The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 25

A horde of countless zombies has invaded the first floor of the mansion.

The arrival of special zombies, which are several times faster than regular zombies and possess unique traits.

The servants, having just awoken from their slumber, are now scrambling to adopt a combat posture.

“…”

How are we supposed to navigate through this desperate situation?

No one, aside from me, can easily articulate this question.

-Krahhhh!

Meanwhile, the sounds of zombies are gradually getting closer up the stairs.

…Honestly, I’ve just come up with an operation. It’s very risky and almost a gamble with no guarantee of success.

I held off from mentioning it, thinking there might be another way, but now that the time limit is looming right in front of us, this seems to be our only choice.

“Arit.”

“Yes?”

“Could you set up a shield to block the stairs leading to the fourth floor?”

If anyone can do it, it’s Arit, who specializes in Holy Attribute Magic.

“I can do it, but… the shield cast with just my mana won’t hold for long.”

“That’s fine. We’re not trying to defend, just buying some time to explain my plan to you.”

“…Understood.”

Arit walks to the landing, extending her hands forward.

“Light, protect the pilgrims with a holy wall.”

Pah!

As Arit prays, a golden wall appears, completely blocking the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

“So, what’s the plan?” Esmela asks.

“We don’t have time, so let me explain immediately. First, we need to give up on joining the servants in the annex.”

“What?”

She frowns in response.

“Did I mishear? Are we leaving them behind…?”

“No.”

I cut off Esmela’s statement. It’s rude, but I have no choice right now.

“What I mean is, we become the bait.”

“What?”

Now Arit looks surprised.

“I can’t agree to such a plan, Renit. Using lives as a means is not right, regardless of the situation.”

The Saintess looks at me seriously.

“I used the term ‘bait,’ but I’m not saying we need to sacrifice ourselves.”

I counter her statement.

“We need to clarify the situation quickly. First of all, the zombies the Head Maid just dispatched are likely the special entities that Arit encountered, right?”

“Yes, they definitely moved much faster than ordinary zombies,” the Head Maid chimes in.

“Exactly. And if we examine the appearance of the zombies, the thin leather armor they’re wearing and the daggers on their hips suggest they were hunters in life.”

I speed up my speech, driven by urgency.

“And considering the collapse of the Hunter Guild mentioned by the head of the family… if we combine this information, there’s a high possibility that many of the zombies attacking the mansion are former hunters turned into zombies.”

As I speak, I unconsciously inspect the corpse of a zombie lying in the hallway, prompting others to notice and look at it as well.

“With so many ordinary zombies around, I’m not confident we can win. If there are stronger zombies among them, our chances of defeating them in close combat, especially when our forces are split, are almost zero.”

“Then just burn them, right? With my flames.”

In response to Esmela’s suggestion, I quietly shake my head.

“In this situation, it would catch us as well as the servants in the blast. You know that, right?”

“So what do you propose we do then?” Esmela asks impatiently.

“The servants in the annex, and the four of us here. We split into these two groups and head to the Royal Palace.”

Now here comes the crux of the matter. I hope everyone agrees to my operation…

“Before we leave, we will amplify our voices using sound magic to draw the zombies’ attention, then leap out of the mansion and run with all we’ve got to lure the zombies away from the mansion.”

“And the servants?”

“If we assume we’ve lured enough, they will confront the remaining zombies while taking a different route to the Royal Palace.”

I answer Esmela’s question.

“And when we determine we’ve put enough distance between ourselves and the zombies, we’ll also make our way to the Royal Palace.”

As my briefing concludes, the other three who have been listening fall into contemplation without speaking.

Thud! Crack! Boom!

It seems even the fleeting silence is not permitted by the zombies.

“The zombies are here!”

Arit urgently warns as Esmela snaps at her in an annoyed tone.

“Ah, seriously! We can’t think of any other plan at this rate! Renit, is there any possibility?”

“I don’t know how much, but I’m sure there is. That’s why I’m saying this to you, Lady.”

I gaze earnestly into Esmela’s red eyes, hoping my sincerity reaches her.

“…Hah. Fine.”

“Thank you, Lady. What about Arit and the Head Maid…?”

“It seems there’s no other way.”

“If it’s Lady Esmela’s order.”

The Head Maid responds calmly while smiling awkwardly at the situation.

Good. The persuasion is over. All we need to do now is act…!

