Chapter 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Assigning Roles
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
The night passed, leaving behind a tangle of complex emotions.
When morning came, we all gathered in the banquet hall. With its large table that could seat ten, it was the perfect place for us to talk. Jose, Emma, and Victor looked around in wonder.
“This place is perfect. An absolute haven. I slept so well. It’s been ages since I’ve slept in a bed that soft.”
Jose spun around the banquet hall, clutching his sniper rifle. With a face prettier and more delicate than most women's, he seemed a bit dazed.
But that face was deceiving. Jose was a top-tier sniper who could take out his targets without batting an eye.
For some reason, Ethan and Knox had grown noticeably quiet since the others arrived at Happy House.
Ethan, in particular, slouched in his chair, showing not a shred of motivation.
Yes, it seemed his motivation had vanished. He even looked a little bored.
Emma and Victor seemed intimidated by Ethan and avoided getting close to him. The same went for Amy and Jose.
As I’ve mentioned before, the original novel described Ethan as someone who, despite saving many lives with his outstanding survival and combat skills, was easily disliked due to his foul temper.
“I plan to stay until Miss Cherry is all right.”
“If I’m not here, huh? Who’s going to stop this helpless young lady?”
He’d certainly said things like that. How much had his trust in me grown? Was it still hovering near rock bottom?
Contrary to his appearance, Ethan was a deeply affectionate person. Perhaps he’d stayed because he genuinely thought I needed his help.
In any case, with more people around, it seemed he wouldn't have to worry about me anymore.
Was he perhaps looking for the right time to leave?
I think we still had enough milk for two more days. Drinking milk together every morning had become something of a routine; it would feel empty without him. I should ask him to have one last glass before he goes.
‘Hmm. Is there anything else I can ask him to do?’
As I wracked my brain, I suddenly felt a gaze on me. I glanced over and met Knox's eyes. Sucking on a lollipop, he gave me a faint, unreadable smile.
For some reason, I found it a little frightening how he seemed to see right through me.
Anyway, I once again took the seat at the head of the banquet table. I hated this spot, but everyone seated me there as if it were a matter of course. They’d give me looks if I tried to sit anywhere else.
So, I had no choice but to tearfully accept the honored seat where all eyes were on me.
Once I was seated, we went around and briefly introduced ourselves.
Cherry Sinclair.
Ethan Duncan Lancaster.
Knox Cornell Ludpersher.
Harrison Howard.
Vanilla Addy Ruskin.
Jose Cambron.
Amy Wharton.
Victor Hope.
Emma Swap.
In total, there were nine of us—quite a large group.
“My lady, thank you again. We owe our lives to you, so please, put us to work wherever you need us.”
Victor thanked me once more, holding Emma’s hand.
“Me too! I was skeptical when the lawyer told me about this place, but coming here was the best decision I could have made!”
Jose exclaimed, raising his hand high. His response was so disciplined it was almost cute, and everyone chuckled softly.
“Honestly, I never thought you’d make such good use of this mansion. Showing it to you, Miss Sinclair, seems to have been a very good decision.”
Vanilla said this with a hint of her usual bluntness, but despite her tone, she seemed quite grateful to me. Her way of speaking was much softer than usual.
I looked slowly at the people thanking me.
Well, I wasn’t a philanthropist who just gave without expecting anything in return, so their gratitude didn’t exactly fill me with pride.
‘They'll have to earn their keep.’
So I immediately made a firm declaration.
“As long as you’re staying in this mansion, everyone has to earn their keep. To that end, I’ll be assigning jobs.”
“Yes, I know how to cook. I can also manage the food supplies.”
Victor pitched his usefulness to me, then took Emma’s hand and introduced her talents as well.
“Emma is very skilled with her hands. She’s good at anything manual. She can mend clothes, of course, and she’s also good at fixing broken things.”
Just as Victor said, Emma’s talents were very, very useful.
Of course, what pleased me even more was the fact that Victor was a cook.
