The Hunter and the Mad Scientist

Chapter 3

He seemed excited to analyze the sickle so he lost interest in conversation and stared at the weapon. I think I’ll tear the sickle to pieces just by looking at it, so I shouldn’t even think about getting it back.

“Anyway, I give my weapons for research, and Lord…Albunsdale?”

“Avondale.”

Lord Avondale clapped his tongue. How could Esperanza be blamed for the name being so difficult, but she memorized it hard thinking it would be better than making mistakes twice.

“Avondale, Avondale. Lord Avondale is offering me food, clothing, and shelter, right?”

“It’s kind of like that. That’s a good deal.”

Complaints about the name mistake seemed to remain, but they were satisfied with the deal. That’s all it takes.

“Do I have to write a contract now? Or a handshake?”

I’ve never written a contract before, so I didn’t know how but Lord Avondale shrugged.

“I’ve never shook hands with a lady, but it’s not bad.”

“Strictly speaking, I am not a lady.”

“Since you’ve become my guest, you’ll have to pretend to be.”

He rose from his seat without telling me what “pretending” was specifically. Now that I see it, he was much taller than I thought.

Compared to Esperanza’s height, which was not small, a man with half a head taller held out a big hand. It was the hand of a man who touched pens and tools.

Creeping, I stood up and tried to reach out his hand, but the door opened with a ceremonial knock.

“Count, I brought…….”

The scene seen by Millen, who dragged a tray in, was a confrontation between a defenseless woman and his master with a cold sickle.

“……Am I in a situation where I have to aim the Stimulus at the count for your safety?”

The servant’s hand faltered and rummaged through his front pocket. Still, it was pretty ridiculous to roll her eyes and somehow try to find the answer to this situation.

The room, which had been quiet due to the sudden appearance of Millen, was now surrounded by an uncontrollable cold silence. Lord Avondale shook his head. It was an attitude that seemed closer to ‘I’d rather die than get sick’ rather than ‘no’.

Esperanza couldn’t stand it and laughed. The giggling her laughter mixed with the sound of the clock’s second hand. She covered her mouth and bowed her head, but she could feel a gaze pouring over her head.

‘He’s staring at me a lot right now.’

When I slightly raised my head, Lord Avondale, who was shedding his eyes, suddenly closed his eyes and smiled.

Only then did Esperanza realize that she had not yet finished her laughter and strengthened the corners of her mouth. Her lips, which were barely in a straight line, trembled.

‘I feel like he’s going to retaliate……’

“Millen? Tell Mrs. Lux to prepare my mother’s closet since the lady couldn’t bring her clothes because she was in a hurry.”

It’s not a bad story at all.

“Let the maid who took care of my mother’s clothes be her clothes attendant. Don’t forget to say, ‘It doesn’t matter how much it costs.’”

“Uh, really?”

However, to her surprise, it was not the Count, but Esperanza’s side that Millen looked at. Isn’t that a good thing?

“Thank you……?”

I had a strong premonition that I would take this back. Lord Avondale replied with an ominously tender smile.

“You’re welcome, Esperanza. You won’t be able to go out in those clothes.”

Millen, who was wary of both sides, went out of the door again.

The hunter’s costume was basically a steam-punk outfit, so it wasn’t very out of touch with the times. Some of the event’s outfits include ears, but what Esperanza was wearing was a normal one.

Tight-fitting black trousers, a green blouse and suspenders, a small bag dangling from the waistband, and a chain fastening a cloak that did not even cover the knees. Decorated cogs along the arms and a brimmed hat of the same color as the overcoat and boots of the same color as the trousers.

By all accounts, it is an outfit that women of this era would never wear. The same was true of men, of course.

“Not even at home. Even if I allow it, the employees won’t let it go.”

“Yes, well, it’s a combat uniform anyway.”

There was no reason to refuse free clothes, so I thought that what Lord Avondale was saying over and over was just the repulsion he felt as a conservative aristocrat. But I learned later that he wasn’t such a sane, common-sense person.

“Did you call me, Count? There’s a lady……Oh my goodness.”

Then a middle-aged woman, who must have been Mrs. Lux, but who had not yet introduced herself, came naturally and placed her hand on her waist.

“I didn’t know you were such a lovely person.”

