Chapter 26
Chapter 26. The Undertaker (4)
Britannia's vehicles, powered by magic, were quite classic.
Since the synchromesh performance was poor, he had to shift while double-clutching, and in that process, Jurgen stalled the car several times.
Though he had a license in modern times, he had almost never directly driven a car since coming to this world.
"Miss Penelope, are you really okay?"
"I-I'm fine. I'm much more stable than you, aren't I?"
Because of that, Penelope was gripping the steering wheel with a furrowed brow of concentration.
"It's a bit unexpected. Miss Penelope can drive too."
"It's totally unexpected for me too, you know? If I knew I'd have to drive, I would've just asked Manager Ritz..."
"What's with the exaggeration? You're not even stalling. You're doing great."
"Can you please stop talking to me? I'm concentrating as it is..."
The vehicle was already racing toward the outskirts of Nortaris, the old industrial district, specifically toward the brewery complex.
The paved road lined with metasequoias on both sides had a very nice atmosphere.
Clunk!
"The road gets quieter as we head toward the brewery complex."
"Since Polar Suns appeared, all the small and medium-sized breweries went bankrupt. After the Demon Realm cleanup, people flocked to the Demon Realm side. They couldn't hold on. Ugh! My butt hurts like hell, really."
Though quiet with pretty scenery, it didn't seem suitable as a driving spot.
Who knows when they last maintained the road paving—shocks were transmitted directly to his bottom through the meager suspension.
"...Still, the car's good. This is the first car I've driven that responds this well to the pedal."
"Miss Serena worked on it, I heard. I guess she really does have good skills. Anyway, it's nice getting some fresh air after a while."
"Fresh air is nice, but always travel together from now on. No matter how crazy Blyton is, he won't harm you when I'm with you."
"Reliable. Miss Penelope."
Hmph, Penelope snorted and glanced at Jurgen.
Others might not know, but Jurgen knew that was Penelope's habit of hiding embarrassment.
Wasn't the corner of her mouth twitching right now?
"Come to think of it, how's your alchemy study going these days? I told you to ask if anything was unclear."
"Um, well... weren't we busy with factory establishment recently?"
"Don't tell me you just stuck it on a bookshelf and left it there?"
"Miss Penelope, books are normally stuck on bookshelves and left there."
"Do you think that's a normal book? It's the first edition with a handwritten signature!"
"I get it! I got it, so grab the wheel!"
Small bickering and chatter.
Engine sounds like the pulse of a mechanical beast.
Roadside trees lined up creating vanishing points on both sides.
A warm spring breeze gently touching the hair by her ears.
Was it thanks to the outstanding scenery?
Though her bottom hurt a bit, Penelope liked this drive.
She had a premonition that if they kept traveling like this, pleasant days would await.
Actually, wasn't business and this upper society's cutthroat competition all troublesome?
It wasn't the first time she wanted to compromise while turning her eyes from reality's difficulties.
Behind the mask she wore pretending to be fine,
It was a tattered thought she had chewed over thousands and tens of thousands of times.
"......"
Long-held emotions gnaw at humans.
Like deep scars that makeup can't cover,
In one corner of her heart always existed a shabby Penelope stained with inferiority and helplessness.
No matter how well business went and signs of smooth sailing appeared.
Doubts followed one after another, throwing questions at Penelope.
‘It's just a beverage at most. You think you can receive family recognition with this?’
‘Jurgen may be impressive, but he's nothing before the Rosemore Count Family.’
‘You know you can't return to your old relationship with your sister.’
‘You were honestly scared when Blyton set fire to the shop, weren't you?’
‘Even if it's quiet now, who knows when they'll attack again.’
‘Will you really be safe then too?’
‘Stop this nonsense and give up everything.’
'Penelope.'
Then.
'You really are... utterly useless, aren't you?'
Sister Clarisse's voice came from somewhere.
"No."
It was always like this.
When Penelope tried to run away, these auditory and visual hallucinations grabbed her ankles.
If she really ran away, it felt like proving her sister's words right, so she had stubbornly endured until today.
