“The intruders may be taking care of the monsters for now, but their shootout is dragging on longer than expected. Because of that, the monsters from outside the village are being drawn into the chaos inside.”
I spread a map of Brunel across the banquet table. Emma and Victor stared at it in surprise.
“I’ve lived in this village for decades, but I’ve never even owned a map...”
“Well, you didn’t need one since you’ve been here so long.”
My calm reply seemed to satisfy their curiosity, and they nodded in agreement.
“Brunel is surrounded by forest on two sides, but the monsters seem to prefer the roads over the woods. It looks like they’re following traces of human activity. If we block off the two other entrances and eliminate all the monsters within the village, we can take full control of Brunel.”
“What about those Kint survivors?”
“Sir Ethan and I will act as bait.”
Before I could say more, Harrison abruptly stood from his seat. I already knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.
“Miss, I’ll be the one to act as bait with Sir Ethan.”
Ethan muttered under his breath, I’d prefer Cherry... but no one seemed to hear him.
“Then I’d have to use a crossbow.”
“I’ll teach you how to use it,” Harrison offered.
“Wait a minute. Giving a ranged weapon to someone who’s used to close combat? That’s too much, even for you, Miss Cherry.”
This time, it was Jose who objected. I turned to Harrison with a pointed look, as if to say, See what I mean?
“Harrison, life doesn’t always let you do what you want. Sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done.”
“It’s not that I want to act as bait... I’m just worried about you, Miss. What if you get infected...”
Harrison trailed off, pulling off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose as if the thought was unbearable.
Whenever Harrison was under stress or emotionally stirred, he had a habit of taking off his glasses and rubbing his brow. But for him to react this strongly—it was rare.
I tried to console him. “Don’t be so upset. If I get infected, my face might just change a little.”
“A little? More like a lot. Your brain structure changes, you start eating people... yeah, just a little,” Ethan muttered from the side, clearly unimpressed. He always had something to say, even to himself.
“I understand your concern, Harrison, but you’ll have to start letting go of me eventually.”
“...Fine. Just stop already,” he said with a sigh.
To my surprise, instead of stubbornly arguing, Harrison seemed to accept the situation rather quickly. He glanced at me with a conflicted expression before looking around the room.
“Then I’ll team up with Jose to cover you two with ranged support.”
“I heard from Miss Cherry that you’re skilled with a crossbow. I’d be grateful for your help,” Ethan replied smoothly.
“My apologies, Miss. I must have been treating you like a child all this time,” Harrison said with a heavy tone.
“Don’t worry too much. You know I’ve got superhuman strength. I’m our best weapon against those damn monsters, aren’t I?”
“I understand. I’ll respect your decision, but...”
Harrison put his glasses back on and nodded stoically before slipping back into his strict tutor persona.
“Miss, where did you learn to use such vulgar language? Calling them ‘damn monsters’?”
I cast a quick glance at Ethan, who gave me a blank look.
“Why are you looking at me? Are you trying to blame me?”
“I raised you with such care, Miss Cherry... like a precious little sister. And yet, you’ve picked up such bad habits.”
He wasn’t wrong. Harrison had doted on me like a baby sibling, which left me spoiled and immature. It was true, whether I liked to admit it or not.
“I don’t think you know Miss Cherry as well as you think. She’s always been as odd as a Lancaster,” Nox interjected with a sudden jab.
“Exactly,” Ethan chimed in. “She’s the type to think, ‘Should I just knock that person out from behind? I’m stronger anyway,’ the moment something goes wrong. Watch your backs, everyone.”
“What?! I never said that—how did you even know?”
“It’s written all over your face,” Ethan replied dryly.
Harrison, unaware of how much I’d changed since regaining my past memories, directed his blame solely at Ethan, much to my relief.
“Anyway, that’s not the point. I have something to share.”
I opened my belt pouch and pulled out a box containing Elphinus herbs, placing it on the table.
“I’ve discovered another effect of the Elphinus herb.”
There wasn’t much left in the box—most had been used as bait during the monster rampage outside the Stone Gate.
“It seems to have a vaccine-like effect. But it’s only temporary.”
Amy looked at me in shock. “How did you figure that out?”
“I experimented.”
“On who...”
