The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

However, since I didn’t actually know what kind of family Rudveldt was, it felt premature to claim I knew him.

In the story, Aurora described him like this:
[Ezra Dante Rudveldt. Rudveldt is a family I’ve never even heard of before.
When asked where he came from, he gave a cryptic answer:
‘I don’t know either. I woke up because the spring dried up.’
Excerpt from Love in a Ruined World]
 

Woke up because the spring dried up, huh?
‘Wait, a spring? If it’s a spring…’
It was definitely written on the back of the Happy House blueprint.

Things to Remember.
No. 1 is Brunel, No. 3 is the spring, No. 6 is Hague, No. 8 is Notium.
Number 3 was clearly marked as the spring.
‘Since Number 2 was Kintner, wouldn’t the next path be Number 3?’

This was actually the most puzzling part. Hague, Notium, and Brunel were all names of places, but only the third path was referred to as “the spring.”
“We need to dig out the underground passage quickly.”
“Suddenly an underground passage?”

At my mumbling, Nox looked at me with a puzzled expression.
I realized then that I’d mentioned the underground passage without explaining anything to them and gave an awkward laugh.
“Well, we do need to dig out the underground passage eventually.”

“That’s true.”
Nox tilted his head, still looking skeptical. I smiled faintly and quietly avoided his gaze.
As I sank into thought, my eyes landed on the herbal encyclopedia on the desk. A sudden memory about Elpinos came to mind, and I asked Vanilla.

“By the way, Miss Ruskin, do you know anything about the Elpinos monster?”
“The Elpinos monster…? I feel like I’ve heard of it…”
She thought for a moment before speaking.
“Oh, I remember. Elpinos is a monster shaped like a centipede. It appears in fairy tales as the guardian beast of the Seagrave family.”

“Oh, now that you mention a fairy tale about Seagrave, I remember. I think I read it as a child. There was even an illustration of the monster in the book.”
Nox nodded in agreement with Vanilla’s explanation. I vaguely recalled reading it as a child too, but the memory wasn’t clear.
According to Nox and Vanilla, Elpinos was a legendary creature that protected the Seagrave family, existing to safeguard the ancient power they guarded.

“This damned Seagrave seems both connected and not connected to everything.”
I nodded at Vanilla’s words.
“Yeah, the patterns on the furniture in Happy House and the crest on Susanna’s canteen… it’s strange how the Seagrave name keeps coming up.”

With my words, silence fell over the café. Each of us was lost in thought, and no one spoke for a long time.
“For now, let’s head back. It’s not good to stay out for too long.”
Nox rose from his seat and said to me. No matter how much control we had over Brunel Village, it was undeniable that Happy House was safer.

I nodded, and Vanilla and I tidied up before standing to leave.
Everyone’s waiting, so we need to hurry back.
*****

We were on our way back to Happy House through the police station when Nox suddenly turned around with a perplexed expression. He felt a sharp gaze boring into his back.
An ominous sensation hung in the air.
And his intuition was never wrong.

“Kyahhh!”
A scream echoed from somewhere.
“It sounded like it came from behind the police station.”

“Behind the police station… isn’t that the area connected to the rear mountain?”
“Yes, it’s still under construction for the barricades, so it’s easier for monsters to breach there.”
At Nox’s words, Vanilla and Cherry spoke in turn. Vanilla loaded the shotgun she was holding, while Cherry pulled an axe from the holster strapped to her back.

Nox also drew the revolver holstered on his thigh. Following the techniques he’d learned from Jose, he loaded the pistol and trailed behind Vanilla and Cherry.
“Amy’s in the police station.”
Cherry murmured as she stood at the back of the police station building. They all pressed themselves against the outer wall, taking a moment to assess the situation ahead. She glanced back at Nox.

“Could you check on Amy inside the station? If the police station collapses, it’ll be a problem for the underground passage, so it’d be best if you guarded it, Mr. Ludfisher.”
“You’re going to handle this just the two of you? That’s too dangerous—!”
“Don’t worry. You know how strong I am. Leave this to us.”

Vanilla cut off Nox’s protest, holding her shotgun confidently. Nox closed his mouth, looking between Vanilla and Cherry before sighing.
Fine. He was dead weight out here. Vanilla was proficient with her shotgun for long-range attacks, and Cherry’s raw strength gave her the upper hand in close combat. What could he possibly contribute? Despite learning from Jose, his shooting skills were still subpar.
“Understood. Please be careful, both of you.”

Nox was the type who understood his place. And knowing when to step back was a way to preserve some dignity. It might not seem manly, but he had his own role to play.
He bid them farewell and turned back. Inside the police station, he found Amy pacing nervously like a restless puppy.
“Doctor!”

