The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 38

-His Majesty King Pirot of Arkeisia, the noble and sole protector of the Kingdom, has declared a proclamation to the citizens still remaining in the Royal Capital. I, Prince Robertze, shall relay His Majesty’s voice to you.

A giant dome-shaped, blue translucent barrier envelops the royal palace.

I look up at the crystal-clear sky, not a cloud in sight.

-Led by Chancellor Tereed, the lords of various regions have gathered to form an allied force to rescue the Royal Capital. As a result of careful planning to save as many citizens as possible, they have decided to deploy a rescue team into the capital to save the royal family and other survivors.

Prince Robertze’s voice, amplified by his magic, spreads across the entire Royal Capital beyond the palace.

Although another barrier was installed inside the palace for soundproofing to protect the hearing of those staying there, it couldn’t completely muffle his booming voice.

-The date of execution is 9 AM on September 28, 438 of the Dry Season. Citizens who have not yet fallen into the hands of the cursed ones! If you wish to escape the capital with us, come to the palace before then. Thus, I pledge on behalf of the House of Arkeisia to ensure your safety outside the capital.

…

-The noble and…

“Ugh.”

I shudder and stretch, rising from a grassy spot on the outskirts of the palace.

“I’m about to reach my limit with this anxiety.”

Having been sleepless from the broadcasting ringing out since early morning, it’s starting to drive me crazy to hear the prince’s voice repeating the same thing all day long.

“…”

Trying to clear my mind, I cautiously step out of my quarters for a walk around the palace, but I still can’t escape that voice.

When I heard it in the game, I thought, ‘Robertze has a handsome voice too,’ but I’m genuinely worried that I might come to hate it.

“I’d rather have something to do.”

Unlike my hectic days as a butler in the mansion, here I am a complete outsider, forced to just wait patiently without any orders from Esmela.

And that Esmela hasn’t stepped outside her room since yesterday.

Is she still affected by what happened with Yuria?

As I shuffle around the garden, lost in countless thoughts, just then—

Pat pat.

From a distance, I hear footsteps approaching from behind a building wall.

They sound regular, wide strides, cheerful footsteps.

The figure, presumed to be a young man, gradually closes the distance, and he finally turns around the corner—

“Your Highness the Prince!?”

“You’ve got a sharp sense! You noticed me from far away just by my footsteps. There must be a reason Esmela holds you in such high regard.”

The silver-haired handsome man approaches me with a bright smile.

Unlike the lavish white attire I saw yesterday, today he’s donned a relatively ordinary white casual tailcoat.

“I present myself to Prince Robertze.”

“Yeah, good to see you too.”

In contrast to my flustered bow with my hand on my left chest, the prince greets me as if we were friends.

“May I be so bold as to ask what brings you here?”

“Haha. No need for all the formalities. There’s no one around.”

“Ah, I see…”

Adjusting to his friendly attitude is much harder than the solemn voice blaring from the broadcast.

“I just wanted to meet you. The butler that Esmela dotes on so much, you know.”

“Me? The talk of rumors…”

“Did you not know? Nobles in the social circle are very curious about your relationship with Esmela. Of course, they can’t openly express it.”

“…I see.”

It seems that rumors about me have already spread that far.

“…Hmm.”

Suddenly, he squints his eyes and starts inspecting me from head to toe, looking all around.

“You’ve got a decent appearance, good enough to stand beside Esmela. Oh, you’ve got a well-balanced physique for someone your age. You must have trained hard. Hmm, and…”

“Um, why are you…?”

“…Alright. This much is a pass.”

Pass for what?

“Lanit.”

After finishing his observations, the prince suddenly calls me with a serious expression.

“Yes?”

“I want to propose something to you.”

Seeing his serious demeanor seems to indicate he’s about to share something significant.

So I fix my posture and meet his gaze.

“May I ask what kind of request it is, Your Highness?”

“The operation in two days, you know about it, right?”

