"Toya, do you smell like a spa or something?　If so, I'm completely out of my depth.

　In response to Haruka's question, Toya thought for a moment and shook her head.

You can't move a water vein, as you know. But ...... maybe not?　I've never been to a hot spring before, so I don't really know what it smells like, but it doesn't smell like sulfur. I don't even know what it tastes like.

I don't even know what it tastes like." "Well, technically, it smells like hydrogen sulfide. Other hot springs I've been to are simple carbonated springs or iron-containing springs?　The iron-containing springs have a little smell.

You don't often get the chance to drink hot spring water.

I remember drinking it at Arima Onsen and Gero Onsen, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me. ....... It's not that it didn't taste good.

　I've never been there, but according to Natsuki, there are places in Arima Onsen and Gero Onsen where you can drink hot spring water.

　I've never been there, but according to Natsuki, there are places in Arima and Gero where you can drink the hot spring water. Well, if the taste is strong enough to leave a vivid memory, it's not suitable for drinking.

In conclusion, I can't say that the water vein is the cause, but I can't say that it isn't either. Hmmm ......

　As I was pondering what to do, I heard a cute sound, and all eyes were on Mitya.

I'm so hungry.

　As Mitya patted her belly in an embarrassed manner, our faces relaxed as well.
　Come to think of it, it's almost lunchtime.

　As adults, we can hold back to a certain extent, but Mitya and the others are still children. They need to think about their food and strength.

Shall we suspend the investigation and have lunch first?
"Yes, we should. We've walked a long way and Mary must be hungry.
Yes, a little. ......

　Mary's voice was quiet, as if she still had reservations.

"Don't be afraid to say, 'I'm hungry. Let me eat! You can say, 'I'm hungry, feed me!

No, no, no. ......!

"Toya, you're making it harder for me to say it. Well, if you're hungry, you can just say it. Let's go.

Yes, yes.

　Since there were no trees around the pond, I pushed Mary to move to the shade of a tree a little further away and laid out a sheet.

　Haruka and Natsuki laid out a number of dishes on it.

"Wow, there's so much!

"Great ......, you eat this much for lunch?

If it was a normal request, it would be much simpler, but today we are having a picnic as well.

　If you're looking for the best way to get the most out of your time with your family and friends, you'll want to make sure you're getting the most out of your time with them.

　I had consumed a lot of food the last time I was trapped in the dungeon, so these must have been newly stocked dishes since then.

"Come on, sit down, sit down. Let's eat.

　We sat down on the seats, and the food was handed out to us.
　The food tasted familiar to us. .......

It's so good!

The snacks were good, but the food was ....... I think I'm losing a little confidence in my cooking skills.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm not sure what to do.

It's the first time I've ever eaten real food.

　This is the first time I've eaten food prepared by Haruka and the others since I picked up Mary and the others.

　I've had a few tea cakes and snacks when I've taken breaks, but other than that, I've had food served at the inn and at the restaurants in town.

　Since the food tasted better than those professionally prepared dishes, Mary, who was supposed to help with the cooking as a "chore", must have been a little concerned.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just asking for your help.

"Yes, yes. I'll teach you. I didn't know how to cook when I was little.

We all did when we were little.

Yeah, I know!　I'm looking forward to it!

　Mary smiled and bowed as the women followed her.

　In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at the best way to get the most out of your home.

　If that happens, will there be an option to become a chef in the future? ......?

　I'm not sure what the future holds, but it's good to have more options, isn't it?

　　　　It's a good thing, isn't it?

I'm sure you'll agree with me.

　It was about half an hour after lunch when Haruka stood up and said so.

　We, who had been lying down to rest, also stood up and stretched.

　To be precise, it was me, Toya, and Mitya who were asleep, while the rest of us were sitting and drinking tea.

"Well, let's get on with it then!
"Good luck!

　Toya got up and headed for the pond, followed by Mitya.

　Mitya didn't have to do anything, but he held up his ears and flicked his tail. But seeing that she was so motivated, I didn't dare stop her.