Penelope bit her lips hard enough to turn pale.
"Haah, it was such a pleasant day..."
"Hm?"
"Never mind. Just talking to myself."
Fortunately or whatever.
They were nearing their destination.
The brewery Serena said she'd hand over for half price came into view.
The rusty, lopsidedly tilted sign sharply cut through Penelope's reverie.
***
"Ohhh..."
The brewery's condition was excellent as Serena had boasted.
Though ivy that hadn't been removed for a long time formed colonies, the outer walls were built with sturdy bricks and the pillars were stable.
The windows were grimy with accumulated dirt but not broken.
The space was much wider than the existing factory Jurgen had looked into.
"I quite like it."
"Looks terrible to me. It's just ruins."
"If we disassemble those equipment pieces and sell just the brass for proper value, we'll recover half the brewery's cost. We owe Miss Serena a great debt."
The most excellent point was the existing equipment gathered in the middle of the factory.
Fermentation tanks, mixers, heater-coolers, distillers, and so on.
There was plenty of brewing equipment that could be recycled with just a bit of work.
"If you're going to give thanks, give it to me."
"Thank you too, Miss Penelope."
"Forget it. It's not like I'm receiving a full bow."
"I'm not saying empty words, it's sincere."
Actually, after Penelope joined the Cola business he had been conducting alone.
He received a lot of help he hadn't even expected.
She helped procure materials, and when money for buying sugar was tight, she generously supported him under the name of 'investment.'
She also helped with detailed Cola recipe reverse engineering afterward, and she was the one who sold Cola at the hotel.
No matter how much Cola's value soared due to Bellaby's aftermath, without Penelope's sales, such large profits as now would have been difficult.
Whether a 'commoner' sells it or 'Rosemore' sells it reflects completely differently in brand value.
Come to think of it, wasn't this factory also a property Penelope inquired about through Serena?
"You've helped this much, haven't you?"
He expressed gratitude while conveying the above facts.
If it were normal Penelope, she would have boasted 'Ha! What! You finally realized how amazing I am!'
"...I did it because I will also benefit from it. Separate thanks aren't necessary."
Today she was strangely lacking energy.
"Hmm..."
This wasn't the first time.
Occasionally she became gloomily dejected in this way.
Before, he couldn't even guess the reason, but now Jurgen had a rough idea.
The history of successive frustrations following Penelope's footsteps,
And what kind of treatment she received from the social circles and family because of it.
Since Penelope was proud, she consciously tried not to show it, but should he say she occasionally revealed her festering inner feelings?
If he received this much help, wasn't it human decency to return some of it?
"Miss Penelope, you said you were a 4th Rank Alchemist before?"
"That's right."
Jurgen was just in an overwhelmingly superior realm.
For Penelope's age, 4th Rank wasn't an absolutely low rank.
Even if not a genius, she was talented.
The problem was that the Rosemore Count Family was a long-standing alchemy family.
To use 'Unique Code,' magic transmitted through the family or independently developed, one had to reach 5th Rank.
However, Penelope was expelled from the academy while at 4th Rank.
She stagnated without overcoming her wall.
How much she tried remained intact in the books and notes she received as gifts.
This point probably contributed considerably to the family's rejection too.
Originally, in a doctor's family, if you alone can't get into medical school, aren't you treated like leftovers?
In this case, Jurgen could help.
"I'd like to learn alchemy directly from Miss Penelope."
"From me? Directly?"
"Of course, it's just a request. If it's difficult, it's fine."
Let's make Penelope grow as an alchemist.
Originally, the act of teaching others is the act of reorganizing one's own knowledge.
Even if the god of alchemy came instead of Jurgen, they couldn't raise her rank instead, but he could subtly drop clues for overcoming the 'wall' while receiving her teachings.
'Miss Penelope might find it strange... but well, it won't matter much.'
He was gradually considering revealing his identity too.
Because they had built enough bond to share such a secret.
"Isn't Miss Penelope an amazing alchemist? If not when we're connected like this, when else would I get such an opportunity?"
