Chapter 117: Squid Tentacles

The dwarves, who had come with the intention of bringing Wide-san back, ended up being completely captivated by his art and became his disciples instead.

It was the perfect example of the phrase “the mummy hunter becomes the mummy.”

“Judging by the way things are going, he’s probably going to churn out another batch of strange works…”

Well, it didn’t really matter. We had more than enough raw materials, and the garden had plenty of extra space. It wasn’t like these creations were causing any harm.

Still, just looking at them somehow drained me. Probably a mental thing.

Even in that state, I found myself checking on the state of Bladia-san’s mansion. And… it felt bigger than before.

“Welcome, Geo-sama.”

As I stepped inside, Vania-san, the head maid, greeted me. She seemed to have known I was coming all along.

But this time, there were others besides Vania-san—people who looked very much like vampires.

“Uh… who are these people?”

“They are the mansion’s servants. To properly maintain Bladia-sama’s estate, extra hands are necessary,” she explained.

“I see…”

…Yeah, I’d better not ask any more questions. There was plenty of food, after all.

One by one, the servants introduced themselves. There were so many that it would have been impossible to remember all their names.

Apparently, they had come all the way from Bladia-san’s homeland just to work at this mansion. I didn’t know where that was, but being made to travel this far just to work must be tough…

“No, if I can serve Bladia-sama, I would gladly go anywhere!”

“When I heard that Bladia-sama was recruiting servants, I left my husband and children behind and applied! Being accepted is like a dream!”

“Bladia-sama is as beautiful as ever, no matter when I see her…”

…Well, if they’re happy, that’s fine.

Still, it seemed that Bladia-san was quite famous among vampires. She must hold a very high rank.

I didn’t press for details. I’d treated her a bit carelessly in the past… and I was too scared to ask now.

Bladia-san herself, it seemed, was busy today thinking up new tomato recipes. She had recently developed quite the obsession with tomato dishes.

…Peaceful, isn’t it? Yeah, that’s nice.

Even so, it felt like the population in every corner was steadily growing. And it wasn’t exactly at my request.

Could it be that Miranda-san’s place…?

“No, that can’t be right.”

As I suspected, her original hut was still intact. Somehow, that was reassuring.

Today, however, she was outside rather than inside. She was drinking, holding a small flame on her fingertips to roast something. The smell was rich and appetizing.

“Hey, Geo.”

She didn’t seem too drunk yet, and greeted me as I approached.

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t you see? I’m roasting squid tentacles. They go perfectly with a drink.”

“I see…”

Watching her alone, grilling squid by herself, gave me an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

“Hey, what’s with that look?”

“Nothing, don’t mind me. I’m not thinking you’re a pitiful person or anything.”

“Yeah, you are!”

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, while the second home garden was slowly becoming lively on its own, I continued my adventure with Shifa-san and Sena.

Though for now, we were still in the city of Randall. There was a shortage of hands to handle requests, and both the guild and Loin-san, who had helped us with the recent hydra hunt, had asked us to continue taking requests here a little longer.

“Huh? That party’s gone?”

“Yes. They suddenly vanished a few days ago.”

Loin-san had told us something that made my stomach twist with unease. Apparently, that party led by Lua-san had suddenly disappeared from the city.

“Maybe they went on a mission somewhere?”

“No, even when we checked with the guild, there was no record of such a request being accepted.”

“So, they left the city…”

“If that were the case, they’d at least notify the guild.”

“I wonder if they’re that conscientious.”

Loin-san seemed worried, but Ani, who disliked that party, responded coldly.

“There’s one thing that’s been bothering me.”

“Bothering you?”

“Yes. Just before they disappeared, someone reported seeing them looking at a certain notice on the board.”

“A disappearance case?”

The request in question was to investigate the recent spate of disappearances in the city. It was a bounty-type request, with rewards based on results.

“I see… All the missing people are young women. If someone is abducting them, maybe that party intended to use themselves as bait to track down the culprit.”

“And ended up being kidnapped themselves?”

“That’s a possibility.”

Loin-san explained.

“If you’re willing, would you like to help with this request?”

“So… you want us to act as bait?”

“Yes. Several other parties have attempted it, but none have had any success. Some even tried cross-dressing to lure the target, but… strangely, it didn’t work at all.”

…Maybe it just wasn’t convincing enough.