My Beloved Dog is the Strongest in Another World

Liza was under suspicion

“While I said that it was during these past few days… It is a little awkward to say, but…”

Sebastian paused after saying that much.
He liked to explain things so much, so what could cause him to stop…

“Well…it started to happen right after Lady Liza arrived in the mansion. And has continued every day since.”
“You are suggesting that it was Liza?”
“Indeed. It is not the doing of the servants, and there is no reason for Lady Claire or the others to do it. They only need to ask if they are hungry.”
“…That’s true.”

As the servants were in the mansion even during the night, food could be prepared if it was needed.
There was no reason to enter the kitchen without telling anyone.
Sebastian managed the servants and was certain that they were not the ones eating the food.
If that was the case, then it would be easy to be suspicious of Liza.

And according to Sebastian, it had started with her arrival.
Besides, Liza wasn’t completely comfortable here yet, so she likely wouldn’t be asking the servants for food if she was hungry.
I think the reason that Ms. Helena looked so uncomfortable was because she didn’t want to tell me this.

“Still, Leo or I would have noticed it. After all, she sleeps in the same room.”
“Indeed. I am merely stating that due to the circumstances, it seems suspicious. But no one actually believes it. After all, you would have noticed it.”

On one hand, I had not noticed when Liza left the bed to sleep with Leo. So it wasn’t a convincing argument. But Leo was a different matter.
It had been like this in the forest as well. Even when asleep, she was sensitive to movement around her, and noticed the arrival of the orcs before anyone else.
So even if Leo was more relaxed because it was safe in the mansion, she would surely notice it if someone in the same room as her had left.
Sebastian and Ms. Helena understood this as well, and so they were not convinced that Liza was the culprit.

“…Still, there is one thing that is puzzling.”
“What is that?”

Ms. Helena said suddenly with a troubled expression.
What could it be? Did it connect to Liza?

“As food was being stolen, the other cooks and servants and I were watching the kitchens carefully. To see if someone would come in. We even asked Philip and the guards to cooperate.”
“And in spite of such strict security, the food continued to be stolen?”
“Yes. No matter what we did, we could not find anyone. And before we knew it, the food was gone…”

Ms. Helena, the maids and butlers were not professionals, and so it might not be too hard to escape their notice.
However, it should be much harder to invade the house without the guards noticing.
And yet whatever this was, it had succeeded in getting into the kitchens and eating without being caught. What could that mean…

“…What if it is an invisible monster?”
“Monsters that are normally invisible do exist, but… I have never heard of them being near this place.”

So they did exist…
Well, they apparently didn’t live in this area. Also, it would still be strange for them to go through all of this trouble for some food.
Besides, no one had been attacked.

“Are there any other clues as to who it could be?”
“Well…we did find some fur at the scene of the food crime.”
“Fur?”
“Yes. Not human hair. It looks like fur from some animal…”
“And that’s what made Liza a prime suspect?”
“Indeed. When it was discovered, it had been trampled on so it turned black. But it must be from some beast or monster.”

So if it wasn’t a monster, then the only thing left was a beast.
Which meant Leo, Sherry or Liza.
But Leo was so big that it would be impossible for her to go anywhere without anyone noticing.
Sherry should be with Ms. Claire during the night, and since they could communicate, she could ask when she wanted food.

So that left Liza.
While Liza had hair like a human, she had ears and a tail like a beast.

Hmm… The circumstantial evidence does point to Liza…
But as I said earlier, there was no way that Leo wouldn’t notice. And Leo would not have allowed it.
Because I had scolded her about eating things without permission in the past…

“Well, I do see how it would seem like it could only be Liza… Aside from the part where she could enter the kitchens without being noticed.”
“Yes. I do not know if she has such skills, but she is one suspect. Of course, I don’t think that she would do such a thing, especially with good Leo there. She also does not like to stray too far from you, Mr. Takumi. And so we came to consult you about it.”
“I see…”