Chapter 28
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Of Chickens and Monsters
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Ethan looked at me with an ‘here we go again’ expression.
“What bizarre scheme are you planning this time…?”
He trailed off, then suddenly shook his head and sighed. Flustered, I glanced around nervously and poked him in the side.
“That’s a strange thing to say. Anyone who heard you would think I’m actually weird.”
“Not weird, just baffling.”
“…What’s the difference between the two?”
“The former implies someone has a real problem, while the latter suggests they’re amusing.”
Ethan replied nonchalantly, his expression unchanging. He seemed to genuinely think so.
*‘You’re the weirder one, if you ask me.’*
Just then, the man turned to me and asked.
“You look like a noble lady, so what on earth do you plan to do with chickens?”
This time, Ethan also looked at me, his expression full of curiosity. I looked at them without batting an eye and answered.
“What do you mean, what for? I’m going to raise them. It’s a dream of mine. A pet chicken—isn’t that just wonderful?”
A moment of silence followed. The man and Ethan stared at me, seemingly at a loss for words.
Ethan’s gaze seemed to say, *‘See? You’re weird.’* He seems to be speaking with his eyes a lot more these days.
Ignoring them, I left the restaurant and waved to Ethan.
“Anyway, I don’t need your help, Sir Ethan. I’m strong.”
Of course, neither the farmer nor Ethan believed me. Not until they saw it with their own two eyes.
* * *
Ethan was sitting casually on the dirt ground of the Happy House garden, watching me carry the luggage.
I hoisted the portable wooden chicken coop, which held five chickens, with one hand.
Then it hit me. I was supposed to be hiding my monstrous strength from Ethan. I couldn’t let him connect this to the incident at 61 Notium Street.
*‘But then again, this isn’t the first time I’ve shown off my strength.’*
Perhaps my strength alone wasn’t enough for him to link me to the 61 Notium Street incident.
It also meant that his image of me was firmly established in his mind. Of course, it was hardly a positive one.
Just then, as if he’d read my mind, Ethan approached me, glancing warily at the farmer. With a very serious expression, he lowered his voice and asked.
“Are you by any chance impersonating Cherry Sinclair? Or is she blackmailing you into pretending to be her?”
The farmer was in a corner of the garden, busily building a chicken coop. I set down the portable coop and turned to face Ethan.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“And Miss Cherry raising chickens makes sense?”
“You should respect my hobbies.”
“Then what about that strength? I heard Cherry Sinclair was supposed to be frail.”
“Monstrous strength isn’t considered a virtue for high-society women. Of course I hid it.”
That seemed to convince him at once.
“Right. You did want to be a proper noble lady.”
My pounding heart calmed down a little. As expected, Ethan didn’t seem to even consider the possibility that I was the woman he met that day.
“Yes, yes. So please stop asking.”
I replied dismissively and opened the front door of the mansion. An unpacked suitcase was by the door.
I decided to unpack while the man built the coop and was opening my bag when I heard Ethan’s voice from behind me.
“You must really love cricket.”
He said, seeing me take something out of the suitcase. Why is this guy sticking to me like glue?
As he’d said, there was a steel cricket bat inside the bag. Susanna must have packed it.
And next to the cricket bat was an axe.
…Ah, damn it. It was the same axe I’d used to kill the monster at 61 Notium Street.
“Wh-why would she pack something like this?”
Glancing at Ethan, I quickly shoved the axe deep into the bag.
Just then, a scream erupted from the garden.
“A-aaaargh!”
More precisely, the commotion was coming from the main gate.
Ethan and I exchanged a look and, without a word, bolted outside.
“Wait.”
I had turned back, thinking I might need a weapon and intending to grab the axe, but I froze.
“No, I can’t use this.”
The moment I use the axe, Ethan might remember the 61 Notium Street incident! I grabbed the cricket bat instead and went back out.
CRASH—!
The farmer was on the ground near the gate, and beyond him loomed a giant monster.
The creature, well over two meters tall, was covered in thick fur. At a glance, it looked like a bear, but it had a human head.
My mind went blank. Damn it, I should’ve just brought the axe!
“Damn it, what is that thing?”
I heard Ethan mutter a curse beside me.
