Chapter 91
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: The Fireplace Passage
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Then again, Susanna had been trapped in the fireplace ever since she saw those two, so she wouldn't know the world had ended.
“I'll explain that in a bit. So, how did you escape? I found your torn clothes in the ballroom. I thought you'd turned into a monster when I saw them.”
“Well… its claws caught the hem of my dress, so I had to slip out of it. Then I ran. Your room was the closest, so I came in here. I thought about escaping through the window, but it wouldn't open easily… I was running out of time… I thought I was about to be caught, so I considered climbing up the chimney to hide. But when I tried, the chimney was blocked, and I accidentally pushed the fire grate with my foot, and this thing opened.”
Susanna kicked her feet under the covers, reenacting the moment. Then she curled up, clasping her hands together, and spoke.
“I closed the door and hid inside. But the problem was, the door wouldn't open from the inside. It was as if it was installed that way to keep intruders out.”
It wouldn't open from the inside? And it seemed like a door designed to keep intruders out?
Hearing Susanna's words made me even more curious about the purpose of the secret passage. Then, I suddenly remembered the dead monster in the ballroom.
“Susanna, there was a monster's corpse in the ballroom, the one shaped like a bear… Did you kill it?”
At my question, Susanna's face turned deathly pale, and she just nodded her head vigorously without a word.
The memory seemed so terrifying that she just clamped her mouth shut and trembled, so I decided not to ask any more about it for now.
Just then, Knox asked Susanna.
“How did you survive in there without water?”
“There was water. It was dark, so I don't know if it was exactly water, but there was some in a canteen-like container. I rationed it over several days.”
A filled canteen? Wait, why would there be a canteen in there in the first place?
“Was there anything else inside? And you don't know where the passage leads?”
“I don't know. It was too dark, so I couldn't even think about moving forward. I was afraid I'd run into another one of those monsters…”
Susanna shivered, her face filled with fear. Knox patted her shoulder again, helping her to calm down.
“It seems clear we need to investigate inside.”
Everyone agreed with my quietly spoken words.
However, Susanna needed more time to rest. As if speaking had drained all her energy, she quickly fell asleep.
Having starved for days, she was pale, had lost a lot of weight, and her skin looked rough.
Knox, who was checking on Susanna's condition, said she was severely malnourished and that her recovery would take quite some time.
I decided to let Susanna have the room for the time being and looked at the fireplace with a troubled expression.
“When would be a good time to explore this place?”
“Well, it doesn't seem like monsters are coming out of it, so there's no immediate rush.”
Ethan replied nonchalantly. Then he added another remark.
“But wouldn't it be better to do it sooner rather than later?”
This time, he looked at Harrison as he spoke, as if seeking his agreement.
Harrison, who had been staring at the fireplace with his arms crossed, finally let out a sigh. He spoke to me, almost complaining.
“Frankly, my lady, the idea of you being on a search team or anything of the sort seems far too dangerous. I can do it instead. I'll work twice as hard in your place.”
It was the first time I had ever seen Harrison voice his complaints like this. I was a bit taken aback, but I had to say what I needed to say.
“…Harrison.”
At my call, he met my gaze with a displeased look. I asked him.
“Harrison, can you send a monster flying with your bare fists?”
“…”
“I can. If you told me to tear one apart, I think I could do that, too.”
“…Hah.”
“End of discussion, right?”
Beside me, Ethan's shoulders were shaking with laughter. He muttered something along the lines of, “This is driving me crazy.” Knox, sitting by the bed, just shook his head.
“Still, it would be best to rest today and investigate tomorrow. With Susanna's return, things are a bit chaotic… It would be wise to establish a contingency plan before going in, so let's wait a day.”
Ethan nodded in agreement with Harrison's words.
As I was carefully making my way out of the room, Harrison stopped me.
“My lady, you and I need to have a talk…”
Harrison had a good memory.
* * *
Ethan watched Cherry and Harrison intently.
Harrison acted as if he were Cherry's father. And Cherry, like a well-behaved daughter, meekly followed his words.
“Shall we talk in the salon?”
Cherry said to Harrison. Despite being the one to suggest talking in the salon, she left the room with Harrison like a condemned prisoner being led to her execution.
Ethan followed them out into the hallway. Leaning against the wall, he quietly watched their backs as they walked toward the salon at the end of the hall.
