Chapter 54
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Inevitable Question
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After running for a while, it occurred to me that I still had some time and energy left. I figured it would be a good idea to raid a grocery store while searching for Ethan.
“Where was that grocery store again?”
I scanned my surroundings, running with Knox on my back.
The monsters that had gathered in front of the fountain were now losing interest and beginning to scatter. Among them, one spotted Knox and me from a distance and started running toward us.
“Side, side! Sinclair! Your side!”
At Knox’s shout, I quickly ducked. A virus monster, having closed the distance, had swung its long arm at us.
The force of it sent me off balance, and I tumbled to the ground with Knox. I heard him let out a small groan.
Seeing the monster raise its hand to strike us down as we lay sprawled on the ground, I quickly picked up my axe and swung it.
*Thwack!*
Once again, the monster was sent flying by the axe.
Knox, groaning in pain as he pushed himself up, stared at the airborne monster with a look of astonishment.
“Seriously, what are you?”
“Cherry Sinclair.”
*But one who now remembered her past life.*
I swallowed the rest of the sentence and pulled Knox’s hand to help him up. Wincing, he limped over to grab his bag.
Of course, we had no time to spare. Seeing the monsters swarming toward us, I heaved Knox onto my back and started running again.
According to the map, the grocery store should be around here.
I scanned the area and spotted a grocery store next to the inn. The glass on the front door was shattered, which thankfully made it easy to get inside.
I set Knox down by the entrance and immediately searched the interior, axe in hand. Just in case there were any virus monsters left inside.
“Miss Cherry, I think we should cover this up first.”
Knox sighed, pointing to the shattered glass of the front door as he struggled to his feet.
I picked up a tablecloth lying nearby and tossed it to him. While he covered the broken pane, I surveyed the interior. Fortunately, there were no people or monsters inside.
“There are more monsters around than before. If there’s no back door, it’ll be hard to get out of here.”
At Knox’s words, I put a hand to my forehead.
“There’s no back door. That’s the only way out. No windows, either.”
“…Then we’re trapped.”
I sank to the floor. The grocery store was filled with all kinds of food, from still-fresh vegetables to various goods. But what good was any of it if we couldn’t get out of here alive?
“I’m sorry. I got greedy.”
I mumbled blankly. Knox, who had been unwrapping a lollipop, stared at me quietly. Then, he popped the candy into his mouth and replied, sounding weary.
“Let’s call it even. You saved me, after all.”
“‘Call it even.’ You know how to use phrases like that?”
It wasn’t a word I would have expected from Knox, the epitome of an arrogant nobleman.
“It’s something a friend of yours used to say. I was surprised to find another noble besides Lancaster who uses such vocabulary.”
Knox answered nonchalantly.
“My friend? I don’t have any friends…?”
I tilted my head, then it dawned on me. Among the people in Brunel whom Knox might consider my friend, the only noble who would use a phrase like ‘call it even’ was Vanilla.
“Oh. You mean Miss Ruskin.”
But since when was Vanilla my friend? Though she certainly seemed like the type to use such a phrase.
*Come to think of it, I wonder if Vanilla is safe.*
I approached Knox, who was standing with difficulty by the front door. The wound on his thigh looked even worse than before.
Though his face was calm, his lips were pale blue and trembling. His mental fortitude was astonishing, chattering away so casually while looking like death warmed over.
“Sit down. Let me see that wound.”
Knox didn’t bother to refuse. When I pressed on his shoulder, he obediently leaned against the door and sat down.
I examined the wound visible through his torn, tattered trousers. Just as he’d described, it was a puncture wound from a sharp iron bar.
*That must hurt.*
The sight alone made me cringe.
“We need to disinfect it first. It looks like you need a tetanus shot for this…”
“You know about tetanus shots?”
At Knox’s question, I gave him a look that said, *why wouldn’t I?* Then I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to be *that* Cherry Sinclair.
