街ではその日、緊迫感漂うメイドの一団の姿が各所で人目に付いていた。ランの行方を追うシュトラヘルツのメイド達である。
　イヤリングを最後にランの行方を示す手掛かりが途絶えてしまった事を受けての、溢れ返る人員にものを言わせた大捜査線だ。相手の逃走ルートが空路である為にサイコメトラーでは手が出ず、結果として捜査の基本に立ち戻り、地道な聞き込みが展開されている。その中でもほんの僅かなりに手掛かりを得る事に成功しているのが、幼獣／獣人系、植物系、昆虫系のモンスター、そしてなんとミフィであった。
　手掛かりの捜索だけで半日以上を費やし、聞き込みを続ける内に時刻はとうに夕刻を回っている。間もなく日も沈み終わるだろう。十分に快復したとして医務室から解放されたコルとピンクちゃんは、ミフィと合流する為に待ち合わせ場所のオフィス街にある公園までやってきたのだが、特徴のあり過ぎるミフィの「聞き込み」が目の前で行われているのを、どこか生気の失せた目で眺めているしかできなかった。聞き込みできるような話術なんて無いからミフィと合流する事にした訳で、そもそもミフィのような芸当なんて無理だもん。
「あ～…と。そろそろ良いかしら、ミフィ？『良いお話』は聞けたのかしら」
「お、二人共早かったな。目ぼしい目撃情報、といっても夜間だったから目撃とは違うんだが、『大きな音を立てて空を飛ぶ大きなもの』が、この公園の上空を通過したらしい。この付近の連中は物覚えの良い奴が多くて助かる」
　そう言ってどうやら笑ったようだったが、正確にはよく判らない。何しろ今コル達が見ているのは、ミフィというよりミフィの輪郭を形成する羽毛の塊だったから。
「…何度見ても襲われてるようにしか見えないわ」
「そうか？」
　うんざりしている胸の内が滲み出るコルの言葉に、つま先から頭のてっぺんまで様々な種類の鳥を集らせたミフィが、不思議そうに答えた。数羽なら微笑ましい光景だろうに、数十羽ともなると不安が募るのは何故なのか。一応、いざとなればミフィが怪我をする前に鳥を追い払えるよう、コルが手の平にデリンジャーを忍ばせているが、幸いにもまだ装填された弾は消費されてはいない。
　ミフィは普通の人間という事になっており、自分でもそう自称しているが、厳密には（一応）能力者である。出身の部族を滅ぼされていなければ、部族巫女の候補として修業を積み、仮に巫女にはなれずとも今頃は立派なシャーマンになっていただろうミフィは、自然と対話する能力を備えている。勿論、それは動植物、更には石や人工物のような無機物でさえも例外ではない。過保護にさえ思えるエルザの下で修行と無縁の生活を送っている為に、その能力は持って生まれたもの以上にはならず微弱なものでしかないが、少なくとも有機物無機物を問わず簡単なコミュニケーションを取るくらいはできる。
　そして今、その能力を活かし、動物達をも対象として聞き込みを進めているのだった。勿論、情報と引き換えにするのはパンくずだ。気の早い奴は早速ミフィが手にする紙袋をつつき始めている。
「それと気になる事も覚えていたぞ。ここを通り過ぎて少し行った辺りで、どうも低く飛んでいたらしいんだ。で、方向を変えてすぐに飛び去って行ったんだと。…方向は解るかい？」
　ミフィの問いかけに数羽の小鳥が短く鳴くと、首を巡らせた。しきりに揃って一定の方向をくちばしで指し示し、ミフィを見る。傍から見れば方向を示しているのがどの鳥なのか全く見当が付かず、どれも好き勝手な方を向いているように見える為、それを理解できるのはミフィだけだったが。
「…やっぱりそうか。何処で訊いても同じ方向なんだよ、皆あっちを示すんだ。ほぼ確定と考えても良いだろうな」
　ミフィが指差した…鳥の群れの一部が盛り上がったようにしか見えないが一応腕らしきものが見えたので…方角を確認し、コルは地図を広げた。エルザとアイーナが怪しいと見当を付けてチェックを入れていた地図のコピーだ。
「…ホテルから見て南、か。ヘリが飛び去った方角と一致するわね。しかも…」
「すぐ近くにチェックが入っている施設がありマスね。廃工場と処刑場跡デスけど…でも処刑場跡は、鳥ちゃん達が示した方角と、ちょっとズレてマスね？お嬢様の推測では有力候補だって話だったのに」
「あくまで目星を付けた中での話だ、と仰られていたのを忘れた？それが答えになるなら、小お嬢様が攫われる前にお嬢様がどうにかしているわよ。とにかく、話を聞く限りでは高度を下げて建物の上なり敷地内なりに人を降ろし、ヘリだけ飛び去った、と考えられるけど…そんな事をすれば、かなり目立つわよね。どうしてこんな話が動物達からしか訊き出せないのかしら」
『オフィス街だからではなくて？就業時間を過ぎれば人が一気に居なくなりますもの。放送局もありますから報道ヘリなんて珍しくもないですし、多少人が残っていた所でヘリなんて気にも留めなかったでしょうね。因みに、他の方が得た情報も、ミフィさんとほぼ同一の情報ばかりですわ』
　すぐさまアイーナが無線の向こうからコルの推測を補足する。
『ただ、先程調べてみたところ、昨夜は報道ヘリの一機たりとも飛んではいません。それに昨夜は空軍の方で領空侵犯でスクランブルがかかっていましたわ。該当する所属不明機はヘリで、最初に捕捉されたのはあなた方が居る公園から５０㎞離れた海岸線、接触後に”忽然と”姿を消したらしく海洋上空で見失っています。おそらくそれに関連したもので、スイーパーズが妖気を発する船種不明の大型船を検知し、スイーパーズ所属のゴーストシップ及び船舶、航空機系ヨウカイが警戒任務にあたっていました。早朝、ちょうどランさんの遺留品が発見された頃にそれらしき船影を発見、現在も追跡中だそうですが、気になるのはその不審船が途中でヘリを収容したとの報告があったという点ですわ。それらを踏まえた上で、燃料の事を考えればヘリ単機で海を越えるのは不可能ですから、船で近郊海域まで近付いてからヘリを飛ばし、事を済ませたヘリを収容して離脱、と考えるのが自然ですわね』
「…ヘリでは戦闘機を振り切るのは不可能だわ。そもそもあれは電子戦装備を搭載しているような機体には見えなかったし、それどころか戦闘ヘリですらなかった。という事は、搭乗者あるいはヘリ自体がヨウカイで、空軍機の目を逃れたのは特殊能力による目眩まし？海岸線で急に捕捉されたのもそれが原因？アイーナ様の推測を前提とすれば、辻褄は合うけれど…ヘリが高度を下げた場所で小お嬢様を降ろしたという確証はないのよね。可能性として不審船に連れ去られたと考えると小お嬢様は今、海の真っただ中という事になるのね…」　
「でもでも、わざわざこんな場所にまで不自然な遠回りするくらいデスし、何か意味があるんデスよ。逃走経路の偽装にしても、スポンジ脳でもなけりゃもう少し捻りマスって。海岸線で急に捕捉されてるのも不自然デスし、しかも行き先の船なんて妖気を隠そうともしないで、まるで見つけてくれと言っているようなものじゃないデスか。むしろというなら、そっちの方がよっぽど囮に思えマスもん。だから、どうせ近くまで来てるんデスからあたし達は廃工場を調べマショうよ。こっちがハズレで不審船がアタリだったとしても、不審船の方は追手がかかってるんデスからそっちは任せて、仮に駄目だったり手間取ったりするようでも、せめてあたし達が駆けつけるまでの時間稼ぎをしてもらえば良いんデス」
「そうね、ひとまず廃工場に向かいましょう。どのみち船の方は、直接乗り込まない限り私達にはどうしようもないのは確かだものね。ヘリが何処で高度を下げたのかを絞り込んで、人を降ろしたのかどうかを明らかにすれば、不審船に乗り込むべきかどうかも判断できる。アイーナ様、もしもの時の為に、不審船の情報は続けて掴んでおいて下さいませんか」
『了解です。そうそう、廃工場ですが、たむろしている方々が居るそうなので、そちらからお話を聞けると思いますわ。無駄足にはならないでしょう』
「たむろしている？」
　何の気なしに言ったアイーナの言葉に、コルとピンクちゃんは顔を見合わせた。
「それはいつ頃からの話です？廃工場が放棄されたのは？」
