While Rei and the maid were playing with Set and Ielo, Elena was receiving a visit from Teles.
"Lady Elena, I hope you are in good spirits. It is wonderful to see that you remain as beautiful as ever."
"Heh, I am glad to hear you say that. Teles, I believe you have become far more beautiful compared to the last time I saw you, have you not?"
"Oh, I am so glad to hear that from you, Lady Elena. ......Ara is......well, she seems to be the same as always, I suppose."
At Teles's words, the expression of Ara, who was seated at Elena's side, twitched and twisted.
"Is that so? I may look like this, but I've actually been doing quite a lot of work in Gilm, you know."
"Is that right? But......as I thought......right?"
"......I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but if you're trying to pick a fight, I'll take you up on it at your asking price, you know?"
"Oh, how scary."
Saying that, Teles brought the black tea in front of her to her lips......but that movement stopped instantly in the next moment, as if time itself had frozen.
And after a few seconds, she turned her gaze toward Ara with a stiff, creaking motion that perfectly suited the onomatopoeia gigigi.
There was no need to even think about who had poured the black tea in front of Teles.
"This is very delicious tea."
"Isn't it? I prepared special tea leaves just for you, Teles, and brewed them with a special method. I'm so glad you're pleased."
Ufufu, she laughed.
Ara laughed in a way she would absolutely never do normally, then drank her own black tea.
Naturally, the black tea Ara drank for herself was deliciously brewed, unlike Teles's.
It had no particular astringency, and a rich aroma spread throughout her mouth.
It was only natural, as these were the tea leaves used for Elena's consumption in Duke Kerebel's House, meaning they were quite high-quality leaves.
The way she fully savored the taste and aroma of those tea leaves demonstrated more than anything that Ara was, if only nominally, a noble.
"You two are still getting along so well, aren't you."
Elena watched the two of them with a smile on her face.
The two who were spoken to immediately directed protesting glares toward Elena.
But the person on the receiving end of those gazes was enjoying the taste of her black tea without any particular concern.
Realizing that saying anything more on this matter would only work to her own disadvantage, Teles changed the subject to gloss over the conversation.
"Come to think of it, Lady Elena. How were things in Gilm? From what I've heard, they are currently doing expansion construction, and the population has grown quite large."
"Hm? Right. From what I saw, there were certainly a lot of people. ......However, a large population naturally means that those with ill intent also increase, so it seemed the people of Gilm were struggling with various issues."
"I imagine so. I've heard that even in our own domain, when people gather, disturbances increase. But if we're talking about a large population, then wouldn't Duke Kerebel's Territory be the prime example of that? Anesis is even said to be the second city of the Kingdom of Mireana, after all."
Teles's words were the truth, without a hint of falsehood.
This Anesis, the home base of Duke Kerebel, was undoubtedly a city with a scale second only to the Royal Capital within the Kingdom of Mireana.
There were several other cities that followed Anesis, but when it came to a scale that could potentially overtake it......
"Perhaps Gilm might eventually overtake Anesis."
"......Eh? Are you being serious?"
"Teles, that is rude to Lady Elena."
"Oh, my apologies."
Teles apologized at Ara's words, but her opinion had not changed at all.
Gilm was currently undergoing expansion construction, but she could not possibly believe its scale would overtake Anesis.
Since Teles had never seen Gilm with her own eyes, she had made that judgment based solely on the information she had gathered, and she could not possibly think that judgment was mistaken.
However, Elena, who could be called a Goddess of Beauty, showed no concern whatsoever about Teles's demeanor, and had judged that the possibility of Gilm eventually overtaking Anesis was high.
"Lady Elena, I do believe Gilm has the latent potential to grow larger. But in the end, it is a town on the frontier......no, was it going to become a city? At any rate, it is a place on the frontier. Because of that, inevitably only a limited number of people can go there, and I do think it is at a disadvantage compared to Anesis."
