Winer Alpares had graciously offered the Hero’s party the hospitality of his mansion.

"You are fighting for us, so it is only fitting that you stay in a comfortable place," he had said.

Along with that, he assigned four butlers and maids to each of us.

"Hero, let me help you with your armor…"

"I’ve prepared a light grape snack for Aria."

"Serlin, I have gathered the outfit you prefer through a request to the Imperial Knights…"

He even assigned an elf maid to serve the elven princess Raphirie.

"Princess, I have been appointed to attend to you. Please call for me whenever you need anything."

"Uh… what?"

Raphirie’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting to see a fellow elf serving in a human mansion.

"The Count has contacted the Elf Kingdom to arrange for this attendant specifically for you, Lady Raphirie."

Winer Alpares made it clear that the elf had not been enslaved but had been sent as a representative of the Elf Kingdom. Although Raphirie had nothing to criticize, she was left speechless by the elf maid's polite affirmation.

"Um… May I ask your name?" she finally managed to ask.

And then, there was me. The last one.

The head butler, with a slightly puzzled expression, finally asked for my name.

"My name is Louie."

I told him calmly.

"Lady Louie, allow me to show you to your room."

As I followed the butler, I happened to make eye contact with Count Alpares. There was something odd about the way he looked at me, but I shrugged it off and continued walking to my room.

"Okay then, everyone! Let’s meet up after we’ve settled in!"

"Yeah!"

"Yes, yes!"

"Alright."

"Okay."

The Hero's party, swept away by a flood of attendants, dispersed to their rooms. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the “dispersal” the novel had hinted at.

"This way, please."

But no, that couldn’t be the case. The real separation happened inside the Twilight Fortress.

Following the maid’s guidance, I entered my room.

It was a lavish, sky-blue chamber filled with ornate decorations, reminiscent of the noble rooms I’d seen in romance fantasy novels in my previous life.

The color reminded me of my own eyes.

"So soft…"

The bed, clearly prepared with great care, was incredibly soft. So much so that even I, usually indifferent to luxury, couldn’t resist flopping onto it and flailing my arms and legs like a child.

It was a level of comfort that could only be described as a formidable foe. One could almost call it a "monster."

"Louie…?"

Uh-oh.

Fortunately, when I turned around, it wasn’t the Hero but Raphirie standing there. Her bemused expression told me she had witnessed my undignified moment on the bed.

"Was there something you needed?"

"Huh?"

"Was there something you needed?" I repeated, glaring at her as if trying to intimidate her.

Finally, Raphirie nodded with a sigh.

"Yes, there was. Louie was rolling around on the bed like a maniac."

"Ugh."

"Too slow."

I rushed at her in an attempt to tackle her, but being a skilled archer, she easily dodged me. Frustrated, I issued my final warning to gain the upper hand.

"Next time, I won’t include your equipment when I make custom gear."

"…What?"

"You’re fast enough without it, right? I guess you won’t need any more help from me."

"No, wait—"

"And the Hero’s gear? I suppose he won’t need any help either."

"No! I’m sorry!"

Hmph.

As I watched Raphirie desperately cling to my robe, begging for forgiveness, I felt a surge of superiority. It almost felt like I was better than a princess.

"…What are you two doing?"

Serlin had apparently heard the commotion and entered the room with a bewildered expression, causing the situation to calm down—for now.

"We’ll split up and act separately for the time being."

The Hero's party decided to divide their efforts, using the large city of Alpares as their base. It was a logical decision.

There was no imminent threat that required the entire party’s strength, and the monsters appeared sporadically over a wide area, making it sensible to allocate our resources.

"My plan is for Serlin, Rie, and I to cover the northern, southern, and eastern gates."

"The adventurers’ guild reports show that the western gate has seen almost no monster activity."

That’s because the Twilight Fortress will emerge from the western gate.

Before the fortress appears, the enemies will focus on the other three directions to scatter attention and slowly deplete the city's strength.

