The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 17

“…”

The Saintess rummages through her memories.

The Witch of the Black Dahlia, a name she has never heard before.

But why would this girl introduce herself as a villain from a fairy tale?

It seemed unlikely that the girl before her would provide the answer she desired, but verification was necessary.

“You claim to be a witch?”

Arit asks again.

“Yes.”

Surprisingly, the girl answers the Saintess’s question without hesitation.

“I am the last surviving witch. The presence of one such as me would not be welcomed by the Saintess of the Radain Church.”

“Why should I care about you?”

Surely, the witches in stories are always portrayed as evil, yet they are merely figments of imagination.

The Radain Church is not so rigid as to judge fictional characters.

As the conversation continued, Arit strongly felt that something was off between her and the girl.

“…?”

The girl tilts her head slightly, as if sensing the same.

“Could it be that the Saintess has never heard of witches before?”

“…”

The Saintess does not respond to the girl’s question. It just felt wrong to do so.

“…Ahaha.”

The girl laughs.

“Ahaha, haha! Ha, ha hahahahaha! Kya ha ha!”

The girl starts cackling again. But this time, there’s a clear mockery aimed at the Saintess in her laughter.

She clutches her belly and leans back, filling the plaza with her uproarious laughter, nearly losing her balance.

“Oh dear, to think the Saintess would take on the role of a jester at a banquet. What a noble spirit of sacrifice you possess.”

The girl finally stops laughing, but every word she utters is laced with derision for the Saintess.

“How amusing, and how pitiful. The puppets of the Puppet Gods, and our dear Saintess who dances in their hands.”

The girl nonchalantly insults God Juten, the 36 gods, and even the Radain Church and the Saintess herself.

“…That statement cannot go unchallenged.”

“Oh my, I apologize.”

Even in response to the Saintess’s warning, the girl pretends to apologize, her smile brimming with mischief.

“To tease the blind would indeed be rude. Or would it be more accurate to say you have turned your back on the truth?”

That’s enough. Continuing the conversation would only be a waste of time.

Arit comes to that conclusion and asks one last question.

“Did you kill all the people here?”

“Yeees, of course.”

The girl once again readily admits to her atrocities.

Then the investigation concludes. Setting aside the recent conversation, the girl herself just confessed to killing dozens of people.

“…Understood. From now on, I will consider you a dangerous individual and detain you. I will hand you over to the City Guard of Pedina City.”

“…Give it a try?”

As the girl scoffs, Arit begins to chant a spell.

“Light, bind evil!”

As the Saintess extends her right hand toward the girl, a beam of light shoots out from her hand like a rope, rapidly flying toward the girl.

*Whoosh!*

The beam ensnares the girl’s arms and torso, binding her tightly.

“Oh my?”

Despite being tied up by the ropes of light, the girl shows no signs of panic as she merely gazes curiously at the luminous bindings enveloping her.

Arit continues her incantation.

“Light, silence evil!”

This time, a mask made of light forms in front of the girl’s face.

*Shwaack-*

Before the girl could even respond, the light mask covers her face, preventing her from chanting any spells.

“…”

Her movements are restricted, and she is silenced from casting spells.

Arit, though concerned by the calm expression of the girl, brushes aside her doubts and steps forward to decisively subdue her.

*Whoosh.*

“What the…!”

But just then, an unbelievable sight unfolded before Arit’s eyes.

The girl who was doubly restrained by the light ring and mask suddenly scattered.

Literally, as if her body were made of flour, she disintegrated and vanished.

*Clang.*

The light ring and mask that had surrounded her clattered to the ground where she had stood.

Arit looked around in panic, but she could not find the girl anywhere.

It was as if she had never been there in the first place, leaving no trace behind.

How could she escape from the bindings of light while being doubly sealed?

It was a truly important question, but Arit had no time to ponder it.

“God Juten, may the light dispel the shadow of confusion…”

“That could be a problem.”

“!”

As Arit hurriedly began to chant the next spell, the girl appeared right before Arit’s eyes.

