Chapter 20
Perhaps he was a figure who had newly risen to prominence while he was away studying in the Kingdom of Briwood.
Theodore, staring at the newspaper with a dissatisfied expression, flipped to the next page.
[Unidentified Monsters Sighted Across the Country… Police Authorities Claim “Verifying Facts"]
It seemed to be another one of those monster commotions.
“Why are there so many of these incidents lately?”
Last year, the Westmore urban legend incident occurred, and about three months ago, a large-scale funeral was held at the estate of Marquis KC. Furthermore, the cause was revealed to have been an infectious disease.
Due to the risk of the plague spreading, Marquis KC’s estate was immediately cordoned off.
One would expect the gates to open at least once for the supply of food, but the doors to the blockaded mansion had remained shut to this day.
It was as if they had anticipated this would happen and prepared in advance.
Theodore questioned Elderson as if posing a riddle.
“You know whose man Marquis KC is, don’t you?”
“He is the right hand of the Duke of Lancaster.”
“And the Duke of Lancaster?”
“He belongs to Prince Lloyd, Your Highness.”
“Exactly. That’s it. There’s no way those two would have stayed quiet regarding Marquis KC’s affairs. There is something going on.”
Theodore stroked his chin, lost in deep thought.
The plague and the monsters. And Marquis KC, the Duke of Lancaster, and Prince Lloyd, who were all entangled in it. Could it be that none of this was connected?
Theodore pointed to the article about the monster commotion in the newspaper and asked Elderson.
“Is this related to the incident at Notium Street No. 61 as well?”
“Yes. It appears to be the same kind of disturbance.”
Theodore rested his chin on the back of his interlaced hands with an intrigued expression. Once again, he questioned Elderson as if testing him.
“I heard a monster’s corpse was found at Notium Street No. 61. Elderson, do you know who hushed up and covered up that incident?”
To Theodore’s question, Elderson answered confidently this time.
“It was the Duke of Lancaster.”
Right, Lancaster. No matter how much he thought about it, it felt suspicious.
Unlike himself, who lacked power, Prince Lloyd was backed by Lancaster and threatened Theodore’s position at every turn.
Theodore let out a sigh, pulled out a fountain pen, and scribbled his signature on a document.
“Investigate the monster sightings in detail. Secure witness statements, and from now on, conduct a full-scale investigation into any commotion related to monsters without letting even the smallest detail slip by. Tell the Police Commissioner I want to see him.”
“Understood.”
“And make sure to find out why Eden and Knox went down to Brunel!”
Theodore exhorted Elderson once more, just in case.
“Yes! Of course!”
Elderson answered vigorously, but Theodore felt inexplicably uneasy. He watched Elderson with a dissatisfied face until the aide bowed and withdrew.
He felt he should either hire a new assistant or look into things himself.
The medical center located in the main street of Brunel Village.
“Mr. Rudfercher, how long are you planning to stay in Brunel before you leave?”
“Why are you curious about that? Are you interested in me?”
“Yes.”
Knox recalled the words Cherry had said to him just yesterday. She had answered without a moment’s hesitation when he asked if she was interested in him.
Of course, Knox knew well enough that her words didn’t imply romantic interest.
He had come all the way to this backwater out of curiosity about the monsters, but an unexpected new source of entertainment had appeared.
Had he not discovered that Eden was also interested in Cherry Sinclair?
‘So, what is the relationship between the two of them?’
Cherry was a gossip girl of high society who loved luxury. On top of that, she was a member of the bourgeoisie who yearned for aristocratic status.
On the other hand, Eden was a man who loathed the pretentious social circles and extravagance. Moreover, he was a noble who wanted to abolish every single aristocratic custom.
For those two to meet. Was there ever a more mismatched pair? It was a combination he had never even imagined. To that extent, they were people who lived in opposite worlds.
If the people in high society found out about this, it would be news they’d chew over not just for days, but for months.
Did Eden know as well? That the woman who appeared at Notium Street No. 61 that day and then vanished without a trace was Cherry Sinclair.
Knox hummed a tune in high spirits.
It was fun. Cherry Sinclair was a stranger and funnier woman than Knox had originally thought.
“My goodness, isn’t that the lady from the haunted house over there?”
Just then, the innkeeper who was receiving treatment from Knox pointed outside the medical center. Through the wide-open door, a flash of brilliant red hair was visible. It was Cherry Sinclair.