“It’s better if you don’t ask.”
Amy’s face turned pale as she clamped her mouth shut. Ethan, however, frowned deeply.
“That time you jumped over the wall... You ate it then...”
I ignored Ethan’s comment, not wanting to invite further scolding.
“Let’s take some before we move out.”
Despite their skeptical expressions, everyone took a portion of the herb.
As Nox tilted his head toward me, he whispered, “Why do you think a vaccine was left on 61 Notium Street?”
“I don’t know. But someday, we’ll find out.”
The important thing was that there was no way to uncover the truth right now. Nox seemed to agree, shrugging with a resigned expression before stepping back.
Only those directly participating in the battle—Ethan, Harrison, Jose, Vanilla, Amy, and I—took the Elphinus herb. Ethan didn’t really need it, but it would’ve been awkward not to give him one, so we ended up wasting an extra dose.
As a result, we were left with only one herb.
“We can grow more. Don’t you have some planted already?”
When I lamented over the last herb, Nox tried to console me. Sure, I had some planted, but I’d need to replant them in a better location. And who knew how long it would take for them to grow again?
“Stop sulking and let’s go. Time to take over Brunel,” Ethan said, his tone matter-of-fact yet oddly grandiose.
“Well, you’re not wrong. Let’s do it. Let’s take over Brunel,” I replied with a nod.
*****
Charlie was utterly exhausted. He’d spent an entire sleepless night traveling from Kint to Brunel.
The distance wasn’t far, but navigating through the monster-infested roads had slowed them down considerably.
Lying flat on a rooftop, Charlie scouted for the Graydon soldiers. A giant centipede-like monster crawling across the ground caught his eye.
Click. He loaded his rifle and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed through the quiet evening sky. The sun had already set.
Out of the fourteen scouts dispatched from Kint to Brunel, two had died from monster attacks, and another two had been shot by impostors wearing Graydon Royal Army uniforms.
“F*ing bastards. Why the hell are those sons of b**es out here in the middle of nowhere? What could they possibly want in a dump like this?”
Charlie cursed under his breath, reloading his rifle.
Their mission was simple: secure Brunel’s supplies and take control of the village.
Kint’s leader, El, had set his sights on Brunel because of the hills behind it. Unlike the flatlands of Kint, where foraging was impossible, Brunel offered fertile ground and resources.
From his vantage point, Charlie looked up at the mansion perched on the hill. Only the chimney was visible above the treetops, and it looked decrepit enough to be mistaken for an abandoned house.
But the mansion wasn’t his focus—it was the forest behind it. The low hill led to a vast river beyond.
For El, controlling that river was reason enough to take over Brunel.
Charlie took aim again, targeting another monster on the street below, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Another clean hit.
“What if there are survivors in Brunel?” Charlie had once asked El.
El had laughed, as if it were the most absurd question he’d ever heard.
“To grow Kint, we need labor, Charlie. You know this. Turn them into slaves. If they resist, kill them all.”
After the world fell apart, El had quickly claimed Kint’s small hotel and established a survival camp. His swift decisions and ambition had built the foundation of what was now Kint’s growing community.
It was clear El aimed to turn Kint into a small kingdom of his own.
“The age of aristocrats and bourgeoisie is over, Charlie. I’ll give you power, too. So bring me Brunel. Show me what you’re capable of.”
Although Charlie wasn’t officially leading the scout team, he knew that seizing Brunel and delivering the slaves El demanded would secure him a higher position within Kint’s hierarchy.
With that thought, Charlie adjusted his aim to another street, scanning for movement. That’s when he felt cold metal press against his temple.
Click.
The sound of a gun being cocked followed. The barrel of a rifle was pressed firmly against his head.
“Drop your weapon,” a youthful voice ordered.
The voice sounded young—probably younger than Charlie himself.
He had no choice. Slowly, Charlie set his rifle down on the rooftop.
Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.
“Stand up, hands in the air, and turn around.”
If the kid really is young, I can overpower them, Charlie thought, following the instructions. He raised his hands and turned around cautiously, only to find a young man aiming the rifle at him.
The problem wasn’t the boy with the rifle. It was the other man standing beside him, armed with a crossbow, who was also aiming directly at Charlie.
Fuck. I’m screwed.*