“To think you would try to take away even my only refuge in darkness, how ruthless of you.”

Arit tried to swing the club she held in her right hand, but…

“Stop.”

The girl was quicker; her hand reached for Arit’s neck first.

Slick.

The girl’s index finger caresses Arit’s nape slowly, as if savoring it.

“Gah…”

Arit shudders involuntarily from that horrifyingly cold touch that carries no warmth of life.

“Oh, such soft skin. It’s been so long since I’ve felt such warmth.”

The girl raises her finger and slowly pricks the Saintess’s neck with her nail.

“If I could pierce you like this, I would love to savor your precious and innocent blood…”

The girl’s face moves closer to Arit’s.

They get so close that Arit could feel the girl’s cold breath.

Only then does Arit finally see the girl’s face properly.

She bore the appearance of a young, innocent girl.

Yet, her skin was so pale it looked like it had been coated in flour, and her lips were darkened.

Her eyes were excessively lined in dark makeup, and her eyelashes unnaturally long.

It looked as if a poor doll had been adorned with grotesque make-up by someone with terrible taste.

Arit felt a strong sense of discomfort from the girl’s corpse-like pallor, yet for some reason, she couldn’t tear her gaze away.

“…Your turn is still far away, Saintess.”

Suddenly, the girl withdraws her hand, stepping back as if her enthusiasm had waned.

“Well now, this is unexpected. I didn’t think the Saintess would come to such a pitiful town.”

The girl clasps her hands behind her back, walking across to the opposite side of Arit as if explaining herself to someone.

“It seems I must take my leave now.”

“Stop…!”

Arit reignites her fighting spirit.

This presence before her is dangerous.

If she lets this entity escape now, it will soon bring about a greater disaster.

The instincts of the Saintess warn her.

“Oh my, even you, Saintess, are reluctant to part ways.”

The girl spins around to face Arit. Her face is still alight with a mocking smile directed at the Saintess.

“I’m touched. As a little token of appreciation…”

*Clap.*

The girl lightly claps her hands.

“Allow me to leave you with a small gift.”

*Grrrr…*

*Grroooorrr…*

With the clap, ominous sounds reverberated from all directions.

“Please, enjoy the ball with the dead.”

“Wait…!”

Before Arit could shout to stop the girl,

With those final words, the girl lightly curtseyed, her black dress full of frills fluttering, and once again vanished into the darkness.

*Congruuul…*

“!?”

Immediately after the girl disappeared, Arit heard a ghastly cry and turned to the surroundings.

“What is… happening?”

The corpses that had surely been dead began to rise and move.

But their movements were anything but human.

They moved in an eerie manner, as if wooden puppets with stiff joints were being forced to act.

*Grrrr…*

The sounds emitting from their mouths were nothing like any living creature Arit had ever encountered—chilling and monstrous.

Though their outward appearance was clearly humane, their eyes were beyond just bloodshot; they were stained with a vivid red.

“Dark magic… indeed.”

Now only fragments of dark magic remained, but among them was the information on necromancy, a specialty of dark magic.

The countermeasure to necromancy is simple.

Arit closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and began to recite a prayer solemnly.

“I dare declare. I dare wish. I dare to pray. Have mercy on the poor souls whose flicker of life is fading, bound by the darkness before me. Once again, lead these lost ones back to the light!”

*Paaah!*

As she completed her prayer, brilliant light etched itself onto the ground of the plaza, purifying everything within.

“Ha…”

Arit released her clasped hands and sighed. Casting the highest form of purification magic is quite demanding even for a Saintess.

She thought the dead would find peace again, but as she looked around…

*Grrr…*

“Why…!”

The corpses were still moving.

“Is it not necromancy? Then what in the world…”

Arit desperately tried to retrace where she had gone wrong in her judgment.

*Grrr?*

As Arit drowned in confusion, the dead turned their attention toward her.

*Grrr… Aaaargh!!!*

Soon, dozens of corpses charged at the Saintess, howling.