After My House Burned Down, My Life Became Meaningless, so I Bought a Dark Elf S*ave With the Little Money I Had Left - Chapter 26
Chapter 26 – The Strange Mansion
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The child—Madi—has been kidnapped.
Cecil was the first to react to the situation.
“—We have to help! I can’t just stand by!”
Although it was a stranger’s child to her, Cecil didn’t hesitate to sprint. It seems she’s the type driven by righteous indignation.
Meanwhile, I hesitated for a moment. But I couldn’t ignore it, and before I knew it, I was running too.
The kidnapped child—Madi—might be someone with whom I’d even had a slight connection before. I must admit, my own personality can be rather troublesome.
“…Will you help me?”
“For now, yes.”
“You really live up to your gentle impression… And you seem pretty capable too. Not bad for a guy!”
Cecil chuckled.
I felt slightly mocked. But now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
We ran. And then—just when it seemed we were about to catch up—the thug boarded a small boat that was moored nearby and hurriedly set it in motion.
“Damn it, we were so close…”
I couldn’t help but click my tongue. At this rate, we won’t catch up. Watching as the boat gradually drifted farther away, irritation began to build inside me.
After what felt like mere seconds—though it stretched on for several minutes—Cecil nonchalantly came up with a solution. She spotted several small boats, similar to the one the thug was on, a little ahead. With a burst of energy, Cecil leaped onto one of them.
“Hop on!”
This way, we could definitely catch up. However… even in an emergency, that’s someone else’s boat.
“That’s someone else’s boat, isn’t it? Is it okay if I just hop on?”
“If it breaks, I’ll cover the cost, so don’t worry!”
Apparently, if any problems arise, Cecil will handle it.
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We rowed for a while. Then, we saw the thug’s boat entering a small cove along the rocky shore. We moored our boat to a nearby rock and decided to hide while observing the situation. They seemed to be on high alert too… constantly scanning the surroundings.
“Even so, that guy is clearly odd—maybe he’s part of a pirate crew or something?”
“I’m not sure about that. But it looks like a hideout, and there seem to be more than just one or two of them.”
While we were talking, the thugs disappeared among the trees. Now’s our chance. We repositioned our boat inside the cove.
“…Well, whatever! Now, let’s give them a real 【BANG-BANG】!”
“Let’s proceed safely and securely. We never know what might come out.”
“Don’t worry! I’m strong! And onii-chan, you’re pretty strong too! There’s no way we’ll lose!”
Where does that confidence even come from? Well, it’s true you’re stronger than I am. Thinking that, I made sure to secure the boat so we wouldn’t end up without one when it was time to head back. Sure, if push came to shove I could use the thug’s boat… but I’d prefer to go back in the one we’re in now. After all, it’s someone else’s boat… Even though Cecil says she’ll take responsibility if something happens, the owner would definitely want it returned just as it is.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, I thought I saw a small boat on the horizon.
Maybe a fisherman or something is patrolling around here.
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Somehow, Cecil just doesn’t seem to be thinking things through. She’s darting around aimlessly, going this way and that without any clear plan. Since I had no choice, I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.
“—Gweh! O-onii-chan, what are you doing!”
“Moving about recklessly won’t get us anywhere. Look, see that.”
I pointed to the trampled vegetation. The soil, still wet, indicated that someone had just passed through.
“…Y-You noticed that?”
“I see. Sorry about that.”
“Ah, you don’t need to apologize…”
Not wanting to start any unnecessary quarrels, we continued on, carefully following the footprints among the rustling vegetation.
Suddenly, I noticed a shadow in the sunlight. Looking up, I saw that the sky—once perfect for a nap—was beginning to cloud over. Because of that, I couldn’t shake the feeling of a chill. Still, I had no intention of turning back over something like that.
As we went further, we suddenly emerged into an open area. Before us stood a large brick mansion. I supposed Madi had been taken inside.
“This is it…”
“I have a feeling there are a lot of thugs inside…”
“We should just cut them all—【BANG-BANG】!”
Cecil sneezed. Perhaps it was due to the increasing chill?
“I hope you don’t catch a cold…”
“So cold…”
Muttering that, Cecil clicked her teeth lightly. Then, raindrops began to fall softly to the ground. Gradually, the drizzle turned into a downpour—GAGAAN! A lightning bolt struck somewhere.
Suddenly, the mansion in front of me looked eerie…
