Tasty Encounter
Rumiel quietly muttered.
“Tasty.”
Parfait's scream echoed through the entire factory.
“Aaaah!!!”
“Factory manager?!”
“What happened to the factory manager?!”
“What is this little brat?!”
Countless organization members rushed in.
They weren't just Black Glory members.
The workers, the 'Totos' who worked here, also came running in a panic.
When they saw Parfait screaming while clutching his wrist, they hurriedly pulled him back.
“Factory manager! Are you okay?!”
But contrary to their shouts, Parfait's arms were fine.
Only a small, round bite mark remained clearly on his wrist.
He quickly looked up to confirm the existence that had bitten him.
It was a small child.
A small girl with her black hat pulled low over her head, small stature.
Her eyes were filled with pure curiosity, and the ahoge sticking out from under the hat brim wiggled slightly.
And her small mouth was smeared with something, as if savoring a freshly tasted food.
“...”
The organization members stared blankly at the scene.
Rumiel quietly muttered.
“Tasty.”
Parfait's eyes shook violently.
Goosebumps rose all over his body.
He, in his panic, stepped back and shouted.
“T-that guy...?”
Parfait hurriedly wrapped his wrist and looked at Rumiel with extremely wary eyes.
“Who... who are you?!”
Parfait's voice was shaking with confusion, caution, panic, and a bit of fear.
“How did you get our organization's hat?”
“No, more importantly, how did you know the factory's location?!”
Only then did the organization members realize the situation.
This place was a research facility operated secretly even by the Black Glory organization.
The number of members who knew the location was extremely limited.
Nevertheless, an unknown little girl wearing the hat and naturally found her way here.
Confusion spread among the members.
“What the hell happened?”
“Was information leaked?”
Murmurs.
While the members speculated in their own ways, Rumiel tilted her head quietly.
Was she caught...?
She pondered for a moment.
This hat was definitely the symbol of the Black Glory organization.
It was also the genuine item obtained in the story quest, and in the game, it was an item that could be recognized as an organization member.
Moreover, hadn't she already confirmed its performance once at the entrance?
If so, these organization members should not be suspecting her now.
Why?
Rumiel, with her small hand fiddling with the hat's brim, showed a puzzled expression.
Then, soon, her expression became confident.
Ah, I wasn't caught.
“I was already caught!!!”
The inside of the factory became a mess.
The organization members were in a flurry, searching for weapons or giving orders to their subordinates, and even the worker Totos were rolling around on the ground in confusion.
Parfait was sweating coldly, clutching his wrist and shouting.
“Who are you?! What happened to the surveillance troops? Who was on duty at the main gate today! How could a little brat like this enter the factory?!”
Upper-level organization members including Leon also looked at Rumiel with tense expressions.
However, Rumiel remained unfazed.
She stood her small body straight and scanned the factory's structure as if looking around her own home.
Her gaze still sparkled, and the ahoge moved slowly.
Then, she brought her small hand to her mouth and muttered as if talking to herself.
“Hmm...”
Rumiel blinked and looked at Parfait.
And continued in a very calm voice.
“Tasty, can I have more?”
“...”
Parfait's face turned deathly pale.
The organization members were the same.
“F-Factory manager!”
“I’ll subdue that disgusting brat right now!”
“Give the order!”
Upper-level organization members started to take combat stances.
Parfait waved his hands in panic.
“Wait, wait! First, I need to figure out this guy's identity!”
Sweat beads formed on his forehead.
If it was just a spy, they could imprison and interrogate him.
But right now, this little brat not only bit him but also evaluated the taste.
'What the...'
Parfait swept his wrist and didn't relax his vigilance.
However, Rumiel still had a calm face.
The ahoge wiggled slightly and slowly tilted her head.
“No good? Then, I'll go back.”
Silence.
And soon Parfait's scream erupted.
“No way!!!!”
Rumiel pondered for a moment.
Honestly, it didn't matter if she blew up the entire factory.
But this factory was a 'story-limited dungeon' that could only be cleared once.
Originally, it was a place that the awakened hero had to conquer.
The boss that appeared here, [Lv.125 Ice Cream Factory Manager - Sweet Parfait], was also a limited boss monster that only appeared in this factory.
