Chapter 15
The man opened his eyes exactly three days later.
For some reason, the moment he did, he started bombarding me with questions.
“Do you really not remember?”
“I told you already, remember what? I fainted because of you! And the only reason you didn’t turn into a monster for three whole days was… because this legendary weapon—well, anyway, this artifact here—sucked up all the demonic energy.”
“That makes no sense. That’s just a regular watering can. …Though it does look a bit unusual.”
He murmured weakly.
Excuse me, but my Atica is not just a watering can.
Atica, cover your ears.
I reached out and gently placed both palms on Atica’s round body.
“My Atica isn’t some ordinary watering can… ha, whatever! Anyway, I was passed out. There’s no one else here but us.”
“That can’t be. The person I saw may have looked like you, my lady, but she was not you.”
What is he even talking about? You sound like Ruby (the dog)…
The man kept insisting that I had turned into someone else—someone who was me, but not me.
Clearly, turning into a monster must’ve scrambled his brains a little.
Otherwise, how could there possibly be another person here who looked like me but wasn’t me—ugh, even saying it makes my head spin.
“Haah, I told you, it wasn’t me! And could you please stop with the ‘my lady’ stuff? It’s embarrassing.”
“I’m merely addressing a lady as a lady should be addressed. What else should I call you?”
“Just call me Zoe. Go on, try it. Zo—e.”
“With all due respect, I must decline. I cannot address a noble lady I’ve only just met by name. My lady.”
He shook his head firmly, muttering about etiquette.
Ugh, this guy’s so stiff. Total fossil.
“…Fine, listen. I didn’t want to bring this up, but—I’m actually a fallen noble.”
“Fallen… noble?”
“Yes! You know what ‘fallen’ means, right? My family went completely bankrupt! Hahaha! It’s a tragic tale that would move even the hardest heart, so just call me Zoe and spare us both the tears.”
“…I, uh, understand. Zoe.”
Finally! He said it, albeit reluctantly.
I gave him a patient look as he cleared his throat awkwardly.
“And you? What do I call you?”
He stared at me silently.
“Your name. What should I call you?”
“Oh. My name…?”
After grilling me with question after question, now he was the one hesitating over something so simple. I shot him a side-eye.
Finally, after fidgeting nervously, he spoke.
“…Luan.”
Yeah right. What kind of fake name is that?
Just from his posture, his mannerisms, his face carved like a sculpture—I could tell he was some highborn noble.
So why lie about his name?
A secretive noble male lead, perhaps? Like in those romance novels—
You know, the secret illegitimate son of the royal family or the mysterious head of a shadow guild.
Hiding his true identity while getting close to the heroine—that kind of trope.
Yes, that must be it. Definitely.
This new “Animal Park 2” game must’ve added romance plotlines!
Satisfied with my deduction, I smiled generously.
“So, Luan, huh? Sure, I’ll call you that.”
“…Ah. Yes.”
He looked a bit uncomfortable, but I smiled knowingly.
Ha! Sorry, mister. I’ve already seen through your whole setup.
“Well then, Zoe, I owe you a great debt. I’ll make sure to repay you properly later. For now, I’ll take my leave…”
“Wait, Luan!”
I hurriedly stopped him as he turned to go.
He blinked at me questioningly, those ridiculously handsome features making it hard to stay annoyed.
“Luan, you’re not seriously planning to just… run off, are you?”
You can’t just leave, buddy.
“W-what? Run off? No, of course not! It’s just… circumstances prevent me from doing so right now, but I swear I’ll compensate you later!”
He waved his hands nervously.
Oh, no. You’re not getting out of this one that easily.
“Luan,” I said solemnly, “I wasn’t going to go this far, but… turn your head. Go on, look around.”
He did.
And saw the destruction. Broken furniture. Cracked walls. The gaping hole where the roof used to be.
His face went pale.
“…Did I do all this?”
I nodded silently.
“…Haah. I truly apologize, Zoe.”
He looked genuinely remorseful—but if an apology could fix everything, we wouldn’t need laws or police.
So I continued pitifully, “Luan, did you know? This house… it’s the only thing my parents left me when they passed away.”
His expression froze. He quickly bent down and tried to reattach a broken chair leg, but of course that wasn’t going to work.
Even after cleaning for three straight days, I’d realized it was beyond repair. Every time you touched something, it just got worse.
Clunk.
The chair leg dropped to the floor.
Luan turned back to me, looking lost.
“I—I’ll find a replacement. Exactly the same design, I promise. And I’ll pay compensation, too, and—”
“I don’t need money, Luan. But if you’re really sorry… can you do everything I tell you to do?”
I asked with an air of authority.
He gulped. “Anything. I’ll do whatever you ask, Zoe.”
“Good. Then follow me. Right now.”
I motioned dramatically for him to come along.
Chapter 4. The Monster in the Dungeon Is Adorable
“Zoe, should I only fix the center part of the roof?”
“No. From here to there—everything.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, and Luan!”
He stopped midway up the ladder, looking back in confusion.
“Here. Nails and hammer.”
I handed him what I’d brought from the storage room, smiling brightly.
He lowered his head again. “I’m really sorry. Again.”
Bang! Clang!
He drove the nails in without complaint. Guess he really was sorry.
Well, if you don’t have money, you pay with labor.
Wearing a white frilled apron with a cartoon panda on it, Luan worked diligently while I watched, very pleased with myself.
“Sorry about the outfit,” I said. “There aren’t any men’s clothes in the house…”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad there was at least this.”
He tightened the apron strings.
I’d had to rip up his ruined shirt earlier, which left him half-naked. So I lent him the largest clothes I owned—but they couldn’t handle his tall, broad-shouldered frame.
In the end, I’d begged Sompara to make him something new in exchange for an apple pie, but until then… the panda apron it was.
Just to be clear, it wasn’t my idea of fun.
…Though, honestly, he didn’t look bad in it.
With that gentle face of his, the frilly apron actually suited him really well.
“Hey, Luan, are you sure this is really the Empire’s northern region?”
I asked as I climbed up the ladder and sat beside him on the roof.
“Yes. It is. Zoe, you should stay down—it’s dangerous up here.”
When he’d woken up earlier, I’d taken the chance to ask about this world.
Through that Q&A, I’d learned we were in a small northern territory of the Valterga Empire, called Belnoir.
I’d joked about being in the north before, but turns out—it really was the north.