『え？…ええと、放棄されてすぐの十年前には既に入り込んでいたそうですから、世代世代で受け継がれているのではないかと』
「浮浪者が住み着いたのでもなく、放棄されてすぐ不良が入り込み、次の世代に受け継がれている？オフィス街にほど近く、周囲に娯楽施設のひとつも無いような面白味のない場所を、たまり場に？しかも一切の迷惑行為を行わず、行儀良くたむろしているだけ？」
『え？え？私、何か変な事を言いまして？人が居ない分、夜に騒いでも咎められませんし、都合が良いからとかそんな理由なのでは？』
　家柄の所為でお嬢様育ちの過ぎるアイーナには全く理解できていないようだったが、二人は確信した。廃工場とはいえ不法侵入するような輩が、周囲に何の”イタズラ”もせず大人しくしている筈はない。殊に夜間は人影が殆ど途絶えるような場所だ、はみ出す事をクールだと思い込んでいる若者達が幼稚な自己主張をするには、絶好の立地条件といえる。だというのに、たまり場にしているという話があるだけで、そういった行為のひとつも噂になっていないのは、どうにも不自然さが目立つ。
　では廃工場に入り込んでいるのは何者なのか？コル達は、おそらく門番の役割を負った者達であろう、と考えていた。
　何の為の門番か？門番を立てる必要とは何か？門番を必要とする意味とは？廃工場が本当は何らかの施設であるのかどうかを暴き出せば、自ずと答えも出るだろう。もし本当にただの廃工場であったなら…自らの素行不良を嘆いてもらう事になるが、そんな有象無象の後悔などランの身の危険と比べるまでもなく、どうでもいい事だった。
「メイド各位に通達、オフィス街外れの公園近郊にある廃工場に集合なさい。時間は十分後、全員揃った時点で踏み込むわ」
　無線の向こうでメイド達に緊張が走るのが解る。コル達も足早に移動を開始した。
　鬼が出ようが蛇が出ようが、踏み込んだ足で踏み潰せば良い。

　自らの領域に足を踏み入れようとしている者が居れば当然の事、注意を向ける。
　それが２０人近いメイドの集団となれば、どう対処したものか考えあぐねるものだ。
　もっとも、普通の感性を持つ者であれば、の話だ。
　夕日が地平線に沈み切る時刻、横柄な態度でメイド達を取り囲んだ柄の悪い男達は、根城に入り込んできた「旨そうな上玉のご馳走」を、下卑た薄ら笑いを隠そうともせず値踏みしていた。
（ざっと３０人は居るわね…数だけは大したものだわ）
「悪ぃがここは立ち入り禁止だぜぇ。おとなしく帰らねーと俺達に食われちまうぜ？」
　リーダー格らしき男がコルに鉄パイプを向けて言うと、他の男達も下品な声で笑い声を上げた。何ともいかにもな厳つい服装、とても整ったとは言い難い攻撃的な髪形、下品にぶら下げたアクセサリー、女など組み伏せればどうとでもなる、そんな考えが透けて見える、典型的なドロップアウトを地で行く低能。それがコルの評価だった。一応、鉄パイプに錆びたバールにナイフにチェーン、彼等が持つ様々な獲物は手に馴染んでいるらしく、喧嘩慣れしていて相手を痛めつける事に慣れているだろう事は見て取れるが、これで脅しになると考えて居る辺り、御し易くて助かる。
「それともそれが目的で来たとかか？変わった趣味してんな。それともご主人サマじゃ物足りなくてタマってんのかァ？ま、俺は大歓迎だけどよ？」
　じりじりと距離を詰めていくが、メイド達は微塵も恐れた様子を見せず、微動だにしないまま、ただ冷めた目で男達を観察していた。
「おい、何とか言ったらどうなんだよ！」
　それが気に食わなかったのか、一人の男が小柄なメイドの胸をナイフの先端でつつく。瞬間、小柄なメイドの体に幾重にも亀裂が走り、胸の中心から花開いた。
　ぱふぁ、と気の抜けるような音、艶めかしくもおぞましく蠢く、それまでメイドに見えていた「もの」の中身が迫り、男は咄嗟に後ろに飛び退いた。
　助走も無く一気に３ｍ。人間の跳躍力ではなかった。
「ガッつくのは良くないねぇ。あたいは割とそういう手合いの男は好きだけどさ、相手があんたみたいなのじゃ御免だね。洗ってない犬の臭いがすんのよ、クっセえンだよこのワン公」
「て、テメェ！」
　ケケケと笑う人食い植物の言葉通り、危うく喰い千切られるところだった男の腕には動物を連想させる毛がうっすらと生え始め、犬呼ばわりされ怒りに剥き出した歯には鋭利な犬歯が現れていた。身の危険を感じ、ついワ―ウルフの本性を現してしまったのだ。
「そうかい、俺達が”何なのか”解ってて来たって訳か…”ご同類”が俺達に何の用だ…！」
　警戒を色濃くした他の男達も様子が一変した。全身に毛や鱗を生やす者もいれば、見る間に巨大化する者もいる。手にしていた凶器よりも明らかに物騒な角や爪を持ち、凶暴で醜悪な姿へと変貌していく。
　一触即発の空気の中、コルの表情に変化が現れた。侮蔑の笑みである。
「解っていて来た訳ではないのですけれど。ですがこれで益々疑わしくなりました。是が非でも工場の中を拝見させて頂きます、私達の邪魔さえしなければ、別段あなた方を追い出すつもりはございません。できれば知っている事を洗い浚い教えて頂けると余計な手間が省けるのですが…どうでしょう？」
「できねぇ相談だな！」
　左右から二体、アンパランスな体躯のキラーエイプと、歪に成長した角を持つドゥームビートルが襲い掛かる。男達は無残に引き裂かれる女の姿を予想し、ほくそ笑んだ。
　が、相手はコルだ。男達の予想通りになどなりはしない。左右の攻撃に反応し僅かに身動ぎしたかと思うと、今まさにコルに迫っていた二体は、突き飛ばされたようにつんのめり、膝すらつかず地に倒れ伏す。事態を呑み込めない男達の前で、コルはゆっくりと交差していた手を前方に突き出し、いつの間にか両手に握られていたサプレッサー付きのハッシュパピーとシグザウエルＰ２２８の銃口を向けた。
「これでもまだ要求をお聞き入れ下さいませんか？」
「…悪ぃが、そうもいかねえ立場でな」
　貫通こそしなかったものの、倒れた二体の額に空いた銃痕から血が溢れ出すのを見た男達は警戒と怒りを一層強めてメイド達を睨み付け、対するメイド達は殺意すら籠り始めた視線などどこ吹く風で、その視線を真っ向から受け止める。
「成程、立場。やはりここに人を立ち入れさせない為に配置されたという訳…やれやれ、時間が惜しいので穏便に事を済まそうと思っていましたのに、お聞き入れ下さらないのなら仕方がありません。力尽くで押し通らせて頂く事に致します」
　宣言と共に夕日がその姿を沈め、不穏な宵闇が訪れる。荒事に慣れている筈の男達は、空気が重しと化したかのような不気味な圧力に、知らず身を固くしていた。
「さァ皆さん、どうやらここが目的地のようです。彼奴等は我等の行く手を阻む邪魔者です。吐かせる口は一つで十分、お嬢様に楯突く不届き者共の息の掛かったロクデナシ共ですから、情けも容赦も一切不要、生かしておく必要はありません、思う存分相手をして差し上げなさい。害悪を排除する”見返り”ですもの、食むも啜るもお好きなだけどうぞ。今宵は無礼講と洒落込みましょう」
「なっ…！？」
　薄ら笑いを張り付けたコルの、わざとらしく芝居掛かった涼しげな声が凛と響き渡る。一見荒事とは無縁そうなメイドが発した物騒かつ意味不明な台詞と共に場の空気が一変し、男達の間に動揺が浮かんだ。
　微かな熱気を含んだ空気が、メイド達を中心に渦を巻く。歓喜か怒気か、あるいは侮蔑か憐れみか、判別の付かぬ感情を一斉にぶちまけた奇妙な「揺れ」が、音もなく伝わっていく。
　可憐な、華奢な、華麗なメイド達が、一様に異様な、醜悪な、凶悪な異形の者と化していく。角が、爪が、牙が、触手が刃物が炎が氷が雷が、見覚えのある物から己の目を疑いたくなる物までが、メイド達を変貌させる。そこに居並ぶ者の半数以上が男達などよりも遥かに高位の存在ばかりである事は、一目瞭然であった。
　そこで男達は、やっと自分達の置かれた状況を嫌が応にも理解させられた。自分達は今、迷い込んだ哀れな侵入者を絶対的な暴力で排する番犬ではなく、貪欲に生贄を欲する理不尽な存在を愚かにも刺激し、その身を危険に晒してしまった無謀な愚者に過ぎないのだという事を。
