Chapter 93
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Cleaning House
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I took the lantern, set it down beside me, and reached out a hand to Ethan.
“I'm fine.”
He refused curtly, grabbed the opening with both hands, and hoisted himself up. He landed on the ceiling with ease.
“Let me see. Is your shoulder okay?”
I felt bad about stomping on him with my heel earlier, so I tried to check his shoulder.
But the moment I went to unbutton the top of his shirt, Ethan grabbed my hand. Even in the dim light of the lantern, I could see his face had hardened.
“It doesn't hurt. Even if there is a wound, it won't be serious. I can treat it when we get back.”
“R-Right... I'm sorry.”
Flustered, I pulled my hands back and stepped away. His expression was so cold and stiff; the contact must have been incredibly unpleasant for him.
It hadn't even occurred to me. I was so focused on checking the wound that I didn't even realize I was trying to undress him.
I scratched my cheek and picked up the lantern. I had already put the axe back on my back.
An awkward silence fell between us. I needlessly shone the lantern around. The problem, however, was where we had ended up.
“This place is...”
Ethan muttered softly, looking at the familiar scenery. The place wasn't unfamiliar to me either.
A long corridor. And a row of iron bars.
It was the police station's underground jail. The very same Brunel police station jail I had passed through with Ethan and Knox before heading to the body disposal site.
“You've got to be kidding me. This was a passage to the town?”
At my muttering, Ethan also scanned our surroundings with a look of disbelief.
The underground jail was completely empty.
I then remembered how, when I passed through here before, the floor had rattled lightly at one particular spot.
“Hey, how could you not know about this? There's a suspicious passage right here in plain sight.”
I asked Ethan, bewildered.
“This police station's underground jail hasn't been used in a very long time. It was empty for ages until I came down to Brunel and used it for the first time... I had no idea something like this was here.”
Ethan said, awkwardly running a hand through the back of his hair.
There had only been one prisoner, and Ethan had released him in the end, so of course the jail was empty.
Now that we knew the passage connected to the police station's jail, all we had to do was return to Happy House and tell everyone the news.
“Should we block the passage? Since it connects to Happy House, there's a risk of intruders.”
“For now, I don't think that's necessary. The monsters aren't intelligent, are they? Besides, would the survivors in Brunel really come down to this jail?”
Hmm, that's true.
“This might actually be a good thing.”
“...How so?”
“Because we now have an easy-access route from the mansion to Brunel.”
Ethan's words made sense, and I nodded.
It was true that Brunel still had plenty of supplies we could procure. We hadn't searched the residential houses yet. If we went through them, we might be able to secure a considerable amount of supplies and food.
“Our food supply did take a hit because of the monster's rampage, didn't it?”
“So you're saying we should use this as a supply route.”
“Bingo.”
Ethan held out his palm to me. I high-fived him.
Now that he no longer suspected and interrogated me as a criminal, our relationship seemed to have become much lighter than before. It was a very good sign.
“We don't have any weapons or bags for supplies, so for now, we should probably head back...”
“Miss Cherry.”
Just then, Ethan grabbed my shoulder. His eyes showed a hint of resolve. I tensed up and met his gaze.
“You're not suggesting we go scavenge for supplies right now, are you...?”
“Not that. Since we're already here, why don't we clear out the police station? Fortunately, I have my sword, and you have your axe.”
I knew exactly what he meant by 'clearing out' the police station.
Inside the station right now would be the monster that was once Inspector Hans. I should have aimed for its head, but I failed to do so last time and couldn't confirm its death. And perhaps the criminal Ethan had released would be there too.
*If we're going to use this as a supply route, we'll have to clear out the station eventually.*
I gripped my axe and met Ethan's eyes. Then, I nodded.
“Alright. Let's do some cleaning before we go.”
Was that too harsh? At my reply, Ethan gave me a strange, subtle look.
Monster Cleaners of the Ruined World. Sounds like the title of an SF anime.
