure they’ll be helpful.”

Furthermore, I had also asked Ferrent for talents, and that too yielded results, as scouts had already been completed, and we were just waiting for their arrival in our territory. They were still busy wrapping up their previous jobs, so it wouldn’t be immediate.

“You really worked hard today. Uncle Gilbert, please don’t worry about anything else tonight and take a good rest. See you tomorrow.”

“Miss, you’re the one who worked hard.”

I left Gilbert behind and stepped out of the room first. I didn’t know where my friends were, but I thought I could run into them if I walked a bit.

I found my friends right in front of my room.

To be precise, not ‘Elysia’s’ room, but ‘Zeno’s’ room. It didn’t seem like a coincidence that they were passing by; they must have come to find me on purpose.

“I’m sorry. I said I wanted to see you…”

Yuli glanced at my expression and stammered. The other friends were also looking my way, gauging my feelings.

They probably thought they were barging into the room of a friend who had passed away, worrying that I might take offense.

But honestly, I had no reason to be upset. After all, I am Zeno.

There shouldn’t be anywhere off-limits for them in my mansion. While I trust them blindly, there really aren’t any particularly important places in this mansion anyway.

Originally, areas like the office and library, which should be cautious of outside access due to sensitive records of House Frentz, had burned long ago and now looked impressive from outside but had no real substance inside.

“Come on, why worry about such things? If it were a problem, I would have said so beforehand.”

And I could roughly guess why Yuli wanted to come into Zeno’s room. Yuli was not only a childhood friend of ‘Elysia’ but also of ‘Zeno.’

It would have been quite a distressing thing for her to visit Zeno’s room. Yet, I found myself grateful for the fact that she came to see me.

As I stepped into the room, saying I was truly okay, my friends seemed to relax, following me inside ‘Zeno’s’ room.

Looking around, this room was similarly recreated quite like it used to be. Of course, the toys and furniture that should have been worn with use were all brand new and untouched.

Honestly, this felt way more comfortable than the sister’s room I currently lived in, but I couldn’t just switch rooms.

Unlike me, who was casually looking around, my friends, who understood my circumstances well, all wore solemn expressions as they entered the room.

Even Mariel had her eyes closed and her hands clasped together in a small prayer.

She was probably praying for the soul of Zeno Frentz…. As the subject of that prayer, I felt awkward and embarrassed just staring at her.

Feeling a bit awkward, I turned my head and caught Yuli’s gaze. She must have been more sensitive than the others since she was a childhood friend, and when our eyes met, she gave me an awkward smile.

I could feel my conscience pricking me.

The truth is, I am Zeno, that I was originally a boy and not a girl, and that the identity I currently hold as Elysia is actually my sister’s—it was something I knew I had to reveal eventually. This deception must end someday.

However, with the Demon King hunt just around the corner, it wasn’t easy to reveal a secret that could shake the foundation of our party.

I may have been overly self-conscious, but in any case, my friends had gathered around me as a central point. Without me as the focal point, it would be hardly surprising if they scattered in all directions.

If my friends were to be disappointed and leave me, it wouldn’t just make the Demon King hunt difficult; I probably wouldn’t be able to bear it. My friends meant that much to me; they had already occupied a deep place within.

In fact, the three years after the Academy’s attack, where I parted ways with Selian and a few other friends, was a time so hard it was difficult to even recall.

Thanks to Lindy often helping me during those times, I was able to endure; without her, I likely would have crumbled mentally long ago.

So just a little… just a tiny bit longer, let’s keep this a secret. Someday I must tell the truth, but just a little more…

 

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