　彼等とて素人の集団ではない、敢えて頭の悪そうな不良に扮しているとはいえ、その実態はこれまでにも数々の汚れ仕事を引き受けてきた手練れ揃いだ。しかし、だからこそ、この目の前の異形のメイド達が自分達の手に負えない存在だと解る。
　行動の早い者は、それを理解するが早いか、他の者達が行動を起こすよりも早く離脱を試みていた。ある者は塀を乗り越えようと跳び上がった途端、待ち構えていたように飛び込んできた異形のあぎとに頭を噛み砕かれた。土煙を上げながら滑走して止まった巨大な白い鰐が、巨体に見合う大きな口に並ぶ鋸に似た歯で新鮮な生肉を丁寧に引き千切り、白い体を朱に染めて旨そうに咀嚼する。ある者は空へ逃げようとし、地面を離れた途端に立体パズルよろしく鋭利な断面を晒した無数の肉塊と化して転がった。停めてあるバイクのミラーや辛うじて残る窓のガラス片に目をやれば、そこには居ない筈のメイドが肉塊の中心で満面の狂笑を浮かべ、血塗れの鎌に舌を這わせる姿が映っているのが確認できる。予想外の惨状に狼狽えている間にも、四方八方で仲間達が握り潰され、ねじ切られ、叩き壊されては、そうして出来上がった血肉を食み、なおも貪ろうとする異形に蹂躙され、一人、また一人と減っていく。
　未だ人が出歩いているような時間だというのに、悲鳴や怒号が上がっても、人ひとり駆けつけやしない。「そういうもの」を感じ取れる者は、既に廃工場の周囲に人間を無意識に遠ざける結界が張られていた事を知り、愕然としていた。包囲していた筈が知らぬ間に包囲され、既に逃げ道は塞がれている。先ほどの台詞、「食むも啜るも」の意味、それは文字通りの意味であったのだ。それはつまり、彼等が丸ごと異形のメイド達のディナーとなる事を指し示していた。
「何なんだ…何なんだよこれはッ！？」
　恐慌に駆られた誰かがそう叫んだ。次の瞬間には、カチューシャの代わりに赤いキャップを被った、やたら背の低いメイドが逆手で持つナイフで首を切り裂かれ、有り得ない角度で頭が垂れ下がる。恍惚と悦楽に染まった表情で小さく身を震わせたメイドは、糸を引く滴りが足元に点々と染みを作るのを気にも留めず、更なる高みを求めて次なる獲物へと忍び寄っていった。
　単純に殺す殺されるというやり取りなら、それは彼等にとって幾度も繰り返し慣れ親しんだものであり、反撃のひとつもできただろう。しかし、喰う対象とされるなど初めての経験だ。この差異に少なからず生じた心の綻びに、自覚の無い恐怖が芽生えてしまった。最早彼等には、まともに戦えるだけの余裕は残ってはいない。
「我等のような者とて、生きる為に必要な糧が人間社会では倫理的に反している者も居りますし、代用となる物で衝動を誤魔化してはいても、限界はあるのです。そんな我等にとって悪党という輩や、あなた方のような無法者というのは、大変有難い存在なのですよ。人間に危害を加える事を良しとせず、護る事を誓い共存を願う我等の、唯一の糧となって下さるのですから」
　そして遂に、取り囲まれていたメイド達が、外側から喰い付かれ乱れた包囲を内側から食い破るべく、動き出す。

「我等シュトラヘルツのメイドは」
『お嬢様の御身の為に！』
「我等がこの身は何たるや」
『お嬢様をお護りし敵を討つ、最強であり絶対なる剣にして盾なるや！』
　一糸乱れぬ唱和。コルは満足したように頷くと、
「よろしい！今宵我等の務めは、お嬢様の愛する妹様を、手段を問わずお救いする事！」
　鋭く言い放ち掲げた手を、さっと振り下ろす。
「Target in Site!! Blast off and Strike!!!」
『Yes,mam!!!』
　一方的なダンスの開始を告げる、無慈悲の合図だった。

　夜空に星が瞬き始めた頃、家族の元に帰ろうとしていた人々の内の一握りが、長い間ほったらかしにされて荒れ果て、不良のたまり場になっていた廃工場の敷地を、鬼気迫る様子で掃除している大勢のメイドの姿を目にする事になる。
　それは朝方に見掛けられたメイドの集団と結び付けられ、何処ぞの金持ちが気紛れでメイド達を使い、またはメイド個人が有志を募って集まり、そのどちらにせよボランティアで廃棄された施設の大掃除をやっていたのだろう、と翌朝の噂になった。名乗り出るでもないその無償の奉仕に感銘を受けた人々は後に、月に一日、オフィス街中の会社が協力し合って街を清掃する「清掃デー」を設けたりした。初めこそ難色を示していた者達も多かったが、いつしか爽やかな気分で仕事ができる環境作りの一環として、積極的に取り組む参加者が増えていったという。
　以降、徹底的に敷地内を清潔にされ、恥を覚えたのか居心地が悪くなったのか、それまで散々好き勝手に荒していた不良達が一切寄り付かなくなったというのは、「清掃デー」を語る上で欠かせない逸話として広く知られる事となった。
　まさか、これから倒壊する事になる郊外の朽ち果てた古い施設のひとつと彼女達との間に関わりがあるなど、人々は夢にも思わなかったのである。

「どうかしらミフィ、隠し通路の類は見付かった？」
「まぁ待て侍従長、ちょうどここら辺なんだ…ん、どれを動かしたって？この端っこのツマミか？」
　廃工場の最奥、明かりひとつない中を、男達が持ち込んだ物か偶然残されていた電池式のランプを片手に、男に吐かせた情報と残っていた椅子や事務机の「声」を頼りに、「特定の人間がしていた変わった行動」を再現する為、ミフィが錆付いた配電盤を開けて中を覗き込んでいる。「声」が教える通りに手を入れてみれば、その隅の配線に隠れるように配置された板状の小さなツマミを指先が捉えた。
　工場内を調べているのはコル、ピンクちゃん、ミフィ、そして道中をエルザの魔道具コレクションのひとつ、隠れ蓑を被ってやり過ごしたキュイの４人だ。他のメイドは数名を外の見張りに残し、その他は屋敷の防衛と他の施設を調べる為に分散させている。コルとしては全戦力で部隊を編成し投入したい所だったが、野戦ならまだしも施設への潜入という特質上、多人数はかえって動きを制限され不利になりかねないとの判断から、少数精鋭として潜入に向いている能力を持つメイドを選別した結果がこのメンバーだった。襲撃犯と浅からぬ因縁を抱えた二人、元傭兵であり射撃の名手であるコルと白兵戦を得意とするピンクちゃんがまず決まり、ランの下へと辿り着くべく生物以外からも情報を引き出せるミフィが、バックアップに選ばれた。キュイはシャドウストーカーの標的にされている可能性を考え傍に置いてく為と、何があろうと着いていくと頑として譲らなかった事もあり、巨体による怪力とアイビームがいざという時の切り札になるという名目で同行を許されたのだった。
「…成程、ブレーカーはガッツリ埃が積もってるのに、このツマミは薄汚れてはいるが埃が積もっていない。動かした時期までは解らないが、少なくともこのツマミはブレーカーが使われなくなった後も動かされていたみたいだ」
　ランプを近付けて観察すると、そのツマミと根元には擦れた跡がくっきりと残っていた。
「ミフィちゃん、あたし達は警戒してるから、そのツマミ動かしちゃって。キュイちゃんはあたしとお姉サマの間に居てね、不意打ち喰らってもキュイちゃんじゃ対処できないでショ？」
「えうぅ…すみません…」
「じゃあ、ツマミを動かすぞ…よっ、と」
　思ったより重い手応えのツマミを指で押し下げる。すると床下からガチンという鈍い音が聞こえ、配電盤の横の壁が、扉のように奥に向かって開いた。コンクリだった工場とは違い、そこから先は金属張りになっているようで、短い階段と天井の低くなった通路を経た先には一部屋にも満たない空間があり、空間を更に狭めるように骨組みされた格子状の囲いが、ランプで照らすまでもなくすっかり黄ばんだ電球の頼りない灯りに照らされているのが見えた。
「やっぱりあったわね、隠し通路が」
　ハッシュパピーを構え慎重に格子の囲いの中に足を踏み入れたコルは、鉄が剥き出しになった床が若干沈む、やや頼りないがしっかりした感触である事を確かめる。振り返れば、出入り口の脇の格子の一部にはレバーが備え付けられ、レバーの上にその空間にはとても似つかわしくない、錆付いてはいるが華美な装飾が施された古い字体の数字が掛かれたプレートと数字を指し示す矢印状の部品があり、レバーの逆側には格子状の横開きの背の低い手動のシャッターらしきものが備え付けられているのが解る。そして、壁と格子状の囲いの間には僅かな隙間とある物が見えた。