Rumiel wiggled her ahoge.
That meant, if she cleared this dungeon here and now, she would never be able to explore this place again.
Rumiel quietly pondered.
It was indeed a pity.
Rumiel lightly raised her small hand.
At the same time, a faint light spread around her.
[Divine Light's Blessing]
A buff-type skill with no damage, with healing properties.
...But all the organization members inside the factory staggered for a moment.
“...”
“Eh?”
“What, what... suddenly?”
“U-uwah, my, my eyes...”
It was because the Divine Light's Blessing cast by a high-level 300-level priest had a special effect.
It was an additional effect attached to Divine Power Mastery IV, a ridiculous debuff skill that allowed normal monsters to be one-shot.
Namely, an area stun.
“Cr, craa...”
“My, my eyes...”
“Ugh, head, my head...”
In the blinding light, even Parfait staggered and sat down.
“What, what...?! What is this...?!”
Parfait's question dissipated into thin air.
Because all the organization members fell down as they were.
Thud, thud, thud.
Thud. Thud.
The inside of the factory was instantly enveloped in complete silence.
Left alone, Rumiel wiggled her ahoge slightly and quietly looked down at the scene.
The factory manager was still clutching his wrist.
With his wrist, where a small bite mark was clearly left, furrowed brows as if dreaming a nightmare, he had fallen.
But Rumiel's gaze was directed elsewhere.
Parfait.
No, more precisely, the scent Parfait was emitting.
The sweet scent emanating from his body was as if well-ripened cream, soft chocolate, and fresh vanilla were mixed.
A scent that made you want to take a bite.
As per the encyclopedia description.
Rumiel wiggled her ahoge.
She licked her lips with her tongue.
It was really tasty.
She meant it.
She wanted to eat it again.
But...
Rumiel quietly closed her mouth.
Just from the one bite she took earlier, she recalled Parfait screaming as if the factory was going to disappear.
...If the person himself hated it that much, she couldn't force him to eat it.
It was a pity.
Rumiel opened her inventory and took out an item obtained from the previous event.
[Mini Igloo Candy]
This item was a consumable item with the effect of doubling the HP recovery amount for 10 hours.
Rumiel took out one candy and quietly placed it near Parfait's wrist.
A small reward for biting without permission.
When Parfait came to his senses, this item would surely help with wound recovery.
Rumiel lightly poked Parfait's cheek one last time, then quietly turned and left the factory.
She moved carefully, stepping on the fallen organization members and the Totos lying on the ground snoring, without stepping on them.
Squeak-
The factory door was manual, unlike when entering.
Rumiel, tilting her ahoge slightly, quietly closed the door and took a deep breath of the outside air.
The pungent smell coming from inside the factory faded, and the cold wind of the Ice Island brushed her skin.
The snowfield stretched endlessly, and the white snowy plain quietly welcomed Rumiel.
Rumiel raised her hand and removed the black hat.
Her hair, much whiter than the snowfield, gently fluttered, and the ahoge popped out again.
With the suffocating hat gone, her mood became much more refreshing.
Rumiel held the hat in one hand and lightly shook it off.
And with a faint smile, turning her head,
“...”
In front of her stood the guard, Moulton.
He had his eyes wide open, mouth slightly open, staring at Rumiel intently.
Rumiel quietly looked at him.
Moulton tried to say something, but when their eyes met, he closed his mouth tightly.
A moment of silence passed.
Then Rumiel slowly opened her mouth.
“Hello.”
Moulton flinched.
“...Eh?”
“Hello.”
Rumiel greeted lightly again.
Her expression was nonchalant.
Then Moulton reflexively answered.
“Ah, hello...?”
Moulton had a dazed expression.
Rumiel, after the greeting, lightly turned her back and walked with light steps as if nothing had happened.
Footprints crossing the snowy plain.
Quiet wind.
The distant small back view.
Moulton still stared at Rumiel's back with a dazed look.
And finally, he muttered to himself.
“...What the hell is that.”
His question, like this time too, dissipated into thin air.
Like a snowflake that melted and disappeared the moment you turned around.