Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: A Peculiar Former Owner
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Next, it was time to inspect the second floor. I went up using the staircase in the central lobby.
There were nine rooms in total on the second floor. The one at the very end seemed to be a nursery, filled with a crib and baby supplies.
The adjacent rooms likewise showed signs of having been lived in. It appeared quite a few people had resided in the mansion.
‘And it doesn’t seem as old as I thought.’
Though it was filthy with accumulated dust and countless scratches, much of the furniture was quite usable.
I was looking over the rooms and brushing off the sofa in the large second-floor lobby when it happened.
Creeeak.
The sound of a rusty hinge moving came from behind me. I froze, my hand still on the dusty sofa.
What… was that sound?
It had definitely come from the nursery. Of all places, the nursery.
I slowly turned my head. The dim second-floor hallway came into view, and at the far end, I could see the nursery door, slightly ajar.
‘Was that door always half-closed like that?’
I was sure I had checked the room and left the door wide open.
As I stood there frozen for a long moment,
Creeeak.
The strange sound came again. This time, I heard it clearly. It was coming from the nursery.
I slowly took a step forward. I had to find out what was causing it, after all. This was my house now.
Creeeak. Creeeak. The sound continued to emanate from the nursery. It sounded exactly like something was moving. I swallowed hard and started walking.
Thud.
But I misjudged my strength, and my footstep echoed through the hall.
Screech—
Suddenly, the sound from the nursery stopped. I froze on the spot, unable to move.
‘This is terrifying!’
I had seen this exact scene in so many horror movies. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. I had to turn this house into a shelter, no matter what.
‘Right. Compared to a virus monster, a ghost is nothing.’
I clenched my teeth and walked faster. Then, I flung the nursery door wide open.
The curtains fluttered through the open window. A warm breeze blew in, carrying the sunlight.
Creeeak.
Just then, the rocking chair by the window moved. It seemed to have been swayed by the wind.
“That scared the life out of me.”
I wiped the cold sweat beading on my forehead and let out a sigh.
‘Damn it, how is this a romance novel? Isn’t this just a survival horror story?’
It’s always a different genre for me. Always.
After calming down a bit, I carefully looked around the nursery. That’s when I noticed the word ‘Segrave’ carved into the rocking chair.
Since the family often appeared in fairy tales as heroes or guardians, their name was sometimes used on children’s products like this. Seeing it now, especially after reading about the ‘Segrave Family’ in today’s newspaper, made it feel strangely familiar.
In any case, standing in the empty nursery felt incredibly strange.
‘I need to clean this place up, fast.’
Feeling creeped out, I hurried to start cleaning. Maybe if I threw out all the furniture and cleaned it thoroughly, it would feel different.
‘Should I just ask for help…?’
One phone call and Harrison would send people to this rural town. And with a massive amount of manpower and money, they would instantly transform the mansion into a magnificent shelter.
But if I did that, the mansion, perfectly optimized as a shelter, would attract a lot of attention. Because I’m Cherry Sinclair, the center of public attention.
If that happened, surviving quietly would become difficult. After the world ends, all sorts of people might come knocking on Happy House’s door. Begging to be saved.
‘I’ll be busy enough just trying to survive on my own. Will I have the capacity to take care of others?’
I’m not that kind of person. I’m definitely not someone with the qualities of a leader.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
In the end, I resigned myself to cleaning. I grabbed a broom and diligently swept the floor.
Cleanliness is also a matter directly linked to survival. Besides, this mansion was seriously filthy.
Some of the mansion’s rooms still had beds and furniture. I threw out the bedding, wiped away the dust, and found the furniture quite usable.
Of course, I’d still have to buy a new bed for myself.
I also dragged all the unnecessary furniture from the nursery down and piled it in the garden.
Anyway, the good thing about having super strength is that I can even move furniture by myself.
I dusted off my hands and looked at the pile of furniture in the garden with a sense of satisfaction.