「レールとガイドローラー…どうやらエレベーターのようね。拵えは相当古い時代のものだけれど」
「うっわー…これ、出す所に出せば、博物館が高値で引き取りそうな代物デスねー」
「構造自体は改修されてるみたいよ。手入れもされてるみたいだし、まだ生きてるわ」
　へぇー、と感心した声を上げて格子の錆加減を確かめていたピンクちゃんだったが、コルとミフィが持つランプとエレベーター内の薄汚れた電球を見比べて、小首を傾げる。
「あれ？ちょっと待って下さい、この工場って多分電気は来てマセんよね、っていうかブレーカー落ちてたし。じゃあ、このエレベータを動かす電気は、何処から引いてるんデショう」
「そうね、それは私も気になってたわ。アイーナ様、この工場に電力供給がされているかどうか、調べる事は可能ですか？」
『電力供給？…少々お待ちになって』
　無線の向こうで素早く動き回るマウスとキーボードを激しくタイピングする音と、他のメイドとのやり取りがしばらく続き、ややあってポピッと気の抜けた電子音が鳴った。
『…やはり記録上では、工場の閉鎖と共に供給は止まっていますわね。見張りの方にも確認して頂きましたが、工場側の電力メーターも全く動いていないようですわ。仮にご近所から盗電して動かしているとしても、エレベータを動かす程の電力なんて引っ張ってきていればすぐにバレてしまいますから、可能性から省いてよろしいかと。それに当然、電力を使うのはエレベーターに留まらないでしょうし…独自に発電施設を持っていると考えるのが妥当でしょう。それにしても妙ですわね…』
「…妙、と申されますと？」
『その地下に研究施設が存在するとして、隠し通路を用いて入口を隠し、電力を独自で賄う事で外界から隔絶されている。そこまで徹底していながら、私が研究資料をネット経由で入手できたという事は、つまり外部とのネット回線だけは通じているという事になります。これさえなければ、私のプログラムが入り込む余地すら無いほど完璧に外部と隔離できていたというのに、何故それをしなかったのでしょう。情報処理を外部でも行う必要があるという事？それとも外部にデータを転送しなければならない理由があるとでも？』
「アイーナ様、その疑問は後にして下さいマセんか。まずは小お嬢様を救出する方が先決デスし、あたし達が踏み込めば明らかになるかもしれマセんからね」
　思考モードに入りかけたアイーナを、ピンクちゃんが止める。司令塔が別の事に気を取られ、状況把握が疎かになる事で現場との連携が滞ってしまっては、元も子もない。
　アイーナがこちらに集中してくれそうなので安心したコルは、エレベーターの床を強く踏み込んでみた。ギシギシと軋みはしたが、押し返してくる感覚は床板の頼りなさとは裏腹に、思いの外頑丈そうだ。
「手入れされているだけあって使えそうね。他に階段の類も見当たらないし、これで降りる他無さそうだわ。問題は…四人は乗れそうだけれど、”私達が”全員乗れるかどうか、ね」
　最後にポツリと漏らしたコルの呟きを受けて、全員の視線が一人に集中する。ただでさえ成人男性の平均身長より頭一つ分高い程度にまで天井が低くなった通路だ、大柄なメイドの事を考え、一般的な建築に比べ天井が高目に設計されているシュトラヘルツ邸ですら天井スレスレという３ｍ近い身長のキュイが、通路の天井にべったり背中を付けた窮屈さが否めない体勢のまま、向けられた視線に顔を引き攣らせて固まっていた。無論の事、エレベーターの天井は通路の天井と同程度の高さで作られている。更に言えば性格は小心者だが体重は身長に比例したヘビー級だ。重量制限を超えた場合、結果など考えるまでもない。
　コルがレバーの前に身を寄せ、ミフィとピンクちゃんが乗り込む。キュイが一人分空いたスペースに無理矢理体をねじ込み、三人に覆い被さる格好で天井に手をついた。軋みは一気に重い音になったが、四人分（規格外含む）の体重を受け止め切ってくれたようだ。
「…途中でかごが落っこちない事を祈って頂戴」
「なんで目を逸らすんですか！正直に私を見て言えば良いじゃないですかぁ！」
「お、おいキュイ、暴れるな…私はフリーフォール系が凄い苦手なんだよ…」　
「うわぁん！人間変身できるようになったら、絶対低身長になってやるぅ！！」
「キュイ、騒がないで。降ろすわよ…」
　シャッターを閉め、レバーを引く。ガクンと軽く揺れたエレベーターは、何とも不安を煽る軋みを上げながら、緩やかに降下を開始した。
『…重量制限が気になるのでしたら、二回に分ければ良かったのでは？なんて、今更言ってみたりする私』
「そゆ事は先に言ってほしかったデス、アイーナ様…」
　そんなやり取りをする一同は、次第に空気が冷えていくのを感じ取り、各々がふと横に目を向けた。格子の隙間から目と鼻の先で上へ上へとスライドしていく壁を眺めていると、やがて金属張りだった壁が煤けた石造りの壁へと移り変わった。
「いよいよ地下施設に差し掛かったようね。エレベーターがいつ到着しても良いように、気を引き締めなさい」
　言いながらコルは銃を握り直し、ピンクちゃんはいつでもナイフを引き抜けるようスカートの裾をつまむ。そんな二人の邪魔にならないようにと、キュイが精一杯出入り口のスペースを広げようと悪戦苦闘する。
（こっちは今のところ順調に進んでいるな。お嬢の方は今頃どうなっているのだろう。心配だな…相手が）
　キュイと同じく邪魔にならないよう、なるべく隅に寄ろうと格子に身を寄せるミフィは、そんな事を考えていた。

That day, in the city, groups of tense, wandering maids were seen at multiple locations. They were the Schtlehertz maids following Ran's trail.
The clues to her trail ending with the final item, her earrings. Upon finding this, they all excitedly treated it like a police investigation. Their escape route was through the air, so psychometrers was no help, and in the end, they went back to their original approach, and started questioning those around. The only ones that were successful at obtaining even the slightest amount of clues were the phantom beasts/werebeasts, plant-based and insect monsters, and Mifi.
The search for clues alone had taken over half a day, and as they continued the questioning, it was already evening. Soon, the sun would set. Col and Pink-chan, who had sufficiently recovered and was released from the medical room, had come to the park in the office town to rendezvous with Mifi, but due to Mifi's enormous job of "questioning", when she got to them, she could only stare at them with lifeless eyes. They weren't skilled enough in conversation to question anyone, so that's why they were meeting Mifi, but it was too much even for Mifi.
