Translator: Nox

Chapter 70

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“You absolute piece of trash!! You want to take this ruin away from Cherry Sinclair?! Keep that filth to yourself!”

Just then, the voice of a middle-aged woman named Emma rang out loudly from beneath the mansion walls. Her lines felt unnaturally dramatic, almost as if she were performing a play.

‘Was she the clothing shop owner?’

“See? I told you!”

Emmy looked at me with a pointed expression.

Thanks to Emma’s shouting, the monsters’ attention shifted toward the villagers. The people who had been confronting the two of them jumped in fright.

Krr-aaaaakh!

The villagers threw two corpses at the swarming monsters. But even that wasn’t enough, and eventually, the innkeeper was dragged away.

I looked back at Eden and Knox in shock. Shouldn’t we do something?

However, Eden shook his head. He meant it wasn’t time yet. I bit my nails as I watched the situation unfold.

If no one else, I felt I wanted to save Mrs. Emma and the chef. Those two carried an aura quite different from the selfish villagers.

At that moment, the villagers began to drag Mrs. Emma away almost by force.

“Damn it, who cares about being trash! We have to survive first!”

“Ah! Let go! Let me go!”

The man in the chef’s whites grabbed Emma’s hand and struggled with all his might not to let go, but the villagers had the advantage in numbers.

They snatched Mrs. Emma from the chef’s grasp and shoved her toward the monsters. They had thrown her out as bait to save themselves.

My eyes widened in disbelief at the sight.

“Those crazy bastards!”

I grabbed Eden, who was already lifting his hips as if ready to spring into action.

“Emma!!”

I saw the chef running toward Emma, who had become the bait.

“Miss Cherry, now.”

Eden gave me the signal. He had been waiting for the villagers and those two to be separated by a distance.

Without hesitation, I picked up a bundle of firewood. I threw it with all my might, like a baseball pitcher.

Whish—

The bundle of firewood soared over the wall.

Crack!

The firewood crashed and shattered right in front of the gathered villagers.

This caused the monsters that had been swarming around the chef and Mrs. Emma to turn their gaze toward the larger group of villagers.

In that brief window, the chef, who was quick to assess the situation, grabbed Mrs. Emma’s hand and ducked to the side.

‘Good. I’m glad that man is quick-witted.’

Not just the chef, but Mrs. Emma was sharp too. A moment ago, her shout—

“You absolute piece of trash!! You want to take this ruin away from Cherry Sinclair?! Keep that filth to yourself!”

—was clearly intended for me to hear.

Regardless, I didn’t miss the opening and threw several more bundles of firewood toward the villagers.

“Miss Cherry, I believe now is the time for cover fire. I’ll provide backup.”

Eden spoke as he pulled out his revolver and checked the cylinder. He then issued instructions to Knox and Emmy.

“And you, Rudfercher. You and the kid get ready to open the main gate.”

Eden spoke as if he had read my mind. He seemed to have noticed that I wanted to save Emma and the chef who was protecting her.

“Open the gate?”

Knox asked back, sounding puzzled, and I explained kindly.

“I think it’s best if we bring those two inside.”

Click. Eden loaded the bullets and cocked the hammer. I nodded toward Knox and Emmy.

“Go quickly. I’ll be right behind you.”

As if he had no choice, Knox took Emmy and headed down from the roof. I wondered if Emmy could manage the Stone Gate, but with Knox beside her, it should be fine.

In the meantime, Eden aimed his loaded revolver in the chef’s direction and spoke to me.

“Miss Cherry, if you throw the firewood over there to lure them away, I’ll assist their escape from the opposite side.”

The plan was for me to throw firewood to lure the monsters in the opposite direction of where the two were fleeing.

Then, Eden would use his gun to clear any monsters lunging toward their escape path.

“Hey!”

I shouted toward the middle-aged couple.

The villagers looked this way too. I knew they would hear me and that the monsters would focus on this spot for a moment, but I shouted anyway.

“To the gate!”

I pointed toward the gate with my finger. Then, I threw the bundle of firewood I was holding in the opposite direction.

Bang! Bang!

Eden immediately shot and killed the monsters blocking the couple’s path.

The chef and Mrs. Emma ran with every ounce of strength they had. The villagers tried to create an opening and follow them, but—

‘Not a chance.’

