Chapter 295: Search and Destroy

「I’ll open it…」

I told her as I put my hand on the doorknob, and Earthworm(Mimizu) gulped, and the Head Maid gave a small nod.

The first one is me, Cockroach(Gokiburi). Followed Earthworm.

And then the Head Maid. And the last one is Lolisla-sama.

That is the formation of the team that will enter Ryoko-sama’s apartment this time.

The mission is search and destroy.

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According to Ryoko-sama, the Majin, Takehiko Nakamura was hiding in Ryoko-sama’s apartment after the battle with us the other day. That’s what she said.

Needless to say, it is highly likely that Nakamura, who was defeated by Lolisla-sama, is hiding there.

Therefore, Lili-sama ordered the Head Maid to pursue him.

And now, as soon as the door is opened, Earthworm and I stepped into the other side with our weapons readied.

We find ourselves in a bedroom with a queen-sized bed.

In front of the bedroom door is a dresser mirror. The reflection of myself in the mirror makes me aim my weapon at it.

As I prepared myself, I looked around, but saw no one moving except for the two of us in the mirror.

「Earthworm, the curtains」

「Yes, Ma’am!」

At the thick curtains which made the room blackout, Earthworm cautiously opens it, and sunlight shines into the room.

It’s just after noon so it’s sunny. And after Earthworm looks around the balcony through the window, she nods and says, “Clear”.

There is nothing in the room except a bed and a dresser, a very simple room.

As I look under the bed and Earthworm looks in the dresser, Lolisla-sama says, ironically, “Police officers make a lot of money, don’t they?”

「Don’t let your guard down」

When the Head Maid rebuked her, Lolisla-sama said, “What’s up?” and her cheeks twisted in a mocking manner.

「Are you scared? For me, Lolisla, it’s just a small thing. If you’re scared, why don’t you just stand in the corner and tremble?」

「If it trembles, I’d like to put it between my legs」

The Head Maid brushed it off, and Earthworm and I let out a sigh of relief.

For us, talking to the Head Maid like that was like stepping into a minefield with our fins attached.

We can only hope that the blame will not fall on us.

「Cockroach, we’re moving」

「Yes, Ma’am!」

I opened the door to the next room, which led to a large living room. There is a large window on the south side of the room, providing plenty of sunshine.

In front of the TV is a sofa set. Beyond that is the dining table. On the left is the counter kitchen.

At a quick glance, there is no trace of a Majin. The rows of empty beer cans on the dining table were probably left by Ryoko-sama, not by the Majin.

「Ryoko, you drink so much beer. She’s going to get a belly eventually, you know, a beer belly」

Lolisla-sama says in a dumbfounded voice.

In fact, beer is a must for Ryoko-sama when she eats in the dining hall. Even the empty cans lined up on the table were of the brand that Ryoko-sama always specified.

Listening to Lolisla-sama’s words, Earthworm and I continue our search of the room.

Under the sofa, clear.

Balcony, clear.

Under the table, clear.

Then, when the Head Maid and Lolisla-sama step into the kitchen and begin to open the cupboards to see what’s inside–

「Wow… all that alcohol」

I heard Lolisla-sama mutter.

「Ryoko-sama has instructed me to collect the alcohol. We’ll bring them to “the room” later」

「Just alcohol? What else?」

「Just alcohol」

「Is there any other important thing beside it? That(Ano)girl(ko)?」

Although it’s very strange to hear Lolisla-sama call Ryoko-sama “that girl” when she’s a little girl, in actual age, Lolisla-sama is about five years older than Ryoko-sama.

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However, Lolisla-sama is wearing a school swimsuit today as well. The nametag on her chest that says “Lolisla” is really quite embarrassing.

At the same time as I was chuckling, Earthworm suddenly shouted, “Caution!”. Her voice sounded urgent and a chill runs down my spine.

I look for Earthworm and find her at the door of the changing room leading to the bathroom, looking tensely at the open door.

I grab my weapon and walk up to Earthworm and without thinking, I covered my mouth with my hand.

After all, I smelled something rotten in the air and a thick smell of blood.

I exchanged glances with Earthworm and stepped into the changing room.

Then I pulled open the sliding door to the bathroom behind it.

「Huh!?」

My voice involuntarily chokes in the back of my throat.

Inside the room, there are countless fly and an unbearable stench assaulted my nose.

The bathtub is overflowing with human limbs, piled up like an altar of evil, and emitting an odor so horrible that it could almost be called pungent.

No head or body could be found. The mutilated parts looked as if they had been melted, and some of them had begun to turn white.

「It looks like a gourmet for Majin」

The Head Maid mutters, peeking into the bathroom from behind me. Then, Lolisla-sama spat unpleasantly.

「It sounds like he doesn’t like chicken wings because they’re a pain in the ass」

「That’s right」

We’re used to seeing a lot of guro, but this is pretty harsh. As far as I could tell, they all looked like female limbs.

All the limbs looked a little aged. At least, they didn’t seem to be from today or yesterday.

「But, how can so many people be missing and not be reported?」

When Lolisla-sama tilted her head, the Head Maid cowered.

「There are some people whose disappearance doesn’t bother anyone. Many of those people are closely connected to crime. I’m assuming that he had access to police information…」

「Oh… you mean he was choosing those people to eat?」

「Yes, and it reminds me of a cautious personality that does not do reckless things just because he has gained power. I’d say he’s a tricky opponent…」

「Then, what should we do with this corpse?」

Earthworm asks the Head Maid. She’s probably thinking that she wouldn’t like it if she told her to dispose of it.

But fortunately, the Head Maid’s orders are to leave it alone. It was left to Ryoko-sama to decide whether to call the police or not.

After checking the rest of the rooms, Earthworms and I split up to carry Ryoko’s desired alcohol into “the room”.

There’s a lot of beer. Whiskey, sake, and some purple, unfamiliar liquor. After carrying them all in, the Head Maid closed the door.

Then she said.

「This <Back Door> will be removed by the Confinement King-sama tonight」