Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Weapons and Watchers
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He must be some new figure who rose to prominence while I was studying abroad in the Briwood Kingdom.
With a displeased look, Theodore glared at the newspaper before turning the page.
[Unidentified Monster Sightings Across the Nation... Police Authorities: "Investigating Claims"]
More of that damned monster commotion, it seemed.
"Why have there been so many incidents like this lately?"
Last year, there was the Westmore urban legend incident, and about three months ago, a massive funeral was held at the Marquis Casey's estate. The cause, it turned out, was an epidemic.
Due to the risk of the disease spreading, the Casey estate was immediately sealed off.
The gates should have opened at least once for food supplies, but the sealed estate's gates remained shut to this day.
It was as if they had anticipated this and prepared for it in advance.
Theodore questioned Elderson as if posing a riddle.
"You know whose man Marquis Casey is, don't you?"
"He's one of Duke Lancaster's men."
"And Duke Lancaster?"
"He's Prince Lloyd's man."
"Exactly. That's it. There's no way those two would have stood by idly regarding the Marquis's affairs. Something's going on."
Theodore stroked his chin, lost in thought.
An epidemic and monsters. And entangled in it all were Marquis Casey, Duke Lancaster, and Prince Lloyd. Could all of this truly be unrelated?
Theodore pointed to the article about the monster commotion and asked Elderson.
"This is related to the incident at 61 Notium Street, isn't it?"
"Yes. It appears to be the same kind of disturbance."
An intrigued expression crossed Theodore's face as he rested his chin on the back of his clasped hands. Once again, he questioned Elderson as if testing him.
"A monster's corpse was found at 61 Notium Street, wasn't it? Elderson, do you know who quashed the incident and covered it up?"
This time, Elderson answered Theodore's question with confidence.
"It was Duke Lancaster."
Yes, Lancaster. No matter how he thought about it, something felt off.
Unlike his own powerless self, Prince Lloyd constantly threatened his position with Duke Lancaster's backing.
Theodore sighed, took out a fountain pen, and scrawled his signature on a document.
"Investigate the monster sightings thoroughly. Secure witness statements. From now on, we'll conduct a full-scale investigation into any commotion related to monsters, no matter how trivial. Tell the Chief of Police I want to see him."
"Understood."
"And make sure you find out why Ethan and Knox went down to Brunel!"
Theodore reminded Elderson one more time, just in case.
"Yes! Of course!"
Elderson replied with vigor, but Theodore still felt uneasy. He watched with a displeased expression as Elderson bowed and withdrew.
It seemed he would have to either hire a new aide or look into it himself.
* * *
The medical clinic in the center of Brunel.
"Mr. Ludpersher, how long will you be staying in Brunel?"
"Why do you ask? Are you interested in me?"
"Yes."
Knox recalled what Cherry had said to him just yesterday. When he'd asked if she was interested in him, she had answered without a moment's hesitation.
Of course, Knox knew her interest wasn't romantic.
He had come to this backwater out of curiosity about the monsters, only to find an unexpected new source of amusement.
And hadn't he discovered that Ethan, too, was interested in Cherry Sinclair?
'So, what's the relationship between those two?'
Cherry was a socialite and a gossip girl who loved luxury. On top of that, she was a bourgeoise who aspired to the aristocracy.
Ethan, on the other hand, was a man who despised the pretentious social world and its extravagances. Furthermore, he was an aristocrat who wanted to do away with all aristocratic customs.
A meeting between those two. Was there ever a more mismatched pair? It was a combination he could never have imagined. The two of them lived in completely opposite worlds.
If the socialites ever found out, they would gossip about it not for days, but for months.
Did Ethan know, too? That the woman who had appeared at 61 Notium Street that day and vanished without a trace was Cherry Sinclair.
Knox hummed a tune, a thrill of excitement running through him.
How amusing. Cherry Sinclair was a far stranger and more entertaining woman than Knox had ever imagined.
"Good heavens, isn't that the young lady from the abandoned house?"
Just then, the innkeeper Knox was treating pointed outside the clinic. Through the wide-open door, a flash of brilliant red hair could be seen. It was Cherry Sinclair.