Every time they tried, I threw a bundle of wood right in front of them.

Every throw was a direct hit. Moreover, because I threw with such immense strength, the sound of the wood shattering echoed loudly.

Argh! Aaaah!

Screams erupted from everywhere. Ah, damn it. Even more monsters were swarming in.

“H-Help us! Lady Cherry! Please! Save us!”

Belatedly, the villagers began to beg me to save them. The people who had always treated me like a freakish topic of gossip—calling me the “lady of the ruins” or a “madwoman"—were finally calling me by my name. It seemed they had discovered my identity after seeing my name in the newspapers just before the fall.

“Please! Help us! Have mercy!”

I watched them silently, looking down at the bundle of wood in my hand. There was only one bundle left.

‘I don’t necessarily need the wood.’

With the super strength I possessed, I could even break the catapult and hurl it.

‘Should I just toss the catapult instead of these small sticks?’

They had come all this way plotting to kill me and seize the ruin. Furthermore, hadn’t I just witnessed their disgusting nature firsthand as they unhesitatingly threw their long-time neighbor out as bait?

Why should I show mercy to people like that? Once was enough. I’m not a god; why do they expect mercy from me?

“My conscience is going to blame me later. So I need to have something to say to that friend of mine.”

“A single act of mercy is necessary to maintain a minimum level of humanity.”

Just as those words said, I had shown mercy once. It meant I had done enough.

Now that the social systems that suppressed human cruelty had collapsed, it also meant I had to discard any weakness of heart to protect myself.

Or perhaps I should just go down from the roof myself and sweep them all away.

Just as those blackened emotions were beginning to consume my reason, a large hand suddenly covered my ears.

The sound wasn’t completely blocked out, but the distraction caused my heightened senses to gradually settle down.

I looked up. Eden was holding his hands over my ears.

Puzzled, I blinked at him.

Eden stared at me with a stiff expression before leaning his head down toward me. His lips came close, nearly touching my ear.

“It’s best not to listen to what trash has to say, Miss Cherry. It fouls the soul.”

His low, baritone voice reached my ears with a strange tenderness.

He was being kind.

His level voice seemed devoid of emotion, but strangely enough, that was exactly how I felt.

‘That was close.’

If it weren’t for Eden, I might have actually ripped out the catapult and hurled it.

‘To maintain my humanity, I must never kill a person with my own hands.’

Thinking that, I looked at Eden with a fresh perspective.

Eden was still looking at me with his usual face. He was as steady as a stake driven deep into solid ground.

“Thank you.”

I offered an awkward word of thanks.

But we couldn’t afford to get lost in sentiment for long.

The effect of the firewood had worn off, and the middle-aged couple still hadn’t reached the gate.

It was only natural. Unlike us, they were very ordinary people.

Moreover, they were hugging the wall so closely that it was difficult for Eden to get a clear shot with his revolver.

With the commotion having grown so loud that more monsters were gathering, it seemed they couldn’t advance any further.

After a moment of thought, I pulled the axe from the holster on my back.

The distance between the edge of the roof and the wall wasn’t far. If I jumped with all my might, I could clear it. The ground below the wall was crawling with monsters, but if I stepped on them quickly as I passed, it wouldn’t be a problem.

‘If I’ve decided to help that couple, I should do it properly.’

One must take responsibility for their decisions. I felt like it would be even shittier if I pretended to be kind by helping half-heartedly and then comforted myself saying I did my best.

Having made up my mind, I swallowed the Elphinus herb I always carried in my belt bag. Eden might not need it, but I was someone who did. And the Elphinus herb tasted absolutely foul.

‘It’s like chewing on poison.’

As I stood up with a grimace, Eden looked at me with a bewildered face.

“Miss Cherry, why did you just…?”

His brow furrowed as he saw the axe in my hand.

“Are you planning to jump down right now?”

When I didn’t answer and merely gave an awkward smile while gripping the axe, Eden clicked his tongue in annoyance. He then holstered his revolver and drew his sword.

“Tsk, fine. I’ll cover you, so you lead the way.”

“I’m fine on my own—”

“Don’t even think about arguing.”

This is why I can’t ever leave.

Eden grumbled quietly to himself as he vaulted over the railing of the lookout.