Chapter 97
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Operation: Seize Brunel
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Jose sat in the observatory of the Happy House, staring blankly at the town below.
‘No matter how I look at it, this is no ordinary mansion.’
At first, he had been thrilled to find such a comfortable mansion in times like these.
But the moment he discovered the underground passage behind the fireplace, he felt that something was out of the ordinary.
This was no simple country estate.
And naturally, the owner of this mansion was no ordinary person either. Cherry Sinclair.
The Cherry Sinclair in question was vastly different from her public image.
In fact, when Jose first heard that he was supposed to teach weapons handling to Cherry, of all people, he had considered refusing the offer. The Cherry Sinclair he knew was an incredibly immature good-for-nothing.
‘She's completely different from the rumors. Just as I thought, everything in the newspapers is bullshit. They have no credibility.’
It had been a very brief encounter, but that was enough. Enough to see that Cherry was not the person the world thought she was.
‘And she's incredibly cute.’
With her round face, she had an appearance that even Jose found lovely and adorable.
Of course, he had seen her picture in the papers, but being in black and white, it hadn't fully captured her beauty. She was twice as beautiful in person.
‘If I had known, I wouldn't have dallied and come to Brunel sooner. What a shame. You fool, Jose Cambron.’
Jose sighed and raised the opera glasses Knox had given him, saying they belonged to Cherry.
Just then, a strange sight caught his eye. The monsters that had been roaming the town streets began to move quickly somewhere.
Bang—! Bang! Bang!
It was then. A gunfight suddenly erupted in the town.
"What the— What's going on?"
Hearing the gunshots, Harrison and Knox climbed up to the observatory. Jose shrugged and handed them the binoculars.
"I don't know what's happening, but it looks like Kingdom soldiers and a civilian unit are in a shootout. Thanks to them, the monsters are being cleared out."
Of course, there was a side effect: the gunshots were drawing monsters from outside the town.
"They're wearing the uniforms of the Graydon Kingdom's army, but it's not certain they're actually soldiers."
Harrison muttered while looking at the town through the binoculars. Knox then took the binoculars from Harrison, surveyed the town, and replied.
"Hmm. It's absolute chaos. Where on earth did they come from? To have that many firearms, they can't be from Brunel."
The people of Brunel wouldn't own firearms. And even if they did, not in such large quantities.
Hearing Knox's words, Jose narrowed his eyes. If armed people were storming the town and shooting at each other, their objective could only be one thing.
"Looks like they're trying to raid Brunel for its food supply."
At Jose's words, Knox and Harrison fell silent in agreement.
It wasn't that they didn't understand their actions. In a ruined world, scavenging for food was a matter of course.
The problem, however, was that Brunel was the town where the Happy House was located. It was only natural that they, not those outsiders, should be the ones to secure the town's food supply.
Just then, Amy's head popped up from below the second-floor roof.
"Starlight is back!"
Except for Jose, who had to remain on watch, Knox and Harrison quickly climbed down from the roof.
‘I want to talk with Lady Cherry, too.’
Jose was the only one left sitting on the roof, lamenting.
* * *
A light appeared in the distance, revealing a room bathed in bright sunlight. Amy, who had poked her head into the tunnel to check on our arrival, scurried off somewhere.
As my vision cleared, I was finally able to get down from Ethan's arms.
And just as we reached the entrance of the fireplace, I spotted something whitish at Ethan's feet.
"Sir Ethan. Wait a moment."
Crouching near the entrance, I dug into the dirt. Something was buried there. I uncovered an old canteen.
This must be what Susanna was talking about.
Looking closer, I saw it was a brass canteen. I brushed off the thick layer of dirt. It had a floral pattern, suggesting it once belonged to a noble.
Was it Baron Ruskin's, or did it belong to someone who lived here before him?
I examined the canteen carefully before asking Ethan.
"Do you think the previous owner used this?"
"Well. If we're looking for a reason, that's the only answer that makes sense, but..."
Ethan also looked at the canteen, seemingly just as puzzled. In the meantime, Amy, Knox, and Harrison entered the room.
When I stepped out of the fireplace, I saw that Susanna was awake, watching me with a gentle smile.
"Susanna, are you alright?"
"I'm getting better. Don't worry, Young Lady."
Susanna replied with a bright, angelic smile. Ugh, what a good kid.
"Starlight, what took you so long?"
Amy trotted over and clung to my arm, her eyes sparkling. She was probably curious about what the underground passage was like.
"First, let's gather in the banquet hall for a quick meeting."
Everyone nodded at my words. I gently patted Susanna's head.
"You'll be alright resting here alone for a little while, won't you?"
"Young Lady. I'm not a child."
I smiled at her slightly pouty reply. I was relieved to see she really seemed fine. I nodded to Emma, who had been nursing Susanna, and she also stood up and followed us to the banquet hall.
Everyone sat at the table in the banquet hall. Ethan and I stood before them and recounted what had happened.
I told them that the underground passage was connected to the police station and that a gunfight was currently raging in town between survivors from Kintne and some thugs impersonating Kingdom soldiers.
Knox, who was sitting with his arms crossed, asked me with a slight smile in his eyes.
"Are you planning to drive them all out of town?"
"Yes. There will be no negotiations. Brunel is our town, after all. We have to protect what's ours."
As I clenched my fist, Emma, Victor, and Amy—all Brunel natives—looked at me with slightly moved expressions. It made me a little embarrassed.
In truth, to secure our share, force was the only answer.
There was no point in trying to reason with people who were already resorting to violence and gunfights, telling them to leave because this was our town. Besides, they were many, and we were few.
If I could, I was planning to seize control of Brunel entirely while I was at it.
Everyone expressed their agreement with my proposal.