Even as she closed the salon door, Cherry didn't meet Ethan's eyes. He was right there if she had only looked up. But all her attention was focused on Harrison.
Come to think of it, even when Ethan said he wouldn't leave, Cherry had only talked about milk. She had acted so cool, as if she had no other questions.
“After all I've done to help you, Miss Cherry, it seems you couldn't care less whether I leave or not?”
“Oh, that's not true. I was quite disappointed at the thought of losing someone to drink milk with in the morning.”
Milk, of all things… Hah.
Ethan swallowed a hollow laugh that came with his sigh.
Cherry was far too unconcerned with him. It didn't seem like she needed his help anymore, either.
But still, he hesitated to leave without a second thought, because…
“Harrison, can you send a monster flying with your bare fists?”
“I can. If you told me to tear one apart, I think I could do that, too.”
She never thinks about her own safety.
He knew there was no other choice, as she was the only one capable of physical combat, but still, she was too reckless.
Without him, Cherry would surely try to handle any situation requiring brute force all by herself again.
That thought didn't sit well with him. He couldn't understand why.
* * *
“I received a letter, too. It said a monster would appear at 61 Notium Street, and that people would die.”
“After seeing a monster like that, how could I stay in the capital out of fear? The letter said the monster was contagious. To be honest, I was skeptical until then.”
“I told you. My life was all about money, so I wanted to find some excitement. But after coming down here and seeing the farmer change, I was convinced. I don't know who sent it, but everything in the letter was true. See? The world ended because of a contagious monster.”
I used the same excuse on Harrison that I had given Ethan. The excuses I gave to different people had to be somewhat consistent, after all. Harrison, who listened to my story with great seriousness, asked.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“I did tell you, Harrison. But you told me to go see a doctor. I'm hurt.”
“No, that's…”
“It's alright. I probably wouldn't have believed it myself.”
I quickly acted hurt and lowered my head sullenly to keep Harrison from saying anything else. I could hear him sigh.
“Are there no clues about the person who sent the letter?”
“All I know is that the young lady of the Lancaster family received a similar letter.”
“Lancaster…”
Harrison muttered the name. But he, too, seemed unable to come up with anything, no matter how hard he racked his brain, and soon let out a frustrated sigh.
“With the world in this state, there's almost no way to find any clues.”
I nodded at Harrison's words.
“By the way, Harrison. How long have you known about my superhuman strength?”
We're completely like family now, but back then, I was still very shy around Harrison. That's why I never told him about my strength…
“I've known from the beginning. Chairman Sinclair told me.”
“What? Then do you also know where my father got the medicine?”
Harrison shook his head. Unfortunately, it seemed he didn't know that much. It was a true pity.
‘I was so curious.’
“I was also very curious and looked into it, but I couldn't find the source at all.”
Even Harrison couldn't find the source. Now I'm even more curious.
“For now, it seems there's no way to uncover the truth behind any of this. I wonder if the world will ever return to normal…”
Harrison sighed, his face full of worry. But I wasn't worried. I knew that Aurora and Theodore would find a way to end this crisis, no matter what. I believed they would.
‘If they don't, I'll have to revoke their protagonist status…!’
Besides, they'll be able to gather information much more easily in the capital.
‘Wait, did the novel say Westmore was blocked off?’
I couldn't remember if there was any mention of it. But Aurora's party had visited Brunel about half a year after the world ended, so the roads probably weren't blocked in the novel.
‘Well, whatever. Let's leave world peace to the protagonists for now.’
I had my hands full just taking care of Happy House.
Susanna's body was expected to take a long time to recover. Knox, after examining her, said it would take at least a few weeks.
After explaining the situation to us, she had fallen back asleep and hadn't woken up. According to Knox, it was likely because it was her first deep sleep in a long time, and he told us not to worry.
With no other choice, we decided to leave Susanna to rest and explore the secret passage, with me and Ethan going first.
Everyone in Happy House gathered in front of the fireplace.
“Sir Ethan.”
When I called him softly, Ethan nodded and waved the hand holding his revolver.
Harrison lit a lantern he had placed on the floor and handed it to me.
“Be careful, my lady.”
“Please make sure to keep the door open. Susanna said it's impossible to open from the inside.”
Harrison nodded at my words. Knox answered for him.
“There are plenty of us here, so don't worry, Miss Cherry.”
As Knox said, the room was full of people. Feeling a little relieved, I slowly entered the fireplace with Ethan.