That's Not Very Convincing!

"Fwaaah. I slept well… What time is it?"

I peeked outside the storage space — morning.

Nice weather. Perfect day to "raid" the lord… Or would rain be better for a raid?

"G-good morning, Onee-san."

"Huh? An angel… ah, no, Dea-kun."

Whoops, looks like I used the angel as a body pillow… Ack! I forgot to put away my handcrafted woodwork! Into a separate secret storage it goes so Dea won't see. The vibrating gadget too. Later…!

"Anyway, you can't handle alcohol, Dea-kun. I'll buy juice next time."

"Uu… after saying all that, I fell asleep from a single sip… A-anyway, could you let go, I, um, the toilet… Where is the toilet…?"

"Ah. That jar. There's a slime in it — keeps it clean."

I pointed to the pot that the scavenger slime calls a bed. Dea tottered over, lifted the hem of the one-piece like he was gathering the skirt, reached for his underwear… I averted my eyes. Staring while he does his business would be rude.

Until now it's only been me in here, but I should probably make a private stall if I'm going to host people.

Huh? Come to think of it my scavenger slime isn't the unisex type. The unisex ones were three times the price. But with Dea's cuteness… maybe…!?

"Eep — p-please help, Onee-san…!"

"Ah — sorry, sorry. Even Dea's cuteness doesn't work on a scavenger slime."

The slime in the pot got mad and patted Dea's butt. It tucked away the soiled bits and only patted with a clean surface — surprisingly gentle.

… Hmm. Maybe there's a unisex one in the pirates' base or ship?

With that thought, I rescued Dea with spatial magic. Thankfully his clothes didn't get splashed.

"Oh, right. I've got a job for you, Dea-kun."

"Yes! I'll do anything! What should I do?"

"Survey the inside of the ship and the base! Requisition anything useful!"

In other words, burglary! I'll have Dea carry a share of my loot!

An accomplice! I set a gangway so he can board the ship.

"Understood! I'll do my best to help!"

"Good. I'm counting on you… Come to think of it, there might be better bedding than my blanket. Sorry, Dea — did it stink?"

"… U-um, it smelled… nice?"

He's being considerate…! Saying that while looking away awkwardly isn't convincing!

 

*

 

"Siesta. Where's the lord's manor?"

"How sudden, fellow Sister… That castle you can see there."

"Castle? Which?"

"You don't see those walls?"

"Ah, that fort-looking thing. So that's a castle. Squarer than I imagined. Thanks."

With that intel in my pocket, it's off to the lord's place!

I could use the Goddess's universal hypnotic pass and walk in the front, but this time I'll slip in from above. I have to find where the elf girl is; using the pass over and over would be a hassle.

Well rested, mana topped up. I do want better bedding than just blankets, though.

I want Dea to have a proper sleep setup!

… Huh? The pirates' base and ship probably had better bedding than the blankets. I should've scavenged before sleeping… Dea, can you look around for that?

"Now then, where's our elf…"

I popped into the lord's manor via teleport, cloaked myself optically, and slipped inside. Oh, maids. Borrowing a maid outfit for a disguise could be fun…

I quietly eavesdropped on the servants.

… Grilled fish for dinner tonight. Sounds tasty.

New recruits' training? Sounds rough.

Ordering in booze? I've got wine in stock — interested? Heh.

"Hey, have you found that elf yet?"

"Apologies. We're searching, but no new leads…"

Oh! Elf talk! A soldier and his captain, maybe. More, please!

"No progress, huh… Keep looking. Given who we're dealing with, don't stir things up. Even if you find them, no attacking."

"Sir!"

And that was that. Hmm. The lord's people are looking for the elf too? Did Dea's sister escape?

While I snooped around the lord's home, I spotted a familiar face.

Granny Maria! From the bathhouse!

She was dressed to the nines — looked noble. Not "like" — actually noble, right? And the attendants are the bathhouse aunties.

So Granny Maria's important? And the aunties are her ladies-in-waiting? I guess they visited the public bath incognito. No wonder they were so good at washing people — that's their job.

… Hmm. Judging by our bath time together, she doesn't seem bad. Hard to imagine she'd keep an elf as a pet. If she said, "An elf? Perfect pet material!" I'd be horrified. I don't think she would.

Right. I'll consult her secretly while hiding my identity!