“I can't say I understand what you mean, but I never knew Cherry Sinclair's dream was to be a cleaner.”
“I bet Ethan Duncan Lancaster never thought he'd be friends with a cleaner either.”
“Are we friends?”
“Not really, no. Just acquaintances?”
“...Calling it an ill-fated connection would sound more meaningful.”
“Do you want to be someone meaningful to me?”
At my question, Ethan furrowed his brow with an unreadable expression. That must mean no, right? Yeah. Of course. I shrugged.
“Anyway, let's make a plan. Our positions are clear, aren't they?”
“What's so clear about them?”
Ethan crossed his arms and retorted, his expression daring me to explain. Despite his words, he couldn't hide the amusement he found in what I was saying.
“I'm close-range, you're long-range.”
To be precise, Ethan could handle both close and long-range, but since I was only capable of close-range combat, he would have to take on the long-range role for us to work together.
“I never thought the day would come when I'd be discussing battle positions with Cherry Sinclair.”
“Should we not?”
“I wasn't looking down on you.”
“If you were, you would've gotten a punch from me.”
“Miss Cherry... why is your first thought always to hit someone?”
“That's not something I want to hear from you, Inspector Ethan.”
As I reached for the axe on my back, Ethan raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
“It's a real shame I didn't get to know you before the world ended.”
“Why? Because I'm different from the Cherry the world knows? Give me a break. Whoever you think Cherry is, that's all me.”
I shrugged as I spoke, but Ethan shook his head with a very serious expression.
“Ah. I'm not interested in that. It's just that I would have scouted you as my partner. You possess a very useful power, don't you? That monstrous strength is quite coveted.”
The heroine's brother, coveting my monstrous strength. In other novels, people date the heroine's brother and do all sorts of things...
Ethan's expression as he coveted not me, but my strength, was genuine. Looking at his face, I was once again reminded that the novel I was in, *Love in a Ruined World*, was a romance.
A romance novel. Romance... This is a romance novel, right?
“We've chatted for too long. Shall we head up?”
Whatever the case, it felt incredibly strange to have my abilities acknowledged by Ethan. And as I had that thought, a moment of clarity washed over me.
*It's true that I'm better than most men, after all.*
I asked Ethan.
“You can handle long-range attacks without your revolver, right?”
At my question, Ethan grinned. He tapped the scabbard at his waist with his fingers.
“Back in my Royal Academy days, my nickname was 'Sword Genius'.”
Right. I already knew that when I asked. He possessed swordsmanship skills that were effective even at a distance. His movements were incredibly swift and light.
In the original novel, it was described how even when he ran out of bullets, he would draw his sword and effortlessly dispatch monsters as if he were flying.
With a relaxed expression, Ethan crossed his arms and spoke as he followed me through the underground jail.
“You move however you want, Miss Cherry. That will be our plan. I can adapt to anything.”
“Oh. That's a very arrogant line.”
“Please, call it arrogance born from skill.”
I shrugged at Ethan's words. I didn't find him annoying or cocky for saying that. His words were, after all, a statement of fact. But there was no way I was going to say that out loud.
In any case, we quickly came up with a rough plan and decided to enter the police station immediately.
We stepped onto the stairs leading up from the jail to the inside of the police station and slowly made our way up. Naturally, I was in the lead.
I stood before the sturdy wooden door that led into the police station. The door had no window, so I couldn't see what was on the other side.
I took a deep breath and threw the door open.
Just as I expected, there were two monsters on the first floor of the police station.
One was dragging its long, torn, and wrinkled hide behind it like a deflated balloon, while the other had short limbs and a long, snake-like body. It was probably the criminal who had been in the jail.
I set down the lantern. The sun was setting outside, so it seemed we no longer needed it.
Sshhhk—
The snake-like monster was the first to spot us.
It slithered toward us at high speed, then bared its fangs and lunged. At the same moment, Ethan and I rolled in opposite directions.
Thwump—!
The snake's body slammed into the dead-end wall. Seizing the opportunity, I brought my axe down on its head.