I nod slightly to confirm.

“Then I’ll get straight to the point. While leading the survivors to safety, I want you to fight alongside the Kingdom’s Army.”

“…What?”

A dreary room in the palace that seems to be a reception room.

Here I sit, facing the prince across a low table.

“So, I’d like to know why you are making such a proposal to me.”

“Then of course I should explain that.”

He readily complies with my request.

“First, let me clarify: I’m not trying to persecute you or Esmela.”

“Oh, is that so? You suddenly show up and tell me to be a shield, er, a bait, and that’s not persecution?”

“Ugh… yeah, you could say I get how you might feel that way.”

He gives a wry smile.

“I should explain why I’m making this proposal. First off, can you tell me your impressions after witnessing the relationship between Esmela and Yuria yesterday?”

“My impressions, you say…”

I had plenty of thoughts about that scene yesterday.

“First of all, there’s no recovery in the relationship between Esmela and Yuria at all.”

What struck me most about that whole situation was this.

As the protagonist Yuria left the academy after the broken engagement, Esmela’s unresponsive back had a wistful expression, and she thought:

[One day may come when I can be friends with Esmela again…]

It was an event right before the ending.

So I initially suspected that Yuria would be somewhat reluctant to let go of Esmela…

But somehow, this was diverging from what I had remembered from the game.

“And the fact that Esmela’s honor hasn’t been restored yet.”

Exactly. What bothered me the most was something else.

While Yuria and Esmela knew the circumstances, I never thought the nobles present at the audience would act so rudely.

No matter how much Yuria is a princess, Esmela is still a legitimate member of House Herta, the only daughter of Chancellor Tereed.

Yet in that official audience, while Yuria openly disrespected her, none of the nobles even attempted to stop her, nor even showed a hint of discomfort.

All they did was watch with expressions as if the argument was the hottest gossip, or even send outright contemptuous glares at Esmela.

In the audience room yesterday, none of those standing near the throne were on Esmela’s side.

“You’ve been paying attention, good job. As you could guess from the nobles present, Esmela is, in fact, isolated in the nobility. Not only that, but there are also those openly defying Chancellor Tereed.”

Prince Robertze continues to explain calmly.

As I quietly observe his face, I can feel my anger boiling up.

“…I dare to question Your Highness, despite the inappropriateness of it,”

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t this situation ultimately a result of Your Highness publicly breaking off the engagement with the young lady?”

Despite my best efforts to hide my emotions, I could hear the anger lacing my voice, almost startling me.

“That’s right.”

But surprisingly, the prince simply acknowledges his fault.

“However, it was unavoidable. I considered Esmela a close friend from the moment I met her, but I never loved her. It was Yuria who made me realize that.”

…Wow.

I almost lost it right there.

The fact that this guy in front of me is my favorite game’s main character and the prince of this kingdom had slipped my mind entirely.

“…”

If I moved even a little now, I was sure I’d punch him and get dragged away to the guillotine, so I could only grit my teeth and glare at him.

“…Haha. You’re reacting just like that guy.”

Mumbling something incomprehensible, he goes on.

“Well, I do feel guilty towards her. That’s why I’m making this proposal to you, in a way to make amends to her.”

Honestly, at this point, I want to get up and leave, but at the same time, I’m curious about what he’s trying to say. So…

“I’ll listen.”

“Make sure to speak with your jaw relaxed.”

“…I’m sorry. For now, I’ll hear what Your Highness has to say.”

“Good. But it’s not that complicated. When we escape the palace in two days, you’ll be fighting alongside the Kingdom’s Army against those cursed ones, you know, what you call ‘zombies’ back in your hometown? You’ll gain merit while dazzling them with the sword forged by the Flame of Herta, making it clear that you serve as Herta’s servant.”

He leans back and rests his chin on his arm.

“If you stand out as a hero on the front lines, naturally, the reputation of Esmela, whom you serve, will improve, right? Not a bad plan, huh?”