"Ah~ ...So. Are you going to be okay, Mifi? Did you hear anything 'good'?"
"Oh, you two are early. In general, for eyewitnesses, you see, it was night so it wasn't quite eye witnesses, but "there was a loud noise and something big flew over us", so it passed above this park. It was lucky that there were lots of ones with good memories around here."
She said that with a kind of smile, but they didn't know the details. In any case, rather than looking at Mifi, they were looking at a swarm of feathers in the shape of Mifi.
"...No matter how much I look, you like you're being attacked."
"Really?"
The words Col bottled up inside herself slipped out, and Mifi, who was being swarmed from head to toe by various birds, gave a odd laugh. If it was a few birds, then this would be something to laugh at. But since it was dozens of birds, why did it make them uneasy instead? In any case, they should drive off the birds before they hurt Mifi, so Col hid the Derringer in the palm of her hand, but fortunately didn't use up the ammo she had already loaded into it.
Mifi was an ordinary human, and although she called herself that, technically she (in theory) had a special ability. If her tribe hadn't been annihilated, she would have gone training as her tribe's priestess candidate, and even if she didn't become the priestess, she would have been a fine shaman, so she had the ability to speak to nature. Of course, this was plants and animals, and even rocks and man-made inorganic things. While under Elza's overprotective care, she had spent her life in something completely different from the training, so she had no other abilities except the ones she was born with, and it was pretty weak. However, she could still communicate simply with both organic and inorganic matter.
And now, using this ability, she was questioning animals. Naturally, she was exchanging breadcrumbs for information. The impatient ones immediately started poking at the paper bag in Mifi's hand.
"I learned something worrying. They passed by close to here, and flew pretty low. Then, they changed direction and flew off right away... Do you know which direction?"
Mifi asked them, and several small birds gave a small chirp, and turned their necks. They all turned in one direction, pointing with their beaks, and looked at Mifi. From the perspective of others, they couldn't tell what kind of bird they were at all, and since it looked like they were facing any direction they wanted, the only one who could understand them was Mifi.
"...It's just as I thought. No matter where I hear it from, it all leads to the same direction. Everyone is pointing over there. I consider it a certainty."
Mifi pointed... It looked like one part of the flock of birds got excited, but it seemed like they were using their arms... Checking the direction, Col spread out a map. It was a copy of the map that Elza and Aiina had put a check on all of the suspicious areas.
"...South of hotel, huh. That matches the direction that the helicopter flew away in. And..."
"There's a checked facility really close by. It's an abandoned factory and execution site, but... But, the execution site is slightly off from the direction that the birdies pointed? The mistress was saying that she thought it was the likely location."
