The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 41

Esmela gradually bent her waist, kneeling down to match my eye level as I sat on the prison floor.

“…Huh? Lanit.”

Her face, which had been as cold as ice, suddenly broke into a bright smile, and she sweetly called my name.

…She’s really angry, Esmela.

“Yesterday, after being hit by that beggar of a girl, I was feeling down until this morning. I barely pulled myself together and was getting ready to go out, and then suddenly Elina barged in and said, ‘Lanit has been arrested by the Kingdom’s Army!'”

Now, I had completely turned my head to the right, trying my best not to look at Esmela, but her piercing gaze on my left cheek felt like needles.

“They say you went running into a crowd of commoners claiming you saw someone bitten by a zombie and caused a real ruckus over there. If the outcome had been good, it’d be one thing, but that guy turned into a zombie and died, and even bit a soldier from the Kingdom’s Army, so he ended up euthanized, right?”

“Young Lady, that’s—”

“Silence.”

Her previously cheerful face turned rigid in an instant.

“Lanit, what is your status?”

“…I’m a Butler.”

“Be specific.”

“I’m the Personal Butler of Young Lady Esmela.”

“What’s the role of a Personal Butler?”

“…To serve the Young Lady by her side.”

“Does the role of a Personal Butler include meddling in matters completely unrelated to House of Herta and being a busybody?”

“Young Lady!”

I couldn’t hold back and raised my voice.

Isn’t this going too far?

“What I did was merely to save people and, furthermore, to protect the safety of the entire palace! Are you saying I should’ve just stood by and watched when I clearly saw an infected person mingle with the survivors, thinking it wasn’t my duty because it wasn’t connected to Herta? Even if it meant the palace could fall into the hands of zombies?”

I glared back at her with narrowed eyes.

“And if I had just a little more time, or if those Kingdom’s Army soldiers had been a bit more flexible and observant, it wouldn’t have ended this way. And yes, while there was chaos, thanks to my intervention, I can say it was concluded with relatively minimal casualties, can’t I?”

While I unleashed my words on her without any hesitation, I was also somewhat surprised by myself. I had never raised my voice to her like this before.

“…You’re too much.”

After unloading all the pent-up frustration inside me, resentment towards her, who couldn’t understand my suffering, remained in my heart.

“…So, you don’t care if you become a zombie, huh?”

“…!”

After finishing my sentence and lowering my head, I was taken aback when I heard Esmela’s voice had changed.

Surprised, I lifted my head to see that her eyes had glistened with tears.

“What if you get bitten like that soldier did? Helinante was able to cut off his arm since he was bitten on the forearm, but what if it was on the neck? And once you leave, what about the others? For instance, your fellow servants?”

Tears glistened in her left eye, and they eventually fell.

“…And what about me?”

There was a short silence of less than a second between the two of us after she spoke.

Then she immediately stood up and dashed out before I could even call her back.

I was left alone in the underground prison of the palace, where even the guard had left.

For a while, I stared silently at the wet spot on the floor where her tears had fallen.

Squish, squish.

I wondered how long it had been since Esmela left when I heard footsteps approaching the prison from afar. I thought it was the guard returning, but…

“Lanit, are you well?”

To my surprise, the owner of the footsteps was Arit.

“…Thanks to your concern.”

“Hehe. You say that, but your expression doesn’t look at all like you’re well.”

Is it just my feeling, or did Arit’s response seem a bit mischievous today compared to usual?

“Excuse me.”

She walked lightly in front of the bars and kneeled down before me.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

It was rough when the soldiers ambushed me later on, but aside from a few minor bruises, I wasn’t injured.

“That’s a relief.”

“…Can I ask why you came here?”

“Yes, initially I just wanted to check on your condition and offer a prayer for you.”

Arit’s always smiling face turned slightly serious.

“…On my way, I ran into Esmela, who was crying and running the other way. Even when I called her, she just kept going.”

“…”

“So I changed my purpose for coming here. Lanit, can you tell me what happened with Esmela just now?”

“Hmm…”

After hearing my story, Arit made an awkward smile, seeming to find it difficult.

