Chapter 71
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: An Uninvited Guest
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Even as the young lady of the abandoned house worked hard to repair her home, moving diligently, they were busy gossiping about the pretty, young outsider.
It was no surprise; in this quiet town, she was excellent gossip fodder.
To think they would shamelessly consider asking for her help now, after all the nasty things they had said, was beyond audacious.
Amy sat with her legs crossed defiantly, a lollipop in her mouth.
“God, you’re all so loud. Instead of just talking, why don’t you go out there and see for yourselves?”
An eerie silence fell.
Watching them exchange hesitant glances, Amy clicked her tongue with a look of contempt.
“You, you insolent brat! How dare you interrupt when adults are talking…!”
Jackson, the weapon shop owner, slapped Amy on the head. He hit her so hard that the lollipop flew from her mouth and rolled across the floor.
“Hey! Why’d you hit me? Even my mom never hit me, so what gives you the right?!”
“…You disrespectful little thing!”
“That’s enough. What are you doing to a child?”
Just then, Victor, the chef at the inn’s restaurant, stepped in to stop Jackson. Amy glared daggers at Jackson, her sharp eyes narrowed venomously.
Seeing her glare, Jackson flew into a rage again, but this time others rushed to restrain him.
Amy backed away in annoyance. She brushed back her perfectly straight bob and spat a curse.
‘This is why I hate old geezers.’
Once Jackson seemed to have calmed down a little, the townspeople began plotting again.
“How about we take that fortress for ourselves?”
“Take the mansion? That’s a bit… It has a rightful owner, you know. And they’re nobles.”
“The doctor and the policeman are, but the young lady of the mansion isn’t a noble, is she?”
They could only say that because they didn’t know Cherry Sinclair’s social standing was greater than that of most nobles.
“That’s true, isn’t it? I think we could handle her.”
“Yeah. She looked young, too. We could probably overpower her easily.”
Amy swallowed a scoff at their words. They were saying this even after they had all witnessed the young lady of the abandoned house send a monster flying with an axe.
“It’ll be better than here, at least.”
“The repairman who visited the abandoned house before said it was set up like a war shelter.”
“That’s right. And she bought up all the daily necessities.”
“Now that you mention it, she did. Taking all the town’s supplies.”
They spoke as if the young lady of the abandoned house had stolen them, even though she had paid a fair price for everything.
“If we’re going to survive, we have to take that fortress.”
They so casually plotted to seize the young lady’s home.
‘Why don’t they think to ask for help? Because she’s a young woman? Honestly, this is why these old geezers…’
Finding the disgusting conversation unbearable, Amy stood up. She picked up a kitchen knife from the floor and opened the door to the second floor.
Everyone was so agitated that no one paid her any mind.
Amy left the inn.
She was an expert pickpocket and an herbalist. But neither of those skills was of any use in this damn hellish situation.
‘Still, those old geezers are hopeless.’
The young lady of the abandoned house had to be a hundred, a thousand times better than them. So, to survive, she would even kneel at the young lady’s feet. If it meant survival, she wouldn’t even mind becoming her slave.
‘At the very least, I won’t end up like those old geezers.’
Clutching the kitchen knife, Amy made a firm resolve and headed for the abandoned house.
* * *
Ethan showed no signs of leaving.
I was lying with Ethan on a mat spread out under the garden awning, enjoying the breeze.
Knox’s thigh wound was almost healed, but he still couldn’t overexert himself, so he mostly stayed inside the mansion.
I turned to face Ethan.
“Excuse me. You said you were going to find your sister.”
“I plan to stay until you are well, Miss Cherry.”
Theodore must have taken Aurora to safety, surely.
Ethan muttered the last part, but his voice was so low I wasn’t sure if I’d heard him correctly.
In truth, however, Ethan had no reason to worry about Aurora. She was, after all, the female lead of *Love in a Ruined World*, and just as Ethan expected, Crown Prince Theodore would protect her with his life.