"Did you forget that she was talking while focused on the goal? If that was the answer, then the mistress would have done something before the little mistress was kidnapped. In any case, according to their story, if you consider it as their altitude dropped, and the people got off on top of a building, and then the helicopter alone flew off... If that was the case, it would be pretty conspicuous. Why would we only be able to hear about that from the animals."
'Isn't it because it's an office town? Once it's past business hours, the people all immediately disappear. There's also a radio station, so a news helicopter isn't anything out of the ordinary. So the few remaining people wouldn't think anything of a helicopter. By the way, using a different method, I've obtained information which corroborates Mifi's information.'
Right then, Aiina added to Col's guess over the radio.
"'When I investigated earlier, there were no news helicopters flying last night. In addition, last night, the air force had to scramble in response to an encroachment of air space. The target was an unknown helicopter, and it was first intercepted along the coast, about 50 km from the park you are at now. After they made contact, it "suddenly" vanished when they lost sight of it over the ocean. In regards to this, the Sweepers detected an unknown large ship emitting supernatural energy, and a Sweepers ghost ships and ships and aircraft youkai have orders to be on the lookout. In the early morning, when Ran's lost items were discovered, they discovered the signs of a ship, and are currently tracking it, but what is troubling is the fact that this mysterious ship can hold a helicopter. If they're based out of there, considering the fuel, a single helicopter can't make the trip across the ocean, so flying a helicopter from a nearby ship on the ocean, and having it land there at the end to withdraw, seems natural.'
"...It's impossible for a helicopter to shake off combat planes. I didn't see any electronic combat equipment on the helicopter, so it wasn't a combat helicopter. So, maybe the passengers, or possibly the helicopter itself, as youkai could avoid the air force by using an ability? Or maybe the coast was the reason it was quickly intercepted? Given Aiina-sama's theory, it's consistent, but... we have no proof that the place where the helicopter's altitude dropped was where the little mistress got off. It's also possible that the little mistress is on the unknown ship, and is in the middle of the ocean right now..."
"But but, there must be some reason to make such an unnatural detour and go to that place. Even if they were disguising their escape route, anyone but a complete sponge brain could figure it out. And to be quickly intercepted at the coast is unnatural. And a ship hidden by supernatural energy, isn't it like it's saying to look for it? Actually, I think that that is the decoy. So, anyway, since we're close by, we should investigate the abandoned factory. Even if this is wrong, and the unknown ship is right, there are people already chasing it, so we'll leave it to them. And even if this is just a waste of time, it's a way to pass time until we have to move."
"Yes, for now, let's head to the abandoned factory. In any case, since we're not on board a ship, we can't do anything about the ship. If we find the place where the helicopter's altitude dropped, and determine whether anyone got off, then we'll be able to tell if we should get aboard the mystery ship. Aiina-sama, if that turns out to be the case, can you please continue to collect information on the mystery ship?"
'Understood. Ah yes, about the abandoned factory, it seems like people gather there, so I think you can ask them questions. I don't think it will be a fruitless visit."
"Gather?"
Though Aiina didn't mean anything by it, Col and Pink-chan looked at each other.
"How long have they been there? Wasn't it abandoned?"
'Eh? ...Ummm, right after it was abandoned 10 years ago, they had already moved in, so I guess many groups have come and left?'
"Bums wouldn't gather there, and if evil people came there, then they would force them to leave? It's pretty close to the office town, and there isn't any entertainment close by, so it's not a point of interest, but a gathering place? In addition, nothing inconvenient has been done, so are they just gathering for good etiquette?"
'Eh? Eh? Did I say something strange? There's no one there, and they've never been accused of disturbing the night, so maybe their reason is just that it's convenient?'
Since Aiina had lived the life of a lady, she didn't understand at all, but the two of them were convinced. A group that illegally invaded an abandoned factory wouldn't just stay quiet and not "mess" with those around them. Most of all, during the night, it was a place where human activity should halt. For youths who think that going out there is cool with their childish self beliefs, this would be an ideal place. However, from hearing that it was only a gathering place, since they've never heard any rumor of any actions, it was very unnatural and suspicious.
So who were the people who invaded the abandoned factory? Col and the others thought they were probably those acting as gate guards.
Why would there be gate guards? What need would there be for gate guards? What does it mean that they need gate guards? If they could find out that the abandoned factory was actually some sort of facility, that would answer their questions. And if it was actually just a regular abandoned factory... They would regret their actions, but the group's regrets wouldn't even compare to Ran's safety, so there were no problems either way.
"This is an order to all maids, meet up at the factory near the park on the outskirts of the office town. In 10 minutes, we will begin our assault."
Over the radio, she knew the maids were now tense. Col and the others also quickly started to move.
No matter what danger awaited them, they had to crush it as they advanced.

Naturally, anyone who tries to invade one's area draws their attention.
And if it's a group of about 20 maids, it's hard to come up with a plan on how to stop them.
Or, at least that's what anyone with any common sense would say.
As soon as the sun had set below the horizon, a group of overconfident, malicious men surrounded the maids. They unabashedly smiled vulgarly, as though the invaders were a "feast of wonderful jewels", and gazed at them.
(There's about 30 of them... Their numbers are the only real concern.)
"Sorry, but this place is off limits. If you don't leave nicely, you'll get devoured by us?"
The guy who seemed like the leader pointed his iron pipe at Col and said that. The other men crudely laughed. They had very grim clothes, and well groomed fighting hairstyles, and crude drooping accessories, and it was obvious what would happen if they got their hands on a girl. They were real life versions of stereotypical idiot drop outs. That was Col's assessment. They had an iron pipe, a rusted crowbar, a knife, a chain, and various other items in their hands. They looked like they were used to these weapons, and fighting, and handing out pain. However, these were used more to intimidate and frighten, and they weren't as beligerent.
"Or maybe that's why you came here? You've got some messed up tastes. Or maybe you don't have enough masters, so you came to get some? Well, I'll welcome you?"
They slowly drew closer, but the maids didn't look one bit afraid, and didn't tremble at all, but just observed the men with cold eyes.
"Hey, how about you say something!"
Maybe he couldn't handle it, but one of the guys stabbed a small maid in the chest with his knife. In an instant, the small maid had cracks running all over her body, and a flower bloomed from the middle of her chest.
With a deafening poof, charming and disgustingly squirming, the "thing" came out from the maid's appearance, and the man immediately jumped back.
He jumped 3 meters without a running start. It wasn't the jumping ability that a human would have.
"You shouldn't be so gluttonous. I do like that kind of man, but not someone like you. You smell like an unwashed dog, you damn dog."
"F, fuck you!"
The man-eating flower laughed. Just as she said, the arm of the man who was nearly devoured by her started to lightly grow some animal-like fur, and he bared his teeth with anger after being called a dog, revealing sharp canine teeth. Instinctively sensing danger, he instinctively showed his true nature as a werewolf.
"I see, you came to find out "what" we were... What would "others like us" have to do with us...!"
With extra carefulness, the other men's attitude also changed. Some grew hair or scales on their body, and some grew to giant size. Their horns and claws were clearly more dangerous than the weapons they held in their hands, as they transformed into hideous monstrous forms.
