The Scent of the Missing
The search operation for the missing persons continued. Angela took me to the parlor, where we met Trisha. Trisha, who had been silently scrutinizing Angela’s changed attire, grabbed a few refreshments, donned her hood and mask, and rose from her seat. We headed to the mansion’s entrance, where a carriage and five soldiers were waiting. However, the face of the coachman looked familiar. That son of a bitch. I remembered that face. He was the bastard who almost ran me over. The coachman, who had nearly sent me to the afterlife like an isekai truck, was chewing on something incessantly.
One of the soldiers approached and saluted Angela. "Maid Angela. Who is the elf accompanying you?"
"This is Trisha, who will be joining us for this investigation."
"Nice to meet you. I am Squad Leader Gert."
"Hello."
Gert, a soldier with a scarred face and brown curly hair, had the demeanor of a kind uncle, but the killing intent radiating from his eyes suggested he had cut down dozens of people in his time.
"Let’s depart immediately. Time is of the essence."
"Understood. Have you packed the necessary food and supplies?"
"Of course, everything is prepared. However, as for what the elf will eat..."
"Don't worry about it."
At Trisha’s words, Gert nodded and climbed into the carriage with the soldiers. We boarded as well, and at the command to depart, the carriage lurched forward to the sound of cracking whips. I climbed onto Angela’s soft thighs. As people’s gazes turned toward me, I let out a big yawn and closed my eyes. Ugh, I’m so tired.
Inside the carriage, the squad leader immediately brought up the topic.
"Angela, I heard that this operation is strictly about rescuing the missing, not extermination."
"That is correct. We must prioritize the missing adventurers and merchants."
"Then what about the villagers? I am filled with rage thinking about those suffering at the hands of those damn goblins."
"Please, don't worry. Adventurers were dispatched to save the people kidnapped by the goblins, and didn't you say they went missing as well?"
"That is true."
"That means there is a high probability that the missing people are all together. If they are still alive, that is."
"That’s easy to understand. As expected of a veteran adventurer."
Listening to their exchange, I lifted my head to look up at Angela. It seems she was a highly skilled adventurer before she became a maid.
"What is the schedule?"
"First, we will go to the village where the disappearance occurred most recently. The incidents started at the eastern edge bordering the Great Forest, but the goblins are coming deeper and deeper inside. The damage is severe."
"I am aware. Twenty people have already gone missing in the eastern part of the territory. However, the strange thing is that no deaths have been confirmed yet."
"That is exactly it. Even though there are sightings of goblins, there are no injured or dead from fights, which is unprecedented."
Trisha, who had been listening silently, raised her hand.
"When we arrive at the village, get me the belongings of the missing humans. Preferably the clothes they were wearing."
"Are you going to use them for magic?"
"Yes, and the dog needs to use them to pick up the scent, doesn't it?"
Trisha looked at Angela and smiled with her eyes, as if it were obvious. That was clearly a sneer.
"Come to think of it, Angela. What is that puppy? Is that the dog you recently brought into the mansion?"
"That’s right. His name is Tommy. I am raising him personally."
"I see. May I touch him?"
"Of course."
As Gert, sitting across from me, touched my head, I lifted my chin and went limp under his rough but perfectly placed scratches. Ah, this is the life. A dog’s life is the best life.
"He’s a cute one. But why did you bring him along?"
"Trisha requested it."
"Even one this small?"
"Yes, she said he was necessary for this operation."
Angela glanced at Trisha sitting next to her and spoke.
"I want to touch him too."
As Trisha reached out, Angela pushed me deeper between her thighs. Her protective behavior, like a mother shielding her cub, made Trisha narrow her eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Tommy is very sleepy and needs to rest."
"He doesn't look like it."
"It’s just your imagination."
When Angela refused, Trisha withdrew her hand and pulled her hood down deeper.
".....Trashy short-lived species."
....? What the fuck did this bitch just say? I was startled by the harsh profanity and looked up at Trisha. The green eyes inside the hood were looking down at me. As if she had been waiting for it. The half-open eyes curved like crescent moons.
"Is that Elvish? What does it mean?"
"It means 'what a pity'."
"What a noble and elegant language."
"It’s different from humans."
Trisha answered Gert’s question. What is this? Am I hearing things? Come to think of it, they said they did something to the translator on my collar—did Trisha speak in Elvish, and I’m the only one who understood it? That bitch, with her kind face, she’s a fucking racist. A total racist. And considering she’s insulting my Master in a foreign language others can’t understand, she’s got strong psychopathic tendencies, too. She’s a beautiful elf, but she’s a high-priority threat.
