Thus, some time after the spring farm work resumed, I was consulted by Gov.

'Work in the fields is progressing,'
Hmm?

　Again. Gov. Kichi consulted me.

'Work in the field is progressing faster than I expected.
Hmm?

　What's the problem with that?

　The Goblin team led by Gobukichi is now a large team of five teams of fifty, with five old Brave Goblins and nine subordinates each.

　Even though they are the same monsters, they are smaller and more dexterous than the orcs, so they are mainly entrusted with the management of the fields.
　Their main duties include plucking weeds, exterminating pests, and checking the crops for diseases.
　It's not only a simple job, but one that requires daily continual effort.

　The goblin team is responsible for that. And the leader of the team, Gobukichi, is the backbone of our farm.
　And yet.....

'Sorry?　Can you say that again?
'I'm having trouble making too much progress in the field,'

　Is this bragging in the guise of a consultation?
Is it a boast that says, "I'm too talented to be in trouble..."?

　My indignation might have been evident on his face, but Gobukichi hurriedly excused himself.

''It's not true!　You need to hear the details!
Oh?

　Gov. Gov. Kichi told me specifically what happened in the field and told me.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　* * * *.

　For example, one morning.

　Govkichi and his friends were out in the field that day, trying to do some more work in the fields.

　The first task of the day was to weed.

　Weeding is important.

　If weeds with strong vitality are left unchecked, they will suck up all the nutrients from the soil and prevent them from reaching the essential crops.

　The soil on our farm is strengthened with hyper-fish manure, which means that the weeds grow thicker and thicker, so we need to be extra careful.

　So that day, Gobukichi and his friends were about to start the insatiable struggle against the weeds.

　The battle was already over.

　It is said that the weeds that had been pulled out of the ground were piled up in a heap by the side of the field, which was now clean except for the crops.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　* * * *

You mean to tell me that somebody choked on the weeds before you guys got to work?
I couldn't think of anything else to do.　In the meantime, I have checked with Lord Oakbo and Lord Elon before consulting with my lord.

　But neither the orc team nor the elf team said that no one picked the weeds on their own.

'You're taking away another department's work, you know. I don't even think there's anyone under Orcbo or Elon who would tear up that kind of side paper...''
'And this didn't just happen once, it happened often. There were sick leaves to be thinned out, pests to be crushed...!
What?
'I looked into it to be sure, but there was no mention of the crop itself. I didn't see any mention of the odd vegetable slop, or the Sen...

　To atone for the sin of stealing vegetables, or at least get rid of the weeds?
　Yes, it's a half-heartedly conscientious drudge, but the fact that it's not touched by the crop doesn't make it any less so, does it?

It's strange, indeed. And creepy...

　Is that what Gov. Gov. Kichi meant when he said he was baffled by the progress of his work?
　It's true that some people would be happy if their work was finished without them knowing it, but it would also be creepy.

'We set our day's plans and get to work. But if we suddenly stopped working on the same day, we would be left with no time to spare.

　You're so serious, Gobbledygook.
　I can't believe you're baffled and not happy that you're free.

'All right. I'll be the master of the farm, and I'll try to solve this mystery!
My lord!

　This is how I ended up finding the mysterious field agent.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　* * * *

　So, I took the following measures.

"Ambush.

　Night.
　Gov. Gov. Kichi, hiding by the side of the field with me, said.
　It was already pitch black around us and visibility was unreliable.

'The killer....'

　In this case, I'm not sure if I can call the target a criminal.
　I mean, in this fantasy world, it's not easy to determine if it's a person or not.

Anyway, whoever is doing this has a head start on your work at midnight when everyone is asleep, right?
Yes, that's why you won't see someone working on the scene, and it's usually in the morning when you notice it.
Then the most effective thing to do would be to ambush them in the middle of the night and capture the scene of their appearance. I know you're sleepy, but I'll do my best to stay awake!
Munchy...

　Gobukichi is asleep already!
　A child?

　What can I do? This guy is also the leader of the Goblin team and he's working hard every day.
　It's a pity that he has to stay up all night on top of that. Let him sleep until things happen.

"...hmm?

　And then something happened quickly.
　A fallow plot of a field, unplanted with crops. The earth-colored ground rose and something crawled out of the ground.

(Haaaaaaahhhh!)

　The slightly horrifying turn of events makes me woodsy the screams in my mouth too.
　I covered my mouth, not wanting to be noticed.

　However, the one who crawled out of the dirt wasn't some kind of zombie or muddy boy, like in a horror movie.

　It was just a little girl.

"Hmm?

　However, I could tell at a glance that they were neither the human race nor the demon race.
　They are too small to be of the human race, and are only about the height of a medium-sized dog at best. They are very colorful, dragging their hair much longer than their own height, and their hair is green or blue.

　A child like that?　.... but not one, crawling out of the earth, Walla Walla. One after another, many of them crawling out of the ground.
　Depending on how you look at it, it's still a horror story.

　When the number of girls who came crawling out of the ground reached a certain level, they looked out for each other and thanked each other, as if to say "Let's have a good day.

　And then, "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! And then they got into the spirit and scattered in all directions.
　And what the girls did was to weed out the weeds in the field.

　This is now confirmed. There's no doubt about it.

'The current crime!'

　I jumped out of my hiding place.

""AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

　The girls noticed it and went right and left.
　They tried to run away, but they didn't know where to run to, and after running in the dark, some even hit each other's foreheads and sank to a roaring halt.

''Uh-hyah!　Morning?　Already in the morning!

　And Gobukichi, who had been smiling, woke up to this commotion.
　What is this cute.