Chapter 581: Taking a Break With a Side Gig Extra: Warehouse Thief and the Panda Mimic
Golen Village's [Dancing Doll Pavilion] warehouse had been infiltrated by a lone man.
He was not an employee. The inn employed only one man, and he was currently off earning money in Tsuia.
In other words, the intruder was merely a troublemaker.
"Heh heh heh, this place is so affluent, borrowing a bit from the warehouse should be fine."
The man muttered as he rummaged through the warehouse.
Primarily stored there were foodstuffs—including "rice", a product which could be sold at a high price elsewhere.
However, it would've been too rash for him to take it. Such items were unique and easily traceable due to their weight and bulk. Nonetheless, it would simply disappear if eaten, making it somewhat preferable…
He made a mental note to take some if there were no better options.
There was also flour. While most was stored in the village's warehouse, some was kept here for immediate use at the inn.
But taking flour wasn't a great option either.
It was too common, which while that did mean it was less likely to be traceable back to him, it also meant less profit.
The vegetables were the same in that they were hardly valuable.
And so the man's target was the agricultural tools stored in the warehouse.
"There we go. Heh heh heh…"
If there were farming tools made of iron, such as scythes, those would be ideal. Iron was relatively cheap in this village due to the Iron Golems harvested from the Dungeon, but it could fetch a good price in other towns, especially since the local blacksmith was a skilled dwarf.
Of course, a hidden stash of wealth would be even better.
However, it was unlikely that such treasures would be kept in a warehouse that wasn't even locked—just as the man reached for a scythe hung on the wall, he discovered a small box.
"What's this? Could it be a treasure?"
He reached for the box. It was a plain, undecorated treasure chest which was small enough to be lifted easily with one hand.
"This is just right, what's inside?"
Excited, the man opened the box.
—Immediately after, the box unfolded as if turning itself inside out and a massive beast with black and white fur appeared.
"Yikes! A bear!?"
[Gururururu…]
A ferocious, belligerent black and white panda laughed in a menacing manner. It was a magical beast unlike any he had seen. Panicking, the man tried to distance himself to escape from the warehouse.
Key word: tried.
"It won't open!? But it's just a wooden door without a lock!?"
[Gegegege!!]
The beast laughed heartily, patting its belly. The man was frightened, but he steeled his resolve. He had to fight. Thinking this, he reached for the scythe on the wall—and his hand whiffed through the air, not touching anything.
The wall had moved away from his hand.
"What? What is this!? Eh?!"
He reached out to the wall, but it mockingly moved away from him, warping like misshapen clay.
[Gegegege!!]
"What is this, what is this!!"
The black and white creature continued to laugh joyously, showing its carnivorous fangs menacingly.
"Stop, help… eek!!"
The man had no choice but to beg for his life from the creature, knowing it was futile.
But, naturally, the beast did not understand human language. In despair, the man found himself staring into the beast's foul-smelling mouth.
＊ ＊ ＊
While Niku was walking around, she saw Pack, Rokuko's pet panda mimic, dragging along what appeared to be a man.
The small panda, about 30 cm tall, was dragging the man by his leg.
"Oh, Pack? What's with him?"
[Ge. Gege, Ge!]
"Ah, you've hunted some prey?"
Though she couldn't really understand his words, Pack was smart enough to communicate the situation through gestures.
Hiding in the warehouse, he had caught a thief, and now it was up to Niku to handle it.
"… You saw him while you were hiding in the warehouse?"
[Ge…]
Niku shrugged in exasperation.
"Then shall we take him to the church's jail? Let's have a Sister tamper with his memory."
[Ge! Geffu!]
"I'll carry him, but you explain it yourself."
[Ge!]
Niku grabbed the man's legs and, together with Pack, headed to the church. Pack turned back into a small box and rode on Niku's head.
… Since it was uncomfortable to have him on her head, Niku moved him to her right hand.
[Gegege.]
"No."
The box creaked as Niku gripped it tightly, and Pack resigned to being carried this way. Niku held both Pack and the man's legs in her hands as they headed to the church.
It seemed that no one had witnessed them going from the warehouse to the inn, but they were seen by villagers and adventurers as they approached the church.
"Kuro-chan? What's with that man?"
"This man entered the inn's warehouse as a thief. He'll repent at the church."
Having gotten used to being called Kuro recently, Niku left the man and the small box, Pack, at the church entrance.
She then took a book from the shelf and casually tossed it onto the man.
The trap to catch book thieves was triggered, and a hole opened in the ground.
[—!?]
"This completes my report."
Yeah, such a shortcut! Trapped as a box, Pack and the man fell into the church's underground jail.
… Afterward, Pack had to explain to a Succubus Sister that he had caught a thief entering the warehouse and also explained his mishap, successfully getting the man's memory altered.
"Phew, it was a good idea to have you explain in a dream."
[Gefoo.]
"… Still, to think you would be so talkative in the dream."
[Geffu.]
"You want to go back into your box again, huh… pop."
[Gegegege.]
As for what the Succubus Sister and Pack talked about in the dream, it was a secret between them.