Chapter 26
26
Scarlett and Andrei returned to the clock shop. But when they arrived, they found several men sitting in front of the shop, dozing off.
"Oh? Aren't you the Tram drivers?"
At Scarlett's voice, two children, Charlie and Susan, who had been dozing off together, quickly woke up and ran over.
"Scarlett!"
"Some scary men tried to break the glass yesterday!"
"So Susan told her dad?"
"Yeah, so we've all been guarding it!"
"...Oh my god."
It seemed that Evil Crimson had intended to do them harm.
Scarlett hugged the two children tightly before looking at the Tram drivers, who were stirring and getting up.
"So, you've been here all night?"
"The lady risked her life to help us, we can stay up for a few nights for that!"
"That's right. But, who are those guys who dare to mess with the lady's shop... Oh, if you're going to cry again, we'll be uncomfortable."
The drivers looked embarrassed as Scarlett's eyes welled up with gratitude.
So, instead of crying, Scarlett smiled brightly.
"I'm not crying. I'm just yawning because it's morning. Anyway, thank you so much."
"We'll take turns patrolling for a while, so don't worry."
The Tram drivers said that and left. Charlie and Susan clung to Scarlett, refusing to leave, but were eventually dragged away by their father, and the shop became quiet.
Andrei opened the shop door and said.
"Please stop causing trouble, boss."
"What trouble did I cause?"
At her words, Andrei looked at Scarlett with a serious expression.
Scarlett flinched and answered with a troubled face.
"Okay, okay."
She said that and entered the shop.
Scarlett picked up the newspaper from downstairs and went up to the workshop. She read the newspaper as a routine before starting work, and there was an article about the Crimson Clock.
[Crimson Clock Headquarters Temporarily Closed]
[Evil Crimson, Tax Collection Inevitable]
"What?"
Scarlett read through with wide eyes, and it said that a tax investigation of the Crimson Clock had begun.
While reading the article carefully, a sentence caught her eye.
[Customers are increasingly complaining that Crimson Clocks seem to be malfunctioning more frequently.]
"Ah, see? There's something wrong with the clock."
Scarlett, muttering to herself, closed the newspaper and soon went downstairs. Andrei, who had just opened the shop on the first floor, asked.
"Why are you coming down already? Are you hungry?"
"No, it's not that."
"Do you know how much backlog we have? It's urgent, very urgent."
Scarlett looked embarrassed at Andrei's urging.
"Um, I'm sorry to add this after those words... but I think I need to go to the South."
"Excuse me?"
Andrei frowned, and Scarlett flinched, but soon continued.
"I can't help it. I need to check if there's something wrong with the Crimson Parts."
"Hey, boss."
"The number of broken clocks has increased. Clocks that shouldn't break. Andrei also wants the Crimson Clock to last a long time and prosper, right?"
"Well, that's true."
"In the long run, this is essential."
At Scarlett's words, Andrei sighed tiredly.
"Well... you're not wrong. But if you go all the way to the South, it'll take at least two weeks. What about the backlog of orders in the meantime?"
"I'll stay up all night every day and finish them before I go."
"Is it really necessary to put in that much effort?"
"Yes. The quality of the product is at stake. If you're going to run a clock shop, you should prioritize the quality of the clocks."
Andrei sighed again at Scarlett's clear eyes as she said that. And instead of eyes that craved alcohol, he turned his gaze to the blue sky outside the shop window.
"This isn't it."
"Huh?"
"Never mind."
Andrei said that and then nodded.
"Yes. You're right, boss. I admit it."
"Really?"
"Honestly, at first, I was going to run this business my way."
"...Andrei, you're already doing that."
Andrei coughed at Scarlett's words.
"Ahem. Anyway. But, you're much more dedicated to your profession than I thought. I respect your great journey for product quality."
"It's not exactly a great journey, but yeah. Thanks. I'll be back."
"Then, first of all."
Andrei clapped his hands.
"Go upstairs and work right now."
At his words, Scarlett burst into laughter and nodded. And Scarlett ran upstairs to quickly process the orders.
A little later, when a customer entered the shop, Andrei greeted him politely.
"Hello, sir. Good morning."
But the man was trying to go to the second floor without even greeting him.
Andrei blocked him.
"I'm sorry, but you can't go to the second floor... Oh, you're not a customer."
Andrei caught the fist that flew at his face. While the man was surprised by the strength, Andrei used his other hand to cover the man's mouth and pressed him against the fireplace with force.
The embers from the fireplace flew and hit his face, and the man struggled.
"Only strange people are hanging around from the morning. I wonder if our boss knows about this trouble."
Andrei, who was like that, gestured to two young men who were looking inside the shop, wondering if something was wrong.
When they came inside, Andrei said.
"Lord Dumpelt sent you?"
