The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 27

“Esmela.”

I hear Esmela’s worried voice calling me from behind.

Turning my head toward her…

“Do you know him?”

She peeks just above my left shoulder, hiding slightly behind me and looking at Uncle Zeck with suspicious eyes.

“Yes. He was someone who helped me a lot when I worked as a Hunter in the Royal Capital. But I think you’ve met him once before as well, haven’t you?”

“What?”

“Uh, thinking about it, isn’t that the young lady from the House of Herta behind you? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“I’m sorry, but I have no recollection of you at all.”

“What? Are you serious? A commoner’s face isn’t worth remembering in front of a Duke’s daughter? I mean, we were in a subjugation quest together, weren’t we? Why don’t you remember? It was that Wyvern hunt in the Sikai Plateau two years ago.”

“Wyvern…?”

Esmela furrows her brow, as if trying to recall the memory.

“Oh, oh! Right, now I remember. You were the Hunter who was with Lenit back then, right?”

“Exactly! You were there when you snatched this guy up on the last day of the hunt!”

“Snatched? Please don’t phrase it like that! It was called scouting! Scouting!”

“Ha ha, it’s the same thing. Anyway, the situation is what it is, but it’s good to see you again.”

“…Hmph.”

Esmela crosses her arms and turns her head to the other side, seemingly fed up with Uncle Zeck’s jovial banter.

“Um…”

Arit, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, cautiously interjects.

“I understand that you two know each other, but how about sharing the rest of your story while we move? And let’s also discuss what Uncle Zeck needs…”

“…Hmm?”

After looking at Arit’s face, Uncle Zeck scratches his chin, deep in thought.

“Why are you staring at me like that…”

“With your long blond hair and golden eyes… Miss Clergy, are you perhaps the Saintess of the Radain Church?”

“Yes? Yes, that’s correct.”

“I thought so! You radiate an aura that is not typical for an ordinary clergy member! Wow~ What kind of day is this? Lenit, the young lady from the House of Herta, and now the Saintess too! Ha ha ha! Ever since those damned things took over the Royal Capital, I’ve had nothing but bad luck, but now look at today! Meeting not one, but three rare people at once! It’s like the goddess of fate, Mitri, guided me here! Ha, ha ha ha!”

Despite Arit looking uncomfortable and Esmela seeming incredulous, Uncle Zeck continues to ramble, laughing loudly as if he doesn’t care about the reactions of those around him.

Really, he hasn’t changed at all… the typical uncle style of ignoring how others feel and just spewing out whatever he wants.

“…”

Overwhelmed by Uncle Zeck’s one-sided monologue, the three of us find it hard to interject a word.

“By the way, Lenit you rascal…!”

But then, the man who had previously been happily laughing suddenly grabs my shoulders with a serious expression.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“Walking through the Royal Capital while sandwiched between a Saintess and a Duke’s daughter… have you hit the jackpot? Ha ha!”

“…”

I think I’ve had enough. It feels like a waste of time to keep listening.

“Please don’t joke around like that. If anyone else overheard you, the House of Herta, the Terellude House, and the Radain Church would all be out to get you. No, first of all, that’s sexual harassment, so you should apologize to them.”

I warn Uncle Zeck, pushing his hands off my shoulders.

“Come on, it was just a joke! Why so uptight between us, Lenit?”

“It’s not that I’m uptight…”

I shoot a glance at Esmela, who’s glaring at Uncle Zeck with what can only be described as a terrifying intensity.

“…Do you want to get on the Duke’s bad side?”

I lower my voice in warning to him.

“Huh? No, what would…?”

“This?”

Esmela’s sharp voice echoes through the underground.

“What? Uh, um… I’m sorry, both of you.”

Uncle Zeck, looking cowed, finally manages to apologize.

“That’s fine.”

“Seriously, this is ridiculous…”

Arit accepts the apology calmly, while Esmela still seems to be mumbling under her breath. Both react as one would expect.

“Lenit, but I’ve heard the members of the House of Herta can be difficult to deal with, and it seems to be true. Right? You must be having a tough time…”

“Do you really want to die?!”

“Ouch, you heard me, huh? You’ve got sharp ears…”

…I can already feel a headache coming on.

“Ahem, well. Let’s wrap up the introductions here.”

Was that chaotic scene really just summed up as “introductions”?

“Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Zeck, an A-Rank Hunter from the Hunter Guild headquarters. This rascal here, Lenit, and I have known each other since his time in the Hunter Guild.”

He raises his right hand and gives a few taps on the hilt of the huge sword strapped to his back.

“As you can see, this is my main weapon.”

“May Mitri bless our meeting. I’m Arit Radain, the 11th Saintess of the Radain Church.”

“…Esmela Herta.”