Penelope, who was about to nod without much thought, suddenly had the corner of her mouth shoot up.
It was a smile as if she understood something.
"Hmm~ You're trying to comfort me because I'm depressed?"
"That's not it."
"I think it's right though. Suddenly praising me saying I'm amazing."
"I said no."
"Really? Before you said I seemed to have no talent or whatever, but now you want to learn from me?"
"You still remembered that...?"
"Of course. I never forget insults. How about it? Bothersome?"
Penelope, who had been playfully pressing with her hands on her hips and thrusting her forehead forward, backed away only after seeing Jurgen's bitter smile.
"Fine, I'll be generous. I'll teach you bit by bit starting tomorrow. My lessons are harsh, so be prepared."
"...Of course."
Later when saying 'Actually I'm Hanbin Ainsworth,' Miss Penelope won't crash through the window, right?
Jurgen briefly worried whether revealing his identity was the choice for her sake.
Anyway, since they came this far, they should finish work talk.
"Since the factory changed, the proposal needs revision too."
"Proposal? Didn't you leave it in the car when you got out?"
"I'll go get it."
"You should. Are you planning to make your teacher run around?"
Penelope watched intently at the back of Jurgen walking out of the factory to get the proposal.
Usually once depression struck, she suffered from lingering headaches like residual heat.
The persistent migraine that couldn't be easily shaken off even with her favorite baths or drinking alcohol out of desperation.
But now her mood has improved like magic.
Her head didn't hurt anymore either.
"Anyway..."
The reason was probably...
Because she wasn't alone now.
Her cheeks felt ticklish for no reason.
Her heels felt light too.
"Why are you moving so slowly! Run!"
Thanks to that, it was the moment she shouted so joyfully the factory echoed.
"Huh...?"
Penelope saw something flying diagonally toward Jurgen approaching the car.
In the midst of seeing it in slow motion as if time stretched.
One elongated diagonal line pierced through Jurgen and blew 'Caliburn Model J' into the air as is.
Kwang!
Serena's beloved car exploded, scattering debris and flames.
The shockwave that spread instantly into the factory, the explosion sound heard half a beat late.
What on earth happened?
An attack? Why? No. That's not what's important.
Jurgen.
Jurgen was pierced by a projectile. He was also caught in the subsequent vehicle explosion.
The horrific result she didn't even want to imagine was forcibly screened in her head.
1 second later.
"Jurgen!!!"
The scream Penelope let out was close to a tearing shriek.
Penelope, who pulled out Wind Feather from her palette, rode the wind raised behind her back and instantly closed the distance.
She saw Jurgen half-raising his body between the debris of the car with roaring flames.
At this moment confirming it wasn't the worst, she didn't know how relieved she was.
"Jurgen! Are you okay? Where are you hurt..."
"Nowhere. Luckily it grazed me."
"You call that an explanation? You're not even a Knight...!"
"Really. Though I'll have to buy new clothes."
Miraculously, Jurgen looked fine.
At least outwardly, his top was slightly torn and just covered in dust from rolling on the ground.
Tension released in an instant, strength drained from her legs and tears seemed about to flow.
"Look closely. I can do simple healing magic too."
Penelope's fingertips, which had been examining Jurgen's condition while thanking god, trembled slightly.
"You... what exactly..."
She thought he was healthy normally.
He easily carried luggage in the Demon Realm and moved heavy Cola boxes without difficulty.
She thought it was practical compressed muscle built through miscellaneous work.
However, his upper body revealed through the torn clothes was robust enough to easily exceed Penelope's expectations.
It wasn't a body that could be created just by doing miscellaneous work.
It was a body as if professionally trained.
However, at this moment, her gaze didn't purely go to his body.
Scars.
Jurgen's body was full of dense scars.
Traces of healed injuries like cuts, burns, penetration wounds covering his entire body.
"Miss Penelope, it's rude to stare too intently at someone else's body."
At Jurgen's words, Penelope inhaled a gasp of air.
"No, what are you saying...! I was looking at the scars, okay? Where did you get this wound from falling?"