Amy hurried over to Nox, holding a dagger.
“What’s going on? Where’s Sugar Star? She told me to stay here and guard this place, but I’ve been worried that maybe I should’ve just run out and—”
Clearly, Amy was agitated, speaking in a flurry of words.

“I’m not sure about the exact situation either, but Miss Cherry and Miss Ruskin went to check it out. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
At Nox’s words, Amy nodded with a downcast expression.
“All right…”

Nox was deeply worried about what was happening outside. But going out recklessly could put him in danger, and if that happened, he might become a burden to Cherry and Vanilla, dragging them down.
‘Not being able to do anything is so frustrating.’
Nox took a cigarette from his pocket. Pulling one out of the rectangular case, he placed it between his lips and looked at Amy.

“There’s going to be smoke, so step awa—no, I’ll go over there myself.”
Nox moved to a spot far enough away that the smoke wouldn’t reach Amy. He decided to open a window on the opposite side. The monsters outside were too dull-witted to notice something like smoke, so as long as he didn’t stick his head out, it should be fine. That was what his experience had taught him.
He cracked the window open slightly and rummaged through his pocket for a lighter. His hand trembled nervously as it felt around his jacket.

‘Damn it.’
Cherry and Vanilla were the ones in danger, so why was he, who was just sitting here, so anxious and tense?
‘It’s because I’m worried. That’s why.’

Who wouldn’t be worried about them in this situation? That thought only made his craving for a cigarette more desperate. Nox’s vow to quit smoking felt laughably hollow now.
He rolled the wheel of the lighter and lit the cigarette.
Click—

The flame caught, and the cigarette started to burn.
Ssss... Hah.
As he exhaled smoke and gazed out the window, Nox realized something felt off.

“Why is it so quiet out there?”
Fwoosh. He slowly blew smoke outside, his brow furrowing slightly.
If Cherry and Vanilla were in danger, what could he do?

As if to stoke his anxiety further, Amy began to fret.
“Why is it suddenly so quiet? Is Sugar Star okay? What about Vanilla? What if they’ve been hurt by the monsters? This silence is too strange.”
Amy chewed her nails nervously as she spoke. Nox glanced at her and said, “Go back to Happy House and ask for reinforcements. I’ll head outside and check things out.”

“But, Doctor, it’s too dangerous for you—”
“I may not be much of a fighter, but I’m not such a cowardly adult that I’d send a young, lovely lady like you out there instead.”
He patted Amy on the head a couple of times. Amy’s eyes widened at his reassurance, and then her face turned bright red.

Nox took a step back, smiling faintly as he held the cigarette between his fingers.
“I reek right now, you know? You’d better keep your distance.”
“I don’t mind!”

“Well, I do. Now hurry to Happy House, will you?”
Amy nodded vigorously at Nox’s words. Clenching her fists, she replied resolutely, “I’ll be back soon. Be careful!”
After giving her a few words of encouragement, Amy disappeared through the door leading to the underground passage.

Nox raised the cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag before exhaling.
Hoo.
The hazy smoke scattered into the air. Calmly, Nox walked toward the entrance of the police station. With the cigarette still between his lips, he drew his revolver from the holster on his thigh and reloaded it.

The eerie quiet outside only strengthened Amy’s suspicions. If Cherry and Vanilla had been attacked, they were either unconscious or worse—dead.
After taking a deep breath, Nox slowly opened the door and stepped outside. Smoke seeped from his lips as he scanned the surroundings with his revolver ready. His brows knitted tightly.
There was no one. The silence was suffocating.

He removed the cigarette from his lips and dropped it to the ground.
‘Should I go back inside and wait a bit longer? What the hell is going on?’
He wanted to heed Cherry’s words. Staying put in the police station, just as she instructed, seemed like the best course of action.

Hoo.
As he released one last breath of smoke, Nox ground the cigarette under his boot and lifted his head.
And then he saw it.

Two enormous eyes stared at him, peering around the corner of the police station.
His heart dropped with a heavy thud.
‘What the hell is that?’

The saying that fear can paralyze you to the point where you can’t move turned out to be true.
Nox knew he had to either retreat into the station or aim his revolver at the thing. But any movement seemed like it would provoke it, so he remained frozen.
Fingers trembling, he flexed them slightly. The revolver was loaded. If the creature moved even a little, he’d fire—

Before he could finish the thought, the monster was suddenly right in front of him.
‘I’ve never seen a monster this fast before…! Damn it!’
A massive tail filled his field of vision as it whipped toward him. He couldn’t even register when it had closed the distance or raised its tail to attack.

Wham!
Nox was struck head-on and hurled into the police station’s outer wall.