The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House-Chapter 146

Nox quickly calmed down. I glanced at him briefly and pulled on the vine tied around my waist. The vine stretched tautly over the pit. It seemed sturdy enough to carry several people without issue.

“Miss Cherry! You’ve come to save us!”

A man who appeared to be a resident of Brunel Village recognized me and approached with a joyful greeting. As I returned his greeting, I noticed someone behind him who stood out, clearly out of place among the crowd.

A man in a kingdom soldier’s uniform, with silver hair and sunburnt skin.

‘Ah, that idiot.’

The one who had been dragged helplessly into the pit by a monster, impersonating a Graydon royal guard.

The man’s eyes locked with mine, narrowing as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“So it really is... Cherry Sinclair.”

He muttered, apparently recognizing my face.

‘Well, anyone even slightly involved in high society would know my face.’

Even those outside high society—anyone in the capital who read newspapers—would have seen my face at least once.

“Looks like you’re hurt. What’s wrong with your leg?”

“A tree branch got stuck in it when I was dragged here by the monster. The doctor gave me some first aid.”

It wasn’t the man, Kellyan, who answered my question, but someone else. Only then did I notice the bloodied branch lying on the ground.

Nox leaned closer to my ear and whispered.

“That man... he’s probably the kingdom soldier impersonator you mentioned before. I treated him to get some information.”

I glanced at Nox. He had been so certain that he would die here. Yet, even in that state, he remembered what I’d said earlier...

“If I did well, praise me. Later, when we get out of here alive.”

It was as if Nox could read my thoughts. He tilted his head slightly and pointed at himself with a gesture that seemed to say, "Pat my head." Just like before.

If he wanted it, then I had to do it now. “Later, when we get out alive”? What nonsense.

I immediately ruffled his hair with my hand. The soft navy blue strands slipped between my fingers, becoming disheveled.

Even though he’d asked for it, Nox froze, his body stiff with tension, as if he were nervous.

‘Huh? Why is he acting cute all of a sudden?’

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to talk to Nox further. I turned toward the impersonator.

“What’s your name?”

“Kellyan.”

Kellyan. I skipped introductions, as it seemed he already knew who I was.

I suspected Kellyan was one of the impersonators who had previously tried to kidnap Ethan. But that matter could wait until we got outside.

“Injured parties, please wait until the very end.”

I directed my words to Kellyan, then turned away from him and addressed the others.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out from somewhere.

Tweet—

Followed by the sound of a whistle.

It was a signal.

A sign that Ethan was on his way to me.

A wave of relief washed over me, as if Ethan were already by my side. The anxiety that had weighed on me lifted.

“We need to hurry.”

I grabbed another vine in my hand, separate from the one tied around my waist. Using a pulley system, I planned to loop the vine around the others and hoist them up.

I first tied the vine securely around the waist of a man who looked strong. I needed someone at the top to assist me if anything went wrong.

The man looked startled but didn’t resist. While he stood there in confusion, I had already tied the vine tightly around his waist.

“Okay, I’ll pull you up now.”

I pulled the vine tied around my waist. The man tied to the other end was lifted into the air.

“Huh? Wha—whoa!”

“Oh my god. How can someone so small have that much strength?”

The murmurs of amazement from the onlookers reached my ears, but I ignored them and focused on pulling the vine.

Some villagers offered to help pull, but the weight wasn’t enough to trouble me. Seeing my strength, they awkwardly stepped back and watched as the man was hoisted up.

The man finally reached the top and set foot on solid ground. He untied the vine around his waist and threw it back down.

“I’ll help pull the vine from up here!” he shouted.

I didn’t reject his offer and began lifting the next person.

Fortunately, no mutated monsters had appeared during this time. Still, I couldn’t help but worry about Ethan, who was likely facing one somewhere.

‘He’ll be fine, right?’

If the monster hadn’t returned yet, it meant it was still preoccupied with Ethan.

Which meant Ethan was still okay. For now.

In the pit, only Nox and the impersonator remained. I motioned to Nox while pulling on the vine.

“Mr. Ludfisher, come over here.”

Nox looked at me, momentarily flustered, then scratched his cheek and said, “Miss Cherry, you’re so amazing I think I might fall for you.”

“Should I sign something for you?”

