When The Silver Bell Of Charlotte's Pharmacy Rings (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
The man said.
“Then where should I do the work? I can’t do it in the basement. I hate basements—they’re creepy and feel like rats are about to pop out.”
Baron Lireld snorted.
“I can guarantee my mansion’s basement is cleaner than the hovel you usually roll around in. Since it’s better not to attract unwanted attention, just go down quietly.”
“Damn it. Those stupid geese from the revolutionary government.”
Those stupid geese from the revolutionary government. Matiel bit his lip to suppress a laugh, despite knowing he should stay cautious.
That insult had become popular right around the time the revolutionary government began its slow decline.
It meant the officials of the revolutionary government did nothing but squawk and make loud noises.
In other words, the man was implying that, because the revolutionary government had collapsed, he now had to suffer this humiliation from Baron Lireld.
Baron Lireld quickly grasped his meaning and chuckled slyly.
“Exactly. We swept up all those geese and served them for dinner.”
He tilted his head toward the man and added darkly,
“The real ‘nobles.’ I’m precisely that noble. Do you understand? Twenty years have passed since the revolutionary government fell, yet you still strut around as if unaware that I’m bothering to accommodate the likes of you—if you keep this up, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
“Damn it, hell! Fine, fine! I’ll go down, alright?”
The man descended into the basement again—the hinges creaked once more—and Baron Lireld straightened a slightly crooked painting, glanced around warily, then vanished from Matiel and Charlotte’s sight.
He looked more like a thief sneaking in secretly than a homeowner.
As soon as the baron disappeared, Matiel’s grip loosened. Charlotte seized the moment immediately.
She swiftly thrust her elbow forward, aiming all her strength directly at his solar plexus… or nearly did.
Matiel nimbly blocked her attack and gave a derisive snort.
“You attack so predictably.”
If only I could break that arrogant nose of his, Charlotte thought. A few drops of potion she could concoct would be enough.
Of course, first she’d need to tightly bind this damn man and lay him flat on the apothecary table… or secretly swap his wine glass.
As Charlotte spun around, Matiel grabbed her shoulder again—this time with less force.
“Wait a moment. You haven’t answered my question yet.”
“I have only one thing to say to you.”
She stared straight into Matiel’s eyes.
“Get lost.”
“If you answer my question, I’ll beg you to stay—but if you insist, I’ll leave. So don’t worry about that.”
“You don’t understand a thing. Right now, I’m in a very serious situation.”
“That’s exactly why you should explain what’s so serious. And as you just saw, I’m in a serious situation too. Since we’re both in a hurry, let’s not waste time. Just tell me what’s going on, then we can each go our separate ways.”
This is really driving me insane… Charlotte genuinely felt a headache coming on.
Her thoughts of Tae Mi, who must be waiting expectantly for her arrival, had long since vanished into the distance.
At this rate, she doubted she could even escape this hallway by tonight, let alone reach wherever Tae Mi was.
And unless she gave Matiel the answer he wanted, it would surely be impossible…
‘If something blows up, I won’t be able to handle it. Unless Tae Mi were here…’
Charlotte’s mind raced quickly.
Should she reveal the truth and seize this chance to escape, or remain stuck here, blocked by him, until it was too late—until some terrifying, uncontrollable disaster unfolded before her eyes?
Decision made swiftly: don’t wait for perfection and miss the perfect moment.
Charlotte took a deep breath, muttering to herself.
“Alright, I’ll talk. But while I’m speaking, you can’t ask me any questions. Even if you have any, hold them back—I simply can’t spare time to answer each one. Understood?”
Matiel let out a quiet laugh. In his entire life… no one had ever spoken to him this way. Not even his parents had given him such a forceful command.
“Well? Do you understand or not?”
Pressed sharply by Charlotte, Matiel clicked his tongue once and nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Charlotte exhaled a short breath, like someone about to sprint, and yanked out the hairpin holding up her hair.
For a moment, Matiel thought her hair shone with its own light. Lustrous, long silver strands cascaded past her shoulders, reaching nearly to her waist.
“My name isn’t ‘Sherry.’ That’s just one of my aliases. I’m a mage, and my job is hunting down monsters. But my magic isn’t very strong—if a monster grows large enough to emerge from its host, I can’t do anything. That’s when my partner should be by my side, but unfortunately, he’s far away right now.”
“Monsters?”
Matiel’s voice lacked weight as he repeated the word. Charlotte realized he barely believed a word she said—but it was too late to turn back now.
At this point, lying would be useless.
“Believe it or not, I don’t care. Ordinary people never imagine monsters could be living among them, right here in the kingdom. Everyone assumes they’re sealed away beyond the borders—in the Land of Torment, isolated by the ancient mages’ barriers.”
