Translator: Nox

Chapter 61

The townspeople had been busy gossiping about the pretty young outsider even as the “Haunted House Lady” was working herself to the bone repairing the dilapidated estate.

In fact, in this quiet village, she was a prime subject for scandal.

To think they would have the audacity to turn around and consider asking her for help after spewing all that vitriol—they were beyond shameless.

Emmy sat with her legs crossed askew, a lollipop in her mouth.

“Geez, you’re all so noisy. If you’re going to talk the talk, why don’t you actually go out there?”

A chilling silence fell over the room.

Watching them hesitate while glancing at one another, Emmy clicked her tongue in disdain.

“W-why, you impudent brat! How dare you speak while the adults are talking…!”

Jackson, the owner of the weapon shop, struck Emmy on the head. He hit her so hard that the candy flew out of her mouth and rolled across the floor.

“Damn it, what’d you hit me for? Even my own mom never hit me, so who do you think you are?!”

“…You little brat!”

“That’s enough. What are you doing to a child?”

Victor, the head chef of the inn’s restaurant, stepped in to restrain Jackson. Emmy glared at Jackson, her sharp eyes filled with venom.

When Jackson flared up again at the sight of her gaze, the others jumped in to hold him back.

Emmy pulled back irritably. She brushed back her neatly bobbed hair and spat out a curse.

‘This is why I hate old farts.’

Once Jackson seemed to have calmed down slightly, the villagers began to plot once more.

“How about we take over that fortress ourselves?”

“Seize the mansion? That’s a bit… It clearly has an owner. And they’re nobles.”

“The doctor and the policeman might be, but the lady who owns the place isn’t a noble, is she?”

It was a comment born from total ignorance of the fact that Cherry Sinclair’s social standing was more formidable than most aristocrats.

“That’s true, isn’t it? Don’t you think we could handle her?”

“Yeah. She looked young, too. It’ll be easy to overpower her.”

Emmy swallowed a hollow laugh at those words. They were saying this despite having all witnessed the Haunted House Lady blowing monsters away with an axe.

“It’ll be better than here, at least.”

“The contractor who went to the house before said she’d fixed it up like a war shelter.”

“Right. And she bought up all those supplies, too.”

“Now that you mention it, she did. She took every necessity in the village.”

They spoke as if the Haunted House Lady had stolen those things, even though she had paid a fair price for everything.

“If we want to survive, we have to take that fortress.”

They were planning to steal the girl’s home with terrifying nonchalance.

‘Why don’t they even think about asking for help? Because she’s a young woman? God, these old farts…’

Emmy stood up, unable to stomach the disgusting conversation any longer. Picking up a kitchen knife from the floor, she opened the door to a room on the second floor.

Everyone was so worked up that no one paid her any mind.

Emmy walked straight out of the inn.

She was a master pickpocket and a herbalist. However, those credentials were of no use in this godforsaken situation.

‘Still, those old farts are a lost cause.’

The Haunted House Lady would be a thousand times better than them. If it meant survival, she would kneel at the lady’s feet. If she could just stay alive, she wouldn’t even mind becoming her slave.

‘At least I won’t end up like those geezers.’

Gripping her kitchen knife with grim determination, Emmy headed toward the haunted house.

---

Eden showed no intention of leaving.

I was currently lying on a mat spread under the shade in the garden with Eden, enjoying the breeze.

Knox’s thigh wound was almost healed, but he still shouldn’t overexert himself, so he rarely left the mansion.

I turned toward Eden.

“Excuse me. I thought you were going to find your sister.”

“I plan to stay until Miss Cherry is feeling better.”

If it was Theodore, he would have surely taken Aurora to safety.

Eden muttered something afterward, but it was so quiet I couldn’t tell if I heard it right.

In truth, Eden had no reason to worry about Aurora. She was the female lead of Love in a Ruined World, after all, and just as Eden suspected, Crown Prince Theodore would risk his life to protect her.

