The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 22

“Esmela.”

The five of us gathered around the black flame of the letter that had returned.

This time, Esmela also stood up, bending her upper body down towards the letter, focusing on the voice of the head of the house flowing from it.

“I’m not sure if you’ve been safe all this time. For the past few days, I’ve occasionally gone up to the hills near the Royal Capital to look at it and prayed that I could meet you without any issues.”

The voice of the head of the house conveyed his deep concern for his daughter.

“Well… I’ve just been rambling on with sentimental phrases. Let’s get back to the point.”

As he regained his seriousness, I also tensed up, waiting for his next words.

“First, let me share the information received through communication with the Royal Palace. The situation in the Royal Capital is more serious than we expected. According to their observation with vision magic from the air over the capital, they reported that more than half of the population had already transformed into ‘them’ the day after the incident occurred.”

“…!”

His shocking statement caused expressions of horror to rise on the faces of everyone except Elina.

“Oh my…”

Arit couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Of course, I felt the same way.

I had vaguely speculated that many people in the capital had already been infected, given the nature of zombies, but hearing such concrete figures was even more shocking.

“Since that was the case on the first day, it’s likely the number has increased by now. After receiving this news, the command center of the capital’s rescue coalition held lengthy discussions and concluded that with the current strength of the coalition, it would not be possible to completely eradicate ‘them.’ Therefore, we resolved to seek the best method to rescue the survivors trapped in the capital and decided to implement a large-scale rescue operation in coordination with the Royal Palace.”

“A large-scale rescue operation?”

Esmela mumbled, seemingly voicing the doubts that had arisen in all of us.

“The main outline of the operation is as follows: Starting two days before the execution date, we will continuously broadcast announcements from the Royal Palace using sound amplification magic to guide survivors to gather at the Royal Palace until the execution date. On the day of execution, simultaneously dismantling the barriers of both the capital and Royal Palace, the survivors gathered at the palace will move to the southern gate, where they will join forces with the coalition troops entering from the south to escape outside the capital.”

“That’s too dangerous.”

Elina rarely spoke up.

Her words were spot on.

What if the survivors were swept away by a horde of zombies while escaping from the palace? And what if the reinforcements couldn’t reach the survivors?

And most importantly, what were they planning to do about the zombies that would pour out through every entrance of the capital once the barriers were lifted?

“Of course, we fully understand the risks this operation entails, so rest assured. Currently, some members of the Kingdom’s Army and royal sorcerers are still inside the palace. According to the palace, while they do not have the strength to actively go out and eliminate ‘them,’ they are enough to temporarily hold off ‘them’ while gathering the survivors and while they escape outside the capital.”

The head of the house responds as if he anticipated our worries.

“There are many trustworthy individuals participating in the coalition as well. Lopez Terelud, whom I mentioned before, has gathered the personal troops of nearby lords to join the coalition. Sorcerers from the Magic Tower, including the tower’s leader, have also come to provide support. Additionally, by a stroke of luck, we managed to gain support from the House of Larson.”

“The territory of the Larson family is quite far from the capital, isn’t it?”

Esmela looked puzzled.

“I can only say it was a stroke of luck. The Larson family was on their way from the north to attend the prince’s wedding, but after missing the ceremony, they were planning to head back near the capital. Fortunately, we managed to contact them before they departed.”

After hearing the head of the house’s explanation, Esmela nodded as if she understood.

“Therefore, while the coalition’s military strength may not be enough to retake the capital, they will be able to hold back ‘them’ pouring out from the remaining three gates and other entrances that haven’t been closed, while also rescuing survivors. If the rescue operation is successful, once the survivors have escaped outside the capital, the sorcerers from the Magic Tower will set up a barrier again to seal off the entire capital. We can think about how to retake the capital after that.”

The head of the house paused for a moment.

“The execution date of the operation is five days from now. The broadcast gathering the survivors will commence three days from now.”

“That’s a relief. Finally, we see a glimmer of hope.”

Arit said brightly after hearing the details of the operation.

“Umm… but the remaining food is a bit precarious.”

On the other hand, Helinante was worried whether we could hold out with the supplies we had left until then.

“And Esmela, you’ll lead the people from the mansion and join the palace the day after tomorrow.”

‘What?’

Everyone was surprised by the unexpected order from the head of the house.

“Three days from now, there will be a loud sound periodically echoing throughout the capital as the broadcast begins, and how ‘they’ will react to it is uncertain. They might become savage upon hearing it, or in the worst case, ‘they’ might swarm towards the royal palace, the source of the sound. If that happens, the road towards the capital will become even more dangerous. Therefore, I requested the palace to accept members of the House of Herta the day before the broadcast.”

