Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Backstreet Mad Dog (2)
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Half-Demon Cloe
One of the humanoid bosses existing in Rilteia, and one of the natural predators for all mage-class jobs.
Chloe's unique trait 'Half-Demon', which inflicted only 50% damage from magic-based attacks, combined with her signature lightning-fast attack speed and ferocious aggression, was more than enough to plunge countless mage users into terror.
"..Chloe.. right..?"
Of course, I was one of those tormented mage users.
The overpowered performance of the Half-Demon trait made it a nightmare to take down, even for veteran players.
If someone asked me to name one of the trickiest bosses in Rilteia, I could answer without hesitation: Half-Demon Cloe.
"..?"
But was this girl standing before me really that Chloe?
According to the in-game lore, Chloe was an experimental creation of a black mage who'd stirred up major incidents across the continent. She wasn't the type to scrape by pickpocketing in some dingy back alley.
'But...'
She looked too much alike.
The face of Half-Demon Chloe, whom I'd faced time and again in-game, matched the subdued pickpocket girl's features perfectly. Anyone would swear they were the same person.
[...On]
Why was Chloe in a place like this? Could it be a time before she became a boss?
[...Sion-]
Did that mean, before she became an experimental subject, Chloe had lived like this? Then what about the achievement for slaying 'Half-Demon Chloe'?
[Sion!]
Did that mean I had to... kill this kid?
[Sion! What are you doing?! You planning to just let her go?!]
"Ah."
When I snapped out of it, the pickpocket had already snapped the chains and bolted.
"Sorry, Lily. I was just... lost in thought for a second."
[What kind of thoughts could make you zone out like that... Anyway, that little brat's got some real skill. Even if you went easy, shrugging off your bind magic entirely?]
Even if I'd been distracted, the Bind spell I'd used to hold Chloe wasn't something she could've escaped easily.
It was simply her 'Half-Demon' trait repelling my mana, causing the bind to break sooner than anticipated.
"My bad this time... Yeah... Honestly, I didn't think the bind would snap that quick."
This was blatantly my screw-up for underestimating the Half-Demon trait.
"Guess my instincts are getting rusty..."
[Well, yeah. Ever since taking down the Demon King, you've just been lounging around stuffing your face.]
"Li-Lily..."
[So, what's the plan?]
"Huh..?"
[You gonna let her slip away? You've definitely got a backup ready.]
"Um... Well, yeah..."
The real reason I could afford to banter so casually with Lily was simple: if I really wanted to, tracking Chloe was child's play.
As a mage, one of my signature tricks was leveraging my dual cores to cast two spells at once.
When I'd fired off Bind earlier, I'd layered a Trace spell on top. Chloe's position was feeding back to me in real-time.
The only reason I wasn't chasing her down right this instant—
[Then why aren't you tracking her now? Didn't you say completing more commissions sooner helps with your assignment?]
"Just... give me a minute to think..."
[...Huh?]
I needed time to sort out my thoughts.
Freedom Finally Arrives
🎯 Condition: Defeat Half-Demon Cloe
...
While Sion was deep in thought, Chloe—who'd wriggled free of the Bind—raced toward her hideout.
Forcing her way out had drained most of her stamina. Even with her breath ragged and vision blurring, she couldn't afford to stop, not with potential pursuers on her tail.
'What the hell was that girl...!'
Staffless instant casting at super-high speed—no way a powerhouse like that belonged in some rural town.
Probably a mercenary hired by the nobles to catch her.
No matter how pissed they were, Chloe never imagined they'd shell out for top-tier talent just to nab a petty thief like her.
'I misjudged them. Those pigs live and die by their pride...!'
Unlike merchants who staked even their lives on profit and loss, nobles prized their honor and status above all.
Splurging extra coin to snag someone who'd tarnished that honor? In hindsight, it made perfect sense.
'No way they'll chase me this far.'
Chloe had half-accepted her fate, but the opponent's unexpected slip-up let her flee this far.
This was the slums of Prifre Castle—practically her hometown, where she'd been born and raised.
A rock-bottom hive where the absolute dregs of Prifre scraped by, fretting not tomorrow but today's meal.
'Gotta treat these wounds first...'
No matter how friendly the locals were to Chloe, lingering on slum streets in this state was asking for trouble.
Knowing that better than anyone, she hurried to the home of someone who could help.
-Knock knock
"Who's— Cloe?! Oh my god, what happened to you?"
