It's already been a little over three weeks since Safate left for King's Landing for his frontier city training.

　Here in the small frontier city of Liberty
　As the acting lord, the day-to-day administration was being carried out while the deputy lord, Erdena, was in command of the campaign.


　.........


~Lord's office
'Lady Erdena, my God!　Oh my God, Master Sarah has wandered off!
　Erdena exclaimed at the guard's words as he rushed into the room.

Yes, I do.
...So do you have a note or message to give this time?
No, nothing like last time...
　Erdena sighs at the guard's words.


　The last time Sarah had been gone in a huff, it had been about a week.
　Sarah said that she was even in a remote city quite far to the east.
'We're salamandering along the road, so the days haven't taken so long,'
　That's what he said.

　However.

　Erdena thinks that only Sarah, who is responsible for the excavation work of the flow scales in the small frontier city of Liberty and is also responsible for the civil engineering work in waiting, should be present at the weekly meeting of the heads of the various departments.

　But

　Since Erdena became acting, Sarah has never been to that meeting.
　This is the second time she has gone AWOL and abandoned her job without notification.

　Working for Sarah is a group of boneheads she's created.
　Since Sarah seems to give instructions in her absence, the work does not get delayed, but she is completely unable to respond to new or urgent requests.

　Moreover, Sarah is also asked to guard the giant of the ancient monster race, Deterra, which is being protected in the frontier small city of Liberty.
　Incidentally, the last time Sarah suddenly disappeared, Deterra missed her so much that Erdena ended up spending a considerable amount of time with her as Deterra's talking partner, but

Lady Erdena.
　Then a government official from the drilling site of the Scales of Flow came to the lord's office.
　That official didn't even get around to greeting her.
Lady Erdena, Lady Deterra wishes to see you, but...
　He told her so.

　Erdena heard those words.
They're already here.
　He sighs loudly inwardly.

　Erdena slowly gets up from her seat.
Well okay. I'll be right there.
　As he said that, he left his seat.

◇ ◇ ◇.

　After all, on this day.
　Eldena spent half a day with Deterra in her residence, which was set up in a corner of the Scales of the Stream excavation workshop.

　She had all her intervals of office work turned over to this place, and conversed with Deterra as she worked.

　This restraint lasted until before the evening.
'I'm home, bear!
　When Korok came back from school, Tiree and Aela were able to switch places with Erdena as she came to play with Detera.

　By the way.
　When Deterra plays with the Koroks, she seems to enjoy moving around, which means that she's going to be able to feel quite a bit of vibration around her.

　As a result, the Town Hall.
"The earth shakes with a mysterious...
Is the volcano okay?
　It was not uncommon for them to receive letters saying things like

◇ ◇.

You hear that?　You mean Urinakombe?
　The next day, as soon as Foldente returned from negotiating with Greencombe, he visited Erdena's office.
　Erdena told Foldente that
...What's going on?
　I frowned as I said that.


　Ostensibly, it's a small frontier city, a city where the lord also exists.
　The reality was that this was a city that was famous for its dark winning voice controlling the entire city.


''I heard that an army is going to be sent from the royal capital to defeat the charming voice of darkness in the near future.
　Foldente told Erdena so.

　According to Foldente.

　It seems that the Central Agency frontier bureau has been conducting a simultaneous survey of cities without lords or cities with problems with their governing functions in even more remote areas of the frontier that were completely ignored until now, and it seems that those cities that were judged to have problems in the survey are being subjected to a very strict inspection, but under such circumstances, Urinacombe It is said that this investigation has led to the dispatch of a team of investigators, but about 80% of the team is made up of guards, and there are many rumors that this is a unit that is using the name of the investigation to destroy the charming voice of darkness.

(But if the story has leaked out like this, wouldn't the winning voice of the darkness be wary of them and go into hiding for a while?
　Erdena thought about this and that while folding her arms.
　
　I'm sure you've been thinking about it for a while now.
I'm sure you don't have to worry so much about it. It's not that I was told to send out an army or anything substantial.
　He turned to Erdena and told her so.
　With a somewhat dissatisfied look on her face at those words, Erdena nodded on the spot.

◇ ◇ ◇.

(As for Urinacombe, we'll have to keep an eye on him for a while.
　With that in mind, Erdena immediately called for the Captain of the Guard, Googus.

　Soon after, Erdena came in front of Gugus, who came in front of her.
So that's why. Would you please close the search for the Urinacomb area?
　That's what I told him, and Googs took it.
Yeah, I'll take care of it. We just added a new guard to our ranks.
　He laughed as he said this and said.


　This, Googs says, is the new guard.
　It was a group of people that Safate, who had been sent to the royal capital, had found locally and scouted to come here to the small frontier city of Liberty.


　When Erdena heard Gugus's words, she
''I'll leave the arrangement to you, but be on your guard...''
　Gugs nodded vigorously to Eldena as she said that.

◇ ◇ ◇.

　In the meantime, it was past the end of the day's regular working hours.
(...Oh dear, really, work never ends.)
　In front of the pile of documents still left on the desk, Eldena couldn't help but chuckle.

''........Safate also had this kind of work to do.
　Eldena muttered and reached for the documents on that desk.

　Eldena reads each of those sheets carefully and goes to put her signature on them.
　The documents that Eldena finished reading and approving are received by Foldente, and the documents that need to be taken to other departments in the town hall are transferred directly to the desks of the people in the departments concerned on the spot.
　This caused a considerable number of documents to be cleared away at once.

''........Foldente, that's very helpful.''
　Eldena smiled at that.
　To such an Erdena, Foldente also returned the smile.
Don't say thank you, but let's get this over with.
　As he said that, he pointed to the rest of the pile of papers.

　However, that pile was quite small, due to the fact that he had already processed a considerable amount of them.

　Erdena checked that pile of documents again.
...When we're done with this, we could go to a hot spring.
　He said that and smiled again at Foldente.
　To such an Eldena, Foldente also returned the smile.
Just when you think you're ready, it's a good day. Let's finish up the rest of the day and take a hot bath together.

　At such words of Foldente, Erdena also smiled back at him.

(.........Anyway, if Safate was here too.
　As she thought this, Eldena had a slightly sad look on her face.