Chapter 135: Knock, knock - open up!
The mansion belonging to the Envy family had been built on a hill with an amazing view of the rest of the Tart.
But because of that, it was quite the distance away from the bustling city, which had its pros and cons - like the relative peace and quiet and not having many witnesses of dubious activities - but whether those were the pros or the cons, depended on the situation, really.
At the moment, the guard blocking the gate was shaking his head in refusal.
"But she's my friend - and my guest...!"
The brown-haired handsome young man was making a sad expression and trying to convince the guard to let them in.
"Mason, you know what your father said, no guests! And especially not someone from the Pride family! Tsk!"
The guard glanced at Cranberry and clicked his tongue.
...he clicked... his tongue... at Cranberry...
At Cranberry.
*SLAP*
Without as much as blinking, the red-haired girl approached the guard and slapped him across the face with the back of her hand.
*WHAM*
...sending him flying and crashing down into the ground many feet further alongside the wall.
"Who do you think you are? A guard at the Prides' mansion?"
Cranberry scoffed, glaring at the unconscious man sprawled on the road, and shook her head.
"Big sister! That was my distant cousin from the branch family...! Huh...?"
Mason panicked and tried to ran to check on the man, but Cranberry didn't let go of his wrist.
"Big sister...?"
Mason tilted his head and asked in a tearful voice.
"Branch family, but not THE branch family, right? And he still dared to address you so casually? Outrageous!"
Cranberry scoffed with even more theatrical flair than before and started pulling Mason away.
"B-but... we can't just leave him like that!"
He cried in a worried voice.
"Relax, I controlled my strength and just knocked his lights out, he'll live."
The girl shrugged her shoulders and grabbed onto the gate.
"Oh! It's closed! The guard should have the key! I'll go get it and check up on him really q..."
*screech*
*THUNK*
Mason was giving his best to come up with an excuse to make sure that the guard was okay, but Cranberry simply twisted the metal until it gave out and opened the gate without the need for some key.
"I've told you there's no need to."
She shrugged and threw away the chunk of the gate that was left in her glowing hand.
*BONK*
"Ugggh...!"
By using the throw skill, she managed to hit the knocked-out man with the metal -which caused him to let out a pained groan.
"Ha! You've heard it, right? He's alive. Show me around your house."
She insisted, leading Mason inside.
"Big sister I really think that's a bad idea, we are not kids anymore... our punishment will not end with a scolding...!"
Mason was truly giving his all to stop Cranberry, but the red-haired girl wasn't bothered by it whatsoever.
Cranberry stopped in her track and turned to the stranger that was supposed to be her best friend according to the system.
"Exactly, we're not kids anymore, so why are you crying like a little kid? Shouldn't do this, a punishment that... if you want me to leave, then just say so and I'll leave."
She made a sour expression and looked away in disappointment.
"No! No, I definitely didn't mean it like that! Big sister, don't act too hasty! I'm really really happy that you are here!"
Mason put his hand on Cranberry's hand and assured her with teary eyes.
"...haa..."
Cranberry looked down and breathed out to calm down.
This act wasn't as embarrassing as what she had done in Durian's mansion, but still...
It was annoying.
Everything about this situation was annoying.
The youthful, full-of-life feeling that Mason was giving off - was annoying.
The heat coming from his sweaty hand - was annoying.
The foreign heartbeat that she felt through his hand, mixing with her own - was so annoying...
Hearing the voice of someone other than Zombie so close to her - was so extremely annoying...!
But, she had to endure.
No new quests had popped up and nor did the mysterious quest completion message.
If Mason's words were to be trusted, then by investigating the Envys' home, Cranberry would not only complete another part of the profitable optional quest but also find the missing member of the Dandelions.
...though the state that Lairs will be in after having her beauty stolen, was a whole another thing altogether...
"Big sister? Don't be mad at me, I'm sorry, okay? I will show you around, and I will figure something out when we'll get in trouble, okay?"
"You mean IF we'll get in trouble."
While Cranberry was deep into her own thoughts, Mason was panicking, terrified out of his mind that he angered the only person who seemed to be showing some interest in him.
Throughout all of his life, he was shunned, ignored, and even bullied by all the other members of his family, even his own father was cold to him for as long as Mason could remember.
All because of his appearance.
Mason lived day by day, convinced that his own family hates him because he isn't beautiful enough for an Envy.
Truly, a child raised in a cage made out of lies fueled by envy.
That way Mason ended up with a huge hole in his heart.
...and Cranberry was taking full advantage of that opening to complete her goals with no remorse whatsoever.
"Isn't it odd to have just one guard at the main gate?"
Cranberry asked looking back at the worried youth.
"It's because my father had been raising a ruckus since morning, it seems that he decided that the people who died during the mission to procure the cure ended up like that because they were too inexperienced, so he's personally instructing basically all of them since the sunrise."
Mason reported looking around anxiously, expecting someone to notice and come at them screaming in anger.
"Oh really? That's just perfect then."
Cranberry nodded with a satisfied smile.
"In a few more minutes they will be too distracted to even notice us~"
She glanced at the broken gate and giggled mischievously.
"Big sister...? What do you mean by that? Big sister...?"
Worried Mason asked, but Cranberry simply smiled at him and went straight for the main building.