Chapter 98
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: The Brunel Takeover
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"The invaders are dealing with the monsters, but the firefight is dragging on longer than expected. As a result, even the monsters from outside the village are being drawn in."
I spread a map of Brunel village across a table in the banquet hall. Emma and Victor stared at it, surprised.
"I've lived in this village for decades and even I don't have a map..."
"You've lived here for decades, so you wouldn't have needed one."
At my nonchalant reply, Victor and Emma finally seemed to understand and nodded.
"Brunel is bordered by forests on two sides. The monsters are still moving along the roads rather than through the woods, as if they're looking for signs of people. So, if we first block the other two entrances and eliminate all the monsters inside the village, we can take control of all of Brunel."
"And, what about those Kintne people?"
"Sir Ethan and I will act as bait."
But at my words, Harrison shot up from his seat. I anticipated what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.
"My lady. I will be the bait with Sir Ethan."
*I'd prefer Miss Cherry,* Ethan muttered, but no one heard him.
"But then I'd have to be the one using the crossbow."
"I'll teach you."
"Hold on. You're handing a long-range weapon to someone who primarily uses close-quarters weapons. Even for you, Miss Cherry, that's unreasonable."
This time, it was Jose who objected. I gave Harrison an I-told-you-so look.
"Harrison, that's just how life is. You have to do things you don't want to do."
"It's not that I want to be the bait... I'm saying this because I'm worried about you, my lady. What if you get infected..."
As if he couldn't bear to imagine it, Harrison took off his glasses and pressed the bridge of his nose.
He had a habit of taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose when he was stressed or 'emotionally shaken.' But it was truly rare for him to be this agitated.
I tried to console him.
"Don't be so sad. If I get infected, my face will just change a little."
"It changes a lot more than a little. Your brain structure changes, you start eating people. Yeah. Just a little change. Just a little."
*This is exactly why I need to be by her side,* Ethan muttered beside me, sounding dumbfounded. He talks to himself far too often.
"I completely understand your concern, Harrison. Still, it's about time you became independent from me."
"...I understand, so please, stop."
Contrary to my expectation that he would be stubbornly unyielding, Harrison quickly accepted the situation. He looked at me with a conflicted expression before his gaze swept over the others seated around us.
"Then I will provide cover for the two of you as a sniper, alongside Jose."
"I hear from Miss Cherry that you're quite skilled with a crossbow. We would be grateful for your help."
Ethan replied lightly.
"My lady. I apologize. It seems I have been treating you as a child under my protection."
"Don't worry too much. You know I have monstrous strength. You know I'm our greatest asset when it comes to dealing with these fucking monsters, right?"
"I understand. I will respect your wishes, my lady. However..."
Harrison put his glasses back on and nodded calmly. Then, he suddenly transformed into a strict tutor and began to question me.
"'Fucking monsters'? Where did you learn such language?"
I subtly glanced at Ethan. He looked back at me, bewildered.
"Why are you looking at me? Trying to blame me?"
"I raised you so delicately, as if you might blow away in the wind or shatter at a touch... Ha... You mustn't be tainted by such bad influences."
It was true that Harrison had raised me delicately. He'd doted on me like a much younger sister. That's why I was so spoiled and immature. It might sound like an excuse, but what can I do? It's the truth.
"The lawyer doesn't know Miss Cherry as well as he thinks. She's always been as strange as a Lancaster."
Just then, Knox launched an unprompted attack on me. Ethan chimed in.
"That's what I'm saying. Our lawyer here really doesn't seem to know her. Whenever a problem arises, Miss Cherry's first thought is, 'Should I just clock them on the back of the head and knock them out? I'm stronger, after all.' Everyone, watch your backs."
"What?! When did I... How did you know that?"
"It's written all over your face."
Harrison, having no way of knowing my personality had started to change after I recalled my past life, blamed poor, innocent Ethan. For me, at least, it was a relief.
"Anyway, that's not what's important. I have something to confess."
I opened my belt bag, took out the box of Elpinus Herbs, and placed it on the table.
"I've discovered another effect of the Elpinus Herb."
There weren't many herbs left in the Elpinus box. I had used most of them as bait last time, when the monsters were rampaging outside the stone gate.
"I think it has a vaccine-like effect. But it only works once."
"Even I didn't know that. How did you find out?"
Amy asked, her face full of surprise.
"I experimented."
"On whom..."
"You're better off not asking."
