I first contacted the heroes' guild to report the situation, and then I took action.

　The time was midnight.
　I took my three students for a walk around the village.

　In the darkness of the night, each of us had one magical light in our hands, created by the magic of [light].

　At this time of night, there was not a single person to be seen outside the house.
　This is probably because the village chief has strictly ordered us not to go out at night.

　However, there were lights leaking out from inside the house, and we could hear the voices of families talking together.

　Rio's stomach rumbled when he smelled the delicious smell of meat cooking in the air.

I'm so hungry! I'm hungry!

"Be patient. A full stomach makes you sleepy and reduces your concentration. It's better for a hero to be a little hungry.

You'll lose concentration on an empty stomach!

All right, all right. I'll give you a full meal when we get back to the inn after the patrol.

Oh, my God!　I don't know what's going on, but if there's a culprit, come out quickly!　Then we can kick your ass and eat at the inn.

　Rio mumbled a complaint.
　It would have been better to let him eat a piece of bread before coming.

"d*mn it, Rio!　You're being too selfish and too tense. You never know when you'll be attacked.　...... Isn't that right, doctor?

　Iris said, sitting next to me, looking up at me, trying to see my face.

　I put my hand on Iris's head and patted her lightly, as if to say well done.

I put my hand on her head and patted it lightly as a sign of good work. Rio, if you're not careful, you're going to get hurt.

　When I warned him, Rio's mouth twitched in amusement.

　In addition to that, Iris leaned even closer to me in a hug-like distance, looked at Rio and giggled.

　When Rio saw this, he became even more annoyed.

What's wrong with you, bro? You're just loving Iris like that.

You know what? This is not the time to talk about it. And Iris, don't make fun of Rio. You're both a little tense.

"Yes.

　Both Rio and Iris replied in a slightly disapproving voice, but they were willing to listen to me.
　It's cute to see them act this way.

　I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.
　No, it may seem that they are spoiled by my presence.

　However, it is also true that as they gain in ability, they are beginning to show glimpses of pride.

　It's easy to say that confidence is necessary, but pride is not good... but in reality, these two things are two sides of the same coin, so it's quite difficult.

　On the other hand, Meifa was surprisingly cautious in this situation.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. ...... Rio, Iris, you really have to be careful. ...... You mustn't forget that Cecilia's sister has also disappeared.

It's okay, I haven't forgotten. This is why you are patrolling at night to look for your sister Cecilia.

　You'll be able to get a lot more than just a few of them.

It's not ...... that. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

In the event that you've got a lot of money, you're going to need to be able to pay for it.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　I'm not sure what to do.

　Even though the form of the threat has not yet been determined, the possibility that someone with more power than Cecilia is involved in the incident cannot be discarded.

　However, there is also the possibility that there are not many opponents in this world that Cecilia can't compete with in terms of ability.

　In terms of simple individual combat power, it seems that Cecilia would not be able to surpass her unless she brought a monster that was originally powerful, such as a giant or a demon, turned into a demon king, or even an ancient dragon class monster.

　So what Maifa is saying can be seen as overthinking: .......

　However, it is not something that can be ignored as a possibility.
　Even if it is not the case, Cecilia has left behind some inexplicable words and actions.

　In the absence of sufficient information, we should not be too optimistic.
　And as I was thinking about this...

"Hey, ......?　Hey, doctor, there's no light on in that house. I wonder if it's vacant.

　Iris, who had been hovering over me, pointed to a house that she could see on her way.

　The house was indeed unlit, unlike the other houses.
　There was no smoke coming out of the chimney.

　It was hard to imagine that the whole family was already asleep at this dinner time.
　Therefore, it is natural to assume that the house is empty, as Iris said.

That's right. Well, there must be at least one empty house.

"I see. It was different from the other houses, so I thought there might be something there.

Oh, I like your point of view, Iris. It is important for a hero to have the ability to observe and notice such minor discomforts.

　I said, and patted Iris on the head again.


　Iris smiled and said, "Heh heh," and looked happy.

　Rio and Maifa stared at her.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who loves you.

...... feels unfair. ...... Your brother should give me a lot of nudges later.

I don't know.　I'm not trying to be that different. ......

You both just forget what it's like when you're being petted. ....... To me, it looks like Rio and Maifa get a lot more attention than you.

　I think Iris is probably right.

　I don't keep a count of how many times I've petted anyone, but I don't think I've ever patronized any one person .......



　So we went on our nightly patrol.

　And as it turned out, nothing happened that day.

　We were expecting some kind of kidnapper, but we were disappointed to find out that a boy and a girl who were out at night had disappeared.

　However, it was not as if I did not get anything out of it.

　The next morning, I went to the village chief's house to report.

　When we were reporting the results of last night's patrol, we mentioned the vacant house that Iris had found, and the village chief heard us and said.

He said, "Mu ......?　That house is not vacant. There must be a family of four still living there. ...... No, I don't remember seeing anyone from that house for the past few days. ......

"What ......?　I'm not sure what to make of this.

　The village chief bowed his head in fear as I poked my head in.

"I'm sorry, too. There were four people that I heard were missing. ....... There have been no more reports of disappearances since I ordered a nighttime curfew. ......

　I see.
　That means that there have been no "reports" of disappearances, but in reality...

　No, we don't know yet, but we need to check.

"All right. Okay, we'll go to the house now and check on him. You don't mind if we come in if there's a problem, do you?

"Yes, sir. Yes, please do.

　As the village chief bowed, I signaled Rio, Iris, and Maifa with my eyes.

　Then my students and I went to the house where the light was not on last night.