Chapter 29 – Half-Human, Half-Demon –

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If possible.

I wanted to help Madi quietly.

Since I was already entangled in troublesome matters,
I didn’t want to invite additional danger in the process.

However—Madi is now at the mercy of the thugs’ boss on the other side of this room.

Our only option left is a full-frontal breakthrough.

Even so, I wanted to avoid a reckless charge.

After all, the boss here might be an overwhelmingly powerful opponent.

If we delay, more of his thug minions might gather.

I had to fight while considering Madi’s safety, and the enemy would likely be aware of that.

Taking on a large number without caution is far easier than this, so the difficulty rises considerably.

After a moment’s thought, I presented a proposal to Cecil.

“…Let’s divide our roles.”

“What, all of a sudden? Divide our roles?”

“Once we’re inside, I want you, Cecil, to take Madi and get out ahead.”

“…Huh?”

“If we launch a suicidal attack, it will undoubtedly cause a commotion. In other words, even the thugs we’ve been avoiding will be drawn in, albeit unwillingly. And if the boss is truly strong, any delay will bring more of them. Exterminating them while protecting Madi might be too difficult if it’s just the two of us.”

“…So, does that mean you’re going to be the decoy, onii-san?”

“That’s about it, I suppose.”

“What are you saying? If someone’s going to be the decoy, I’m stronger—so I should—”

“—Actually, it’s the opposite. Protecting someone… especially a child like Madi—demands real strength.”

As I said that, Cecil fell silent.

It seemed she understood what I was trying to convey, though her expression still held a trace of uncertainty.

In the end, though, she nodded.

“Understood. …But you mean this is only if things drag on, right?”

“Yeah. If we can get in quickly, we’ll reclaim and be out of there in no time. And even if someone ends up acting as a decoy, we’ll wrap things up at a convenient break. So, get the ship ready so we can set sail immediately.”

We each took note of the plan.

Then, we finally decided to launch our assault.

A little snake hidden in my clothes let out a soft “gii” sound.

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Though it maintained a humanoid shape resembling that of a woman, its lower abdomen had swollen to a size reminiscent of a bee.

Black, striped lines ran all over its body, and on its face were glossy, stone-like eyes—almost as if they were the compound eyes of a winged insect.

It was using its large, mouth-like, open lower abdomen to engulf Madi’s lower half.

“I love a lively boy! Come on, come on!”

“Ugh, ah, ah…!! Stop, stop it!!”

We were rendered speechless by this sight.

It’s a monster.

A humanoid monster that appeared to be preying on a human child.

I suddenly recalled the words of one of the thugs I overheard when I was in the barrel.

—He’s half no longer human… scary.

Taking those words at face value, it would mean that this creature before me is half human and half monster.

I couldn’t comprehend it.

But one thing was clear: this was a formidable opponent.

I cast a glance at Cecil.

“…No need to give me that look, onii-san. I know this is going to be a long ordeal.”

“Yeah.”

I never imagined such a creature existed… yet I had Cecil reconfirm our plan.

“Oh…?”

The female-form bee monster seemed to have noticed us.

It slowly turned to face us.

Creepy.

“…What’s up? Who the hell might you be?”

“Sorry, but I’d like you to give back that item.”

“You sure come in out of the blue with outrageous demands. This thing, you see, tried to steal my precious merchandise. So I want compensation for the pain it caused my heart.”

“I don’t get it. What exactly did it steal in the first place?”

“…This medicine.”

The female-form bee monster delicately held up a transparent pouch filled with black powder for me to see.

So it tried to steal that, huh… Now that I think about it, wasn’t its father sick?

“I see…”

“It’s expensive… this medicine. They say it cures every disease. If you were to buy it properly, Rob wouldn’t pay less than fifty million.”

“That’s incredible… But it doesn’t look like you got it by proper means either, does it?”

“Ha! That’s certainly true. I hijacked it from a merchant ship—just as it was there.”

So these guys are pirates. And on top of that, their boss is half-demon.

“Anyway, having been treated so rudely, my anger is about to boil over. …I won’t forgive you!!”

At the same time the female-form bee monster exuded an overwhelming aura, a sword flash streaked by.

Fast.

It was Cecil’s strike.

However, a strangely metallic sound rang out.
Looking closely, it seemed that Cecil’s strike hadn’t cut through.

“Damn…”

“You little brat…!”

The female-form bee monster now directed her attention toward Cecil.

The battle had already begun.

Now it was my turn to show off my spear skills.
I twirled my spear ferociously, and with that momentum, I managed to knock the female-form bee monster away.

“—Now it’s your turn, huh!”

Thwack—like striking metal.
This is indeed hard…
But I had succeeded in sending her flying.

The female-form bee monster crashed forcefully into the wall.
With a clattering sound, the mansion trembled.

I couldn’t feel any clearly inflicted damage.
However, I managed to pull her away from Madi.

“Cecil!”

“I got it!”

Cecil swiftly scooped up a groaning Madi—and even picked up the medicine that had fallen on the floor.

“I don’t fully understand, but this is necessary for that kid, isn’t it?! I’m taking it too!”

She’s quite a resourceful girl.
Maybe I should reconsider calling her one-dimensional.

“Kill, kill, kill, kill! I’ll kill you all! Aaaaah, you took my precious toy! And the medicine too! You bastards! I’m gonna get you, I’m gonna get you!!”

The female-form bee monster screamed.

Then, a horde of thugs began to gather.

“Y-yes, Boss!”

“What are you waiting for! Besides that man, there’s a runaway little girl! Grab some of you, chase after her, and drag her back!”

“U-Understood!”

“Tch…”

Cecil’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
But I’m sure she’ll be fine.
If it’s her, she’ll handle it well.

By the way…
In addition to the thugs chasing after Cecil, there were, of course, many others still here.

This bizarrely hard creature—half human, half demon—and a number of thugs…
It means I have to take care of these guys.

Even if I manage to end things on a high note, this is going to be exhausting…