Chapter 75
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Warning
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“As for sleep, I've had plenty, thanks to Miss Cherry. I'd like to finish my task quickly so I can get a grasp of the situation. And maybe make a few plans.”
Meanwhile, Ethan was slouched in a nearby chair, his feet propped up on the table, watching Amy.
His hands were neatly placed on his stomach, ready to reach for his revolver at a moment’s notice.
Knox took out the first-aid supplies from the bag I'd brought and, after checking them, turned to stare at me. A hint of surprise was visible on his face.
“I’ve been thinking this since I woke up here, but you really have everything.”
“…I was turning it into a vacation home. I planned to stay here for about two years and not move a muscle.”
“A vacation home. A vacation home… Yes, of course. A vacation home.”
Knox retorted half-heartedly, his expression clearly showing he didn't believe a word I said.
Of course, it wasn't just Knox; Ethan didn't seem to believe it either. They knew what kind of person Cherry Sinclair was, after all.
Amy, on the other hand, who didn't know me well, had sparkling eyes.
“I heard you’re famous in the capital. Just how incredible are you? To turn a huge mansion like this into a vacation home and not your actual house.”
“This is a huge mansion? Not an abandoned house?”
Knox said, bewildered, as he cleaned Amy's wound with a wet cloth.
“Lady Sinclair is someone who could buy a hundred of these abandoned houses with her personal allowance alone. She's the richest person in Graydon. It won't do to be surprised by something so trivial, Lady Wharton.”
“What? Is that really true?”
Amy exclaimed, her mouth wide open as she looked at me. There seemed to be a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Well, it's true, but what good is it now? The world has ended, making wealth all but useless.
“I believe it’s our turn to ask the questions, don’t you?”
Just then, Ethan cut into our conversation. Amy's excitement faded, and she closed her mouth. Ignoring her reaction, Ethan began to ask his questions.
“Listen while you're getting treated. How did you get here?”
This time, even Knox didn't challenge Ethan's question.
“I saw you carrying the doctor on your back. I was hiding on the second floor of the inn.”
Amy winced as Knox applied antiseptic to the cut on her face, the sting making her frown.
“I saw lights on in the abandoned house. I also heard stories that you were fixing it up in a strange way. The villagers hiding with me were talking about it. Hearing that, I thought to myself, *I have to come here if I want to live.*”
Ethan, who had been listening quietly to her answer, asked.
“Ever learned swordsmanship?”
“No.”
“Ever learned any sports?”
“How would a poor commoner who gets by on pickpocketing and gathering herbs learn sports?”
“Your movements were quite unusual. Where did you learn to move like that?”
“I never learned. When you've spent your time climbing the rugged Pelinum Mountains to gather herbs, something like that is nothing.”
Just how far did she go, and what kind of herbs was she gathering? As if they were all thinking the same thing I was, both Ethan and Knox stared at Amy, momentarily at a loss for words.
Ignoring them completely, Amy took my hand and pleaded.
“Please, won't you take me in? I'll be your footstool.”
“*Cough.*”
Knox, who was tending to her wounds, let out a dry cough in surprise. I narrowed my eyes, appalled. What is this girl talking about?
“I don't need a footstool. I can wash my own feet.”
“Then I'll be your maid.”
“I don't need one. I only have one maid.”
Suddenly, Susanna's face came to mind, and I felt a wave of melancholy. A tightness constricted my chest.
Amy, who had been cautiously watching my expression, spoke in a small voice.
“If you don't want a maid, then a slave…”
“I don't need a slave, either. If you have nowhere else to go, you can stay here for a while. But like I said, only for a while. You told me about the Elpinus herb, so I'm just returning the favor.”
If it weren't for Amy, I would never have known that Elpinus herbs were stuck in the main gate, or that those monster bastards go crazy for their scent.
This was crucial information, and for that alone, Amy had earned her keep in my mansion. For a while, at least.
*‘There isn't enough food for many people to live here.’*
As I thought this, I realized I needed to prepare for similar situations in the future.
