Chapter 64
I looked back and forth between the two men, tilting my head in confusion, before answering Emmy.
“I don’t have a boyfriend. If you know a good guy, why don’t you introduce me?”
Upon hearing my answer, Emmy looked at me with a knowing expression before glancing back at Knox and Eden.
“You uncles better step it up,” she remarked.
I wanted to retort immediately, but I was so preoccupied with tying the Elpinus herbs to the arrowheads that I ended up just keeping my mouth shut.
“I think this should be enough,” I muttered.
Emmy trotted over and offered some advice.
“It would be better to add a little more. It needs to be at least more than the amount stuck in the gate.”
Emmy was right. The whole point of firing the Elpinus was to draw the monsters’ attention, so they needed to find the arrow more enticing than the gate.
I decided to trust Emmy’s word—the part about the Elpinus growing back quickly.
So, though it felt like a waste, I used up almost all the herbs except for a tiny bit, dividing them between two arrows.
Then, I walked over to where Knox and Emmy were struggling to lift the bar of the stone gate and pulled it out in one go.
This bar was heavy enough that it usually took several workmen to move it.
Ignoring Emmy’s wide-eyed stare, I aimed the crossbow at the gate with the first arrow loaded. Now that the bar was gone, all that was left was to open it.
“Everyone, get ready.”
Knox and Emmy stood before the heavy stone gate, prepared to pull it open. Nearby, Eden loaded his revolver and aimed toward the gate, just as I did.
“One, two…”
Counting down, I carefully rested my finger on the trigger. Then, I shouted the final command.
“Three! Open it!”
The massive gate creaked open very slowly. The left door, which Knox was handling, opened quickly enough, but Emmy struggled with the right side. Despite her best efforts, it barely budged until Eden stepped in to help.
When the doors finally swung wide, the monsters that had been bashing their heads against the gate were revealed.
Kuruk?
Grrrr—
Grrrrrrrr—
The three monsters pressed right up against the gate each had a distinct appearance.
The one on the far left had a dwarf-like torso with a long, thick tail and short limbs, looking very much like a dinosaur.
Beside it was something that resembled a mole but had two heads, and the one on the far right had a humanoid shape but with a long neck and a single eye.
They were all equally hideous.
I pulled the trigger. The arrow laden with Elpinus herbs drew a parabola in the air as it flew over their heads.
I saw the monsters nearby chase the scent, sprinting deep into the forest.
The problem was that the three right in front of the gate remained in place, baring their teeth at us.
They lunged toward the closest targets: Eden and Emmy.
Bang! Bang!
Eden immediately pulled the trigger and fired. At the sound of the gunshots, the monsters that had run off began to turn back one by one.
Damn it.
“Sir Eden, put the gun away and use your sword!”
At my shout, Eden quickly holstered his revolver and drew his blade. In one swift motion, he cut down the two monsters lunging at Knox and Emmy.
Simultaneously, I fired my crossbow at the mole monster attacking Eden from behind. The bolt struck the creature directly in the head.
“Ah, no! Sister, you were supposed to fire it far away! If you shoot it right there…!”
Without waiting for Emmy to finish, I drew the axe from my back and sprinted. Before the mole monster could collapse to the ground, I swung my axe at it.
Thwack!
The mole monster went flying, tracing a high arc through the air just like the arrow I’d fired.
The monsters rushing back toward us picked up the scent of the Elpinus stuck in the mole’s head and swarmed toward it instead.
In that brief opening, Knox and Emmy quickly recovered the herbs that had been caught in the gate’s crevices, and Eden slammed the gate shut.
“You had it all planned out, Sister. You’re truly the best. So cool.”
Emmy approached me, her eyes sparkling as she clasped her hands together.
Of course, I didn’t have the mental energy to respond. The rush of tension leaving my body caused my legs to give out, and I slumped to the ground.
“Lady Sinclair, what’s wrong?”