The woman who answered paled at the sight of Chloe's battered, exhausted form and rushed over.
"Me-Mephi Auntie..."
The woman was Mephi, whom Chloe had helped out countless times before.
Mephi wasn't the only one; the slums were full of folks Chloe had aided big and small.
She funneled most of her pickpocketing gains into helping her neighbors, letting Mephi and the rest hang on a day longer.
"...I'll explain... ugh... later, Auntie. For now... just... let me in..."
Right now, tending her wounds took priority over everything.
Anyone strong enough to overpower her that easily might track her here any moment.
"O-Of course... come on in."
With Mephi's support, Chloe shuffled into the rundown shack.
"By the way, Auntie, where are the kids?"
Mephi had three children: a trio of adorable, mischief-making brothers.
Rearing three in the slums on her own—when scraping by solo was hard enough—was near impossible. Chloe went out of her way to look after Mephi's family.
She loved kids, and pitied Mephi's plight.
"...Huh? Oh, they're all out playing."
Chloe felt a chill of unease.
The kids, usually half-confined indoors for safety, were out playing today?
The merchant guards she'd robbed earlier had suddenly dropped pursuit.
And above all, Mephi—who could never lie well—was avoiding her eyes.
"..No way, right?"
The key to Chloe's survival thus far wasn't her Half-Demon trait or nimble moves—it was her razor-sharp instincts.
"I'm... I'm so sorry, Chloe..."
But this time, even those instincts couldn't save her.
"Haha..."
In an instant, a sack dropped over Chloe's head. On the verge of blackout, she couldn't muster any resistance.
"I'm really... so sorry..."
Mephi's apology bordered on a wail.
Those were the last words Chloe heard before passing out.
...
Where the hell am I?
Where are they taking me?
Not that I need to wonder.
I'm dead meat anyway.
Still, if you're gonna haul me in a sack, could you at least not jostle it so much?
My head's already throbbing—gonna puke for real.
If I hurl in here... Ugh, can't even imagine.
"..What the—"
"Sh-shit..!"
Some muffled voices outside, but they barely registered.
All I could hope for was a quick end to it all—
-Thud!
"Guh..."
Ow, fuck...
These bastards—if you're gonna drop me, at least set me down gently...!
They legit just chucked me down.
-Rustle
The sack's mouth opening—delivery complete, I guess.
So, who's the genius who nabbed me?
Probably that merchant from this morning, or one of the folks I'd screwed over before.
But the figure before her was someone Chloe never saw coming.
"...You okay?"
There stood the girl.
The one from earlier, who'd cornered her—the girl with eyes like a starry night sky.
...
Chloe, stuffed casually into the sack, wasn't a pretty sight.
Forcing free of the Bind had left scrapes everywhere; her hair was a tangled mess.
"You..!"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just saved you—for now."
Locking eyes with me, Chloe bristled like she thought I was her kidnapper.
But spotting the two sprawled guys nearby, she seemed to buy my words.
"..Why? You planning to... take me... ugh..."
"Haven't decided what to do with you yet."
But I couldn't just let Chloe live.
I had to kill her.
To go home.
Freedom Finally Arrives
🎯 Condition: Defeat Half-Demon Cloe
Completing 100% of all achievements.
That was the ticket home—and it required killing Chloe with my own hands.
"Hey... one last... favor... can you... do it for me?"
"..."
"The slums... lots of folks need... help... Mephi..."
But was that really right?
"She's got... kids... if I'm gone... they'll starve..."
She's just a game character. She'll become a boss who slaughters countless lives someday, so nipping it in the bud benefits the world.
"Please... help..."
Is killing her with that justification the right call?
This girl who hasn't committed any sins yet?
"Haa... why are you putting me in this spot..."
Kill an innocent to return to reality, or spare her and abandon going home.
Either/or.
"How about a deal?"
"..?"
After agonizing, I made my choice.
"I'll help rescue you and the slum dwellers."
Not either side.
"But when I want, I'll claim your life."
Just kicking the can down the road—a spineless deferral.
"What do you say?"
I extended my hand.
A cheap pity offer to salve my flimsy guilt.
"..That's... one hell of a deal..."
But she grinned and took it.
The moment our hands touched—
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[Boss Monster: Calculation deems Half-Demon Cloe's birth impossible]
[Related achievements will be automatically deleted.]
An anomaly occurred.
'What?'
A red-tinted translucent window, similar yet different from when I'd felled the Demon King.
'Error..?'