Chapter 5
I swung my axe once more at the monster collapsed on the ground. Specifically, I aimed to crush its head.
Crunch—!
The blade of the axe embedded itself perfectly into the monster’s skull, and a thick green fluid splattered everywhere.
“Ha… ha…” I panted, looking down at the creature that now appeared truly dead.
Only after seeing this monster did the horrific situation I was facing—the fact that this was reality and not just a novel—vividly sink in.
‘I have to get down to Brunel Village immediately. I need to build a shelter right now.’
That resolution became absolute only after seeing the virus monster with my own eyes.
Fortunately, Aurora was so distracted by the monster that she hadn’t seen my face.
I turned my back so Aurora couldn’t see me. I quickly wiped the axe, slid it into its holster, and adjusted my robe to hide it.
Having finally come to her senses, Aurora approached me.
“Are you alright?”
She pulled back the hood of her robe and took my hand.
With beautiful silver hair cascading to her waist and mysterious purple eyes, she was a delicate beauty. She possessed an aura so captivating that one felt enchanted the moment their eyes met.
“Did you see the man who ran out of this house?”
“He fled that way,” Aurora said, pointing toward the end of the alley in response to my question. It seemed he had already vanished.
‘At least I saved him. That’s a relief.’
The plan was a success. I had obtained the Elpinus herb and killed the monster without any casualties. Now that the tension was breaking, I felt like I might burst into tears.
However, it was Aurora who shed tears first.
“Thank you for saving me, hic.”
Aurora must have been incredibly frightened; she held my hand and sobbed uncontrollably.
“I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened to me if you hadn’t been here. You’re my lifesaver.”
She wailed, refusing to let go of my hand.
I looked at her with a troubled expression. A few bystanders were beginning to gather. Although my face was hidden by both a low-hanging hood and a mask, I felt uneasy.
“Who’s there?”
Just then, a man’s low, disciplined voice rang out. A man was approaching from behind Aurora, a revolver gripped in his hand.
Even in the dark of night, his dazzling blond hair caught the eye. He had a firm set to his mouth, a sharp nose, and fiercely arched brows. The man’s blue eyes were as cold as a frozen lake.
‘Wow. He’s seriously handsome.’
With his shirt buttoned to the top and a crisp police uniform, I knew exactly who this sexy man was just by his presence.
It was none other than Eden, the heroine Aurora’s brother. Eden Duncan Lancaster.
‘Damn it, why is he showing up here?’
In the survival team Aurora formed in Love in a Ruined World, the most capable person wasn’t the main lead, Crown Prince Theodore, nor the sub-lead doctor Knox, nor the weapons expert Hose. It was Eden, the police officer.
Not only was he competent, but he was also a character who absolutely could not be allowed to die because he possessed the virus antibodies that could end the crisis.
Still, as long as he stayed by Aurora’s side, Eden wouldn’t die. At least, that’s how it went in the novel I read. He was essentially Aurora’s right-hand man.
In the meantime, Eden seemed to realize the woman holding my hand was Aurora.
“Aurora? What are you doing here at this hour?”
Eden asked her urgently. He didn’t spare me a single glance, as if no one else mattered.
“Brother, what are you doing here?”
“I was on patrol. A report came in.”
As he answered, Eden scanned the surroundings and discovered the broken gate and the dead monster lying before it. Click. He aimed his loaded gun at the creature.
“Shit, what the hell is this?”
Only then did Aurora remember the monster she had momentarily forgotten. Shuddering, she stepped back. Of course, since she was still holding my hand, I was forced to move back with her.
‘Please let go of me, heroine!’
Now that Eden had appeared, he would take care of the fallen monster’s remains. He was a policeman, after all.
I had to get out of here before Eden and Aurora figured out who I was. If I said anything and they took notice of me—or worse, realized I was Cherry Sinclair—it would be a disaster. That was why I had been trying to avoid doing anything conspicuous, but…
“This person saved my life.”
Regardless of my wishes, Aurora made sure to imprint my existence on Eden once again. Eden’s gaze shifted directly to me.