‘I was planning to kidnap a dedicated cook for Happy House before the world ended…!’
And now a cook had walked right in on his own two feet.
Anyway, Victor’s original profession was a chef, and Emma had been a clothing store owner. Thus, Victor became Happy House’s dedicated cook, while Emma took on the role of mending clothes ruined from fighting monsters and looking after general housekeeping.
Victor and Emma, in particular, looked as if they would burst into tears if they weren’t given a job, so they were greatly relieved to be assigned roles. I was grateful for that.
The overall management of supplies and administration for Happy House naturally fell to Harrison. He said it wasn’t a difficult task, habitually adjusting his glasses.
“I used to clean up after a corrupt corporation like Sinclair. This is easy by comparison.”
“The heir to that corrupt corporation is right next to you, Harrison.”
I pointed this out, thinking he might have forgotten I was here. Of course, Harrison simply responded with a faint smile.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Harrison handled nearly all of the Sinclair family’s affairs (in fact, he probably knew more about their business than I, the heir, did), so I decided to just keep quiet.
As I shut my mouth, sensing Harrison’s mood, Jose raised his hand and spoke.
“I heard there’s an observatory on the roof for standing watch. Since I’m a sniper, I’ll take charge of weapons maintenance and guard duty.”
He said, his eyes sparkling. He was like a model student in the front row, focusing so intently it was almost burdensome.
As a weapons expert, Jose was put in charge of maintaining and modifying Happy House’s arsenal, while also serving as a guard with his sniping skills.
At Jose’s words, Vanilla, who had been quiet the whole time, raised her hand. Her face was as prim and expressionless as ever.
“I’m confident in my sniping skills as well. If you need a hunting party, I can handle that. Other than that, whether it’s scouting or standing watch, I’ll do my best at whatever you assign me.”
No matter how I thought about it, Vanilla was far from being an ordinary noble lady. She was too capable. In any case, it was decided that she would use her experience hunting birds on the wing to take turns on guard duty with Jose.
Knox, who was sitting elegantly with his legs crossed, spoke in a soft voice.
“I’m a doctor, so my role is quite clear, isn’t it?”
Just as he said, Knox’s position was so clear that there was nothing to assign.
Finally, I decided to take on scouting and reconnaissance. Vanilla would alternate between guard duty and assisting the scouting team.
“Hey, Miss Cherry. Why are you leaving me out?”
Just then, Ethan objected to the role assignments. I asked him with a puzzled look.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“I’m not leaving. Not leaving. Can’t leave. I’m going to stay a little longer.”
Ethan answered wearily, rubbing his face. And then—
“I’m afraid to leave because I have a feeling you’ll go on a rampage without me.”
he added, shaking his head as if he truly had no other choice.
Was he talking about me? Unsure of his intentions, I tilted my head. Harrison replied while jotting down the roles in his notebook with a fountain pen.
“Sir Ethan, you are a great asset to our strength, so we would be grateful if you stayed. We’ll assign you to the scouting and reconnaissance team with the young lady.”
There was an edge to his words, ‘scouting and reconnaissance team.’ It seemed Harrison was very displeased that I was volunteering for scouting missions.
But Harrison was the type to refrain from nagging me in front of others, out of consideration for my status and reputation. He was frighteningly good at maintaining boundaries.
Amy’s eyes darted around before she shot her hand up and spoke.
“Cherry! What about me?”
All eyes turned to Amy. A brief silence followed.
Amy was multi-talented, but the problem was her age. I wasn’t sure if we could entrust her with dangerous tasks. That’s why I was struggling to decide on a position for her.
Amy’s face fell, and she closed her mouth again.
I finally understood why Amy had been so wary around me last night. She must have realized her position was precarious. It seemed she thought I would kick her out if she wasn’t useful.
“Um… How about Amy takes an assistant role?”
Jose spoke, breaking the silence. Amy looked up at him.
She seemed quite surprised, as if she hadn’t expected him to speak up for her.