‘So the head of the house was considering ways to ensure his daughter’s safety after all.’

“They didn’t set a specific time. If you can reach near the palace the day after tomorrow, as soon as you arrive, they’ll temporarily dismantle the barrier and send the Kingdom’s Army out to allow you inside the palace. Initially, the palace rejected my request, stating that dismantling the barrier would threaten the royal family’s safety, but I pressed harder and secured a promise.”

Nice going, Duke Tereed… although I can’t help but worry that ‘pressing harder’ might’ve actually meant ‘threatening.’

“This is about all I can tell you. Oh no, the limit to the message I can send is almost reached. Let me say one last thing.”

The voice of the head of the house grew urgent.

“The royal sorcerers reported that while scouting the capital with vision magic yesterday, they confirmed that the Hunter Guild headquarters has already been occupied by ‘them.’ Though it’s not definitive, it is said that the strength of ‘them’ is influenced by their former strength. Of course, since the Hunter Guild is located away from the mansion and the palace, the likelihood of encountering Hunters who have transformed into ‘them’ during your journey to the palace is low… But if you do happen to cross paths, focus on avoiding conflict and just getting to your destination.”

The head of the house’s warning about mutant zombies concurs with Arit’s testimony. Did he also hear about the incidents in Kiar Town through the Hunter Guild’s Pedina branch?

“It’s really time to wind this up. Esmela, lead the servants in a way that does not bring shame to the House of Herta. But as a head of the house, it may be an inappropriate statement… but if the situation arises where you must choose between your safety and your duty, prioritize yourself above all else. Just please ensure that you survive.”

The heartfelt words of the head of the house echoed softly in the office.

“Well then, I will be waiting for the day we reunite.”

With that final word, the letter vanished like smoke.

“…”

The faces of those gathered in the office were revitalized.

…Of course, except for the head maid.

After all, if the head of the house’s earlier message vaguely contained hope, this time he provided us with a concrete blueprint towards that hope.

“Wow~ but the head of the house can be quite heartless. To tell the young lady to abandon us if it gets dangerous…”

“Hold on…”

I looked over at Esmela, worried that she might be upset upon hearing Helinante’s remark, examining her expression closely.

‘Huh?’

Surprisingly, Esmela didn’t appear flustered at all and instead smiled confidently.

“Well, it can’t be helped, can it, Helinante? Father cares for me that much.”

All four of their gazes were turned toward her as she marched confidently to the center of the office.

“But it seems my father is worrying unnecessarily. As long as I’m in the mansion, a situation where I have to weigh my life against yours won’t happen. Because I won’t lose either.”

With her right hand over her chest, she boldly declared, resembling the arrogant and confident villainous noble lady Esmela Herta from [Roinah].

“Now, shall we plan how to move toward the royal palace from here? First, Helinante, take out the map of the capital and lay it out on my desk. And Elina…”

Esmela began issuing instructions to the others.

As they busily moved to follow her orders, I recalled the names that had caught my ear among the head of the house’s statements.

Perelud, Larson, the tower leader, Esmela and Arit, and even the royal prince and princess…

Huh.

If the rescue operation succeeds, wouldn’t the main characters of [Roinah] all gather in one place?

Peeking my head out the window, I glanced at the streets, already filled with ‘them.’

-Grrr…

-Uuur…

No matter where I looked, all I could see were ‘them’ swaying about in search of prey.

“Damn it, this is maddening.”

The man sank back against the window ledge with a thud.

In the room, three corpses lay sprawled out, their heads grotesquely smashed.

“Those damned bastards. I told them we shouldn’t let them in. They were clearly bitten…”

He grumbled as he glared at the corpses.

On the second floor of a building.

The place was a total wreck from the incident.

In the ruins, a robust middle-aged man sat on the floor, bleeding from his right leg.

The thick leather armor he wore and the bloodied, crude iron sword that was at least 1 meter and 30 centimeters in length beside him indicated that he was a hunter.

“How absurd. Even the normal ‘them’ are stronger than most adult men, but if the strong ones turn into ‘them’… ugh… it’s incredibly worse, isn’t it?”

The pain shooting through his leg temporarily interrupted his muttering.

“Hah… no one’s coming to rescue me.”

Was he now completely resigned? He stared blankly at the blood-stained ceiling.

“Even before they died, they were decent hunters; yet now they’ve all been bitten, and here we are.”

He managed to twist the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.

“To those unlucky souls who might encounter my former comrades… My apologies. Just blending in might be overwhelming.”

Who exactly was his warning directed at?