“I’m fine now.”

“You are not fine.”

“I’m the one saying I’m fine, so how would you know, Sir Eden?”

At that, Eden sat bolt upright. Having snapped back in a fit of pique, I felt a bit embarrassed and sat up as well.

“Miss Cherry, you tend to overstate your own strength. Having raw power doesn’t mean you have stamina.”

Eden was right. I had Super Strength, but my stamina was somewhat lacking.

“If I’m not here, who’s going to stop this reckless lady, hm?”

Eden spoke with a scrunched-up face, looking like he was at his wit’s end. Hearing him talk like that really made me feel like some flighty young miss. I mean, Knox is here too, so why is he the one making a fuss? Does he see me as some kind of substitute for Aurora? Are all men with younger sisters like this? Having grown up as an only child in both my past and present lives, I wouldn’t know.

Boom—!

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the mansion’s front gate.

I immediately grabbed the axe I’d kept nearby. Eden pulled his revolver from its holster and stared at the gate with a tense expression.

“What is it? A monster?”

Grrrrr.

No sooner had I spoken than a low growl drifted in from beyond the gate. It wasn’t just one or two.

I locked eyes with Eden, my face filled with confusion.

“Why are they acting up all of a sudden?”

Sniff, sniff—

Sniff, sniff, sniff—

The creatures were sniffing at the gate.

“What’s wrong with them?”

Yipe!

Bark—!

Then, the monsters outside suddenly began to whimper. I heard dull thuds, as if they were being struck by something.

“Please open the door! I know you’re in there!”

A human voice came from beyond the gate. Surprisingly, it was the voice of a young girl.

“Eden, can you go up to the lookout and provide cover? Tell me who’s out there and give me a signal when you think it’s okay to open the door.”

Eden hesitated, looking like he wanted to argue. But soon, whatever he was thinking, he sighed, nodded, and hurried into the mansion.

I could have given the signal while Eden opened the door, but I couldn’t attack from a distance. I wouldn’t be able to cover him.

So, it was better for Eden to cover me while I handled the physical side of things.

Holding my axe, I slowly approached the gate. I could hear the sounds of someone struggling against the monsters just outside.

“Please! Open the door! Help me!”

The girl’s voice was thick with desperation. Unfortunately, I couldn’t just open the door blindly. If she was infected, it would be a disaster.

I turned around. Just then, Eden appeared on the lookout atop the roof.

I saw him looking toward the gate through binoculars. Soon, he extended one arm, miming a gun with his hand, and jerked it upward. It was the signal to attack. In any case, it meant I could open the door.

With the signal given, I opened the gate. There, I witnessed a truly astonishing sight.

A young girl, looking to be about fifteen, was leaping over the monsters and swinging a kitchen knife. She was so quick and agile she almost looked like a flying squirrel.

I approached the girl with my axe. I kicked a monster that was lunging at her back, then swung my axe at another one charging from the side.

Thwack!

The girl, who had been flying through the air, landed lightly on the ground and looked at me with a startled face.

“Get inside, quickly.”

At my words, the girl ran toward the open gate. I backed away while swinging my axe and then slammed the door shut.

Thud— thud!

Screeeech!

The air outside was filled with the roars of monsters. Soon, I could hear them swarming around the mansion.

It was a similar situation to when I went into town to get Knox. I had managed to draw their attention toward the village, but now they were gathering at the mansion again.

Once again, we were isolated within the estate.

‘Did this girl lead the monsters here?’

I looked at the girl, who was crouched on the ground gasping for breath, with a look of bewilderment.

She looked so young, yet she had made it all the way here alone with nothing but a kitchen knife. It was remarkable.

The girl’s body was covered in scratches and blood. Rather than bite marks from monsters, they looked like abrasions from running through the brush.

“Don’t get too close, Miss Cherry.”

Eden, who had rushed down to the gate in an instant, stepped in front of me.