In this volatile situation, Col expression changed. It was a sneer of contempt.
"We didn't come here to find that out. But now this is getting more and more suspicious. One way or another, we're going to see the inside of this factory, and as long as you don't get in our way, we won't drive you out of here. And if possible, if you tell us everything you know, it won't take any longer than it has to... How about it?"
"No way!"
From both sides, a killer ape with an imbalanced body, and a doom beetle with a distorted long horn rushed in. The men laughed, expecting to brutally rip her to shreds.
But their target was Col. Things did not go as the men thought. Reacting to the attack on both sides, she moved only slightly, and the two who were targeting Col were knocked straight down, on the ground. The men couldn't take in what happened. Col slowly stuck out her crossed hands, which were now brandishing a hush puppy and a Sig Sauer P228 with silencers, and pointed the barrels at them.
"Now will you listen to my request?"
"...Sorry, but we're not in a position to do that."
Though it didn't penetrate through them, the two fallen men had holes in their foreheads, and blood pouring out from their gunshot wound. Seeing this, the men became even more cautious and angry, and glared at the maids. The maids started to put their killing intent in their gaze and stared right back.
"I see, your position. So you're deployed here so that people can't enter... Oh my, we're short for time, so I was hoping to settle this peacefully, but if you won't listen to me, then it can't be helped. We will just have to force our way in."
That statement, along with the sun setting behind her, created an uneasy twilight. The men, who were seemed to be used to fighting, felt the atmosphere change and get heavier, like some sort of strange pressure, and without realizing it, they got stiffer.
"Ah, everyone, it looks like this is the place we've been looking for. They are a hindrance, looking to block our way. We only need one of them to spill their guts, so for these worthless, rude guys who waste their breath defying the mistress, there's no need for any compassion or lenience, and you don't need to keep them alive, so take care of them however you want. As your "reward" for exterminating this evil, you may eat or drink or do whatever you like. Tonight, we shall feast."
"Wha...!?"
Col had a faint smile, and her intentionally dramatic and calm voice echoed coldly. The maids, who didn't look like they could fight, suddenly changed their mood all at once, due to the danger and the obscure meaning speech. Among the men, anxiety started fomenting.
The slightly feverish atmosphere spiraled out from the maids. Was it delight, or anger, or maybe contempt or pity? This expression, which didn't distinguish between any of those, was on all of their faces, had a strange "wavering" as they silently moved forward.
The pretty, slender, wonderful maids all together transformed into strange, ugly, evil forms. They turned from normal-looking things into horns, claws, fangs, tentacles, blades, flames, ice, thunder, so much so that they didn't want to believe what they saw with their own eyes. It was obvious at first glance that the majority of them lined up where far higher classes of existences than the men.
It was then that the men finally realized understood the situation they were in. They weren't the guard dogs who were going to overwhelm pitiful, lost intruders with overwhelming force. They were nothing more than reckless fools who foolishly provoked an unreasonable existence who was greedily looking for victims, and were now being exposed to danger.
They weren't an inexperienced group. Even though they had poorly disguised themselves as idiots, in reality, they had undertaken many dirty deeds and were skilled. However, or rather, because of it, they knew that the transformed maids in front of them were not something they could take on.
The ones who acted first (or maybe they just realized it first), tried to flee before any action had been taken. Just as one of them was about to jump over the wall, his head was chomped on by the jaws of something that was probably lying in ambush and jumped in. The giant white crocodile kicked up a cloud of dust as it landed. With a large mouth to match its large body, it had teeth just like a saw, and as it cleaned its teeth of pieces of raw flesh, it hungrily chewed, its white body stained red. One tried to escape through the air, but just as he left the ground, a 3 dimensional puzzle with a sharp section turned him into tiny pieces of flesh. If they looked at a bike mirror or one of windows that still had glass in it, they would have seen a maid somewhere they didn't expect one, surrounded by flesh and with a crazed smile on their entire face, licking the blood off of her sickle with her tongue. In the confusion caused by this unimaginable disaster, they were surrounded on all sides, and their allies were being crushed, sliced and beaten, and finally their flesh eaten, greedily overrun by them, as they fell one by one.
Although it wasn't yet time for people to be walking around, even though they screamed and howled, not a single came running in. Those would could tell it was "that sort of thing", knew there was already a barrier around the abandoned factory that made people unconsciously keep their distance, and were scared. The would-be hunters became the hunted, and their escape paths were already blocked. The meaning of her earlier words of "eat or drink" were literal in meaning. It meant that those men were all going to be the transformed maids' dinner.
"What... What the!?"
One of the panicked men said that. In the next moment, a short maid who had a red cap instead of a hairband sliced his throat with a backhanded gripped knife, and his head dangled down at some impossible angle. The tiny maid shivered with an expression of ecstasy or pleasure, and without worrying about the drops making a stain at her feet, looked up for her next target.
If it was just a purely life-or-death exchange, then the men would have done so many times and would be used to it. But this mind ripping caused by this huge difference made them witless and fear took hold. Already, the men no longer had anything left that could let them fight.
"For people like you guys, corporate people who act unethically to get what they need, who use substitute things to curb their impulses, there are limits. For a gang of ruffians, criminals as you are, you are a very welcome sight. Causing harm to humans is bad, and for you guys who have sworn to protect that, the only thing for you to do is to become food."
And finally, the surrounding maids, who were gnawing at them from the outside, and would devour them from the inside, began to move.

"We, the Schtlehertz maids"
'Live for the mistress!'
"And for her, what are we"
'Her defense that strikes her enemies, a shield that acts as an absolute strongest sword!'
A cheer said in perfect unity. Col nodded in satisfaction and
"Very well! Tonight, our task is to save the mistress' beloved adopted sister by any means necessary!"
With that poignant declaration, she brought down her arm.
"Target in sight!! Blast off and strike!!!"
'Yes, ma'am!!!'
It was a merciless signal, announcing the beginning of the one-sided dance.

As the stars began to shine in the night sky, a small group of people who were going back home to their families, caught sight of a large number of dreadful looking maids, who were cleaning the lot of the abandoned factory, which had been neglected for a long time and had become a gathering place for bad guys.
Were these related to the group of maids who were seen that morning, was some rich whimsically using the maids, or were these individual volunteer maids? Regardless, by next morning, a rumor was circulating that they were volunteers who had cleaned up the trash at that facility. The unnamed community service left a deep impression on the people, and afterwards, there was a "Cleaning Day" established each month where the companies in the office town would clean up the city. At first, there were many who expressed their disapproval over it, but eventually the refreshing feeling from their work in cleaning the area became widespread, and the number of proactive participants increased.
After that, the sites were completely cleaned, and due to either their shame or their uncomfortableness, all the bad guys who went in there without permission stopped coming, and the story of "Cleaning Day" became widely known.
Of course, the people never considered that the destruction of one of these old ruined structure on the outskirts of town had something to do with these girls.

"How is it going Mifi, have you found any secret passages?"
"Ah, hold on head chamberlain, it should be right around here... Hmm, which one moves? Is it this end button?"
