Chapter 51

“I can tell you’re Cerulia’s master. For spite’s sake, you’re going to die.”

“But I have Mary with me! We won’t lose so easil—”

Suddenly, shimmering beams of light shot out from Halbald, hitting Mary and Lidia.

“Oh… why…? I’m starting to feel like I don’t want to go against that Incubus…”

“He’s totally gorgeous! I think I’m becoming a fangirl!”

Wait, what happened to you two?! Your eyes are literally turning into hearts…

“Once that Charm magic I cast on Cerulia is used, I can use it several more times on other women until it runs dry. Its power drops each time, but if I can neutralize them for thirty seconds, that’s more than enough time to kill you, isn’t it?”

Then I’m really in a life-or-death situation!

“It’s a shame. You called those adorable mini-demons, so it’s a waste to kill you. If only you were a young girl between the ages of ten and twelve, I would have paid for your entire college education and actively provided career guidance to get you into a top company. But since you’re a human man, I cannot forgive you.”

“You really are a pathetic piece of work!”

“Enough talk!”

Muttering an incantation, Halbald began drawing a magic circle on the ground with his foot. Do I even have any magic that can beat a high-ranking demon…?

“Now, die!”

A sphere of black energy was fired straight at me.

Ah, this is it. I’m dead…

However, a light enveloped my body. There was no pain at all. Instead, I felt a sensation of being protected by a warm glow.

What on earth is happening?

The light was emanating from my feet. Then, it suddenly clicked.

“These are Farphistanya’s socks!”

Now that I thought about it, Senior did mention they increased defense. She meant magic defense! I really wish she had been more specific from the start… When someone says “socks with defense,” I just assume they’re thick enough to protect against the cold…

But I shouldn’t complain. I was saved because of them.

“Tch! A human is enduring my attack?!”

Halbald was panicking. According to him, the Charm magic wouldn’t last very long. Once Mary regained her senses, he would be the one in trouble. Personally, I had no intention of taking his life, though.

“Then I’ll just fire again and again until I break through your defense!”

Is he planning to just spam attacks out of desperation? I wondered if these socks worked multiple times…

Wait, didn’t I get something else besides the socks?

I pulled out the charm made of white bone—the one President Kelkel gave me. The President explicitly told me to use it if I was in a pinch. Well, I was definitely in a pinch.

I held the charm aloft. I hadn’t heard anything about an activation spell, but I had to believe it would work just like this!

“President, help me!”

Immediately, a black mist erupted from the charm. I heard the sound of many feet rushing toward us.

They were dogs—purple and black dogs with five tails each.

“Cerberuses?! How?! Who is this human?!”

Ah, right… When you think of President Kelkel, you think of Cerberus. These were his kin, summoned by the item to help. Come to think of it, the charm looked like a bone. And dogs love bones…

The Cerberuses—who looked nothing like the President and had incredibly ferocious faces—pounced on Halbald.

“Agh! Stop! I’m gonna die! Argh!”

The battle was over in a single second. Halbald was pinned down instantly, his fate sealed.

“Um, Mr. Cerberuses… please take it easy on him… it’ll be bad if you actually kill him…”

It had only been about ten seconds, but Halbald was already a wreck. Since Incubi wear revealing outfits to begin with, he was now basically exposed. As a man, I didn’t find the sight pleasant at all.

“Ugh… I can’t believe I actually got hit by a Charm… But it looks like it’s over.”

“Wait, this Incubus’s clothes are seriously messed up! I can see everything!”

It seemed the two of them had returned to their senses. Case closed.

One of the Cerberuses transformed into a human form with dog ears.

“We are honored to be of assistance to Senior Kelkel’s friend.”

Oh, so they can turn into humans…

●

Afterward, Halbald was made to sit in a formal kneeling position in a nearby field and explain everything.

“I’ve spent a long time dealing with wealthy wives in various regions… but I often had to listen to them complain about their husbands, and to be honest, I just got disillusioned and exhausted…”

I guess every profession has its hardships.

“So, I began to worship young girls who haven’t been ‘tainted’ like that. For the record, I would never dream of seducing a young girl! In fact, if a girl were to fall for my seduction, she would no longer be of interest to me.”

I see. Once a girl learns of romance, she’s out of his “strike zone.” He has a difficult personality, but I suppose he’s safe in a weird way.

“And then, my business in the Demon Realm started to struggle… so I thought if I married the daughter of the Orbein family, I could make ends meet…”

Lidia-san watched him with a cold, disgusted stare.

“If you tell my Dad that, he’s going to be livid. He only set up this meeting because he thought you were rich.”

Either that, or he’d be mad at me for interfering… I wondered if I could summon those Cerberuses again. If not, I felt like I really might be killed this time.

In the midst of my anxiety, Cerulia arrived. Her expression wasn’t one of joy at our reunion; rather, she looked anxious, as if she had read my mind.

“Master… Father says he wants you all to come to the manor.”

Mary seemed fine, but Lidia-san and I were trembling.

●

As it turned out, my fears were completely unfounded.

“Man, thanks, thanks! Thanks to you guys, Cerulia didn’t get stuck with some weirdo. You guys seriously made a fine play!”