“I’m fine now.”
“You are not.”
“I’m telling you I’m fine, so how would you know, Sir Ethan?”
At that, Ethan shot up. Embarrassed after my emotional retort, I sat up to follow him.
“Miss Cherry, you have a tendency to overestimate your own strength. Physical strength doesn’t equate to stamina.”
Ethan had a point. I had monstrous strength, but my stamina was lacking.
“If I’m not here, huh? Who’s going to stop this reckless young lady?”
Ethan said with a frown, a look of sheer exasperation on his face. The way he said it made me feel like an immature girl. I mean, Knox is here too, so why is he making such a fuss? Is he treating me like some kind of substitute for Aurora? Are all men with younger sisters like this? As someone who was an only child in both my past and present lives, I wouldn’t know.
CRASH—!
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the mansion’s main gate.
I immediately grabbed the axe I had placed nearby. Ethan pulled the revolver from his holster, his face tense as he stared at the gate.
“What do you think it is? A monster?”
Grrrrr.
No sooner had I spoken than a growling sound came from beyond the gate. It wasn’t just one or two.
I met Ethan’s gaze with a puzzled look.
“Why are they suddenly acting up like that?”
Sniff—
Sniff, sniff—
They were sniffing at the gate.
“What are they doing?”
Yelp!
ROAR—!
Just then, the monsters outside the gate began to make pained noises. There were also dull thuds, as if something was being struck.
“Please open the gate! I know you’re in there!”
Then, a human voice came from beyond the gate. Surprisingly, it was the voice of a young girl.
“Ethan, could you go up to the watchtower and provide cover? See who’s outside, and if you think it’s okay to open the gate, give me a signal.”
Ethan hesitated, looking like he wanted to argue. But then, as if having a change of heart, he sighed, nodded, and quickly ran into the mansion.
I could have given the signal for Ethan to open the gate, but I can’t attack from a distance. I wouldn’t have been able to provide him cover.
So, it was better for Ethan to cover me while I handled things up close.
I gripped my axe and slowly approached the gate. I could hear what sounded like a desperate struggle between someone and the monsters.
“Please! Open the gate! Help me!”
The girl’s voice was laced with desperation. But unfortunately, I couldn’t just open the gate carelessly. If she was infected, that would be a catastrophe.
I turned around. Just then, Ethan appeared on the watchtower on the roof.
I saw him raise a pair of binoculars and look toward the gate. Soon, he extended one arm, mimed shooting a gun, then gave a sharp upward flick. It was the attack signal. In any case, it seemed to mean it was okay to open the gate.
Once the signal was given, I opened the gate. And there, I witnessed a truly astonishing sight.
She looked to be about fifteen. A young-faced girl was leaping off monsters and brandishing a kitchen knife. Her movements were so quick and agile that she almost looked like a flying squirrel.
I raised my axe and approached her. As a monster lunged at the girl’s back, I sent it flying with a powerful kick, then swung my axe at another one rushing in from the side.
THWACK!
The girl, who had been flying through the air, landed lightly on the ground and stared at me with a shocked expression.
“Get inside, quickly.”
At my words, the girl ran toward the open gate. I swung my axe as I backed away, then slammed the gate shut.
THUMP— THUMP!
GRAAAAWWWR!
The air outside was filled with the roars of the monsters. Soon, I could hear the sounds of more of them gathering around the mansion.
It was a situation similar to when I went to the village to get Knox. I had gone to the trouble of diverting their attention to the town, only for them to swarm the mansion again.
Once again, we were isolated in the mansion.
‘Did this girl lead the monsters here?’
With a bewildered expression, I looked at the girl, who had collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
She looked so young, and it was incredible that she had made it all the way here alone with just a single kitchen knife.
Her body was covered in scrapes and blood. They looked more like grazes from being dragged around than bite marks from a monster.
“Don’t get too close, Miss Cherry.”
Ethan, who must have rushed to the gate at some point, stepped in front of me.