"That may be so. But if my prediction is correct......Gilm will undoubtedly develop from here on. Precisely like a Labyrinth City."
A Labyrinth City that had developed around a Dungeon.
Such Labyrinth Cities existed even within the Kingdom of Mireana alone, and every one of them had obtained a level of prosperity that was incomparable to ordinary towns or cities.
However, that meant having a Dungeon within the city, and depending on the circumstances, there was also the possibility of monsters emerging from it.
Given that, the prosperity of a Labyrinth City was always alongside danger......it could even be called high risk, high return.
On that point, Gilm had the advantage of being on the frontier.
As Teles had said, precisely because it was on the frontier, those who could reach it were few, and for those who wished to avoid danger, it was without question the worst possible place.
But even so, there were various things that existed only on the frontier—materials, monsters, foodstuffs.
There was no question that having a certain level of ability, or perhaps luck, was essential, but the earnings were undoubtedly large compared to those of adventurers and merchants in ordinary towns and cities.
"Ah, come to think of it, Lady Elena. If we speak of things being unique......I hear that the King's Faction Nobles are planning to build a massive Arena. Do you know of it?"
Teles brought up a topic she had obtained through a maid's information network.
She had likely judged that if she continued talking about Gilm, Ara would have plenty to say to her.
"A splendid Arena? There are several of the Arena type that are not as grand as those in the Bestia Empire, I believe, but......"
When one spoke of Arenas in this region, what naturally came to mind first would be the Bestia Empire.
That Arena, built by utilizing the ruins of the Ancient Magic Civilization, was equipped with an extremely advanced function: even if a combatant received damage that would normally be enough to kill them, they would not actually die.
"I hear there is a plan to build an Arena that, while it may not match the Bestia Empire's in function, will at least not lose in sheer scale."
"Arenas have various uses, so one cannot categorically say they are a bad thing, but......still, would construction not take a considerable amount of time?"
"Indeed. ......Incidentally, I hear that Arena is to be built by expanding an entire district of a city."
From Teles's words, the aim of the one trying to build that Arena could be understood.
"In other words, because Gilm, governed by Lord Daskar of the Neutral Faction, is doing large-scale expansion construction and has become quite the topic in the Kingdom of Mireana......they intend to counter that, is that it?"
"There is likely that aspect to it as well. Of course, the primary rival they intend to counter would be the Bestia Empire, but......"
Hearing that the construction was being undertaken out of a competitive spirit toward the Bestia Empire and the Neutral Faction, Elena......and also Ara, floated expressions of slight exasperation.
"How should I put this......No, it is not my place to say, but."
"I do understand Lady Elena's feelings, but actually, in the vicinity of that city, despite the snow falling, there is apparently quite a large movement underway? From what I hear, they intend to continue construction even through the winter."
"Since it is not Gilm, if one does not have to worry about winter monsters as opponents, the only thing to be mindful of is the snow, but......even so, doing expansion construction amid falling snow seems quite tough."
Acting in the snow consumed a surprising amount of physical strength.
On top of that, the body would grow cold, raising the likelihood of illness.
Furthermore, the snow itself could obstruct one's field of vision, or cause one to slip while walking.
......That was precisely why, in Gilm, construction was only being advanced during the winter in locations where safety could be confirmed, and the majority of the work had been suspended.
"I shall ask just in case, but is this being undertaken as a King's Faction movement? Or by that noble individually?"
"The latter. To be precise, it is that noble and noble acquaintances of his who are providing the funds......that is the situation."
"That is quite affluent, isn't it."
Saying that, Elena's gaze took on a hint of concern.
Building a giant Arena that would not lose to the one in the Bestia Empire's capital.
In words alone it was a simple thing, but she imagined just how much funding would be necessary to actually build such an Arena.
And even if the nobles were said to be providing those funds......what would actually bear that burden would be the domains those nobles possessed.
In other words, tax revenue.
