"...destroy it." (Mile)
Mile muttered this quietly, following her angry mutter, but then shook her head in a panic.
"No no, that can happen later! I'm looking forward to what we'll have to do with Reina-san and the others! Right now, our first priority is to make this child feel safe!" (Mile)
Yes, Mile was a gentleman who prioritized the protection of the young girl over her own wishes.
... Mile was a girl, but she was also a gentleman. There was nothing strange about it.
"Salisha-chan, from the beastkin village.
I'm going to ask you a very important question, so please answer "yes" or "no" okay?" (Mile)
"…………"
She was not the one who always bullied her, nor the one who gave her food and water, nor one of the visitors he brought along. Realizing this, the little girl, who had initially been indifferent, turned her eyes back to Mile.
Then, after taking a good look at Mile, Salisha opened her eyes wide.
"Okay? I'm going to ask you a question.
Do you want to run away and go back to your village?
Do you want to run away from here and go somewhere other than the village?
Do you want to stay here and not run away?" (Mile)
"..."
"…………" (Mile)
"………………"
After a moment of silence, the little girl answered clearly.
"Yes! No! No!!"
(Yup, that's a good answer!) (Mile)
Satisfied with Salisha's energetic reply, MAIRU crossed her arms and nodded.
Salisha, who had seemed listless until a moment ago, suddenly became energetic. And for some reason, she seemed to trust Mile unconditionally, even though they had just met. Normally, this would be a little strange, but Mile didn't seem to mind at all. It seemed like she had an unfounded confidence that it was only natural for young girls to like her.
...And the cat ear headband that Mile wore on her head out of personal fetish (a strange hobby), was way too useful...
"I am a Hunter who has been requested to rescue you. I will come again tomorrow with my companions to rescue you, so please hold on for just one more day.
Also, please tell us anything you know that may be useful for the rescue operation, such as the treatment of Salisha-chan, the number of people coming here and their reasons, meal times, and anything else you know. Based on that, we will decide on the details of tomorrow's operation and the time it should be carried out..." (Mile)
At Mile's request, Salisha nodded vigorously and began to tell her everything she knew.
The night had just begun, so there was plenty of time. This was an isolated place, so there was no need to worry about someone suddenly entering the room. All Mile had to do was use her exploration magic at short intervals to explore the room with the underground entrance and the underground area.
Furthermore, the high-performance "Mile's Ear" ensures that you wouldn't miss the sound of the entrance opening and closing.
Since there was only one entrance and exit, there was no way to escape once detected, but there were plenty of ways to avoid being noticed, such as disappearing in an invisible field and sneaking past them to escape, or disappearing in the same way and crouching in the corner of the room.
Therefore, before Mile began listening to Salisha's story, she made sure to explain to her that if anyone came, she would use invisibility magic to make her invisible, so she shouldn't be surprised.
Thus, Mile obtained detailed information and returned to the inn where her companions were waiting for her.
Of course, on the way back, she didn't forget to check the security situation inside the store at night and other things.
"...So, Pauline, do you think a more aggressive approach is the best?" (Mile)
"Yes. The merchant who bought her this time has clearly committed a criminal act that cannot be denied. Therefore, even if we secretly rescue Salisha-chan, they will likely try to get their hands on the next girl… I don’t know if she’s a beastkin or not.
Merchants have many connections, acquaintances, and ties, so it would be easy for them to connect with new middlemen, so-called 'illegal slave traders,' or 'criminals who are the perpetrators of the crimes.'" (Pauline)
"Hmm, certainly, if he's a merchant of that kind, he would likely have connections in that area... And the fact that he got a beast girl instead of a human this time means that if he can't get a beast girl, he might next aim for an elf or a demon or some other non-human girl. That's something that, if it were to be discovered, could cause major problems..." (Mile)
As for the Ancient Covenant, since it was an old story, it was not taken very seriously by anyone other than the royal family and the long-standing nobles who keep their descendants well informed.
Of course, the Austin family had been very clear about this, so Mavis understood it perfectly.
Of course, there was also the previous incident, when everyone heard about the Ancient Covenant.
Therefore, neither Reina nor Mavis seemed to oppose the "aggressive approach" proposed by Pauline.
And speaking of Mile...
"I won't forgive you..."
Thus, the policy was decided.
"Salisha-chan, I'm here to do some advance preparations!" (Mile)
Well before the second bell in the morning (9:00 AM), Mile appeared again in the basement where Salisha was being held captive, in what appeared to be a prison cell.
"I'm going to put on some make-up for a bit. I'll explain what happens after that while I'm putting on my make-up." (Mile)
Then, Mile used earth magic to seal the entrance leading from the upper room to the basement to prevent anyone else from entering, then she easily opened the lock and entered the cell.
The first time anyone comes here each day was a little after the second bell, when a simple breakfast/lunch was served, so there's no disruption to operations.
However, Mile didn't forget to take precautions in case of unexpected visitors.
That's right, she couldn't show Salisha after she's finished putting on makeup...
"Salisha-chan's makeup and explanations are done. She's ready!" (Mile)
She told this to Reina and the other two, who had already left the inn and were waiting in a nearby vacant lot, and the operation finally began.
"Well then, let's go. The operation name is 'Strike'. The policy is, 'Let's go all out'!" (Mile)
...That was the exact name of the operation.
"Crimson Vow... Crimson Blood! Attack!"
"Ohhh!!" (Other 3)
The second bell in the morning (9:00 a.m.), exactly.
This was the time when the main stores are open, and the guard station had finished switching over between the night and day shifts, so that it was ready to respond at any time if an incident occurred.
The streets were bustling with people who worked jobs that didn't require strict hours.
Then, four cute girls wearing hats were walking down the main street and stopped in front of a shop.
"Here it is." (Mile)
"...Well then, let's do it. Ready, go!"
"I've come to get the beast girl back who was kidnapped and made into a slave!" (All CV)
"I've come to get the beast girl back who was kidnapped and made into a slave!" (All CV)
"I've come to get the beast girl back who was kidnapped and made into a slave!" (All CV)
Wondering what was going on and realizing at the sheer severity of what the girls had shouted, everyone passing by stopped in their tracks and stared at the girls with wide eyes.
Then, more and more people gathered around the girls who continued screaming.
Thud thud thud thud!
Then several men with grimacing faces came rushing out from the store.
"What the hell are you shouting out loud!!"
One of them yelled at the four girls.
"No, we just asked them to return the girl who was kidnapped and made into a slave..." (Pauline)
"What kind of 'request' is that? Besides, I don't know anything about that! That's just baseless nonsense!" (Clerk)
When the store clerk retorted, Pauline grinned.
And then, loudly...
"Ahh, I tried to settle this peacefully through discussion, but the people who kidnapped the beast girl and made her their slave refused to negotiate! Now, in order to rescue the girl, we have no choice but to fight these vicious criminals! Come on, everyone, let's fight a just battle to rescue the girl!" (Pauline)
"Ohhh!!" (Other 3)
Pauline deliberately and loudly repeated the powerful words "beast girl," "kidnapping," and "slave" over and over again.
Then the four of them all took off their hats.
From there appeared cat ears, dog ears, fox ears...and raccoon ears.
"B-Beastkin..." (Everyone)
Murmurs of surprise could be heard from the shop staff and the assembled crowd.
...Of course, their true identity was a handmade fluffy ear headband series made by Mile...