Then, she glances at the count with her eyes as if she were a mother who saw her grown son bring a woman home but the count did not blink an eye.

“Mrs. Lux, I ask you to entertain this guest for me.”

Mrs. Lux said without losing a word.

“How could you say that? We must strive to please the lady in our respective place, as a housekeeper, and as a lord.”

It was only then that she was officially introduced to Mrs. Lux.

It is considered rude to call an unintroduced person by name, so Esperanza kept her mouth shut and smiled as if she had never been introduced by Mrs. Lux.

“It will take some time to prepare the room, but we can use the drawing room in the meantime. I think we can take the measurements and mend Madame clothes a little. Have you eaten yet?”

“Oh, no.”

“You are respectful to your employees and so kind.”

Lord Avondale seemed to have completely lost interest, fiddling with the sickle, but did not take off his polite smile but Esperanza couldn’t understand how Mrs. Lux hadn’t noticed its existence.

To the end, Mrs. Lux didn’t say a word about the sickle, and Esperanza didn’t get a chance to ask if she really didn’t see the sickle or if she pretended not to see it.

From the moment she got out of Lord Avondale’s study and entered the drawing room, she was almost out of her mind until sunset.

The blue dress with puff sleeves was elegant and pretty. It was certainly out of fashion for nearly 10 years, but in Esperanza’s eyes, it was an old-fashioned garment. Lord Avondale’s attire is also an ancient artifact at the time Esperansa was playing the game.

However, considering the amount of time and physical strength it took to try on nearly a hundred clothes one by one before choosing this outfit, and to mend it to fit her body type. If she hadn’t eaten in the middle, she would have really been lying on the floor by now.

‘He did this on purpose.’

The fabric is fine satin, and the skirt hem is long and decorative. The arms were tightly laced. It’s a dress that no one would be able to wear except for a figure as high as a countess.

After wearing it, she felt a sense of shame. However, when she thought of the current owner of this garment and the son of the original owner, his evil intentions were clearly engraved.

He made fun of her for laughing at him. It may not be that there was no goodwill, but it was a trouble anyway. Looking at him again, she doesn’t know whether to thank him or be offended.

‘No. I should definitely thank him for this.’

It was hard for her to pretend that she didn’t notice his dark intentions.

Originally, Esperanza liked pretty clothes and was interested in character customization. That’s why she created her avatar with such a pretty face and splendid colors. It was just that Mrs. Lux’s enthusiasm was a little, no, a little bit higher than Esperanza could tolerate.

Still, it’s a good start for being dropped into the world 13 years ago from the game’s background.

“Logout.”

I muttered to myself. In fact, the menu of “Golden Claw” did not have a voice recognition function. If there was such a function, users wouldn’t be able to talk to each other like, “I’ll log out in a little while.” But I was just wondering.

“Log out!”

Nothing happened. Embarrassed, she buried her face in the satin blanket.

“Miss, what’s wrong? May I help you?”

The maid knocked on the door, as if she had heard a noise. She was doubly embarrassed. Esperanza, who barely returned her maid, exhaled her breath.

Okay, let’s think about it.

I’m glad I came here while exploring Count Avondale’s mansion. If it was like finding a killer variant monster in the back alley like the last quest, I might have been sitting in a shack by now.

Even if I fell into a strange place out of nowhere, the room was comfortable and the bed was soft, so I didn’t feel a sense of crisis. But now is the time to think. Logout doesn’t work either. In front of the count, I even tried voice recognition, which I couldn’t bear to do, but it was of course useless.

“What should I do from now on?”

I don’t think it’s impossible to stay in this house forever, given the Count’s behavior now. Telling him about the technology from 13 years in the future and taking things out of the inventory little by little by little.

Perhaps I could prevent the death of Count Avondale. All I have to do is stick around and save his life. Is the cause of his death also the monster incident?

The monster incident.

In fact, if an event of the same magnitude occurred 13 years later, there would have been few casualties. There were dungeon breaking methods to deal with monsters, magic tools, magic weapons and even hunters who are experts in dungeon breaking.

But it became a terrible accident because it happened at a time when nothing could be prepared.

I had no idea about the accident I saw as a game prologue except that it was the background of the game, but if I don’t get out of the game world in a year, I may actually face it.