Elena did not think that the nobles involved in the Arena's construction were spending money from their own personal assets.
However, among the nobles, there were surely more than a few who would fear diminishing their own funds and attempt to prepare that amount by exploiting the residents.
And if the exploitation became severe, the residents would naturally not stay silent......and at worst, the possibility of rebellion could not be denied.
As a member of the Noble's Faction, Elena would not be troubled if the King's Faction Nobles were to end up in such a situation, but......that would strictly be the case only when viewed as the King's Faction versus the Noble's Faction.
When viewed as the Kingdom of Mireana, if a rebellion were to break out in the domain of a King's Faction noble, it would without a doubt become a loss for the nation as a whole.
Fortunately, since they were not currently at war with any nation, including the Bestia Empire, it would not become a major problem, but......the Emperor of the Bestia Empire was fundamentally high in territorial ambition, and it was generally known that he sought access to the sea.
Depending on the circumstances, the possibility that he might judge that the national power or military strength of the Kingdom of Mireana had declined and provoke war once again was something that could absolutely not be denied.
(If one considers that it is Vihera's father, then the belligerent reason is also understandable.)
Elena, who knew Vihera—who possessed an appetite, a desire for sleep, a sexual desire, and right alongside them, a desire for combat—was rather able to accept the belligerence of the Bestia Empire.
"Lady Elena? Did something happen?"
"No, I was just thinking that if the Arena is to be that massively scaled, they would likely hold a grand unveiling when it is completed."
Glossing over the fact that she had been thinking about Vihera, Elena said that.
At Elena's demeanor, Teles returned a nod without any particular sign of having noticed anything.
"Indeed. If a man were to go to such a place together with you, Lady Elena, it seems likely that person would be recognized as your partner, though."
"......Right."
At Teles's words, Elena pictured the figure of a certain person, but who that was, given Elena's personality, was plainly obvious.
And naturally, Teles, who knew of Rei, would not miss such a perfect opportunity.
"Oh my, does Lady Elena perhaps already have someone in mind as a partner candidate? I am envious. To become the partner of someone of Lady Elena's standing, they must be a truly wonderful person, must they not......"
At those words, Teles had thought that Elena would gloss over the matter of Rei.
But contrary to Teles's expectations, Elena floated a bewitching smile.
Though she did not put it into words, that alone made it plainly obvious how Elena felt about the person she could consider her partner.
Elena, who was usually dignified and called by the alias of Princess General, was now wearing a woman's face.
"Come to think of it, on my way to see you today, Lady Elena, I encountered someone who seemed to be an adventurer, but......who in the world could that have been, I wonder?"
At Teles's words, Elena immediately understood who she was talking about.
At the same time, she was able to firmly grasp the meaning of the words from just a moment ago.
Her expression, which up until a few seconds ago had been that of a woman, changed completely, and Elena looked at Teles with an expression of exasperation.
Teles, who received that gaze, also surely understood its meaning. She was looking back at Elena with a beaming smile.
"Lady Elena, was it the Crimson? It seems there are some people who feel variously displeased about that person, so I think you had best be careful."
"Right."
Though she nodded at Teles's words, no sense of crisis existed on her expression.
If some noble who disliked Rei were to try to do something, that would be entirely meaningless......no, she understood with certainty that for the one who meddled with Rei, the result would be the worst possible outcome.
(There might be some who would scheme something strange, using a noble who meddles with Rei as a pretext, but......should such a person exist, it would be necessary for us to take an appropriate stance as well.)
Rei's existence was already in a situation where it was half-tacitly acknowledged by Duke Kerebel and his wife.
It had not been explicitly stated in words, but Elena recognized it as such.
Because of that, if anyone were to try something against Rei, it was certain that it would result in the worst possible outcome for that person.
"Whatever may happen, it is the result that person chose for themselves. It will likely be exactly what they wished for."
Saying that, Elena brought the black tea to her lips.