Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A Peculiar Policeman
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The person who spoke was a woman.
Pale blue hair. Sharp eyes, gray irises. The woman, with a prim expression, furrowed her brow the moment our eyes met and spoke abruptly.
“You’re stunningly beautiful.”
…Is that something you say with such a frown?
But she quickly schooled her features and extended a hand for a handshake.
“I came to give you the key. My name is Vanilla Addy Ruskin. I’m the owner of the mansion.”
She looked as cold as ice, but her name was quite gentle. To be honest, she was a character who barely appeared in the novel, so I didn't know much about her either.
I stood up and took her hand.
“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Ruskin. You received the sales contract, I presume? Then I suppose I’m the owner of the mansion starting today.”
As I was saying this and shaking Vanilla’s hand, Ethan suddenly asked me.
“The mansion on the hill? You’re purchasing that ruin? Why would the Sinclair heiress buy such a place?”
I turned to Ethan in surprise.
“Shh. Keep your voice down. Do you think I want to advertise that I’m Cherry Sinclair?”
“And why not?”
It’s not that I can’t, but it’ll be a hassle if people find out!
While I was whispering with Ethan, Vanilla let out a deep sigh and spoke to me.
“I know you’re Cherry Sinclair. It was written on the sales contract. And I don’t care who you are. The only thing I’m interested in is money.”
Vanilla’s firm, reassuring tone made me feel a little embarrassed.
‘Right. I had to write my name on the contract.’
Just then, Ethan, who had been listening quietly, pointed to Vanilla’s waist. Something was hanging from her hip.
“What is that?”
“Birds.”
…Did I hear that right? Birds?
Only then did I notice the two birds hanging upside down from Vanilla’s waist.
Next to them was a holster holding a shotgun. It was so conspicuous; how had I only just noticed it?
“The village chief asked me to catch a few, so I did a bit of hunting. The pay is quite good.”
…I think I finally understood how Vanilla managed to survive on her own for half a year in the novel.
It didn't seem to be just because the mansion’s defenses were excellent.
For some reason, I felt the urge to recruit her for the shelter I was about to build.
“Here’s the key.”
She pressed the key into my hand, not forgetting a final word of caution.
“Brunel is a rural backwater, and as you’ve seen, the mansion is in a very secluded location. The repair costs alone will be astronomical. Though it was in my name, I only inherited it because of my father, and I did tell you beforehand that I really don’t recommend it. Your insistence on buying it was your choice, Ms. Sinclair.”
Is this how Ethan felt earlier? Flustered by the torrent of words, I nodded. Vanilla continued, her cold face expressionless.
“I’ll be staying in this village for a while, so call me if you need anything. However, I do charge a fee for house calls.”
She adjusted her monocle and looked at me with a solemn expression. I nodded, a little bewildered. A house call fee?
“No matter how pretty and cute you are, Ms. Sinclair, I can’t give you a discount.”
What is that supposed to mean?
Vanilla handed me the mansion’s blueprints as well. I glanced at them before stopping her as she turned to leave.
“Wait a moment, Ms. Ruskin.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Despite her words, Vanilla took out a pocket watch and checked the time. She seemed to despise wasting it.
“Is there anything unusual about the mansion? I was wondering if there are any hidden facilities suitable for self-sufficient living.”
Vanilla looked at me as if I had asked the most absurd question.
But in the novel, the mansion was clearly described as, ‘She said this mansion was special. She added that it was optimized for survival.’
“I’m not sure. The garden is good for turning into a vegetable patch, and there’s a well, which is convenient for drawing water? Other than that, I don’t know the details. I manage quite a few mansions, you see.”
I studied Vanilla’s expression closely, but she genuinely seemed to know nothing. I was a little disheartened.
It seemed the good location and convenience for self-sufficiency were the mansion’s only merits.
Of course, self-sufficiency is one thing, but you need actual survival skills. I was worried.