"That doesn't seem important right now. It appears Blyton made a bold move."
—Step step
Then, a man walked out from the long factory shadows.
"Huh? You didn't die. If you don't die from this, it's tiresome for both of us..."
A leather coat so old the luster had disappeared, a wrinkled beret and a black-painted mask.
A man with gloomy black clothing wrapped all over his body.
"This means I have to kill even the precious young lady, how unpleasant."
Not just his clothing was gloomy.
With each frivolous step, thick miasma and the air of death oozed out.
Penelope immediately recognized his identity by combining his clothing and the current situation.
Commonly called 'The Undertaker.'
Combat power was 5th Rank Knight.
A notorious killer who buried countless people in darkness while traveling between the Demon Realm and the city's back alleys.
She knew there was a connection between mafias and outlaws, but...
To think The Undertaker was Blyton's henchman.
"You must know what it means to attack me."
"Miss, I'm touched? Are you worried about me?"
"Back off now and I'll give you 10 times more. Go kill Blyton instead."
"That's a tempting offer. How about 20 times? I hate that pig bastard too."
"Glad we see eye to eye. I'll write you a check right now."
"You lack basics, miss. For this kind of work, you have to give cash right now."
The Undertaker approached, pulling out a spear stuck diagonally behind his back.
Despite the joking tone, there was no sign of any compromise.
Penelope pulled out her palette with damp hands.
A mistake.
She had been overconfident that the bluff worked because it coincided with the coincidental accident of the factory burning.
She didn't expect Blyton would make the bold move of attacking even Penelope.
Seeing they attacked as soon as they came to the outskirts with no witnesses, they must have been watching for an opportunity all along.
"...Jurgen."
4th Rank Alchemist and 5th Rank Knight.
Just a difference of one number, but there was a wall between the two realms.
"I told you before, didn't I? That I have the power to protect you at least."
The huge wall that Penelope had failed to overcome all her life.
"I'll take this place. You go to Manager Ritz and inform him of the current situation. Say a guy called The Undertaker attacked me."
Jurgen, who had been staring at The Undertaker, shook his head at Penelope's words.
"I'll remain here."
"This isn't the time to joke. It's my mistake, so I have to take responsibility. There's no reason for you to get involved."
"Don't be hurtful. Aren't we in this together?"
"Such a stupid...!"
Penelope, who was about to get heated at the immovable Jurgen, urgently stretched out one hand.
Wind Feather melted from her hand and spread a curtain.
Immediately the trajectory of the throwing spear flying with fierce momentum twisted.
"Hey, it's lonely if just you two flirt."
"Kugh...!"
"More than that, you there, commoner friend. Are we acquainted? Hmm, you've looked strangely familiar from before."
Jurgen ignored The Undertaker's words and patted Penelope's shoulder.
"Miss Penelope, show your skills to your heart's content this once."
"Realistically speaking, it's impossible. With my skills, I absolutely can't win."
Jurgen wouldn't know.
How much danger the two were in right now.
If it were a gap that could be overcome so easily, she wouldn't have been this powerless until now.
She wouldn't have swallowed endless frustration like that.
Reality was different from movies.
The outcome was already decided.
Penelope would die because she underestimated Blyton's madness.
The Undertaker would easily snap Penelope's neck and pursue and kill fleeing Jurgen.
The two wouldn't even have their corpses found, and though suspicion would point to Blyton, perhaps the family would even overlook this.
They might be secretly glad that the nuisance disappeared.
A half-wit who couldn't buy trust from any family member,
Who received no one's faith.
Because that was Penelope.
Except for one person.
"I believe in Miss Penelope."
"Ha."
She was dying of frustration.
If it came to this, even the plan to stall for time as much as possible and die would go awry, wouldn't it?
If she had run away earlier, she would have gotten 100m further.
If Penelope lost here, Jurgen would die too.
"...You're an idiot."
What's so special about the single word 'I believe' that it gave her courage to fight?
"Hey, come at me."
It really was unknowable even when you knew.