“W-what?”

“Why are you so surprised? Don’t you know who I am? I’m Cherry Sinclair. A superstar’s lip service.”

I checked the knot securing the vine around his waist. Nox asked what “superstar” and “lip service” meant, but I ignored him and changed the subject.

“I’ll sign something for you when we’re back home. But first, we need to get out of here alive.”

“...Agreed. Back to the base.”

Nox obediently approached me, leaning in slightly. His large hand covered my small one as I gripped the vine.

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“I’ll handle the knot.”

A low voice pierced my ears. Startled, I instinctively hunched my shoulders as Nox slowly pulled the vine from my hands.

“Hold the vine tight,” he instructed.

Following my command, Nox wrapped the vine tightly around his waist and looked back at me.

“I’ll wait for you at the top.”

“You better. If you don’t, you’ll regret it,” I replied, brushing off his comment as I pulled the vine with all my strength. His laugh echoed faintly as his body lifted into the air.

Moments later, he was completely hoisted above the pit. The people gathered at the top worked together to pull him up with the vine.

“For the last one, let’s all pull together! Two people will be lifted at once!”

I called out, keeping my voice as low as possible but loud enough to be heard by those above. The people signaled back with a nod.

Now, the only one left was the injured kingdom soldier impersonator, Kellyan.

Turning around, I met the eyes of the man, who was sitting against the wall watching me. He struggled to his feet, his movements hindered by his injured leg.

“Lady Sinclair, you’re quite popular.”

“I’ve always been popular. I’m Cherry Sinclair, after all. Are you picking a fight?” I asked, my tone sharp.

The man laughed.

“Not at all. I was just thinking I might fall for you myself.”

His smooth response was irritatingly nonchalant, making it hard to gauge his true intentions. Still, I had to get him out of here.

I opened my arms wide toward him. “Come on. Get in my arms.”

His eyebrows shot up as he stared at me, as if he hadn’t heard me correctly.

“...What?”

Exasperated by his hesitation, I sighed and approached him slowly. Fine, I’d make an exception since his leg was injured.

“Let’s just go together, seeing as you’re the last one.”

Kellyan looked up at me with a stiff expression, but I couldn’t help but notice that his earlobes were flushed red, as if he was embarrassed. No way, he wasn’t seriously blushing, was he? That couldn’t be.

“There’s no way I could burden a lady by being carried.”

Despite his words, he limped toward me. He must have realized there was no other option; if he were left here alone with his injured leg, he wouldn’t survive.

Shaking my head, I bent down and grabbed his arms, wrapping them around my shoulders before lifting him by the waist.

“Ugh.”

“Hold on tight. I need my hands free to hold the vine. If you let go, you’ll fall,” I warned.

Startled, he clung tightly to my shoulders. Only then did I grab the vine tied around my waist and pull. The people above noticed us and began to pull as well.

“Where does all this strength come from...?” the man hanging on to me muttered in disbelief.

“Oh my god. It’s like there’s a bear that tears monsters apart with its bare hands down here,” he continued, muttering near my ear. I ignored his comments, focusing all my strength on holding him and the vine as we were hoisted upward.

Nox and the others were pulling from above, which made the ascent smoother. Finally, we reached the top of the pit.

“Are you alright, Miss Cherry?” Nox asked, brushing Kellyan’s arm off my shoulder and examining me. Kellyan, now unsupported, collapsed to the ground with a groan.

“Ugh.”

With his injured leg, he fell rather pitifully. He groaned, and the surrounding people rushed to help him up.

I looked at Nox, incredulous. “Excuse me, Doctor. That man’s a patient.”

“So are you, Miss Cherry. And I treat all my patients equally,” Nox replied with a straight face. “Besides, his injury isn’t that severe. He’s just being dramatic.”

His nonchalant tone and expression made me doubt his so-called fairness. But he continued to check my condition meticulously, ignoring everything else. His handsome face filled my vision, and I found myself momentarily captivated.

Snapping out of it, I turned to the others and asked, “No monsters nearby, I assume?”

Was the mutated monster still fighting Ethan?

At my question, the people looked at me with pale faces, as if silently pleading for help.

“Well, what’s wrong?” I pressed.

“We’re surrounded,” a girl about my age stammered, her voice trembling with fear.