“……Are you the one who turned this beast into this?”
He questioned me. It was a monster, not a beast, but I simply nodded without a word. At that, Eden politely thanked me and requested my identity.
“First, thank you for saving my sister’s life. I’d like to offer a reward, so if you could show your face……”
“Kyaaaak!”
Whether it was lucky or not, Aurora let out a loud scream at that exact moment. The monster’s body gave a final, twitching convulsion.
Since I had split the monster’s head open with an axe, it was definitely dead. However, Eden, not knowing for sure that it was dead, quickly extended an arm to shield Aurora and me.
“Stay back.”
Eden immediately pulled the trigger at the monster.
Bang—!
The gunshot echoed through the city in the middle of the night.
I saw lights flickering on in the houses surrounding the No. 61 mansion.
The monster’s corpse no longer moved. It was perfectly dead.
Aurora looked completely dazed with terror, and Eden was preoccupied, leaning down to inspect the carcass.
‘…Now’s my chance!’
I shook off Aurora’s hand and bolted.
I could not allow my name to be plastered next to Aurora’s in tomorrow’s newspaper headlines!
“Huh? Wait! My lifesaver! Where are you going?!”
Aurora cried out to me in a pained voice, sounding like a tragic heroine. She called for me desperately, like a prince searching for a Cinderella who had fled and left a glass slipper behind.
“Please, at least your name……! Please, at least tell me your name before you go!”
But the more curious Aurora was about me, the less I could reveal my identity.
After running for a while, thinking he wouldn’t be following anymore, I stole a glance back. However, I saw Eden sprinting after me.
“U-ugh! What! Stop following me!”
I began to run with all my might again, but this time Eden blew a whistle.
Tweet—!
At the loud sound, lights turned on in the mansions along the path we were passing. It seemed people were waking up from the midnight commotion.
“Stop right there!”
Eden shouted at me. But stopping and getting caught now would only look more suspicious and strange.
Since it had come to this, there was no turning back. I had to escape. I gritted my teeth and ran.
However, because Eden was physically superior and had incredible stamina, the distance between us kept closing as he pursued me with grim determination.
‘Why did it have to be Eden who showed up here?! Damn it, think, Cherry.’
I needed a way to distract him. Even while running at full speed, I scanned my surroundings.
‘Is there nowhere to hide?’
Notium Street was a very complex area, structured like a maze. That meant there were plenty of places to hide—though it was just as dangerous.
I thought of the axe strapped to my back. I possessed super strength, enough to blow away a damn virus monster.
‘If it comes down to it, I’ll just whack Eden on the back of the neck and knock him out…’
I shook my head at the thought. No. The world hasn’t ended yet, so let’s not escalate things.
Gritting my teeth, I climbed up a wire fence blocking the alley.
“I believe I told you to stop?”
Behind me, I heard Eden’s voice, not even slightly winded. Not that I was going to stop just because he told me to.
I hopped down from the fence and ducked into the alley directly ahead.
The path split three ways. I hid myself under the stairs of a semi-basement house right at the entrance of the left alley. They say the darkest place is right under the lamp, don’t they?
Tap, tap, tap. I heard the sound of boots running toward me.
Stop. Step.
The sound of footsteps suddenly stopped right in front of the alley.
Because the sound was right under my nose, I held my breath as much as possible.
Step, step. This time, the sound approached right up to the wall. We were facing each other with only a single brick between us.
I clamped my hand over my mouth. My palms were slick with sweat from the tension.
I watched for Eden’s movements for a long time, but no more sounds came.
‘What? Where did he go?’
Somehow, the surroundings felt darker than before. As if a shadow had fallen over my head.
With an ominous feeling, I slowly raised my head. And my eyes met a pair of blue ones looking down at me.
I was so startled I couldn’t even scream.
“Is this the only place you could run to? Hiding like a little rat.”
“U-uaakh!”
I ended up collapsing onto the ground. Eden reached out a long arm and grabbed the scruff of my robe.
Dammit, why am I always so unlucky?!