“Glad to meet both of you. So, I don’t know where you’re headed right now, but before we start moving, I’d like to ask Saintess for a favor.”

“Go ahead.”

“As you can see, my right leg is injured, so I’m having a bit of trouble walking. Would you mind healing it for me, Saintess?”

“Wound…”

Hearing Uncle Zeck’s request, Arit glances at his right leg, wrapped in a white cloth, then turns her gaze to us.

“Uncle, you didn’t get bitten by any monsters, right?”

Understanding the meaning behind her gaze, I step forward to ask him.

“What? No! I got deeply cut by some unknown blade while escaping from the Guild.”

He waves his hands desperately, trying to explain.

“Hmm… how can we trust what you just said?”

“That’s what I’m saying! Just look at the wound! Come on, look!”

Uncle Zeck quickly unwraps the cloth binding his wound and shows it to us.

“Just a moment…”

Arit kneels down and carefully inspects his injury.

“…It does seem like a superficial cut as you mentioned. And there are no signs of being bitten either.”

“I told you so! Lenit, you know I’m not the kind of person to lie about this, right?”

“Well, it’s not that I don’t trust you. Miss, since Arit has checked the wound, even if he were to turn into a zombie, the… premonitory symptoms would appear first like with Gilrot, so I think it’s fine for us to stick together for now…”

“…Hmph. Do as you please.”

“You really are a tough young lady. If you keep this up, Lenit might just get fed up and run away!”

“What?! What did you just say…?”

“…I will heal you.”

Despite their arguing, Arit quietly casts Healing Magic on the wound on his right leg. She doesn’t seem to be showing it, but maybe she’s tired from their back-and-forth.

And a few minutes later,

“This is incredible! My leg’s perfectly fine now!”

After the healing, he touches the previously wounded area with awe, marveling at the result.

“Fortunately, the blade didn’t reach the bone, so it wasn’t hard to heal.”

“Still, thanks! You’re definitely the Saintess! So now that my leg is all better, how about we move? I’ve seen those monsters flooding the streets at night, and it seems all three of you are headed somewhere too, right?”

“That’s right, Uncle. But in my haste, I forgot to ask, where exactly are we…?”

“Huh? Can’t you tell? It’s the underground tunnels of Erka. There are pathways flowing down here like spider webs underneath the whole Royal Capital.”

“Ugh…”

Esmela winces at the mention of the underground tunnel, glancing around as if displeased.

After hearing Uncle Zeck’s explanation, we take stock of our surroundings.

We’re standing in a space so narrow that only two people can barely pass between each other, with wide waters flowing around us that seem to be about 7 meters across.

The walls and ceiling of the tunnel are soaked with moisture, allowing patches of green moss to grow between the bricks.

“This feels disgusting…”

“You’re being too picky, Miss. This is actually a passage with rainwater, meaning it’s relatively clean. There are worse places where all the sewage collects.”

But even with Uncle Zeck’s reassurance, Esmela’s expression doesn’t soften.

“Geez… what a difficult young lady. Anyway, Lenit. Like I said before, if you move along this path, we can reach just about anywhere in the Royal Capital. Sure, it’s a complicated route, and very few people dare to attempt it, but don’t worry. I completely know my way around these underground tunnels. Ha ha!”

“That’s music to my ears. I was just about to wonder how we’d make it to the Royal Palace through all those zombies…”

“Huh? You’re going to the Royal Palace? …And what about those zombies? Is that what you’re calling them?”

“Ah… right. It’s still a story that no one besides us knows, so… Uncle, please guide us to the Royal Palace first. We can discuss everything about those creatures and why we’re headed to the Royal Palace while we move. Is that okay with you, Miss? What about you, Arit?”

“I’m fine with that.”

“I think that sounds good too.”

“Thank you both. Then, can I count on you, Uncle?”

“Sure, let’s do that. But if we’re headed to the Royal Palace, we can’t go straight there. We’ll have to surface a little ways off and then walk over from there. The underground tunnels leading to the Royal Palace are blocked by various security devices.”

“That’s enough for me. Then shall we set off?”

“Yeah, let’s go. Saintess, can you keep the light bright for us?”

“Of course.”

“Good. This way. Everyone, stay close!”

With that, the four of us move forward through the spooky underground tunnels of the Royal Capital, relying on a small light the size of a light bulb.

Uncle Zeck leads the way through the underground tunnel, with me trailing closely behind him, while Arit and Esmela follow at the end.

“By the way, Lenit, I have so many questions for you and things to discuss… But first, what’s the story behind the name zombies? Do you know something about them?”

“Ah, the zombies… to explain the origin of that name, I first need to tell you a story from my hometown.”

In this quiet space, where only the sound of flowing water and the occasional dripping of falling drops of water filled the air, our four different footsteps and the conversation between Uncle Zeck and me softly echoed.