'Thankfully, they didn’t assign me to any gate.'

This way, I could prepare for what was coming from the west.

"I’ll take the eastern gate, where the monster appearances are the most severe."

"If that’s the case, I’ll go to the south."

"Then I’ll handle the north."

With Aswell, Raphirie, and Serlin assigned to their areas, it was Aria’s turn.

"I’ll move between all the gates to tend to the injured."

Finally, all eyes turned to me.

"I’ll check the defenses at the western gate, just in case."

It wasn’t a lie.

Some might interpret my response as shirking responsibility, but not the Hero's party.

"Minimizing variables is important."

"Louie could probably pull some extra forces from the west if necessary."

They trusted both my abilities and my judgment. I was now a fully trusted member of the Hero's party.

'This feels pretty good.'

It was actually better than I expected.

'Time to start planning.'

Not just rough sketches, but something more concrete. A plan that would align with the story’s progression while ensuring the party’s survival and success.

"The Hero and his companions have left the mansion."

"They’re already at work on their first day here. That’s what makes them Heroes."

Winer Alpares watched the Hero from his window. The young man with black hair had been brought to the empire by the Emperor, accompanied by the church’s Saintess.

There had been some initial chaos, but it had quickly subsided. Everyone, even those who had learned of the Hero’s birth belatedly, accepted that the long-foretold prophecy was finally unfolding.

'But to think that the prophecy would reach us so soon…'

He had expected it to take longer.

'Still, it doesn’t make much difference.'

Alpares would remain Alpares. What mattered was that the Hero’s party was now in his city.

Who knew what would happen next? Perhaps the monsters would disappear without incident, or maybe the demons would lead an army to invade the city.

Winer Alpares had prepared for every possible outcome.

He had devised dozens of plans centered around the four members of the Hero’s party.

But now, those plans might need to be discarded.

'Louie, was it?'

The white-haired girl.

Her hair matched the white robe adorned with red markings, and her striking blue eyes left an impression.

She was the mage of the Hero’s party.

Just two months ago, reports had confirmed that the Hero’s party did not have a mage. Originally, the Archmage was expected to join, but after his refusal, the party had been without a mage for a year.

Yet now, they had one.

And not just any mage, but a girl with beauty beyond what one would expect from a mage.

"Count?"

"What did they find?"

"…No information, sir."

"The information network of the Alpares family couldn’t even gather basic details on a single mage?"

"It seems the mana resistance from her robe disrupted the agents' magical detection tools."

"Well, that’s what I’d expect from the Hero’s party’s mage."

It would be strange if the mage of the Hero’s party didn’t have protections strong enough to block a simple detection tool. Still, it was surprising that even his experienced agents had been thwarted.

'The Archmage the Emperor mentioned must be just as skilled.'

The mysterious Archmage, known as the "Star of the Empire."

No one, aside from the Emperor, knew the Archmage’s identity. In fact, it wasn’t even confirmed whether the Archmage was male or female.

But two things were certain.

The Archmage had the Emperor’s full backing, and they possessed magical prowess worthy of that title.

'Perhaps only Master Whitesmith could rival them.'

Master Whitesmith, a mage known for crafting magical artifacts that even grand wizards couldn’t replicate. Like the Archmage, their identity remained unknown, though more was known about them than the Archmage.

Artifacts created by Master Whitesmith occasionally appeared in auction houses.

'The commander’s sword was said to be a magical blade crafted by Master Whitesmith.'

Since then, there hadn’t been a new commander.

'My mind is wandering too much.'

He watched as the white-haired girl rode out of the mansion on her black horse. How would she compare to the Archmage and Master Whitesmith?

"That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it?"

Even comparing her to such figures seemed unfair. Winer Alpares stroked his mustache, feeling a slight pang of guilt toward the Hero’s party’s mage.

"Proceed with the traditional approach."

"Understood."

After his butler left, Winer downed the rest of his tea in one gulp.

The special guest had been attended to. Now, it was time to return to his duties.