“Well, that’s quite a conversation between you two.”

“…”

What does she mean by “our kind of conversation”?

“Yes! Okay. Then starting now, I, the 11th Saintess of Radain Church, will pass judgment based on your testimony regarding both of you.”

“What?”

Since when did the Saintess become a judge?

“First, regarding Esmela. Even if she acted out of concern for you, her words and actions contradict Radain Church’s doctrines—it’s something that, as humans, we find it hard to tolerate, right?”

Arit eloquently laid out her judgment. Yet, her voice sounded less like that of a solemn judge and more like a cheerful kindergarten teacher teaching a child.

“As a Saintess of Radain Church, and before that, just as a plain human being, I want to commend your action, Lanit. You took the initiative to prevent a terrible disaster and save others. How noble of you.”

It seemed she had gotten a bit carried away speaking, nodding her head earnestly.

I had never seen her like this in the main storyline.

“So, I believe Esmela should treat you more kindly. No, I think if she had just openly expressed her worry for you, you wouldn’t have gotten so angry.”

“Don’t you think?”

“But Lanit.”

Arit’s expression shifted to one of warmth fused with firmness.

“I’m sure you understood. Esmela may not know how to express it, but she’s always worried about you.”

“…”

“Under normal circumstances, you’d know that, so you’d take whatever she said in stride. But this time, you were really mentally exhausted, and that’s why you couldn’t appreciate Esmela’s feelings.”

“Hmm…”

I crossed my arms and quietly listened to her words.

“Lanit. Before Esmela came here, she earnestly asked Prince Robertze to help you, begging him to intercede on your behalf. Though she was refused, she even attempted to visit Yuria, I heard from Elina.”

“What?”

That was somewhat unexpected. Even though I was locked up, it wasn’t like I had committed a serious crime, so I’d be out soon enough. After two days, I’d have to leave the royal capital anyway…

Plus, I could understand the Prince, but she even thought to bow her head to Yuria, who had insulted her the other day…

“Really…?”

After hearing Arit’s words, I reflected, wondering if I had been too harsh on Esmela.

No, I almost did.

“But still, you know. If she ran around doing all that for me, wouldn’t it be nice if she at least acknowledged it? That way, I could manage to swallow some frustrations even if she scolds me a bit. How can I be grateful when the person involved doesn’t say a word?”

“Hehe. That’s true, indeed.”

After listening to my grievances, Arit covered her mouth and laughed.

“But as I said earlier, Esmela can be a bit of a nuisance. As your Personal Butler, you were prepared for that, right?”

“A nuisance…”

She was definitely different from her usual self. If this were the usual Arit, she would never say anything negative about anyone, even as a joke.

…Of course, I completely agreed with her point. Esmela is indeed very troublesome.

Being the typical tsundere heroine who can’t even express her kindness properly, she has become somewhat cliched.

The trend these days leans towards heroines who boldly pursue the male lead’s affections.

But…

“Being troublesome means you’re good, Young Lady.”

That fanciful hair styled in two blonde braids typical of a noble young lady.

She’d tease annoyingly but only hinted at her liking about once in ten times—barely noticeable unless you were paying attention, which fits the typical tsundere mold.

Thus, she had become my favorite character, precisely because she was this cliché yet charming.

I simply like her for being who she is.

“Oh my.”

However, Arit looked startled at my words.

“Wow… You’re surprisingly passionate. Should I say you resemble Esmela in that regard… How bold you are with your feelings…”

“What?”

“Don’t worry, I promise to keep what you just said a secret. Think of it as confessional.”

I wasn’t quite sure what she was getting at, but I understood she’d keep this matter a secret.

Arit stood up and dusted off her knees.

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Oh, okay. Please be careful on your way back.”

I also stood up to see her off.

“Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention this. According to Elina, Prince Robertze, on behalf of Esmela, will be visiting you tomorrow.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry. He genuinely cares about both of you, unlike Yuria.”

With those final words, Arit left the prison, lightly stepping out as she had entered.

…

Having received Arit’s comfort, my heart, which was finally calming down, began to stir again.