At my words, Amy turned pale and clamped her mouth shut. Just then, Ethan's face contorted into a scowl.
"That thing you ate when you jumped over the wall..."
Fearing another round of lectures from everyone, I ignored Ethan and continued.
"Let's take them before we leave."
At my words, everyone exchanged doubtful glances, but in the end, they each took an herb.
Just then, Knox leaned toward me and whispered.
"Why would there be a vaccine at 61 Notium Street?"
"I wonder. I don't know either, but I suppose the day will come when we find out."
The important thing was that there was no way to find out right now. Knox seemed to share this thought, shrugging as if to say there was nothing to be done before quickly backing away.
Myself, Ethan, Harrison, Jose, Vanilla, and Amy—only those directly participating in the battle—took the herb. In truth, Ethan probably didn't need one, but it would have looked strange not to give him one, so I wasted another.
As a result, unfortunately, only a single Elpinus Herb remained.
"We can just grow more. We have those ones we planted, remember?"
Knox consoled me as I held the last one, looking sad. *But we have to dig up the ones we planted and move them... How long will we have to wait for them to grow again...?*
"Enough moping. Let's get going. Time to conquer Brunel."
He wasn't wrong, but hearing those words from Ethan's lips made it feel incredibly grandiose.
I nodded and replied.
"Alright. Let's go. To conquer Brunel."
* * *
Charlie was exhausted. He had been up all night traveling from Kintne to Brunel.
The journey, though not far, had taken so long largely because of the monsters. They'd had to avoid them.
Lying prone on a rooftop while scouting the Greydon Kingdom Army, Charlie's eyes caught a centipede-like monster crawling along the ground.
*Click.* He loaded his rifle and pulled the trigger.
*Bang—*
The gunshot echoed through the quiet evening sky. The sun had already set.
The reconnaissance team sent from the Kintne survivor camp to Brunel had started with fourteen members. Two had been killed by monsters, and two had been shot to death by men in Greydon Kingdom Army uniforms.
"Shit, why the hell are those bastards raising a ruckus in a backwater town like this? What's so special here that soldiers would come all this way?"
Charlie swore in annoyance as he reloaded his rifle.
Their objective was singular: to secure daily necessities and food from Brunel and to conquer the town.
The leader of the Kintne survivor camp, 'L', wanted to conquer Brunel. It was because of the mountain behind the town. Kintne was flat, with nowhere to forage for food, but Brunel was different.
Charlie looked up at the mansion visible on the hill. All he could really see was its chimney, and the place looked so old and shabby that it could have been abandoned.
What caught his attention wasn't the dilapidated house itself, but the forest situated behind it. It was a relatively low mountain, and beyond it flowed a massive river.
That 'massive river' alone was reason enough for them to want to conquer Brunel.
Charlie again took aim at a passing monster through his rifle's sights and pulled the trigger.
*Bang—!*
It was another direct hit.
*'What if there are survivors in Brunel?'*
What had L said in response to his question? He'd laughed as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous thing—
*'To grow Kintne, we need labor. You know that, Charlie. We'll make them slaves. Kill anyone who resists.'*
As soon as the world had ended, L had taken over a small hotel in Kintne, establishing a survivor camp with quick judgment and decisiveness.
It seemed as though he wanted to expand the Kintne survivor camp and establish his own small kingdom.
*'The age of nobles and the bourgeoisie is over, Charlie. I'll give you power, too. So bring me Brunel. Show me what you can do.'*
Charlie was not the leader of the reconnaissance team assigned to the Brunel operation. But L had promised that if he made a significant contribution here, he would be given a high position.
So, by any means necessary, Charlie had to conquer Brunel and gather the number of slaves L wanted.
As he was thinking this and aiming his rifle down at the street again, he felt cold metal press against his temple.
*Click.*
The sound of a round being chambered followed. The muzzle of a rifle was aimed at Charlie's temple.
"Drop the gun."
The voice that reached his ear sounded a little young. He guessed the speaker was younger than him.
But with a gun aimed at him, he had no choice. Charlie reluctantly placed the rifle he was holding on the rooftop.
"Hands up. Stand up and turn around."
*Right. If my opponent is really that young, I can just overpower him.*
With that thought, Charlie followed the instructions. He raised his hands, got to his feet, and slowly turned around, confirming that the person aiming a gun at him was indeed a young man.
The only problem was the other man standing next to him, aiming a crossbow at him. His opponent was not alone.
*Fuck, I'm screwed.*