Nox opened his eyes in the late afternoon, when the sun was faintly sinking.
He was lying in a bed. A very soft bed, at that.
It wasn’t quite on the level of the Ludfisher Marquisate’s townhouse, but both the blanket and mattress looked fairly expensive.
He ran his hand over the soft blanket for a moment. Maybe because of the texture, it all felt strangely unreal.
Then he lifted his head and saw the sky dyed deep in sunset. Naturally, his gaze drifted outside the window.
Beyond the messy window frame, there was what looked like an untended vegetable patch. Four large scarecrows stood planted there, and beside them was a large chicken coop.
In the garden, a woman was crouched down, doing something.
She was dressed like a farmer, with a towel slung around her neck. Her face was hidden under a straw hat, bowed low.
But Nox knew it was Cherry.
There wasn’t anyone else as strange as Cherry Sinclair who’d be sitting in a vegetable garden like that.
Nox’s memory cut off right after Cherry had carried him into the mansion.
Vaguely, he thought he remembered Cherry’s slender, elegant hands—the same ones that had been swinging an axe—being placed against his forehead. He thought she had said he had a fever.
He touched his own forehead. His fever seemed to have gone down completely, leaving it lukewarm.
Cherry, who had been busy fiddling with the soil, suddenly stood up and dragged one of the large scarecrows that had been set aside.
She lined up four scarecrows in a row in the middle of the garden and then—
Started talking to them.
Nox slowly sat up and walked toward the window.
When he opened it, he could faintly hear her voice.
“Listen carefully. You have an important mission to protect this garden. Do you understand?”
What is she doing...?
Nox stared at Cherry’s back with a dumbfounded expression.
‘She’s really playing by herself.’
Leaning his elbow against the window frame, Nox let out a low laugh. It was so absurd that it made him laugh out loud.
Cherry, unaware that Nox was watching, clasped her hands behind her back and spoke to the scarecrows in an overly serious tone.
“You especially need to guard this area well. Remember, my friends—this is the heart of the garden.”
That place...
Nox furrowed his brow as he followed her pointing gesture.
It was none other than the spot where the Elphinus herbs were planted.
Elphinus herbs only slightly helped with recovering stamina.
He couldn’t understand why Cherry was so determined to grow those herbs as if her life depended on it.
‘Does it have some other effect I missed?’
No matter how much he searched his memory, nothing unusual about the herb came to mind—aside from the fact that it had been found at 61 Notium Street and 10 Haig Street.
In about a month, Cherry would be able to harvest the Elphinus herbs she planted.
As long as she caught enough bugs and provided sufficient nutrients, the Elphinus would grow quickly.
‘Should I help her?’
Nox leaned against the window and quietly observed Cherry’s actions.
The Elphinus herbs she had came from 61 Notium Street.
He remembered it clearly because he had witnessed it himself at the scene.
Why had Cherry been there that day?
‘Looks like I’ll have to ask her directly.’
Originally, he had planned to figure out her intentions slowly while staying in Brunel.
But who could have predicted the world would collapse before then?
Nox hadn’t even imagined that mysterious monsters would bring about the destruction of the entire kingdom of Graydon.
‘Even if I’d known, there wouldn’t have been anything I could do.’
Anyway, watching Cherry perform her one-woman show in the garden made him feel strangely peaceful.
It almost felt like running from monsters in Brunel had just been a bad dream.
R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.
As Nox stared out the window, he suddenly shifted his gaze.
A familiar figure stood near the door.
“Lancaster?”
Sometimes he called him Ethan, but he usually referred to him as Lancaster.
Even though they had known each other for quite a long time, there was always a certain distance between them.
Not too close, but sometimes close enough to feel awkward—an ambiguous relationship.
It was similar to how they both referred to Cherry as “Miss Cherry” while she called them “Sir Ethan” and “Mr. Ludfisher.”
“You’re awake.”
Ethan entered the room with a slightly rough stride.
His steps were slow—almost as if he hated coming inside.
As he approached Nox, Ethan pressed the back of his hand against Nox’s forehead.
Very casually, as if it annoyed him.