Chapter 55
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: A Gruesome Find
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I asked, my expression tense.
“Why would you think I’d know something like that?”
In truth, all I knew was that alchemists sponsored by Marquis Casey had conducted suspicious experiments.
I didn't know their purpose or the nature of their experiments. Besides, the novel was discontinued before anything was revealed.
‘Does that even count as knowing much?’
I was curious myself. What kind of experiments were they conducting, and was that really the cause of the virus outbreak?
Even in the novel, there was only a ‘hopeful’ mention that a cure could be developed; I never actually read a scene where they created one.
‘Will they really be able to develop a cure in two years?’
Leaning against the table, I stared blankly around the grocery store and replied dismissively.
“Look, Mr. Ludpersher. If I knew that, do you think I’d still be here?”
Knox didn't seem entirely convinced, but he must have thought my point had some merit, as he nodded obediently.
I noticed he was still holding the candy stick in his mouth even though the candy was gone. When I asked why, he said it was a habit. One he picked up when he was quitting smoking.
“I have a question. Miss Cherry, were you deliberately pretending to be an idiot all this time? For the sake of your inheritance? If so, you fooled high society completely. That's quite impressive.”
Pretending to be an idiot? It wasn't an act. And as the idiot in question, I found that remark offensive.
But once again, I didn't refute it, remaining silent instead. A silent affirmation, as they say. It was actually a relief that Knox was willing to misunderstand on his own.
“I knew you were strong, Miss Cherry, but I didn't realize to what extent. How do you explain that monstrous strength? You sent that creature flying with a single blow earlier.”
Come to think of it, Ethan and Vanilla had seen me send a monster flying before the fall, but Knox hadn't.
“I played a bit of cricket.”
“Come on. Playing cricket doesn't let you send a monster flying with one hit.”
Knox replied, the stick still in his mouth, his tone incredulous.
I don't know how many more people I'll meet in the future, but will I have to explain this every single time? The thought was already exhausting.
‘I should just stay cooped up quietly in Happy House.’
“I took my supplements diligently and exercised hard, and this is what happened. How else am I supposed to explain my constitution?”
“Are you saying you weren't always this strong? Then those supplements sound highly suspicious. What kind were they?”
“I'd rather not be interrogated. I was frail, so my parents had them specially imported from the Briwood Kingdom.”
Of course, the part about them being from the Briwood Kingdom was a lie. I had no idea where the medicine actually came from.
“Hmm. Briwood is famous for its medicinal herbs.”
“Is the interrogation over?”
At my question, Knox raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
“I wasn't interrogating you, but if you were offended, I apologize.”
“Fine. Never mind that. Ethan must be looking for us. Shouldn't we make some kind of signal so he can find us?”
At my words, Knox stroked his chin, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Those things don't seem to have very good eyesight. Their hearing appears to be more developed. What if we use light to signal him?”
“Ah. Come to think of it, I brought a kerosene lantern…”
I rummaged through the bag filled with groceries. I'd completely forgotten I'd packed the lantern in here.
But just as I feared, after all the violent tumbling while fighting monsters, the lantern was broken.
“How tragic.”
Knox commented simply.
I set the broken lantern on the floor and rummaged through my bag again. After a long moment, I found what I was looking for. A rectangular matchbox. The lighter was nowhere to be seen. Still, it was a relief to have this.
“I have matches. Don't you think there might be a lantern inside the store? We could find it, light it, and put it by the front door.”
Knox nodded at my suggestion, and we began to search the store for a lantern.
We started by searching the back of the store first. With no windows, it was dark, and the light didn't reach far. It was hard to see ahead.
I ducked my head under a desk that seemed to be piled high with junk and struck a match.
Fssshh-
And as the flame flared, illuminating a space just big enough to see my own face, my eyes met those of a middle-aged woman on the floor.
“Holy shit!”
I fell backward on the spot. Startled, Knox limped over to me.
“Quite the potty mouth. I take it the Sinclair family doesn't provide etiquette lessons? Same with Lady Ruskin. Is skipping etiquette the new trend among the youth these days?”
“Want to see this? See if you don't curse, too.”
I struck another match and showed Knox what I had seen.
On the floor, the severed head of a middle-aged woman, likely the shop owner, was lying there.
“Ugh…!”
I clapped a hand over Knox's mouth to stifle his scream. The action brought our faces close. His honey-colored eyes filled my vision.
I slowly removed my hand from Knox's face. Then, I silently looked down at the severed head. How on earth did this happen to her?
Staring at it, I eventually couldn't hold it in and threw up in a corner. Perhaps because he was a doctor and used to such things, Knox seemed relatively unfazed.
“It's impossible to tell if this was severed before she turned into a monster, or after.”
Knox, having regained his composure, stated his simple observation. Behind the woman's severed head was a lantern.
He got on the floor and reached for the lantern, but then, as if struck by a sense of futility, he pushed himself back up.
“I don't know what I'm doing right now. I'm not the kind of person who does this sort of thing.”
“Excuse me. Do I look like the kind of person who does this sort of thing? I’m the Sinclair heiress, you know.”
I shot back, my line worthy of a difficult customer berating a department store clerk. To my surprise, Knox easily conceded the point again.
“These are the end times.”
“They certainly are. The world ended, remember?”
Once again, Knox seemed to have no retort and fell silent. He then obediently crawled under the desk and retrieved the lantern.
In any case, we managed to light the lantern, place it in front of the store's entrance, and quickly shut the door.
“I really want to see Sir Ethan right now.”
If he were here, we could have broken through this horde of monsters in an instant and returned to Happy House. But Knox was the brains, which meant I was the only one here with any brawn.
‘Damn it! I knew I was the muscle!’
Just then, as if he'd heard my muttering, Knox grumbled with a very sour expression.
“I’ll never understand what women see in that uncultured brute, why they’re all falling over themselves for him.”
“What's the point of expecting a cop to be cultured?”
“Hey. Are you fond of Lancaster?”
“Me? No.”
“Then why are you so desperate to find Ethan?”
“Because I want to go home.”
“Hmm, that’s true. It would have been much easier to get out of here if Lancaster were around.”
Once again, Knox immediately agreed, nodding his head.
Anyway, hoping that Ethan would notice the lantern's signal, I posed a question to Knox.
“Do you know Sir Ethan has a younger sister?”
“How could I not?”
“Have you ever met her?”
“I have.”
“What’s she like?”
“Maybe because they aren't blood-related? They didn't look alike.”
“Is that it?”
At my question, Knox frowned and looked at me. He wore an expression that said he couldn't understand the point of my question.
“What more is there to say?”
Knox was a secondary male lead whose popularity was nearly on par with the main lead, the Crown Prince.
Ethan was far more popular, though, and I suspected it was because he ultimately lost out due to being Aurora's adoptive brother.
It was then.
Bang— Bang!
Gunshots echoed from a distance. It had to be Ethan. I shot up from my seat.
“It's Ethan!”
I went to the front door, pulled back the cloth covering the glass, and peered outside.
I could see the virus-infected monsters that had been milling about on the street now running in one direction.
Bang— Bang—!
The gunshots continued in succession. I glanced back at Knox, who was standing beside me.
“I think we should go out and help him…”
My voice trailed off as I spoke. My eyes had fallen on Knox's bandaged leg. He just shrugged with a nonchalant smile.
“If I slow you down, you can just leave me behind.”
I stared quietly at Knox, who was leaning against the front door, trying to look cool. He still had the candy stick in his mouth as he gazed at me with a bright smile.
After a moment's thought, I decided to make him an offer.
“Instead of that, just get on my back.”