In this world, most people who weren’t experts were ignorant about medicine. And Knox would have assumed that the ditzy Cherry Sinclair would be even more so. And before I regained my memories, I had been exactly the person he imagined.
I casually brushed off his question while searching for something to disinfect the wound.
“I traveled abroad a lot when I was younger, so I picked up a fair bit of miscellaneous knowledge.”
From now on, I should probably use this excuse whenever people question the things I know. It’s perfect.
It would be exposed as soon as I met Harrison, but right now, I didn’t even know if Harrison was dead or alive.
*He has to be safe.*
I sighed worriedly, thinking of Harrison.
Fortunately, Knox just tilted his head and seemed to accept it.
“I already had a shot when I was at the clock tower, so don’t worry.”
“Was there someone else there?”
“No…”
Knox trailed off, hesitating for a moment before lifting his doctor’s coat. Underneath, I could see a small belt bag fastened around his waist.
“I brought some medical supplies.”
“Oh my goodness!”
Medical supplies! What a godsend.
One of the things we were short on at the Happy House was medical supplies. Of course, I had asked Harrison to get some, but it took a considerable amount of time for a civilian to obtain professional medical supplies, as it required approval from the medical association.
Thanks to that, the world ended before we could properly stock up.
“I managed to give myself some first aid, but I haven't bandaged it yet. Would you help me?”
Knox asked in a gentle tone. I nodded and took out disinfectant and bandages from his belt bag.
I neatly trimmed the tattered fabric of his trousers, poured disinfectant on the wound, and then wrapped it with a bandage.
“Thank you, Lady.”
Knox gave me a bright smile. I patted his leg a couple of times and stood up.
“Anyway, let’s wait for the number of monsters to decrease and make a break for it. Keep watch for me. You can at least do that, even with an injured leg, right?”
I grabbed an empty bag and began to fill it with groceries. Flour, bread, vegetables, meat, spices, and rice—I diligently packed a variety of items.
“Put this in, too.”
Knox picked up a pack of cigarettes from the floor and tossed it to me. There was room in the bag, so I added the cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey.
“You smoke?”
I didn’t recall ever seeing him smoke before the apocalypse. I’d only ever seen him with a lollipop in his mouth.
Knox slightly parted the curtain to peek outside as he answered me.
“I was quitting, but it seems there’s no need for that anymore. Who knows when I’ll die? Why bother with my health?”
Knox wasn’t panicking, nor was he in despair. He was as calm as if he had always known the world would end up like this one day.
Of course, if he had truly known, he wouldn’t have been trying to quit smoking in the first place, as he said.
I finished packing the bag and placed it on an empty table. Then I sat in a chair and rubbed my dry face for a moment.
“What do you think happened to Sir Ethan?”
“He’s probably fine. That bastard doesn’t die easily.”
Again, Knox answered as if it were nothing. He spoke as if he knew Ethan better than anyone.
*Ethan said the same thing.*
I’d been feeling it for a while now, but talking to Knox made all of this seem like it wasn’t a big deal.
“How can you be so sure Sir Ethan is safe?”
“Because that’s just the kind of guy he is.”
What was that supposed to mean? But Knox offered no further explanation.
Silence fell over the grocery store, save for the groans of the monsters shuffling about outside the door. Knox sat leaning against the door, watching me.
“May I call you Cherry? We’ve gotten quite close now, haven’t we?”
“Just keep using the honorifics. We’re not that close yet.”
“Alright, Miss Cherry.”
Knox nodded agreeably, showing no sign of being offended.
With the lollipop in his mouth, he continued to check outside the door.
He didn’t seem nervous, but I couldn’t tell if he was the type who didn’t show it, or if he genuinely wasn’t tense at all.
Just then, Knox suddenly looked at me. Our eyes met. A lovely smile graced his lips as he abruptly threw a difficult question my way.
“You know why the world ended up like this, don’t you, Miss Cherry?”
There it was. The one question I’d have to keep answering from now on…