The words he had said before suddenly resurfaced in my mind.
“I’ll stay until Miss Cherry gets better.”
“If I’m not here, huh? Who’s going to stop this reckless lady?”
Since he said he’d stay until I was better, he’d probably leave for the capital once this matter was settled.
Ethan had promised to repay me for saving his life, but honestly, I felt like I’d already been repaid.
After all, he had been a great help while he was here and, more importantly, he was still alive.
So, folding my arms, I spoke with a generous expression.
“You’re looking for your sister, so I’ll let it slide.”
“What? Let what slide...?”
Ethan reflexively snapped back but then trailed off, his expression shifting to one of confusion.
He must’ve realized I was talking about his so-called ‘repayment.’
“I don’t need any repayment, so once we’re done here, go find your sister.”
“I always keep my promises. I’ll come back. After I find her.”
“No. Don’t come back. If you can’t find her, then come back. But if you do, don’t.”
“...What’s the reason for that?”
“I already told you. My repayment is for you to survive until the end.”
Kwaaahhh—!
At that moment, we heard a commotion in the distance, as if monsters were holding a festival.
“Amy?”
I called out, and Amy quickly scurried over. I handed her the opera binoculars.
“You remember how to get up to the watchtower?”
“Yes. Pull the cord at the end of the second-floor hallway, and the ladder comes down.”
“Check what’s going on outside, okay? And you haven’t forgotten how to use the catapult, right?”
“I know how to use it, but I can’t move all that by myself.”
Amy pointed to the bundles of firewood stacked nearby.
“It’s better if we move them together. We need to hurry. I think they’re here.”
Ethan quickly picked up several bundles at once.
Nox muttered that survival was just one endless hassle. Then, like Ethan, he grabbed multiple bundles.
I stopped Amy when she reached out to grab some firewood. Instead, I hoisted the remaining bundles and gave her a nod.
“Stack the rest of it up here.”
She looked flustered.
“Aren’t you going to get tired, sis?”
“Our Cherry is stronger than most men, so don’t worry about it.”
Nox smirked as he passed by.
Only after a few more prods did Amy hesitantly stack the remaining bundles in my arms. Even though she’d seen me handle heavy loads before, she still found it hard to believe.
Carrying around ten bundles at once, I climbed up to the second floor.
When I reached the top with the firewood stacked like a tower, Ethan looked at me as if he’d seen something bizarre. He opened his mouth as if to say something but gave up and shook his head instead.
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I’m not.”
Hearing my answer, Ethan crossed his arms and tilted his head to look down at me.
“You have a tendency to do everything yourself, Cherry. Don’t. Just ask for help. I’ll help you.”
“Someone who’s leaving soon shouldn’t say things like that. It’s misleading.”
Honestly, I thought it would be better if he left soon and returned to Aurora’s side.
But the thought of him leaving after being together almost every day felt... a little strange.
“I’m still here for now. I only said it because you look like you’re overworking yourself.”
Ethan didn’t say anything more and quietly patted my head.
Nox, who had been hauling firewood up to the roof, spotted us and made a face like he’d just bitten into a rotten apple.
“Are you two taking it easy? It’s chaos outside.”
We all climbed up to the watchtower and surveyed the situation outside.
Just as Nox had said, the scene outside was both horrifying and astonishing. Near the mansion walls, people were surrounded by monsters.
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In front of them, three bodies lay on the ground. They all appeared to be dead.
Two middle-aged women and an elderly man. All relatively weak in terms of combat ability.
“Those crazy bastards.”
Amy, who had been watching the scene unfold, spat out a curse.
Just then, people began shoving the corpses toward the monsters.
“Are they using the dead as bait?”
I stood there speechless, staring at the horrifying sight.
Nox, observing the situation beside me, responded.
“Whether they died on their own or were killed, who knows?”
“All the dead seem to be the weakest ones—those who couldn’t defend themselves.”
Ethan’s words mirrored my own thoughts. I pressed a hand over my mouth.
It was just a suspicion for now, but if the two of them were right, the sheer ugliness of it would make me feel disgusted with humanity.
“What are you going to do, Cherry?”
Nox asked. When I couldn’t answer, Ethan spoke instead.
“Just say the word. If you want, I’ll make sure they don’t set foot in this mansion.”
Ethan was cold. It was a stark contrast to the man who, on the day the world ended, had risked his own life to save as many people as possible.
“For once, I fully agree with Lancaster. Cherry, you can’t let those people into this mansion.”
“Yeah, sis. They’re obviously here to take over your house. Their intentions are anything but pure.”
Amy backed them up. Nox, who had been peering through the binoculars again, added his opinion.
“I don’t care how those three people died. What bothers me is that they’re using their neighbors’ corpses as bait. And now you’re telling me they’re probably here to take over the mansion you worked so hard to fortify? That pisses me off.”
While the three of them rattled off their opinions, I carefully scanned the situation outside.
The villagers were now dangerously close to the mansion’s walls.
Because of them, the monsters we’d driven away with the catapult and those we’d lured into the forest with Elphinus herbs were gathering near the mansion again. Shit.
I agreed with Ethan, Nox, and Amy.
I wasn’t a righteous person. If I’d been the self-sacrificing type, I wouldn’t have survived this long.
“There’s no need to get our hands dirty. From what I can see, we just need to hold our defenses. Our real enemies aren’t the villagers—it’s the monsters swarming this place again.”
At my words, everyone turned back to look at the gathering monsters. Ethan clicked his tongue in irritation.
“Damn. I’m so sick of this. We might be better off clearing out the monsters first.”
“Exactly. If we can clear out the monsters and take control of the village, that’d be ideal.”
Nox nodded in agreement, but Amy immediately shot down the idea.
“Come on, how are we supposed to pull off something that big? There are only four of us.”
‘Still,’ I thought, ‘if we really could control the entire village like Nox and Ethan said, it would be the best-case scenario.’
More importantly, it would increase our chances of survival.
Brunel had always been a prime location for fortification—I’d thought about buying out the whole village myself when I first came here.
“Even with just four people, a good strategy can make anything possible. Lancaster’s a genius with guns and swords, Cherry’s got brute strength, and our little miss here is quick on her feet.”
Nox listed off our strengths one by one.
“And what about you, old man?”
Amy pointed at Nox. He shrugged.
“Cut me some slack. I’m the doctor.”
Fair point. To be honest, the doctor was probably the most important one here.
Aaaahhh! Aaahhh!
Suddenly, screams erupted outside the mansion. It seemed to be one of the villagers who had been pulling the cart.
He was closest to the monsters and looked like he was about to be caught.
“P-please! Don’t just stand there—help me!”
One of the villagers surrounded by monsters screamed up at us as we huddled on the roof.
According to Amy, these people had come here to take over the mansion. I had no reason to help them.
But watching them die helplessly without doing anything felt even worse.
I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet I already felt guilty, as if I had.
“Should we try using the catapult?”
I loaded one of the firewood bundles onto the sling. All three of them turned to look at me.
Amy stared at me in disbelief.
“Sis... are you seriously going to help them?”
Her question made me laugh.