The Little Girl Returns

(This takes place while Kehma was making the Golem for the Succubus.)

The pink-haired little girl who had snuck into the village: Michiru.

Her mission was to ensnare the Village Chief.

According to their intelligence, the Village Chief here was merely a figurehead, with the real authority held by the bar master who served as Deputy Village Chief… but the reality was that the Village Chief held final authority and could easily dismiss the Deputy Village Chief's proposals.

Prior investigation had revealed that the Village Chief was a lolicon. That was precisely why Michiru, still an immature Succubus, had been specifically assigned to this task.

Lolicons often see through adult Succubi using mimicry to disguise themselves as little girls with ease, making them formidable targets with relatively low success rates. However, since Michiru actually was a little girl, she didn't need mimicry at all.

Furthermore, even if she failed and was driven off, it wouldn't matter much. She was a sacrificial pawn… well, perhaps not quite that far, but she certainly wasn't expected to accomplish much either.

As such, she hadn't been given much information and only received the order to ensnare the Village Chief and make him do their bidding. Since she had in fact been driven off, the decision not to give her much information proved correct.

"… But I won't give up! I'll make that Village Chief do whatever I say!"

Michiru clenched her fists tight. Her fighting spirit was fully charged.

However, when she snuck into the village again that night, the Village Chief was absent.

He must be on guard after what happened yesterday. Michiru's shoulders drooped. Her stomach rumbled with a pitiful kuuu.

… It seemed her body had remembered she hadn't eaten anything since that sandwich.

"Uuu… if only I had life energy, I wouldn't need regular food… at this point, even an animal's would do…"

But this was a newly established adventurer mining village. There were no households with pets. None of the adventurers had tamed familiars with them either.

That said, sneaking into an adventurer's bed for a night feeding was too much for Michiru to handle.

It was right then, as she sat dejectedly in front of the inn, completely at a loss for what to do.

"Oh my, what's a little girl doing here at this hour?"

"Fweh?"

When she looked up, she saw a beautiful woman with pale green hair.

She was wearing a frilly outfit… it was the uniform worn by the people who worked at this inn.

"Are you one of the guests' children? … Little girl, where are your papa and mama?"

"U-um, um…!"

Michiru panicked. This was enemy territory. She couldn't say anything careless.

But her body was honest. A cute kyururuu came from her stomach.

"Oh my, you're hungry, aren't you? I only have some leftover bread, but would you like some?"

"A-are you a goddess?"

"Oh, goodness no. I'm just a maid."

"Ah! But Onee-sama told me not to follow strangers…"

"Oh, then let's introduce ourselves. I'm Kinue. I work at this inn. And you are?"

"M-Michiru…"

"Michiru-chan? What a lovely name. See, now I'm not a stranger anymore, am I?"

With a smile, the woman, Kinue, extended her hand.

Michiru timidly took the offered hand. It squeezed back gently and helped Michiru to her feet.

Is this what having a mother feels like? Michiru wondered.

"Um… I'm not actually a guest at this inn though. Is that okay?"

"Oh, then let me treat you as my friend, Michiru-chan."

"…! Y-yeah! Friends! You and I are friends, Kinue!"

And so, Michiru was led into the inn's dining room by the green-haired maid.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

"I've secured the target. What should we do, Rokuko-sama?"

"What should we do indeed…"

The little girl Kehma had tagged on the map had appeared, but she seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. They reached out just to see what would happen and somehow ended up taking her in.

Now she was sleeping soundly after eating her fill of bread. Her sleeping face looked utterly innocent, like nothing more than an ordinary child.

So, what to do?

Rokuko tried to consult Kehma, but he was deep in concentration making the Golem that would become the Succubus's vessel, responding with nothing but vacant stares. From experience, Rokuko knew to just leave him alone when he got like this.

"Shall I dispose of her?"

"Yeah, I know I'm one to talk, but that's pretty extreme. Kinue, you're quite ruthless… even though you called her your friend."

"I am a maid. Work takes priority over personal feelings."

"What would you personally want to do?"

"Fufu, it might be nice to train her in housework and make her my subordinate. She is, after all, my very first friend."

I see. Rokuko nodded, then tilted her head. Huh?

"Kinue, don't adventurers often come up to you saying 'please be my friend'? What about those?"

"Oh, Rokuko-sama. That just means 'please consider being my lover.' I have someone my heart is set on, so I decline them."

"Ah, is that so?"

"I might consider it if someone at least gifted me a residence worth cleaning, though."

"… I'm not giving you Kehma, you know?"

"Yes, I am well aware, Rokuko-sama."

Kinue smiled. Kehma was the owner of multiple properties worth cleaning: the inn, the Village Chief's residence, and the dungeon. On top of that, he entrusted all the cleaning to Kinue. Not just cleaning, but cooking as well, to her heart's content. It was an environment beyond a silky maid fairy's wildest dreams.

For that reason, combined with the naming effect, Kinue's affection for Kehma was close to its peak. She revered him to the point that she would dispose of her very first friend if that friend became an obstacle to Kehma.

"Also, aren't Rei and Nerune your friends?"

"We get along well, but they're colleagues before they're friends. We serve the dungeon together."

"I see."

She's unexpectedly businesslike, Rokuko thought.

"Well, deciding what to do with her will have to wait until Kehma finishes his Golem. He was really fired up about it, so he'll probably skip sleep again and end up doing something incomprehensible."

"Again?"

"Yeah, once before, he got so absorbed in work that he forgot to sleep."

Kinue couldn't imagine Kehma, who prioritized sleep above all else, getting so focused on something that he forgot to sleep… although right now, he was indeed prioritizing Golem-making over sleeping.

"When Kehma gets focused, he's amazing. He can even build a dungeon that beats Haku-neesama's."

"Then we can certainly expect impressive results from the Golem."

"But we'll need to put him to bed once he's had his fill of it. Dealing with that little girl comes after. Look after her in the room for now. I'll adjust the work shifts."

"Yes, thank you, Rokuko-sama."

Kinue bowed respectfully to Rokuko.

… Well then, since I have the chance, I might as well have a nice friendly chat and extract as much information as I can. Kinue smiled.