Phantom Thief Lemona

“I’m home…”
Finally, home came into view.

Even though I was away for just one day, it feels like I’m returning after several years.
‘The saying “Leaving home brings hardship” is so true.’
Just as I was about to step inside with my body exhausted from continuously casting teleportation magic,
‘This is… a letter?’
I noticed a letter stuck in the front door.

A quite luxurious-looking envelope.
On the surface, there was a rabbit pattern that looked familiar.
As I was about to open the envelope and check its contents, feeling puzzled by the letter with no sender, the front door suddenly opened.
“Ariel!!”
Saya with tears in her eyes greeted me from beyond the door.
And immediately hugged me tightly.

“Welcome home!”
“Sister. Welcome back.”

As I gently stroked her head, Cherny in the form of a dog… no, a wolf, and Puel also came to greet me.
‘Home really is the best…’
Having people welcome you when you come home is a happier thing than I thought.
‘I’ll check the letter later.’
After putting the letter I was about to open into my pocket, I headed inside.

“Ahh… I feel alive again…”

As I immersed my body in the bathtub filled with warm water, an old man-like sentiment naturally escaped my mouth.
‘…The Clean magic lacks this kind of feeling, which is a bit disappointing.’
When I was young, I didn’t understand why adults said it was refreshing when they got into hot water, but now that I’m an adult, I understand.
As soon as I arrived home and soaked in the bath, I feel like all the fatigue from the journey is completely washed away.

‘I’ll indulge a little today.’
I got up from the bathtub and took out a new soap from the bathroom drawer.
What I’m holding now is not the usual soap, but a lilac-scented soap.
…It’s an item I bought for the hefty price of 10 copper.
After lathering the soap with my hands and gently rubbing it on my body, the scent of the soap starts to softly spread in the space.

‘It smells nice.’
A scent that calms the mind. It seems to smell even more fragrant since I’ve only been smelling blood during the request.
After finishing soaping and rinsing off the soap bubbles with warm water, it feels like all the waste products in my body have been washed away.
‘…I wonder when I’ll get used to this.’
When I looked in the mirror to check if all the soap bubbles had been washed off, I saw my reflection that I’m still not quite used to.

Spotless white skin, and breasts that protrude just the right amount.
…The body reflected in the mirror in front of me is literally like a sculpture of beauty.
“…”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I turned my gaze away from the mirror.

“Ah, I feel refreshed.”
As I headed to the bedroom after finishing my bath, I saw Cherny, who had returned to human form, and the children comfortably lying down.
“Ariel-nim, lie down too.”
“Okay.”
I naturally lay down next to them.

“Hehe. Ariel-nim smells nice.”
…Being from the canine family, she seems to have noticed the change in soap right away.
Come to think of it, why was Cherny in dog form earlier?

“Cherny. Why were you in dog form when I arrived?”
“It wasn’t a dog, it was a wolf. And there’s a sad story behind that…”
From what I heard, it seems she transformed into a wolf and voluntarily became a pillow for the two who were sad because I was gone.
…Actually, I was going to ask her to do that when I got home, but I guess I should hold off for now.

“I see. Good job, Cherny.”
“It’s nothing~”
She grins at my words of appreciation. I should buy some meat that Cherny likes next time.
‘Right. The letter.’
Just as my eyes were half-closing from sleepiness, I suddenly remembered the letter I had left unopened on the table.

“By the way, Cherny. Did anyone come here while I was gone?”
“Eh? No one came.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If anyone had come near here, the barrier would have sounded an alarm.”
‘Then what’s this letter? Was it here all along and I just didn’t notice?’
With questions in my heart, I opened the letter I had left on the table and checked its contents.

“What’s that?”
“A letter. It was on the floor when I got home.”
“It’s blank paper.”
As Cherny said, the paper inside the envelope had nothing written on it. At least, not visibly.
“Wait a moment.”

When I slightly heated the paper with a small flame created by fire magic,
“Letters are appearing!”
“How interesting.”

Letters started to appear little by little on the paper that reacted to magic and heat.

“…Who played this prank.”
A chuckle unconsciously escaped me.
The reason I reacted like this was because the letter contained absurd content.

===============

We have kidnapped Marian. If you want to save her, come alone to the capital in a week.
Phantom Thief Lemona

‘Kidnapped Marian? Who on earth?’
And who’s Lemona? It can’t be the sour Lemona I know… right?
How could anyone kidnap Marian, who was in charge of the front line in the hero party, in the first place?
…A bit exaggerated, but she’s someone who could destroy a small country alone.

The cute rabbit picture drawn on the paper too. I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere before…
“What’s… kidnapping?”
“Sister, there’s something inside the envelope. Sister, could Marian sister really have been kidnapped…?”
Unlike Saya who doesn’t know the meaning of the word kidnap, Puel speaks to me with a worried voice.

As Puel said, the envelope she handed me contained a piece of paper marking a certain area in the capital.
“That can’t be. It’s probably someone playing a bad prank.”
“I hope so…”
Looking at the cute rabbit-shaped picture drawn on the paper makes it feel less serious somehow, but honestly, there are a few things that bother me.
From how they breached Cherny’s barrier to how they knew where I was.

