The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 107

“Well, I expected that.”

Even with Dion’s sudden call-out, Lanit seemed to know what was coming.

“Esmela can’t use magic right now.”

“Wait, why? I’m perfectly fine!”

“You’re wearing a cloak made from Frost Giant’s Hide, aren’t you?”

Lanit’s eyes were fixed on the rough gray fur cloak draped over her shoulders.

Initially, the cloak was massive enough to cover Esmela’s upper body entirely, but thanks to the servants of House Herta, it had been altered to a reasonably fitting, nice design, yet its indescribable fur color still exuded a peculiar presence.

“All you need to do is take it off for a moment when casting Flame of Herta.”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Taking the cloak off could impact you negatively as well, and if you draw mana to cast it, who knows what might happen to you.”

“But…”

Esmela looked up at Lanit with a worried expression, something unimaginable given her usual overbearing demeanor.

“Now, don’t worry. I just need to melt some obstacles, right?”

Lanit took a step closer, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“…Oh?”

Noticing the completely different vibe between them compared to their last meeting, Dion’s eyes widened in surprise.

Though Iiergo didn’t say anything, he seemed intrigued and was staring at them.

“By the way, Dion, you knew about me taking down a Zombie Wyvern. Has news from Pedina City already reached here?”

“Oh, no. Prince Robertze mentioned it when he dropped by before heading to House Herta’s settlement. He told us about rumors from Pedina City, that a ‘Half-Man Half-Dragon’ with red scales wiped out the wyverns all at once.”

“So, it’s not a dragon but a Salamander…”

“Nobody in Pedina City doesn’t know about your exploits now.”

Prince Robertze joined in the conversation with a proud air for some reason.

“I only dropped by for a moment, but I heard it from the mayor.”

“I see…”


‘Not bad. A bit embarrassing, though.’

Lanit had spent a long time as a Hunter and hunted her share of strong monsters, but it was her first experience with such public recognition, so she wasn’t quite used to the situation.

“Anyway, could you melt down the snow wall built by the monsters with that blaze? I’ll take care of the fighting. Just handle the few stragglers I miss.”

“Understood. Then, Dion… no, I will formally accept the quest requested by House Larson.”

Lanit subtly changed her wording, glancing at the Count, knowing she was the one in charge, but the transaction had to proceed under the head of the family’s orders for now.

“…Ahem. As you say. Butler of House Herta, protect Dion with all your might. If the monster subjugation goes successfully, I will support the items requested by the Prince.”

“I will accept.”

Lanit lightly bowed her head to the Count.

“…So, it’s really just the two of us going.”

When they arrived at the mansion stables, only Dion was waiting for Lanit.

Earlier, while discussing the details of the quest, Dion insisted on accompanying Lanit alone.

He had easily dismissed the requests from Esmela and Arit for his concern, and even the pleas from the Count to take Iiergo with them, firmly declaring that he would be going only with Lanit to take down monsters.

After calming the anxious Esmela repeatedly, Lanit got on a horse with Dion, and they set off westward from the mansion.

After more than an hour, they finally reached their destination.

“Wow…”

Overwhelmed by the sight before her, Lanit could only express her amazement.

When she initially heard Dion’s explanation of the ‘snow wall,’ she imagined it would be a wall just a bit higher than the mansion’s fence.

However, what she saw was a barrier that easily towered over her, sprawling wide in all directions as far as her eyes could see.

“What’s visible isn’t all there is.”

Dion commented, observing Lanit’s reaction.

“You’ll see when we get on top, but calling it a wall is generous; it’s essentially a huge man-made snow hill extending all the way over there.”

“I’ll check it out for a moment. Dion, please step back a bit.”

Once she verified that Dion had stepped back about 30 meters, Lanit took a deep breath and swallowed the spinel in her hand.

Whoosh-!

A few seconds later, black flames erupted from her entire body, and in place of her stood a warrior draped in red scales with wings fluttering.

“Oh my…”

Dion’s eyes glinted with a strange competitive spirit as she looked at Lanit.

But Lanit was soaring into the sky, completely unaware of that tension, not anticipating what would happen next.

“Hmm…”

As Lanit looked down from the sky, the snow wall appeared just as Dion had described.

It wasn’t uniformly built like a fortress; certain parts resembled hills while others were thin walls, lacking overall design unity, yet the sheer scale was impressive.

Lanit landed back beside Dion.

“You were right. It’s massive, like a makeshift stronghold built by a battalion. Melting all this will take quite a while… Dion?”

As she spoke, Lanit noticed Dion was eyeing her intently, not listening at all.

“Yes…? Oh, right!”

“Is it fascinating?”

“Incredible… Yes, it definitely is. I’ve never seen such a transformation before. Half-Man Half-Dragon…”

“Ha ha. Technically, I’m half Salamander. If you don’t phrase it correctly, Esmela will get mad.”

“Oh…”

Even as Dion was distractedly examining every inch of Lanit, she found it slightly amusing.

“Anyway, back to the main point, even if I unleash Flame of Herta with full force, I don’t think I can melt all of this by today.”

“Yeah, there’s no need for that. Just create a path by melting through one side. We’re here to deal with monsters after all. The remaining debris can be slowly cleared away later.”

With the discussion over, the two finally set to work.

For the first ten minutes, Lanit was the only one melting the walls while Dion watched.

Then, when they had penetrated about a quarter of the wall—

Kreeeeek-!

A loud flapping sound echoed from beyond the wall Lanit was melting through.

“It’s a Snow Eagle.”

Dion had already approached Lanit’s side, glancing up at the sky where the sound came from.

A massive bird, covered in gray feathers, was circling high above their heads, casting a shadow over them.

“It looks like it was sent as a scout from the monster stragglers.”

Dion speculated calmly, crouching down as if gathering strength in her legs before exploding upwards.

“Just a moment.”

Leaving those words behind, her figure dashed towards the sky—

Boom!

Screeeeeeech-!

It was a one-sided, futile hunt.

In a single jump, Dion reached right next to the Snow Eagle and struck down on its head before it could react.

Struck directly in its vital spot, the Snow Eagle lost its glide and plummeted nose-first into the snow.

Thud.

“Hmm.”

Even after taking down the eagle in a single blow, Dion looked somewhat dissatisfied as she flexed her fist.

“Even with a strike launched from the air, it didn’t have much power behind it.”

“…What if it had landed properly?”

“It would’ve burst open.”

Pow, she added with a fairy-like delicate smile, tacking on an unnecessary comment.

“…I’ll continue the work.”

As Lanit melted forward through the wall, monsters began to attack them more frequently.

Most were aerial monsters like the Snow Eagle, but by the time they reached the wall’s end, land monsters started crossing over the wall to attack them as well.

Of course, it goes without saying that all of them fell to a single blow.

Bang!

Finally, the last barrier crumbled, revealing an open snowy expanse before them.

Alongside that, a herd of dozens of towering monsters blanketed the snow.

“Here they come, female human…”

Standing at the front were Frost Giants, wielding clubs and greeting the two with solemn expressions.