“Lady Sinclair, are you alright?”
Eden and Knox rushed toward me.
“The tension just snapped, and my legs feel like jelly. I want to rest…”
Before I could even finish my sentence, my perspective suddenly shifted upward.
Eden had scooped me up in a princess carry. Knox’s startled gaze fixed on us.
For a moment, I was so surprised I considered pushing him away and getting down. But then I realized that being carried was actually quite comfortable. So, I decided to stay quietly in his arms.
Emmy hovered around us, her eyes dancing with curiosity.
“So this old geezer really is your boyfriend, huh?”
“Let’s be a little quiet, kid. You there, Rudfercher. Follow us. We need to treat these two.”
Eden gestured toward Knox. In truth, Emmy looked to be in worse shape than I was.
She was covered in blood from various scrapes and scratches she’d sustained even before entering the grounds.
Knox, with a lollipop still in his mouth, gave a relaxed nod. It seemed the wound on his thigh was mostly healed.
“Mr. Rudfercher, is your injury okay?”
I pointed to his bandaged thigh. Knox, who was following with a slight limp, nodded.
“It’s fine. It’s the kind of wound where I just have to wait for the flesh to knit back together. The real issue seems to be Wharton here.”
“I’m fine too. A scratch like this doesn’t even hurt.”
Emmy, who was also following behind us, answered Knox.
She walked with her hands laced behind her head in a somewhat rebellious posture.
“Thinking about it again, I’m glad I risked my life to come here. A cop, a doctor, and a sister with super strength. Plus, a mansion that’s like a fortress!”
I had a feeling my title in that list was the only weird one, and I was probably right.
I gave Emmy a sidelong glance, but considering her age, I just shook my head.
“Stay on your best behavior, kid. Be grateful I didn’t put you in handcuffs,” Eden warned her.
Contrary to my expectation that she would snap back, Emmy nodded and fell silent.
When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she whispered softly.
“I know I was being arrogant, I’m sorry. It’s important to establish dominance when you first meet people, you know? So I was acting tough. I have a sense of shame and I know how to be grateful. I’ll try to stay on your good side, Sister, and the uncles too.”
“I have no intention of going easy on you. We’re still doing an interrogation,” Eden replied coldly.
At that, Emmy immediately stuck her tongue out at him.
It hadn’t even been a minute since she said she would ‘try to stay on his good side.’
Watching the exchange, Knox spoke up with an amused expression.
“You two seem to have the same mental age.”
With those words, the front door of the mansion slammed shut right in Knox’s face. Eden had childishly closed the door on him.
From behind us, Knox grumbled as he reopened the door and stepped inside.
I understood Eden’s stance on interrogating Emmy.
In truth, the fact that Emmy had made it through that swarm of monsters to reach the mansion was just as suspicious as I was.
Furthermore, a young girl seeking this place out alone meant her motives had to be verified.
This wasn’t just about Emmy; it was a matter of life and death for me, as I had to protect this mansion.
And there was one more pressing issue: the Elpinus herbs.
Even if these herbs acted as a vaccine, if the scent drove the monsters into a frenzy, I couldn’t grow them out in the open garden. Growing them inside the mansion grounds was dangerous in itself.
‘Unless I grow them in a cave somewhere, it’s going to be difficult…’
Before I knew it, I had reached the lobby of Happy House in Eden’s arms. Only then did he set me down.
‘Maybe I should just call Eden whenever I need to move around.’
Dismissing that useless thought, I asked Eden and Knox to guide Emmy to the salon. The salon would be more comfortable for treating wounds than the banquet hall.
I went straight up to the second-floor storage to fetch medical supplies and handed them to Knox. They were meager, but they were the best I could gather.
“Will you be alright? I can do basic first aid. I think you should rest, Mr. Rudfercher.”
Knox was a precious resource, and I had to look after him.
However, Knox simply smiled as if it were nothing, the lollipop still tucked in his cheek.
