Chapter 27 – The Mysterious Egg ―

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Because it was pouring rain, and we might have been in a hurry, Cecil boldly attempted to enter through the main entrance.
――I said, “Let’s not make a frontal assault on the entrance.”

I tried to calm things down.
I hadn’t noticed while we were making small talk in the carriage, but with such an abrupt ambush, Cecil seems to be rather one-minded.
Well, despite that, Cecil at least said “Understood” for now, so we managed to avoid a frontal breakthrough somehow.

Soaking wet, we wandered around the foreigners’ mansion.
Then, we happened to find a window that wasn’t locked.
Thinking it was just right, we infiltrated through it — and at that moment, I found myself inside a barrel.

Immediately after entering, I saw several empty barrels lined along the corridor.
We planned to slip into one of them and scope things out.

“…Hey, is it really necessary to go through all this trouble?”

“There’s no need to force a confrontation.”

“I think it would be solved if we just took them all out. These kidnappers aren’t exactly upstanding folks, so I reckon it’s safe to cut them down.”

Complaints came from Cecil in the barrel next to mine.
“It’s too dangerous. Rather than stirring up a brawl, it would be better to quietly retrieve everything and slip away.”

“But… no need to force a confrontation, huh? Vallen Grandpa always says that, but I just don’t get it.”

I just don’t get it, huh.
Judging by the situation, Vallen Grandpa must be having a hard time as well.
He surely can’t afford to be lost in thought.

Anyway, we decided to wait silently inside the barrel.
In the meantime, several thugs passed by along the corridor.

“What are we going to do with that kid?”

“That kid tried to steal our merchandise in town. He’s gotta pay for it. I plan on handing him over to the boss.”

“…I see. The boss loves little boys, after all. He’s half not even human, and downright terrifying.”

“Ha ha, I can’t wait to hear his crying and screaming echo.”

“You’ve got good taste. By the way, when are you gonna take him?”

“I’m taking him right now. Freshness is everything. …Boss, you’re in the bedroom, right?”

“I believe so. He doesn’t seem to have any special business today, and with the rain, it’s all the more fitting.”

“Then that’s good. Let’s not waste any time.”

It seems that Madi, having meddled with the thugs’ belongings, got abducted.
And now, to make him pay, he is apparently scheduled to be offered up to the thugs’ boss.
I wonder what will happen there?
It’s beyond my comprehension.
Judging from the metaphor that he’s half not even human, it seems that the boss hardly possesses a human heart.
I wish we could find him sooner.

(That kid was bound to do something reckless, though…)

I let out a quiet sigh in my heart.
Then, one of the thugs suddenly became suspicious of the barrel I was in.

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh…”

Well, I had a rough idea of the cause.
It was because a spear was protruding from the gap in the barrel.
It couldn’t be fully inserted.
Until now, the thugs passing through the corridor had mistaken it for part of the interior, but now someone had finally grown suspicious.
What should I do?

“Whose spear is this? Put it away properly!”
“Don’t touch it, don’t touch it. They’ll say it’s your fault for moving it on your own.”
“…That goes for you too.”

How lucky indeed—getting suspicious yet letting it slide.

As the thugs disappeared, the barrel with Cecil in it started to wriggle.

“…I think it’s clearly odd that a spear is sticking out like that. Could it be that onii-chan is really clueless?”

I know Cecil is lively and straightforward. However, she doesn’t seem to understand the art of tact. Perhaps I should give her a slight warning—though I’d rather not cause a fuss, so I’ll be gentle.

“Being spoken to like that really hurts. It’s good that you’re honest, Cecil, but try to consider other people’s feelings a bit, will you?”
“In short, I was well aware that I was pretty messed up myself.”

It seems my plea not to hit the nail on the head didn’t get through.

※※※※

While carefully avoiding the watchful eyes of the thugs in the mansion, we searched for Madi. However, we still couldn’t find him… and our anxiety only grew.

Then, by chance, we entered a room and discovered something mysterious. In that treasure-room-like space, we found a fist-sized, round object, carefully wrapped in cloth, that looked extremely precious. What could it be?

“An egg… maybe?”
Cecil murmured.
Now that she mentioned it, it did resemble some kind of egg. I poked it lightly, and it twitched for a moment.

“Hey, did it move?”
“It did move.”

Apparently, it is indeed some kind of egg, just as Cecil said.