Now I had to refill the empty rooms with new furniture, which meant I’d have to visit the neighboring city where the furniture stores were.
‘I’ll deal with that later.’
After clearing out the furniture, I got a rag and focused on wiping down the marble floors and any surfaces I would touch directly.
It’s a good thing I have memories of my past life. Because the old me was not the type of person who would ever mop a floor, even in a crisis.
Is this what they call a self-inflicted disaster? In any case, it means a world of hardship lies ahead.
After a single wipe, the rag would be caked in black grime. I ended up having to keep a bucket full of water next to me as I cleaned.
But the bucket of water got dirty so quickly that I spent more time going back and forth to the well.
Damn it all.
But the real problem was that even after cleaning all day, I had only managed to clean half the mansion.
“Damn it. This is endless!”
Endless!
Endless!
…!
My shout echoed through the empty building.
* * *
Damn it. This is insane. This is no job for a human.
I ordered an orange juice at the only restaurant in Brunel village and slumped into a seat.
A cold drop trickled past the corner of my eye. It wasn’t a tear, it was sweat.
Surviving is so hard. The real survival hasn’t even started, and it’s already this exhausting…!
Maybe I should just tell Harrison everything, damn it. I wrestle with this thought dozens of times a day.
And once again, I imagined facing the apocalypse locked up in a hospital, then clutched my head.
“That can’t happen!”
“What can’t happen?”
Ethan asked me. He was sitting across from me, leisurely reading a newspaper. I let out a hollow laugh.
“Excuse me. Aren’t you going home?”
At that, Ethan finally folded his newspaper. Placing it neatly on the table, he smiled sweetly.
“This is my home now. The Brunel police station is my workplace, is it not? I am currently on duty.”
How is that a police officer on duty? What official duties could he possibly be performing? He looks more like he’s slacking off.
“Right, of course. Well, work hard.”
I replied without enthusiasm and avoided his gaze.
Ethan was good at leading interrogations. I couldn’t risk getting tangled up and revealing my story, so the best strategy was to avoid him and pretend I knew nothing.
‘Should I just try to recruit him to my side?’
Because Ethan was a man with such excellent survival and combat skills that he ranked number one on the list of people you wouldn’t want as an enemy. Which meant he was worth having on my side.
‘Still, that would make things too complicated.’
Ugh.
‘For now, there’s still some time until the apocalypse, so I’ll put this on hold.’
Just then, my orange juice arrived. But the woman who brought it was someone I recognized.
“Huh? Ms. Ruskin.”
Vanilla Addy Ruskin. The former owner.
For reference, in Graydon, having a name with three parts meant you were a noble. Like Ethan Duncan Lancaster.
“What are you doing here?”
At my question, Vanilla tucked the tray she was holding under her arm and answered matter-of-factly.
“I’m working part-time.”
So, aren’t you a noble?
I swallowed the question I wanted to ask. It could be a rude thing to ask.
“K-Keep up the good work.”
She answered with a nod. But even after we exchanged greetings, she didn’t leave. Did she have more to say?
As I quietly looked up at Vanilla, she rubbed her thumb and index finger together and said to me,
“You didn’t leave a tip.”
Watching that vulgar gesture, I wondered. Her name is Vanilla Ruskin, but maybe I misheard it as Vanilla Addy Ruskin. Besides, wasn’t tipping a custom from the neighboring kingdom of Briwood?
I tilted my head, but I took some money from my pocket and handed it to her anyway.
After receiving the tip, Vanilla looked at Ethan. He also readily took out some money and gave it to her. Like me, Ethan probably had more money than he knew what to do with.
Vanilla accepted the money with a look of pure joy and glanced back and forth between us.
“I like you two so much.”
After that cheerful declaration, Vanilla turned to leave, but I quickly stopped her.
“Wait a moment, Ms. Ruskin.”
Now that I thought about it, the timing was perfect.
I quickly unfolded the mansion’s blueprints I’d brought just in case.