　I quickly cleaned up the rug with Haruka, and followed Toya.

　Then we all went around the pond to look for problems, but there was nothing that we could ...... see.



　There was no grass growing for about a meter from the shore of the pond, and the inside of the pond was like a bedrock, with no water plants or even sand accumulating.

　There is no garbage on the ground, no dead animals floating in the water, and so on.

If we exclude the possibility that the spring itself is the problem, then the only thing left is the creek that flows into it.

It looked clean to me, too. ......

　But if that's not the cause of the problem, we're almost out of luck, so we go to the creek again and get some water.

Toya, what do you think?
"...... Oh, it smells pretty bad. Maybe that's what's causing it.
It stinks!

　This time, Toya didn't even have to take a sip, he just put his nose near the water and answered immediately.

　Mitya imitated Toya and shouted.

　I try to do the same, but ...... I still can't tell.

"How can you be so sure?

　I asked the other beastman, Mary, who also nodded as soon as she scooped up some water.

"Well, yes. If you put your nose close to the water, you can tell.

I'm sure the beastmen can tell right away. The client didn't have to go through the trouble of asking the guild, he could have just brought in a beastman he knew.

Maybe, but what if he didn't know any beastmen?

Maybe, but what if we didn't know any beastmen? - Well, then we'd have to pay for some part-time work and get some suitable beastmen.

That's what we'll do. Besides, when they come here to fetch water, they seem to bring guards with them, so we can't be sure that they are safe.

　When we came here, we were not attacked by anything in particular, but it is said that sometimes we encounter dangerous animals.

　If that's the case, it's probably a good idea to ask for help from an adventurer.

The source of the smell is upstream from the creek, in the mountains.

　The stream flows over the outer rim of the crater-like mortar and comes from the top of the mountain.

　There is nothing special in sight, so we walk up the stream, occasionally sniffing the water.

　Then we crossed the outer rim into the mountains and went through the forest for a few hundred meters.

　Toya stopped, as if he had found something.

It's here.
"Here?

　We looked at where he was pointing and twisted our heads.
　It looks like a normal stream. .......

Yeah. It smells the worst. Hold on a second.

　He took out a shovel and dug out the bottom of the creek.

　The bottom of the creek was filled with coarse sand, and as he dug, a hole began to form.

　Eventually, it came into view.

"Oh, it's sewage slime!

　It was Mitya who shouted out when she saw it.

　A few gray to black, murky colored slimes?

　It's hard to tell because it's all jumbled up, but there's something like that buried in there.

"Sewage slime?　Could it be that it pollutes the water?　That slime?

No, it's not. On the contrary, it was supposed to clean the water. Its official name is ...... What was it again, Toya?

"Me?　...... Oh, I see. Well, it's Clear Slime.

　He must have remembered it when Natsuki asked him. I'm not sure if I remember it clearly or not.

　The [Appraise] skill, which works even if you don't remember it clearly, is still useful.

　Of course, Natsuki's ability to quickly retrieve memories without the skill is more impressive.

It looks like sludge, but it's clear ......
I'll clean up the dirty water.
But that's the cause, isn't it?　It has a subtle smell.

　I'm sure I can detect a slight odor in this situation.

　This smell must have contaminated the water in the pond.

I suppose so. In the end, it should be clean, as the name implies, but since it occurs in a dirty place, it takes in dirt and debris. ......

This is man-made, isn't it?

It's a slime that doesn't grow in clean places. You'd have to get it from somewhere else.

The goal is to contaminate the pond, but ...... it's not so clear.

That's true. You don't usually notice that kind of pollution.

　You don't throw anything into the pond, you don't dump garbage around here, you just bury clear slime.

　Would this level of pollution make enough of a difference to be noticeable in Yale?

　I don't think I would be able to tell. ...... I don't understand the purpose.

　If it's meant to be a harassment, it must have been effective, since we've been asked to investigate, but it's a bit half-hearted.

"Well, if we kill this thing, the request is complete--
Stop!　Don't do that!

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

I'm not sure.　Why not?
Our job is to investigate the cause, not solve it. It's not a solution.