They were deep inside the abandoned factory, where there were no lights. With a battery powered flashlight, which was either brought by the men or left here on accident, in one hand, and relying on a man's information and the "voice" of a chair and desk that was left there, "A particular man did a particular action" was repeated, so Mifi opened up the rusted electrical switchboard and stared inside it. She tried sticking her hand in just as the "voice" instructed her, and on a board hidden by the wiring in the corner, she felt a small button with her fingers.
The 4 who were investigating the inside of the factory were Col, Pink-chan, Mifi and, wearing a cloak of invisibility from Elza's magical item collection, Cuey. Several of the other maids were left to keep watch outside, and the others had left to defend the mansion and to investigate other facilities. Col had wanted the full powered corps, but since was an infiltration of a facility rather than a battlefield, a large number would limit movement and be unfavorable. So it was decided that a small number of handpicked maids would be chosen for their infiltration abilities, and these members were the result. Two were selected for their extensive combat, Col, as a former mercenary and expert marksman, and Pink-chan as a melee specialist. Mifi, was chosen as support for being able to get information from non-living things to find Ran. Even ignoring the fact that Cuey was possibly being targeted by the shadow stalker, no matter what they said, she stubbornly insisted on coming along, and her incredible strength from her giant body and eyebeam could be a trump card in a pinch, so she was permitted to come by that excuse.
"...I see, even though there's tons of dust on the breaker, this button is dirty, but not dusty. I don't know how long it was working, but at the minimum, it's been pushed after the breaker stopped working."
Bringing the flashlight closer to it and looking, there were faint markings from the button's origin.
"Mifi-chan, I'll keep watch, so push the button. Cuey-chan, stand between me and Onee-sama. If there's an ambush, you won't be able to react, right?"
"Eh... I'm sorry..."
"All right, I'm pushing the button... And..."
The button gave more resistance than she thought, as she pushed it. And then they heard a dull latching sound beneath the floor, and the wall next to the switchboard opened up like a door. Unlike the concrete factory, the area in front of them was metal. There was a passageway with a short stairway and a low ceiling, and beyond that, was a small space that couldn't even be called a room. The space became even narrower and was enclosed by a lattice frame. Even with the flashlight on, the old yellowed bulb was unreliable, and they could only see what it directly shone upon.
"So there was a secret passage."
With her hush puppy, Col cautiously stepped into the lattice frame. The plainly metal floor sank a little, and since it was a little unsteady, she checked to make sure that it was sturdy. Looking back, next to the lattice frame was a lever. The lever didn't fit this space at all, and although it was rusted, the gaudy ornament had an old numbered inscribed plate and parts with arrows pointing to the numbers. She could tell that on the other side of the lever was a short horizontal opening with a manual shutter. And then she saw something in the small gap between the wall and the lattice frame.
"A rail and a guide roller... It seems like this is an elevator. Though it must have been made a long time ago."
"Whoa... This looks like an artifact that would be worth a lot to a museum."
"It looks like the structure was repaired. Since it's been maintained, it's still alive."
Wow, said Pink-chan as she checked the rusted lattice. Col and Mifi visually compared the flashlight with the dirty light bulb in the elevator, and titled their head.
"Huh? Wait a minute, this factor shouldn't have any electricity, and the breaker hasn't been flipped. So, where is the electricity to run this elevator coming from?"
"Yes, I was wondering that as well. Aiina-sama, can you investigate where the electrical supply for this factory is coming from?"
'Electrical supply? ...Please wait a bit.'
From the radio, they heard the sounds of a mouse moving and the frantic typing on a keyboard, and the banter of other maids. After a little while, there was a faint electrical ding.
'...According to the records, the factory stopped being supplied at the same time it closed. I checked with the ones on guard duty, but the meter on the side of the factory isn't working at all. Even if it's stealing electricity from somewhere nearby, the amount of electricity required to run an elevator would cause them to be found out right away, so I do not believe that is feasible. And naturally, electricity is required so that the elevator can work... I think that the correct answer is that there is a power generator. But still, it is strange...'
"...What do you mean by strange?"
'As an underground research facility, having a hidden entrance to a hidden passage, and providing its own electricity means that it's cut off from the outside world. Since they're this thorough, the fact that I could obtain their research data through the internet, means that they have a network line to the outside world. If they didn't have it, then my program wouldn't have been able to get in, and they would be virtually perfectly isolated from the outside. So why didn't they do this? Did they have to have the data processed by someone outside? Or maybe there was some reason they had to transfer data to the outside?'
"Aiina-sama, please leave those questions for later. Saving the little mistress takes priority, and once we get inside, it might all be made clear."
Pink-chan stopped Aiina from going into thinking mode. If headquarters was busy thinking about something else, they would ignore the current situation, and their real time cooperation would be delayed, and it would ruin everything.
Col, relieved that Aiina was focusing on them now, stomped on the elevator floor. There was creaking, but it didn't give, and the floorboards didn't seem suspect, and they were surprisingly solid.
"It's been maintained, so it looks like we can use it. I don't see any other stairs, and it doesn't look like there's any other way down. The problem is... it looks like 4 people can ride it, but maybe not "all" of us."
As they realized what Col's last part meant, all of their gazes focused on one person. The ceiling of the path was low, only about 1 head taller than an average adult man. And for the large maid, Cuey, who was close to 3 meters in height, even the Schtlehertz mansion, which had higher ceilings than an average building, her head would be scraping the ceiling. So the ceiling of the passage at the height of her back, and there was no easy way for her to squeeze through. Her face twitched with vexation as everyone gazed at her. And naturally, the elevator's ceiling was made to be the same height as the passage. Also, although she was timid, her weight/height was proportional to that of a snake. And if they exceeded the maximum weight, it would be obvious what would happen.
Col moved in front of the lever, and Mifi and Pink-chan got on. Cuey tried to forcibly squeeze her way into the space for her and put her hands on the roof. There was a sudden heavy creak, but it looked like it would support the weight of all 4 people (including the abnormal one).
"...I pray that it doesn't break midway down."
"Why is everyone looking away from me!? Look at me directly and say it!"
"H, hey Cuey, don't get violent... I'm terrible at free falling..."
"Whoa! If you can transform into a human form, then you should transform to be shorter!!"
"Cuey, don't thrash around. We're going down..."
She closed the gate and pulled the lever. With a clang and a slight shake, the elevator slowly started to descend, somehow creating a feeling of uneasiness.
'...If you were worried about the weight limit, you should have split up into two trips? I guess it's too late for me to say that.'
"I wish you had said something sooner, Aiina-sama..."
As they had that conversation, they felt the atmosphere gradually get colder, and each of them looked to the side. Through the gaps of the lattice, they stared at the wall sliding upwards, and finally the metal walls were replaced by dirty stone walls.
"Now we've made it to the underground facility. The elevator may stop at any time, so be prepared."
Saying that, Col gripped her gun and Pink-chan held up the hem of her skirt where she always has her knives. To get out of their way, Cuey tried as hard as she could to make as large of a space for at the entrance and get ready for melee combat.
(We're progressing nicely here. I wonder how the mistress is doing right now. I'm worried... About him.)
As she tried to get out of the way like Cuey, Mifi flattened herself against the lattice in a corner, and thought that.