She was passing by, lightly pulling a cart loaded with weapons like axes, swords, and crossbows. It looked as if she had raided the village weapon shop.
“Was it the weapon shop this time?”
“Oh dear, I wonder if she’ll stop by our bookstore.”
At the innkeeper’s words, the bookstore owner looked at Cherry with a face full of regret.
“But that young lady is quite strong.”
“I’ll say. Isn’t that heavy?”
“Seeing things like that, she’s certainly no noble. Haven’t they said that noble ladies are all so weak they look like they haven’t eaten a thing?”
“Oh, come on. How could that lady from the haunted house be a noble? She doesn’t even use a maid and fixes up the mansion herself, doesn’t she?”
‘Well, Cherry Sinclair isn’t exactly a noble.’
However, she was someone who had lived a life more precious than most aristocrats, so it was a bit ambiguous.
The villagers’ gossip further piqued Knox’s interest. Hearing stories about Cherry from their perspective was incredibly entertaining.
He also knew from seeing Cherry’s mansion yesterday. As the villagers said, that house was indeed closer to a ‘haunted house.’
Even if she was working hard on repairs, it was definitely not a place where the heiress of the Sinclair family, Cherry Sinclair, should be staying.
Then, a man in a police uniform appeared from somewhere. Even from a distance, it was clearly Eden. Eden approached Cherry and struck up a conversation.
With his chin resting on his hand, Knox watched the two of them exchange words. He was so curious about what they were discussing that he had to suppress the urge to run out of the medical center immediately.
The villagers who were watching the two alongside Knox began to whisper.
“It really looks like that police lad likes the haunted house lady, doesn’t it?”
“I’m telling you, he’s been following her around like a shadow! He doesn’t take his eyes off her for a second.”
“Whenever that lady comes down to the village, he goes around asking everything she did and what she said. There’s no obsession like it. I don’t know if a policeman should be acting like that.”
Right. It seemed Knox wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Knox reflected on Eden’s personality once more. Once Eden latched onto something, he had a side to him that clung on with the tenacity of a mad dog.
‘Now that I think about it, he might be staying here and digging around because of some suspicion.’
If he was linking Cherry Sinclair to the incident at Notium Street No. 61, that is.
‘Transferred to the Brunel Police Station? Don’t make me laugh.’
If Eden had his sights set on Cherry, it was clear he had volunteered for the Brunel station after finding out she was here.
Knox, lost in deep thought, stood up from his seat. The villagers all turned to look at him.
“Now, everyone. I’m going to end today’s consultations a little early.”
The villagers voiced their disappointment.
However, Knox left the medical center with a playful smile, casually leaving word that he would see them again tomorrow.
Time remaining until the end of the world: 15 days.
Today is the day Susanna is scheduled to arrive.
Of course, there was plenty to do even before Susanna arrived.
First, I bought every single weapon available at the village weapon shop. Naturally, this did not include firearms. Since they were illegal to begin with, the weapon shop didn’t sell them.
‘Is Harrison really going to bring guns? It would be great if I could at least get through to him on the phone.’
I walked along, thinking I should try to call Harrison again today. All while pulling a cart full of weapons.
Just then, I felt a flurry of gazes and glanced to the side, seeing the villagers gathered at the medical center. And Knox sitting among them.
Not long after arriving in the village, Knox had completely captured the hearts of the locals. Part of it was because he was a doctor, but his handsome looks and easygoing charm made him especially popular with the older women.
‘Well, he was a second male lead who was just as charming as the main lead, Crown Prince Theodore.’
Eden was the female lead’s brother, so he was excluded from the male lead candidates—an outlier.
Then, Eden suddenly appeared out of thin air. He approached me as if it were the most natural thing in the world and spoke. Where on earth did he come from?
“Miss Cherry, what is all this?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? They’re weapons. Oh, but there are no firearms, so don’t worry. I thought I might need things like this since I live alone.”
“This doesn’t look like an amount for one person to use?”
Eden looked at me with a bewildered expression. His lips twitched as if he had many questions, but he swallowed his words.
He probably wanted to ask what on earth I intended to do with so many weapons.
Pretending not to notice, I bid Eden farewell.
“I’ll be on my way now. Good luck with your work.”
Adios.
I gave a fresh greeting by touching my finger to my forehead and pulling it away, but as I turned around, Eden caught me.