I should probably establish some rules for when we take in new people or when unexpected things happen.
And just then, Amy delivered another piece of startling news.
“The villagers are planning to take this place over. They might attack soon.”
“Hey, kid. Why are you only telling us now?”
“Don't call me kid, you old geezer.”
Once again, Ethan and Amy started a staring contest. Just as they finished, Knox seemed to have completed the treatment and began putting away the first-aid supplies.
“What do you mean the villagers are trying to take this place? Why?”
In response to my question, Amy looked down at the neatly bandaged wounds and answered.
“Why do you think? Because this mansion looks useful. Like I said before, everyone saw you rescue the doctor and head up to this abandoned house. So I guess they all think it's safe here. They also said you stockpiled necessities before the world ended, and that they should seize them.”
Those crazy bastards. Well, it wasn't a situation I hadn't anticipated, but facing it for real still made me want to curse.
I asked Amy again.
“So. When are the villagers coming?”
“I don't know. It was all so ridiculous that I just left on my own.”
“A group full of idiots who don't even notice a kid slipping out. Tells you all you need to know about their level. Their combat skills must be pathetic.”
Amy didn't deny Ethan's mutterings. His face showed a mixture of displeasure and the faint excitement of an impending battle.
“The villagers must really be underestimating Miss Cherry, huh? I don't think they could win even if all of them came at her at once.”
“Are you serious…? Do you think I'm some kind of superhero?”
I retorted with a look of disbelief. Ethan asked what a superhero was. As I was briefly explaining that it was like a hero with abnormal powers, Knox asked a question.
“Miss Cherry, what are you going to do?”
At Knox's question, I stopped talking and thought deeply.
“Of course, my goal was to survive here, quietly, on my own…”
I trailed off for a moment, then glanced at the people watching me. Perhaps because I was the owner of this mansion, Knox and Ethan always prioritized my opinion.
“But of course, I can't just stand by while they try to take my mansion. After all the hell I went through to make this place…!”
“True, I saw up close how much hell Miss Cherry went through fixing up this mansion.”
“That's right. She was less like the Sinclair heiress and more like a tenacious country girl.”
In response to Ethan's comment, Knox whispered to him as if sharing a secret. Of course, I could hear everything, so it was pointless.
Amy, who had been listening to our conversation with a blank expression, asked in puzzlement.
“None of you seem nervous.”
Knox and Ethan both looked at me at the same time. I shrugged and asked Amy.
“How many villagers are there in total?”
“From what I saw before I left, ten people.”
“The gender ratio?”
“Six women and four men.”
“That should be fine.”
The reason I wasn't nervous was, just as Ethan had implied, I was confident I could beat a ragtag group like that.
It might be a little taxing, but six women and four men were manageable enough. And if they were country folk who'd never even held a sword, it would be even easier.
First of all, just approaching Happy House wouldn't be easy for them. Happy House was on the outskirts of Brunel village, and they'd have to fight through monsters and climb the hill, so there was no guarantee all ten would even make it up here safely.
*‘If I’m going to be nervous, it should be about facing Prince Lloyd's or Crown Prince Theodore's survival camps.’*
The two largest survival camps that appeared in the original novel were both in the capital.
One was the First Survival Camp in the royal palace, created by Crown Prince Theodore. The other was the Second Survival Camp, created by the crown prince's younger brother and greatest rival, Prince Lloyd.
Didn't I say it before? The original *Love in a Ruined World* was basically a turf war, with Aurora conquering survival camps one by one to expand her power.
Aurora is probably at the palace's survival camp with Crown Prince Theodore right now, and she'll likely absorb Prince Lloyd's camp before long.
*‘Compared to that, this is a piece of cake.’*
Besides, I have Knox, the second male lead whose importance rivals the main lead, and Ethan, the most competent person in the world of *Love in a Ruined World*, right here with me.
I smiled as I looked at Knox, Ethan, and Amy.
“Shall we draw up a simple plan, then?”