To calm my troubled heart, I wiggled further into Angela’s thighs and buried my head deep inside. Hnnng... huff... haa... this is soothing... Angela’s thigh temperature and scent were like a sedative to me. Sleep washed over me in an instant, and I drifted off.
......
-Clatter!
Holy shit, what the hell!
"We have arrived at Duncan Village."
At Gert’s words, people started getting off the carriage one by one. I, held in Angela’s arms, was no different. Duncan Village looked like a typical rural village in a medieval fantasy setting. There weren't many people, and everyone looked pale and sickly. The group headed straight to the village chief’s house. The old chief, his face covered in age spots, was eating a boiled potato when he saw us; he threw the potato aside and ran over.
"Gert! Oh, you’ve come."
"Chief. It’s good to see you. We’ve come to find the missing people; have there been any further damages?"
"Last night, a woman was snatched while going to the bathroom! I couldn't even see the face of the bastard who kidnapped her!!! Sob...! If this keeps up, this village will be ruined. Do you know how much the villagers are trembling?! The militia made up of the young men can't even lay a finger on them!"
"Don't worry. We will definitely resolve this."
"Thank you! Thank you!"
The chief wailed in fury and bowed his head at Gert’s words.
"Chief Ivan."
"Oh. My, isn't this Angela?"
"Yes, I need your help. I need the clothes the missing villagers were wearing. We will use them for the dog to pick up the scent and find them, so older ones are better."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Things proceeded like clockwork. A little later, the clothes collected by the villagers were piled up in front of the chief’s house. Trisha spoke to the chief.
"Hey."
"H-hic... e... Elf... please don't kill me...!"
The old chief, having spotted the ears poking out from the hood, panicked and waved his hands. Only when Gert explained that she was a member of the investigation party did the chief calm down.
"How many of your kin are missing from the village?"
"A... altogether, 3 people."
At the chief’s words, Trisha pulled out the dagger at her waist. She proceeded to cut off pieces of the clothes. "Where was the last place you saw the goblins?"
"They said they saw them two days ago at the foot of the mountain behind the cabbage field. It’s where medicinal herbs grow."
"Give us one person to guide us."
"Yes!"
And so, a village youth holding a club was added to the party. We passed through fields smelling of fresh cabbage flowers and arrived at the entrance to the mountain foot, where trees were densely packed. From my perspective as a small puppy, the grass was so overgrown that I couldn't even see what was ahead. So... this is where the goblins are.
I perked up my ears. I could hear the villagers’ grumbling behind us and the sound of leaves and grass rustling as the wind passed through them. Trisha examined the ground, plucked a blade of grass, and picked a wildflower to smell it. She took the scraps of the missing persons' clothes she had cut earlier and rubbed them against the wildflowers and grass.
"Grass that gathers dew. Flowers that bloom at night. Show me what you have seen."
Then, the different grasses and wildflowers took root in the scraps of clothing, tangled together, and bore pink fruits, which turned into seeds and fell into Trisha’s hand. As the plants turned to ash and vanished, Trisha threw a few seeds onto the dirt floor. The seeds planted in the soil grew instantly, becoming vines. Everyone watching was in awe.
"This way."
"...That’s incredible."
We followed Trisha’s tracking magic. The vines, which had been leading toward the path used by the villagers, stopped abruptly at a certain point. Trisha, who had been leading, halted. Even when she tried scattering seeds again, the vines remained still. As if something were wrong. Trisha tilted her head and opened her mouth.
"I haven't seen any goblin footprints coming this far. No human footprints either. No other animals."
"I’ve confirmed it too. It’s unsettling."
"Give me the dog."
"...Understood."
Realizing this wasn't a normal situation, Angela handed my leash to her without a word. Trisha unclipped the leash and shoved the scraps of clothing right in front of my nose.
"Sniff it. Can you find them?"
Honestly, this is my first time finding people by scent. But it’s not like I can just back out and say I can't. Besides, I can't let Angela down. To remain the hyper-intelligent genius dog of the great Esper Barony, I must continue to prove my own abilities. That is the fate of the Doge who inherits the Will of D. I buried my nose into the scraps and sniffed. The sour smell of sweat and a unique feminine scent. Two scents of young girls. One scent of a young woman. I pulled my nose away from the fabric and ran toward a nearby hill.
"Tommy?"
"Stay still."
I heard Angela and Trisha’s voices from behind, but I decided to ignore them. The wind was blowing, too. I focused on catching the scent carried on the breeze. The scent of human women... ... .......I can't feel it. Just as I was smacking my lips in disappointment and about to head back down, a strong gust of wind blew, making the grass sway. A fishy scent was caught at the very end. A scent I was familiar with. A scent I could never forget. The smell I had caught on the corpses of the fucking goblins that killed my parents and kidnapped my siblings. That stench was wafting from far away.