No, well, yeah, I mean, ......

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

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.　There is a slime that shouldn't normally be in a place like this. Moreover, you have to hide it.

Well, it obviously has a purpose.

Right?　Then there's no point in killing the slime here. It might kill you again.

...... Oh, I see. If we're going to do a lot of research, it's better to leave it here.

Unless there was a dangerous demon, we can leave this slime alone, right?　Preserving the crime scene is important, you know, for criminal investigations.

"That's true.

　Nodding in agreement, Toya put the clear slime on the shovel back into the hole, sanded it appropriately, and buried it again.

　He wondered if the slime could survive in this state, but since it had survived so far, there was no problem.

　Slimes have a strange life.

So, shall we just mark this place on the map and go home?

"Right. I think that's all we need to do.

　There are some parts that are not entirely clear, but the rest is for the client to think about, and the request itself is completed successfully.

　We had a picnic in a forest full of nature, and I felt refreshed.

　Mary and Mitya are feeling a little brighter and better.

　We returned to the pinning with light footsteps.

　　　　We went back to Pining.

So we found the so-called "sewer slime" in this place. If the smell of the water is a problem, this is probably the cause.

　The day after we came back from the pond, we went to the guild to report.

　We had put off our report until today because we had returned to the inn late yesterday due to our lazy day.

Sewage slime......, that's certainly not right. I understand. I'll consider the request complete. Thank you very much.

　The receptionist seemed to understand that there was a difference between "investigating" and "solving" and "defeating" and paid the request fee without complaining.

"Certainly. I've received it.

　The receptionist seemed to understand that this was not the same as "defeating the enemy.

　If it is a natural phenomenon, we can just fix it, but if it is man-made, even if we fix it once, there is a possibility that it will happen again.

　There is also the possibility that the next time it will be in a more obscure way, which would be an unwelcome situation for the receptionist who seems to favor the brewery in question.

　However, it is hard to say which is better, because a natural phenomenon is a natural phenomenon, and it can be impossible to solve.

What do you have against this client?
It's not exactly a grudge, but it's ...... off the record, okay?

　The receptionist told me in a whisper that another company in the same industry was targeting the brewery.

　Although the brewery is not financially viable, its name value and the fact that it has been granted a monopoly on the pond are very significant.

　If they can get it under their control, and if they can get a decent manager to run it, they are sure to make a lot of money.

　Right now, there are a number of people waiting under the tree for it to ripen and fall.

So that's what's keeping it from being fatally contaminated?

It's very possible. If we fail this term, it will be decisive.

　The receptionist also smiles in annoyance at the slightly dumbfounded Haruka.

　In such a critical situation, a normal person would ignore the unnoticed contamination and work hard at brewing, but it is the craftsman who cannot do that.

　In my opinion, there is no point in destroying the brewery because of it. .......

　It's not for me to say, of course, but what about annoying the people around you with your obsession?

I don't know if making ale is something you should be so obsessed with.

I don't know. It's part of what made Pining's Ale what it is. ......

I'm not sure what to make of it. ...... I guess it's great when it works, but when it doesn't, it's all hell.

Japanese companies are pretty much screwed by that.

　It is obvious that high quality is good, but even if the quality is a little bad, it will sell if it is cheap.
　There are many such products.

　For example, ale, no matter how good it tastes, if only a small percentage of people can feel it, it is over-quality.

I think sabotage is wrong, but ...... hmm, I can only say good luck.

　If this was Aella's store or someone she knew like Gantz or the Bear of Slumber, she'd do everything she could to help, but she's never met him and we're not really interested in his ale.

　I think it's going to happen.　That's the honest truth.

　I don't know... I'm not sure.　I'll crush it! I'm not going to say something like that.

　It's not our job to do that.

Hahaha ...... That's right. Thank you for your help this time. Thank you very much.

　The receptionist thanked us with a complicated smile, and we left the adventurer's guild.

　I'm sorry to be a fan of Yale, but I don't think it's a good idea to get involved in something that's already proven to be a lot of work and little benefit.