“Are you referring to the region known as Schwartvandellack?”
Charlotte blinked several times, startled.
It had been nearly fifteen years since she last heard that precise name—the region where, long ago, the kingdom’s dwindling mages had sealed away monsters. Nowadays, young people dismissed it as mere folklore.
〈Schwartvandellack, Lotti. That region’s original name was Schwartvandellack. People once lived there—just like us.〉
Charlotte instinctively listened to the kind, soft voice echoing in her mind.
Yes—that was the last time she’d heard it. Apart from that moment, never again.
“What’s wrong?”
At Matiel’s question, Charlotte sucked in a sharp breath. She lightly slapped both cheeks. Snap out of it, Charlotte. Focus.
She continued.
“Yes, exactly. Whatever it’s called, most monsters really are sealed there. But barriers created by mages aren’t perfect. Think of them as invisible walls or embankments—they may look solid, but they’re never flawless. If there’s a tiny hole, insects can slip through. A slightly bigger one, and rats or moles could pass. You understand? That’s how monsters from the ‘Land of Torment’ cross into the kingdom. Mostly small ones, as I said—because the holes are small.”
Charlotte drew a quick breath and fixed her wide-open eyes with renewed intensity.
“But don’t make the grave mistake of thinking their small size makes them easy to swat like flies. Many small monsters are parasitic. Once they find a host, they burrow inside, feeding and growing. A seemingly harmless creature can suddenly become a monster capable of devouring a hundred people. My job is to find these hidden monsters inside their hosts and kill them before they grow.”
“So… you’re saying that host is here right now?”
“Baroness Lireld is the host. Don’t ask me for proof—I can’t show you any. It already ‘revealed itself’ to me and vanished. You saw it whispering to me earlier—it called me ‘Lotti,’ the nickname my family used when I was little. The baroness only knows me as ‘Sherry’; she has no idea of my true identity.”
“Assuming for a moment the baroness really is the host—how do you plan to extract the monster?”
Charlotte frowned and snorted.
“What’s it to you? Planning a side hustle? Sorry, but I don’t have time to explain every detail. I answered honestly as you wanted—now please step aside.”
Step aside, Charlotte thought. It didn’t always work, but sometimes, if she willed it strongly enough, others would obey.
She hoped that ability would manifest this time—but unfortunately, Matiel didn’t budge an inch.
Matiel fell into deep thought. Charlotte’s story sounded absurd, yet not entirely baseless.
If he weren’t a member of the Old Order, he might have dismissed monsters as mere bedtime tales used to frighten children—and would have thought Charlotte utterly mad.
But he knew far more than she suspected.
While he wasn’t aware that monsters had seeped into the kingdom and were using humans as hosts, he did know the “Land of Torment” truly existed, that sealed monsters still lived and breathed there, and that if the barrier ever failed or weakened, the tragedies of the past could return at any moment.
King Ryuen and the other two members of the Old Order knew this as well.
“I don’t disbelieve you, but I must ask one thing. You can’t possibly extract the monster from the baroness’s body in front of everyone, can you? Whatever method you use, eliminating a monster doesn’t seem like something you can pull off stealthily, like pickpocketing. Besides, according to you, it already possesses considerable power.”
“Damn it, yes! That’s why I’m telling you to move before I lose it completely!”
“Just wait a moment. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll help you with your task if you assist me with one thing today. Normally, I don’t easily shift priorities, but realistically, your situation seems far more urgent—so I’ll aid you first. Then you’ll cooperate with me in return.”
What nonsense is this guy spouting? Charlotte wondered. Help? Help with what exactly?
Then she recalled the strange scene she’d witnessed moments earlier—the conversation between Baron Lireld and that mysterious man.
Her gaze instinctively turned toward the arched doorway. Beyond it still lay impenetrable darkness, shrouded in unknown shadows.
Somewhere on the floor, thoroughly concealed but discoverable if searched carefully, there must be a secret door leading underground…
Matiel spoke.
“I didn’t come here just to leisurely sip wine. Baron Lireld stole something of great importance connected to the royal family, and I’ve come to find the evidence. And as you saw earlier…”
“The basement—yes, I get it. But you saw it yourself just now, didn’t you? That man with the baron went down into the basement. If we go open that door now, we’ll be like trapped rats with no escape—so why aren’t you doing it? What are you waiting for?”
“You’re dumber than I thought. Are you just dense, or is your panic making you stupid?”
Charlotte’s eyes sharpened like daggers.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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To be honest, Tae Mi is my favorite character in this novel.
Wow that’s grotesque. I didn’t think this novel was going to be so gorey