One Hour

And so, we arrived before the Bandit Master.

No combat, no anything. Obviously. We'd just come to deliver the goods.

We'd let the grunts get a quick peek to confirm, but never let them touch. They weren't even allowed close.

Just like how the first person to drive a brand new car from the dealership should be the owner, the first to lay hands on the goods should be the Bandit Master-san, the buyer.

So.

We opened the crate again, and when we showed him the cat beastkin inside, Miitei-chan, face deathly pale and trembling with terrified tears, the Bandit Master let out a sleazy "Heheh" and laughed.

Reverently, as gently as handling something fragile, I supported Miitei-chan as she stood up from the crate—and oh no, the rope binding her feet accidentally came undone!

Miitei-chan noticed!

Oh no, she bolted barefoot! Toward the cave's exit!

"Ah! This is a bandit hideout, you know! It's useless to ruuuun!!"

"My apologies. I'll catch her right away."

"Nah, it's fine, it's fine. I'll catch her myself."

Grinning from ear to ear, the Bandit Master walked after Miitei-chan as she fled clumsily. "Good, good. Kukuku," he chuckled. Whatever he found so good about it.

A desperate, pathetic, futile escape. She was slow, maybe because her feet were injured.

But whenever his underlings tried to grab her with their smirking faces, she somehow slipped right through, tumbled dramatically, and kept fleeing toward the cave's exit.

"Helf… shomebody, help meee!"

"Oopsie, oh dear, she got away from meee."

"No! Nooo!"

They'd tried to stop her but hadn't really meant it, so she got away. Run, run, go on. Well then, boss, she's all yours. That kind of playful atmosphere.

It was as if they were acting the part of hunting hounds in an aristocrat's chase.

And in contrast, Miitei-chan's desperate, pitiable figure as she fled.

The Bandit Master was surely savoring a mix of pity and superiority. That was why he said "Hey, don't you touch her, got it?" while walking after her at a leisurely pace.

Miitei-chan tripped and fell at the cave entrance.

"Help…"

"Hey now, you pissin' yourself?"

The Bandit Master caught up without a care in the world.

"Heh heh heh, be a good girl now. There's no escape."

"N-NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Right. That's the signal. Please direct your attention above the cave.

A rock engulfed in pale blue flames just came crashing down!! That's right, the scream also served to mask the gunshot!!

"Wh!?"

Oh! The Bandit Master noticed the shot!

But too late. He tried to run, but Miitei-chan had already latched onto him tight.

"Wha, heavy, get off, you'll d—"

"Why dontcha just diiie? Bleh, bleh, bleeeh."

What happened to the pathetic girl who'd been crying and wailing moments ago? Well, it was all an act, obviously. Without a trace of her earlier performance, Miitei-chan pinned the Bandit Master to the ground with a smile on her face.

Oh, and that puddle she left? Actually Slime, because she's a Slime. And Adhesion, most likely a skill she'd picked up from eating some spider-type monster, had him completely stuck in place.

However! This was the Bandit Master! He actually managed to kick off his shoes and slip free from the adhesive pee-Slime puddle!

"Ah."

But his upper body was still firmly caught by Miitei-chan—by Miitei-chan's clone. And his bare feet, now free of his shoes? They landed right on Miitei-chan's feet, which were coated in something far stickier. The hold went beyond sufficient. It was perfect.

"Awww. Can't run anymooore, can you?"

"H-hii, monster—"

SPLORCH!! With a single blow, the Bandit Master was crushed flat, and CRAASH! reduced to a stain in a crater. Along with Miitei-chan…

Well, Miitei-chan reformed from the stain. Because she's a Slime.

"Whoa, it really played out exactly like Mahariku-san said…"

"Oh no, how terrible! The Bandit Master-san is dead! You guys, it's dangerous here, hide in the back of the cave!!"

"Wh-wha!? Huh!?"

A gunshot rang out.

"This is bad! Hurry!! Move it!! You don't want to die, do you!? Get inside the cave and fortify your defenses! Prepare for an attack!"

"Y-yeah!"

"R-right…!?"

Barking orders, Mahariku-san herded the remaining bandits into the cave.

The bandits, confused as they were, followed her instructions and filed inside.

"The enemy's going to open fire! We'll use captives as shields!! You still have surviving merchants in there, right? Drag them out and use them as meat shields!!"

"Huh, why?"

Another gunshot rang out, and this time the bullet punched a hole in the rock right at the cave entrance.

"Dead bodies will work too, just grab everything you've got! Take them hostage so the enemy can't attack! Hurry, do you people want to die!?"

"!? Y-yeah!!"

"R-right now!!"

Right.

The merchants the bandits had captured. The ones still alive, the ones who'd been tormented. The captives were dragged out. Hmm, a good-looking young boy. They'd been using him in place of a woman… well, condolences?

"Leave the rest to me! Get inside the cave and hold your positions!"

"Yeah!"

"We're counting on you!!"

And with that, the bandits retreated into the cave.

Right.

"Whoa, it really played out exactly like Mahariku-san said…"

"What are you doing, Tria? The job's not done yet. Here, poison firebombs."

"Whoa."

"Tee hee. I made sure to dispose of their antidotes while things were chaotic, so one of these will do the trick."

Right. Wiped them all out in one fell swoop.

We tossed in the poison firebombs Penpen had made for us.

"Mahariku-chaaaan, can I eat what's in the cave laterrr?"

"Hmm, I want to keep some evidence that we wiped them out, so just a little, okay?"

With a squelch, the flattened Miitei-chan reformed. This Halo-less version was the clone; her main body was over with Alto. But she could use Predation from this side too.

Speaking of which, what happened to the Bandit Master's body? Oh, she'd accidentally eaten the whole thing because it got mixed in? I see.

… And just like that, in barely an hour, the Bandit Master's base was annihilated.

The survivors were safely secured. A flawless suppression.