A little while later, there was finally a large enough gap in the crowd that Mile and her party were able to escape the scene, where they met up with Shurana, who had been waiting for them, and then escaped from the city.
Because she had been locked up for so long and there was concern about her health, Mile was still carrying Salisha, and Mavis was carrying Shurana because there was no room for difference in treatment.
And Shurana's face, clinging tightly to Mavis, was a little red.
...This was where the thoughtful Mavis really showed her true colors, and why she's known as a "girl magnet," but of course, Mavis was completely unaware of this.
"Mission accomplished. Now all that's left is to bring them back to the village." (Mile)
"…………" (Other 3)
Mile didn't say "as slowly as possible," but Reina and the other two knew what she meant.
However, since Shurana and Salisha were there, Reina and the others didn't say anything about it.
Rather than being considerate of Mile, it was to avoid Shurana and Salisha being shocked or wary when they heard it...
"We'll soon reach the beastfolk village..." (Mile)
Mile was in a good mood after enjoying interacting with the fox beastkin Shurana and the rabbit beastkin Salisha.
However, that heaven would soon come to an end, so despite the smiles, she look a little depressed.
It couldn't be helped. Parting was inevitable. Mile knew that very well, but it's still sad that such a blissful time had to come to an end.
"You walked so slowly, you should give up. I'm sure you were more than satisfied..." (Reina)
"Well, that's true, but..." (Mile)
Mile replied in a dissatisfied tone to Reina's exclamation of surprise.
Desire was a never ending thing...
Zzzzzzz!
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, something fell from above, causing Reina, Mavis, and Pauline to scream.
Then Mavis drew her sword, and Reina and Pauline readied their staffs and began chanting.
Mile didn't seem surprised, as she had already figured it out using her search magic. Normally that would be the case, but now that she was protecting two young girls, Mile was not the type to be stingy with her abilities when it came to safety measures.
Besides, if she had to stay alert for monsters and other dangers without using her magic, she wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the precious time she had with the little girl. For Mile, there was no way she could accept that.
Then, the falling object called out the names of the two girls who had been brought home... The man on guard duty, guarding the village's security perimeter.
It was a small village, so of course everyone knew each other. So, it was only natural that they knew about the two who had been kidnapped. They also remembered Mile and the rest of her party faces from the incident the other day.
"Y-you guys..."
The man on guard tried to continue speaking to Mile and the rest of her party, but his heart was filled with a variety of emotions, and he couldn't say anything more.
But now there was no need for words.
Mile and her party just nodded and continued walking without saying anything.
The guard also nodded, either because he thought words were unnecessary or because he couldn't find the right words to say.
In reality, he probably wanted to run to the village and shout the news, but since he was currently on the important duty of guarding the village, he seemed to have given up on that idea.
There was no way he could act on his own self-satisfied emotions and do something foolish like opening a hole in the watch net and putting the village in danger. Even if he hadn't shouted around and informed the village, it wouldn't change the fact that the children had been rescued and returned safely.
And the credit and praise should go exclusively to these human girls.
With that thought in mind, the man calmed down and returned to the task at hand.
Then, going a little further, they entered the village grounds...
"Oh! Ooooooh!"
"Someone, tell their families! Call the village chief!"
It caused a big fuss.
Well, that's to be expected.
Although the perpetrator of the kidnapping was caught, that didn't mean they had high expectations of the humans.
They knew very well that merchants and nobles from other countries who had connections with powerful people were not opponents that the lord of this land and the Hunter Guild could do anything about. Therefore, they thought that the best they could do was to catch the perpetrators, give them severe punishment, and made an example of them to prevent a recurrence.
…Of course, this was a severe punishment that the beastfolks imposed on the perpetrator who had stolen multiple children, so it wasn’t something the person could return to alive, nor was it something they could die easily from.
And so, the Hunters sent by the human lord not only captured the perpetrator, but also accomplished the "Rescue of the victim," something that had not been requested.
This was something that was already unthinkable.
But more than anything else, the joy of having the village girl returned safely made everything else seem pale in comparison.
And…….
"Shurana!"
"Salisha!"
"Sherry! Where is Sherry?"
"Ahhh..." (All CV)
Of course, Salisha's cosplay and makeup were removed, and after she and Shurana had given her a good clean in the portable fortress bathroom, Mile dressed them in normal children's clothes that she had in her item box... Mile always had children's clothes, sweets, bird and cat food, and silvervine twigs on hand... Although they were just normal clothes, they were much nicer and cuter than what the other children in the village were wearing.
But that's not the problem.
Their family members ran over to them, hugged Shurana and Salisha, and hugged them while crying...
"Serry! Why isn't Serry here?!"
Yes, she was known as Serry in the village and Lilia at the Earl's mansion, a young girl who wanted to stay. But to her family...
"What's going on?! Why is Serry the only one not here?! No way..."
"Ugh, she's alive, not dead!" (Mile)
Mile was grabbed by the collar by an aunt who seemed to be Serry's mother, with her body half suspended in the air, and she cried out frantically, but showed no sign of letting go, and eventually Mile's body was almost completely suspended in the air.
"Guuuuuugh..." (Mile)
"Auntie, Auntie!"
"It's squeezing, it's squeezing!!"
"Break! Break!!"
In a panic, Mavis and the others slapped the woman's back as she grabbed Mile by the collar with her superhuman strength and pushed her into the air. The collar of her dress seemed to be strangling her perfectly.
As expected of a beastfolk, even an ordinary woman with a non-combat occupation seemed to have considerable strength.
...No, maybe she's just angry about her daughter and her limiter had gone off.
And so, although Mavis and the other two had finally managed to rescue Mile, they found themselves faced with a very daunting and troublesome task ahead of them.
…Yes, they had to give some bad news to this woman who seemed to be Serry’s family, as well as her father and siblings.
However, there was no way they could have such a conversation here, with so many other villagers present.
It's not much of an honor for either Serry or her family...
"Further details will be discussed at the village chief's house, and only with related parties! For now, please let us rest!" (Mavis)
Mavis's desperate plea and Mile's words that she was not dead calmed the mother down somewhat, and after some persuasion from the surrounding villagers, she reluctantly backed down...