Having antibodies to the virus doesn’t make you immortal. That meant I had to act before Ethan did. I’m stronger, after all.
I dashed past Ethan and ran toward the monster. The monster was slowly approaching the fallen farmer.
“Wait, Miss Cherry!”
Ignoring Ethan’s shout, I charged onto the scene and swung the bat hard at the monster, which had opened its mouth toward the farmer.
WHACK—!
With a dull thud, the monster was sent flying and crashed into the mansion’s wall.
I narrowed my eyes at the convulsing monster. It was a good thing the cricket bat Susanna packed was made of steel, not wood.
As I thought this, I turned my head and saw Ethan staring at me in shock. He had a look on his face that demanded an explanation.
Watching Ethan’s reaction, I tried to answer nonchalantly.
“I may have been a cricket player back in the day, but even I’ve never seen a steel bat before.”
“Steel or not, did you just send that thing flying with a swing of that bat?”
Ethan asked me, his tone full of disbelief. I could read the suspicion in his bright blue eyes. A cold sweat trickled down my spine. Will he recognize me for real this time?
“Why the surprise? You already knew I was strong. Hahahaha.”
I laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of my head. Damn it, even I thought I was acting too suspiciously.
But it wasn’t like I could give a convincing explanation for my monstrous strength. Even I didn’t know the full extent of Cherry Sinclair’s power.
“Strength like that… You might be stronger than me.”
Ethan crossed his arms and looked me up and down. His gaze wasn’t so much unpleasant as it was nerve-wracking, making me break out in a cold sweat.
But surprisingly, Ethan said nothing more. Though that look he’d given me a moment ago still left me feeling a bit uneasy.
I guess it was a good thing I brought the cricket bat and not the axe.
Deciding to change the subject quickly, I looked down at the cricket bat in my hand and muttered to myself.
“Come to think of it, why isn’t this bat made of wood?”
Competition or practice bats are usually made of wood. But the one Susanna had packed was a solid steel bat.
<In Commemoration of the Benton Championship Victory>
I narrowed my eyes, reading the text engraved on the flat part of the bat.
“Oh, for fuck's sake. It was my trophy.”
No wonder it looked familiar. How did I not realize? Am I an idiot?
This bat wasn’t for playing; it was a trophy of sorts. The team I was on back then had so many skilled players that we won the championship even with a benchwarmer like me.
*‘It was my first and last match, so I’d treasured it, too…!’*
ROAR!
While I was lost in thought, the fallen monster got back up and charged at us.
Damn it!
I was about to swing the bat again in surprise when—
BANG—!
This time, a bullet flew out of nowhere and brought the monster down. It wasn’t Ethan who fired.
*‘Where did that shot come from?’*
Click. Ethan quickly reloaded his pistol and scanned the area, on high alert.
That’s when we spotted Vanilla, peeking her head over the wall. That is, Vanilla Addy Ruskin—the former owner of my Happy House, a part-timer at the restaurant, and a presumably poor noble.
She was holding a shotgun.
“Miss Ruskin. What are you doing up there?”
At my bewildered question, Vanilla lowered her shotgun and looked at the fallen monster. For some reason, there seemed to be a subtle glint of madness in her eyes as she stared at the monster's corpse.
“Is that a wild animal? It should be worth some money if I sell it, right?”
…Seriously?
I stared in disbelief at Vanilla, who was clinging to the wall. I had no idea how long she’d been there. And how did she even get up there? The wall is quite high.
We hadn’t installed the barbed wire yet. I need to get the repairs finished quickly.
Still, thanks to Vanilla, we were able to deal with the monster faster than expected.
Meanwhile, Ethan went over to the farmer, who was trembling on the ground, and offered him a hand.
“Are you all right?”
Thankfully, the farmer didn’t seem to be injured. Ethan helped the man slowly get to his feet.
I stood before the dead monster with Vanilla. Seeing the monster up close, Vanilla gasped and covered her mouth.
“Damn it, what is this thing…!”
Startled by the gruesome corpse, she gagged and finally threw up nearby.
The massive monster on the ground looked vaguely like a bear, its open maw lined with sharp teeth.
Seeing no blood around its mouth, it seemed it hadn’t eaten anything yet.
*‘Thank goodness. If it had bitten someone, the plague would have spread in an instant.’*