Thud! Thud!

Amidst the many sounds of impacts, a faint cracking sound from the shield being broken can be heard.

“So what do we do now?”

It seems Esmela is getting anxious, her speech quickening.

“I’d like to request a blessing of Haste from Arit, but do you have enough mana?”

The blessing of Haste is a support spell exclusive to the clergy that temporarily increases speed.

“Yes, I still have about half left.”

“Then please. We’ll cast the blessing on all of us, including Arit, and use our increased speed to lure the zombies.”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

Esmela halts me, turning to Arit.

Bang! Crash! Boom!

Thud, thud.

“Esmela, you join the servants. Do you have enough mana?”

“…I can teleport to where they are with magic, but I only serve Lady Esmela.”

However, the Head Maid refuses Esmela’s command. It’s the first time I’ve seen her act like this…

“So you’re saying you won’t follow my orders?”

“But…”

“Even if we lure them away, I can’t be certain the servants are capable of dealing with the remaining zombies on their own. If you lead them along with Helinante, their chances of survival will increase.”

“…”

The Head Maid keeps silent, merely listening to Esmela’s words.

But her expression subtly shows her dissatisfaction.

“…Don’t worry. Arit will move with us, and besides, do you think I’ll be caught by those things?”

Esmela, unusually softening her tone, comforts the Head Maid.

“…Understood. I’ll join the servants and relay the plan to them. Once the zombies have left the mansion, I’ll deal with the remaining ones and head directly to the Royal Palace.”

“Alright, thank you for that.”

The Head Maid curtly nods and steps into the darkness at the end of the hallway.

Bang!

Hiss…

“We’re about to get overwhelmed.”

Arit remarks while looking at the shield.

“I’ll bestow the blessing right away. O goddess of adventure, Arasukashi, guide those who set forth with favorable winds.”

I thought Arit would just grant a standard buff, but hearing the name of the 36 deities in her incantation suggests it’s an even higher-level blessing.

Woosh-

“What!”

Once Arit’s prayer ends, I feel my body becoming as light as a feather.

“That’s amazing, as expected from the Saintess.”

Even a slight bounce on my toes makes me feel like I could fly into the sky.

“Wait, why not me? Why am I not included?”

“Oh, didn’t you want to carry Lady Esmela? Isn’t that how you did it before…?”

“What? It was because I was wearing heels before! Now I’m in flat shoes, you know?”

“No, you did well, Arit.”

“Hey, you…!”

With Esmela’s physical abilities, even with the blessing from Arit, she likely wouldn’t be able to catch up to us, so I’d definitely have to carry her again.

Bang!

Rumble-

In the distance, I hear something collapsing behind us.

-Kwoooorr!

-Kiaaaak!

“They’re coming!”

“Excuse me, Lady!”

“Yikes!”

I grab Esmela tightly without any finesse.

With my left hand supporting Esmela’s legs and my right hand cradling her back, I dash towards the window in the hallway.

“Haste!”

I draw mana into my legs.

“I’ll lead the way!”

But even quicker than I can activate Haste, Arit surpasses us and dashes ahead.

Thud!

Clang!

Arit leaps with all her might, shattering the glass and jumping out of the mansion.

Tap-

Following her lead, I leap through the shattered window.

Gaining momentum, we arc gracefully over the heads of hundreds of zombies gathered below the mansion.

In that fleeting moment before landing, I look down at the dimly lit zombies, feeling a shiver run down my spine.

Thud.

Tap.

Arit lands first about 40 meters from the zombies rushing into the mansion, soon followed by me.

I witness the horrendous sight of the House of Herta hitting the ground hard under the zombies’ assault, with Esmela sharing my solemn gaze.

“…Lady.”

I understand her feelings, but this is not the time for sentimentality.

“…What?”

“As you did before to lure the zombies, I ask you to do it again.”

“…Hah, I can’t believe I’m doing this again…”

Esmela grumbles but brings her left hand to her neck.

“Cover your ears. Announce.”

“What? I’m carrying you right now, how can I…”

“Hey, you ignorant corpses! Over here!”

“Ugh…”

Esmela’s yell strikes my eardrums.

-…Gwooo?

The zombies attempting to enter the mansion halt their movements upon hearing her voice, turning to face us.

I involuntarily swallow hard at the bizarre sight.

So, it’s time to engage in a thrilling chase with those creatures now?