She was casually pulling a cart loaded with axes, swords, crossbows, and other weapons. It looked as if she had cleaned out the village weapons shop.
"The weapons shop this time, was it?"
"Oh, I wish she'd stop by my bookstore."
At the innkeeper's comment, the bookstore owner watched Cherry with a look of disappointment.
"She's quite strong, that one."
"I know, right? Isn't that heavy?"
"Seeing that, she's certainly no noble. Aren't noble ladies supposed to be as weak as if they've never eaten a full meal?"
"Come on, what kind of noble is the lady from the abandoned house? She doesn't even have a maid and is fixing up the mansion herself, isn't she?"
'It's true Cherry Sinclair isn't a noble.'
But she had lived a life more lavish than most nobles, which made things ambiguous.
The villagers' chatter only served to pique Knox's interest further. Hearing about Cherry from their perspective was incredibly entertaining.
He knew it was true, having seen her mansion just yesterday. As the villagers said, the place was practically a ruin.
Even though she was busy making repairs, it was by no means a suitable place for Cherry Sinclair, the heiress to the Sinclair family.
Just then, a man in a police uniform appeared from out of nowhere. Even from a distance, it was clearly Ethan. He approached Cherry and began to speak.
Knox rested his chin in his hand, watching Ethan and Cherry exchange words. He was so curious about their conversation that he had to fight the urge to dash out of the clinic that very instant.
The villagers watching alongside Knox began to whisper amongst themselves.
"It looks like that young policeman has a thing for the lady from the abandoned house, don't you think?"
"He's always trailing after her, you know? He never takes his eyes off her for a second."
"Whenever she comes into town, he goes around asking everyone what she was doing and what she said. It's a real obsession. I don't know if a policeman should be acting like that."
Right. It seemed Knox wasn't the only one who thought so.
Knox mulled over Ethan's personality again. Once Ethan fixated on something, he had a tendency to latch on and obsess over it like a mad dog.
'Then again, he could be holed up here digging into this because she's a suspect.'
That is, if he was connecting Cherry Sinclair to the incident at 61 Notium Street.
'Transferred to the Brunel police station? What a joke.'
If Ethan was truly fixated on Cherry, he had undoubtedly volunteered for the Brunel station after learning she was here.
Lost in thought, Knox stood up. The villagers turned to look at him.
"Alright, everyone. I'm afraid we'll have to end today's consultations a little early."
A murmur of disappointment went through the crowd.
But Knox simply offered a charming smile, smoothly promising to see them tomorrow as he exited the clinic.
* * *
Time remaining until the end of the world: 15 days.
Today was the day Susanna was supposed to arrive.
Of course, there was plenty to do before she got here.
First, I bought every last weapon from the village weapons shop. Firearms, of course, were not included. They were illegal, so the shop didn't sell them anyway.
'Will Harrison really bring the firearms? I wish I could at least get a call through to him.'
I walked along, pulling the cart laden with weapons, thinking I should try calling Harrison again today.
Just then, feeling a number of eyes on me, I glanced over and saw the villagers gathered at the clinic. Knox was there among them.
Despite having only been in the village a short time, Knox had already become incredibly popular with the locals. It was partly because he was a doctor, but his handsome features and affable nature made him a particular favorite among the older women.
'Well, he was the second male lead, after all, nearly as charming as the main lead, Crown Prince Theodore.'
Ethan was the heroine's older brother, so he wasn't even in the running.
Just then, Ethan appeared out of nowhere. He approached me casually and struck up a conversation. Where on earth did he come from?
"Miss Cherry, what is all this?"
"Can't you tell? They're weapons. Oh, and don't worry, there are no firearms. I figured I'd need things like this, living alone."
"This seems like more than enough for one person."
Ethan stared at me, dumbfounded. His lips parted as if he had a dozen questions, but he swallowed them back down.
He probably wanted to ask what on earth I planned to do with all these weapons.
I played dumb and said my goodbyes to Ethan.
"Well, I'll be on my way. Keep up the good work."
Adios.
I gave a jaunty salute, touching my fingers to my forehead, and turned to leave, but Ethan grabbed my arm.