"......Yes."
"You're not very good at your job. I would have fired you if I were him."
There was a limit to the escort because Scarlett shouldn't find out. Still, the two young men were embarrassed by Andrei's comment.
Andrei grabbed the man's face with his crushing grip, lifted him up, and threw him at them.
"Then, I'll leave him in your care."
"Who, what is he?"
At those words, Andrei frowned and said.
"Can't you tell by looking? He's a clock shop employee."
"But......"
"Oh, get out, get out. Or should I call the boss?"
"Ah, no!"
The young men hurriedly dragged the intruder out. But this intruder was quite trained, and it was difficult for the two of them to subdue him.
Andrei looked at the young men with a pathetic expression, and soon started his work again.
Three days later, Scarlett finished preparing to go to the South.
Scarlett had been working all night for three days, so she was so sleep-deprived that she would have fallen asleep on the spot if someone had touched her. If Andrei hadn't taken her to the train station, she might not have gotten off the Tram in time.
While Scarlett was focused on her work, the luggage that Andrei had packed was perfect.
Andrei said.
"I packed mostly things that can be thrown away, so throw away clothes or items after using them. Your luggage will increase when you come back."
"Okay. Thank you."
"I feel more and more like a nanny, but I volunteered for this, so I can't help it."
Scarlett laughed and nodded at Andrei's words.
Andrei got on the train with her and checked the first-class seat he had bought himself.
"Well, you can just sleep all the way there."
The first-class had a manager who took care of the luggage separately, so Andrei had left it in advance and returned. Then, he put a cushion on the seat and covered it with a blanket to make it a good place to sleep.
Scarlett said.
"You really are like a nanny."
"That's right. Oiling the best clock-making machine?"
Scarlett playfully hit his arm at Andrei's joke. Andrei laughed for the first time in a while, and Scarlett laughed along.
"I'll be back. Take good care of the shop."
"Yes, boss."
Andrei greeted her and got off the train. Scarlett felt proud again that she had scouted Andrei herself, and fell asleep almost as soon as she sat down.
The train, which departed at ten o'clock at night, ran for eleven hours to the South. Someone woke her up in the middle.
"Excuse me, ma'am."
Scarlett opened her eyes at the call, and the attendant was relieved.
"I'm sorry. You've been sleeping for too long, so I was wondering if you were okay."
"S, sorry. I'm usually a heavy sleeper."
"No, have a pleasant trip."
The attendant greeted her kindly and left. Scarlett's face turned red with embarrassment, and she fanned herself with both hands to cool down.
When she looked outside, night had passed and morning had dawned. When she looked at the clock, it was already eight o'clock.
"I slept for ten hours on the train."
Scarlett muttered to herself and then smiled involuntarily as she looked out the window.
There was an endless plain that could not be seen in the capital.
"Wow......"
It was an amazing sight for Scarlett, who was born and lived in the capital all her life. She was glad that she could see this scenery even for a moment thanks to the attendant waking her up.
The train soon arrived at the last station. From here, she had to take a carriage. Scarlett paid a considerable amount of money and hired a coachman. Fortunately, there was a group going in a similar direction at the same time, so she managed to reach Kohann, one of the mountains in the Salian Mountains at the southern end.
The problem was from then on. Scarlett, who got off the carriage, looked up at the mountain with a large bag to carry the gravel in both hands. Climbing the mountain seemed impossible, but finding the Lüssen Falls and collecting stones from inside, and then thinking about coming down the mountain, it seemed like an impossible mission.
"......I'm crazy."
Scarlett sighed deeply.
But now was the perfect opportunity. Viktor might arrest her at any time due to the Biplane problem, so she had to solve it quickly. Scarlett felt pathetic and proud at the same time at this moment when she was persistently digging into the clock.
"It's in the genes, it's in the genes."
She was sure of this one thing, if nothing else. She resembled her parents exactly.
She was about to climb the mountain, but there was strangely no path. Eventually, she asked a Kohann resident who was passing by.
"How do I get to Lüssen Falls from here?"
"Lüssen Falls? That's the border."
"Yes. I know, but I have something to find."
"Soldiers will block you in the middle... But if you still want to go, people usually go this way, the soldiers."
Scarlett checked the direction once after the Kohann resident told her. It still didn't seem like there was a path, but fortunately, she remembered the map of this area that her parents had when she was young, so it matched the map she had drawn.
Scarlett greeted him and moved her steps. The mountain was rough, and she had to worry about snakes or wild animals popping out at any time. As she climbed the mountain, she saw the gravel that was used in the clock Evil made.
"That's too much."
If it was Evil, it wouldn't be a problem to have someone bring the stones, so why did he do that?
Scarlett was thinking and walking when she slipped on a downhill and someone grabbed her wrist and twisted it.