After seeing Vanilla off, I left the diner. Then, I headed for the hill on the outskirts of the village where the mansion stood.
Ethan continued to trail after me. Halfway up the hill, I stopped and turned around.
The man, neatly dressed in his police uniform, was leisurely walking up the hill with his hands in his trouser pockets.
“Why do you keep following me?”
When I asked accusingly, Ethan, who had been looking around, stopped. He took his hands out of his pockets, stroked his chin, and looked past my shoulder at the mansion.
“The mansion is in a very secluded location. It seems like the perfect place to secretly smuggle in and store firearms. Also looks like a good place to hide after embezzling business funds. Oh, I was just thinking out loud.”
He replied nonchalantly, then gave me a faint smile.
Firearms, all of a sudden? And what’s this about embezzlement? Could this be because of the loan I took out?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You seem very interested in the mansion, so if you really must, you can take a look around and…”
I trailed off, my annoyed tone fading as I shut my mouth.
‘Wait, did he say firearms? And illegally smuggled, at that.’
Knowing Ethan’s personality, he would never say something like that for no reason.
“…Understood. What specific types of weapons do you want? I will also arrange for an instructor to teach you how to use them.”
“Swords, crossbows, axes, things like that. One of every kind! But Harrison, I don’t need an instruc—”
“My lady. I cannot concede on this matter.”
One of every kind.
Thinking about it, I realized Harrison was exactly the type of person who, when asked to send one of every kind of weapon, would actually send one of every kind of firearm. Damn it.
“It seems my looking around the mansion is a problem for you.”
Ethan said, watching me hesitate and trail off. He crossed his arms and stood at an angle, studying my expression.
There was a reason Ethan couldn't look around the mansion, but there were countless other reasons why I shouldn't get involved with him.
On top of that, the Sinclair family wasn't exactly clean, which meant we had a lot to hide. I couldn't very well go to prison before the world ended.
“O-Of course! It’s unacceptable for a strange man to enter a home where a woman lives alone!”
“I’m not a strange man, I’m a police—”
“Aren’t policemen strange men? A man is a man.”
“Well, yes, but why is the conversation jumping around like—”
“Without a warrant, you’re just a strange man and a beast!”
“A-A beast… what?”
Ethan stared at me, his face a picture of disbelief. I placed my hands on my hips triumphantly and declared.
“Therefore, if you follow me, you are a beast.”
“Your logic is strange.”
“Uh-oh? You’d better not come any closer.”
My childish logic left quite an impression on Ethan’s face. He looked so dumbfounded!
While he stood there dumbly, I quickly ran up the rest of the hill.
I unlocked the mansion’s main gate with the key, went inside, bolted it shut, and let out a sigh.
I really need to call Harrison in the capital.
* * *
No matter how much I searched the spacious mansion, I found no firearms.
That was to be expected. It hadn’t been long since I bought the mansion; how could Harrison have sent the firearms already?
Still, I wanted to call Harrison just in case, but as it turned out, the only telephone in this small village was at the police station.
‘I’m not going to run into Ethan again, am I?’
I stood in front of the police station, hesitating for a long time. It would be a hassle to go all the way to Kintne to find another telephone.
‘Alright. Let’s just go in.’
Hoping that Ethan was out on patrol, I carefully opened the door to the police station, only to be met with a bizarre sight.
A disheveled man was sprawled face down on the floor.
The man’s clothes were torn to rags, and sitting on his back was Ethan. Casually sipping a Scotch whisky, no less.
Ethan looked up at me with a questioning expression.
His police uniform jacket was nowhere to be seen, and the top three or four buttons of his white shirt were undone. Or rather, they looked like they’d been ripped off.
Ugh. The man pinned under Ethan groaned.
Ethan downed the rest of his Scotch in one gulp, then placed the empty glass on the fallen man’s head.
“Hey, if you drop this and break it, you’re dead.”
After speaking menacingly to the man, Ethan turned back to me.
“After shaking me off so heartlessly, what brings you here?”