‘At least the person who sent the letter knows that Marian and I are close.’
Otherwise, there would be no reason to send the letter to me. They couldn’t send such a letter to someone who doesn’t know Marian.
“Cherny. Did you see this letter on the floor today?”
“I didn’t. At least I didn’t see it when I was cleaning the yard in the afternoon. By the way, is it really that Marian?”

Cherny shivers. Come to think of it, Cherny has seen Marian before, hasn’t she?
“To think they kidnapped such a monster. Even the Demon King would have a hard time. It must be a mischievous prank like Ariel-nim said.”
“Hmm….”
The place marked on the map was, as far as I remember, just an ordinary street in the capital. With jewelry stores and high-end restaurants.

Is it Marian’s own act? No. She has no reason to, and she doesn’t have the ability to bypass Cherny’s barrier in the first place.
‘Marian is the type to charge straight ahead.’
…The more I think about it, the more complicated it gets.
I decided to contact Marian later via communication magic, and put off thinking about the letter for now.

“It’s probably just a prank. Kids, is there anything you want to eat? Let’s have lunch!”
“I like anything Ariel cooks!”
“…I want to eat meat.”
…If Marian really has been kidnapped, I guess I’ll have to go to the place written in this letter.

The day after the letter saying Marian had been kidnapped arrived.
[Marian. Can you hear me?]
I tried contacting Marian via communication magic, but still no answer.
She’s usually busy, so there’s a possibility she just hasn’t been able to receive it, but it’s been radio silence since yesterday.
‘I should go check it out.’

“Kids. Shall we go sightseeing in the capital?”
I was planning to take Saya and Puel sightseeing in the capital soon anyway.
I casually asked Saya and Puel if they wanted to go sightseeing in the capital.
“Capital…?”
“It means the capital of the empire. I’d like to go, sister.”
“I know that too! Puel, you’re stupid. I want to go too!”

Saya and Puel smile and express their excitement. I’m glad they like the idea.
“…”
Cherny was looking at the children enviously.
“Um, can I go too?”
Cherny, who had been hesitating and watching my reaction, quietly asked me.

‘I wonder if it’s okay…?’
Although Cherny is a demon, she’s quite good at hiding her identity, befitting her specialization in barriers and curses.
If we add my disguise magic on top of that, it’s safe to say that no one would be able to tell she’s a demon.
‘…And it’s a bit pitiful to leave her alone to guard the house.’

We say guard dog, but she’s a housekeeper now, isn’t she?
“I guess I can’t go after all. I’ll just stay and guard the house…”
“Let’s go together, Cherny.”
“Re-really?”
Cherny’s face, which had been downcast, brightened up. It makes me want to tease her a bit.

“Thank you! Ariel-nim!”
“Sure. But make sure to cast a strong perception interference barrier.”
“Yes!”
The perception interference barrier is a type of barrier magic that, like perception interference magic, makes others unable to properly perceive the target.
As barrier magic is a specialty of demons, its performance is reliable. It gave me quite a hard time before.

Pitter-patter.
While I was talking with Cherny, Saya and Puel, who had gone upstairs to change, appeared wearing the clothes I bought them during my last outing.
“Hehe. We’re wearing the clothes Ariel bought us!”
“…Me too.”
The children proudly show off their appearance, twirling in their new clothes.
…Who was it that said two suns cannot exist in the same sky?
They’re right here. You were wrong.

‘Come to think of it, was Lister in the capital now too?’
If she’s not too busy, it might not be bad to meet her once. I could also ask about Marian while I’m at it.
“Kids. Hold my hand tightly. You might feel a bit dizzy, and Cherny, hold onto my waist or something.”
“Yes!”
Since it’s quite a distance to the capital, I need to use teleportation magic consecutively.
Fortunately, thanks to resting well for the past day, I have plenty of magic power.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“I miss Ariel.”
Rolling around.
In Saint Lister’s personal room prepared in the temple.
Inside, Lister was lying on the bed, hugging a cat doll that resembled Ariel, and rolling around on the bed.

Today is Lister’s rare day off.
It was a day off that was half-forcibly created because the temple people were concerned that she was working too much without rest.
“I said I miss Ariel!”
Of course, there’s no one listening to her words. After all, the Saint’s personal room isn’t a place just anyone can enter.

‘Should I go meet Marian? I think she said she’d be on vacation starting today…’
In truth, Lister desperately wanted to go to Ariel, but she suppressed that desire.
…Because she had recently read in a love advice book that constantly visiting doesn’t help with romance.
‘Come to think of it, Marian said we’d meet tomorrow. There’s no need to meet again today…’

Sigh. Just as Lister was writhing in boredom after letting out a sigh.
[Um, Lister.]
“A-Ariel?!”
Ariel’s voice came through communication magic.
‘Calm down, Lister….’

After the incident where Ariel got lost and wandered for a long time before, we had engraved communication marks that could contact Ariel.
…Of course, the other party members who lacked magical aptitude couldn’t initiate communication magic to Ariel first.
Because of that, Lister had seriously considered studying magic at one point.

The communication that hadn’t come since Ariel suddenly disappeared came now.
[Are you doing well? Sorry for contacting you so suddenly.]
Lister, calming her trembling heart, pretended to be calm and answered Ariel’s words.

“N-No! I’m doing well. How about you, Ariel?”
[I’m doing well too. By the way, can you come out for a bit?]
“Eh? Where to…?”
[I’m in front of your temple right now.]
Bang.
Before Ariel’s words were finished, Lister had already left her personal room.