The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 47

Yuria, sitting on her horse, and Esmela, standing beside me, glare at each other as if they’re about to devour one another.

Uh-oh… This is really not the time for a showdown between the two.

“Excuse me, Your Highness! I truly apologize for interrupting your conversation with the Young Lady!”

“??”

I purposely raise my voice as I force my way in between them.

Their puzzled gazes fixate on me.

“It doesn’t seem like a suitable situation for you two to be chatting right now! How about you find a private moment later?”

My voice keeps getting louder, almost to the point of shouting, but I don’t stop talking and cautiously step in to block Esmela and Yuria from each other.

“…”

Yuria looks down at me quietly and lets out a light laugh, as if somewhat amused.

“I see. Indeed, it’s absurd to be casually chatting in a situation like this.”

She turns her head towards the back of the procession.

“I just wanted to see Esmela one last time, after all. Well, if I have a splendid butler like you with me, it should be no trouble.”

With those final words, Yuria vanishes behind her horse just as mysteriously as she appeared.

“What is wrong with her?!”

As Yuria nearly disappears from sight, Esmela bursts out in frustration.

“What was that all about? Your Highness? Ha!”

“But Esmela, it’s true that thanks to Yuria, we were able to tame the flames.”

The Head Maid, who had been quiet until now, speaks softly, stating the facts.

“I know! I know!”

As Elina said, the Ice Magic cast by Yuria not only completely quelled the Flame of Herta but also established an ice wall to block the oncoming horde of zombies.

“We have a chance now that they can’t get through! Move forward!”

“Let’s move, Young Lady.”

Matching the ever-quickening pace of the procession, I take Esmela’s hand and pull her forward.

“Wait, hold on…!”

Even while walking, one word from Yuria’s earlier statement echoes in my mind.

‘One last time…? What does she mean by that?’

…

Thirty minutes had passed since we left the Royal Palace when a change in the relentless and gruesome back-and-forth battle manifested.

-Damn it, there’s no end to this!

Just as one of the kingdom’s soldiers shouted, zombies just kept coming, while our advance was painfully slow.

Everyone was gradually losing hope and growing weary when—

-It seems like someone is coming!

With someone’s shout, all eyes turned ahead.

Even the zombies, who were rushing at us, momentarily halted their movements, turning their heads towards the sound of thundering hooves shaking the ground.

Clop, clop, clop!

What we saw as we redirected our gazes was an exhilarating sight of dozens of cavalry charging towards us all at once.

No, “dozens” was an understatement; there were nearly a hundred of them!

-Reinforcements!

The spearhead of around ten cavalrymen who had departed earlier now led a significant contingent of reinforcements our way.

Their unbridled gallop along the streets of the Royal Capital was truly a sight to behold.

Neither streetlights nor trees nor the zombies charging at us could halt the relentless advance of the cavalry.

Swish-

They swiftly swung their swords, slicing the heads off any zombies blocking their path, racing towards us.

Thud, thud, thud!

As we closed the distance, their forms became distinguishable to the naked eye.

The cavalrymen leading the charge wore heavy, pitch-black armor that contrasted sharply with the kingdom soldiers’ silver armor.

The horses they rode were robust, standing about one-and-a-half times the size of ordinary horses, fitting for such formidable knights.

-Oh, they’re soldiers from the House of Larson!

An excited nobleman shouted gleefully.

Thud, thud, thud!

Leading the dark cavalry, a figure clad in a red uniform raced ahead on horseback.

“Papa!”

Esmelea cried out.

Finally, the head of the House of Herta arrived, leading the reinforcements to save his daughter.

“Magicians, activate the Barrier Generator on signal!”

The head called out, glancing back.

Upon closer inspection, a few cavalrymen from the House of Larson were mixed in with magicians draped in gray cloaks, riding alongside them.

“Three, two… now!”

Crackle!

Following their route, a tall blue magical barrier sprang up at both ends of the road.

“The cavalry will eradicate the remaining zombies and rescue the survivors!”

Duke Tereed drew his sword high and shouted valiantly, as the dark cavalry surged forth in unison towards the horde of zombies surrounding the procession.

Thud, thud, thud!

The heavy hooves trampled down on the ground, crashing towards the zombies—

-Grreee…

Thwack!

The zombies collided with the massive horses, being flung away like mere paper.

Swish! Slash!

The horsemen deftly swung their longswords, easily decapitating any zombies they encountered.

Less than a hundred cavalrymen were annihilating a horde that had taken hundreds of soldiers to barely contain.

“Hey! Stay clear and cluster in the center, don’t get swept away!”

One of the cavalrymen shouted at us before charging off toward the rear of the procession.

“…It seems we’ve survived for now, Young Lady.”

…

Not even five minutes had passed since the reinforcements arrived, and all the zombies that surrounded us were eradicated.

As the situation began to stabilize, the soldiers reformed and awaited commands, with Duke Tereed dismounting to walk toward the king’s carriage at the forefront.

“I am Tereed Herta, Chancellor of the Kingdom of Arkeisia and head of the House of Herta. It is an honor to meet the esteemed King Pyrot.”

He knelt down and paid his respects to the king.

“Raise your head.”

The king spoke solemnly from within the carriage.

As Duke Tereed stood up at his command, the carriage door swung open.

“Your timing is truly fortuitous, Chancellor Tereed.”

The king stepped out of the carriage and said to Tereed.

“I feel nothing but regret for not being able to assist the royal family sooner, as the leader of the House of Herta.”

“Aye, let’s not be humble. Without your timely arrival, the remaining survivors in this Royal Capital would have surely become the enemies’ next meal. I would like to honor your contributions in a formal ceremony, but let’s save that for later. What will be our course of action now?”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Allow me to explain. The kingdom’s cavalry, which departed earlier, has secured a path toward the south gate for safe passage. I have set up a temporary magical barrier along this road to ensure survivors can escape safely with the elite soldiers of the House of Larson and the magicians from the Magic Tower.”

“Ah, that’s truly impressive. How were you able to accomplish this in such a short time?”

“While riding, I scattered enchanted stones inscribed with spells along the roadside, triggering them all at once. When we escape the Royal Capital, we will enact a similar barrier when sealing it again with the Magic Tower, although it will be far stronger and more durable than this temporary barrier.”

“I see…”

“Your Majesty, if I may, it’s time for you to move on. While we have dealt with the corpses nearby, we cannot anticipate when more enemies may ambush…”

“Ah, your words hold true. It’s not over yet. Let us depart immediately.”

-Attention! We will now advance along the path created by that barrier! The kingdom’s army, return to your previous formation! Survivors, gather without leaving anyone behind!

As the king finished speaking and returned to his carriage, the soldiers reorganized for departure.

“Father!”

“Oh, Esmela!”

Esmelea darted forward, leaping into the arms of the head of the house, who was looking around anxiously.

“I’m so glad! I can finally see that you’re safe…”

“I’m so happy you came!”

The father and daughter embraced, savoring their reunion despite the surrounding gazes.

Hmm, that went well.

I waited a moment for the two to indulge in their emotional moment, then pretended to clear my throat as I stepped closer.

“It’s good to see you, Head of the House.”

“Oh, Lanit! Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“Your concern is appreciated, my lord.”

“That’s great to hear. I’ve also heard news from the palace about you. They said you fought valiantly to protect Esmela. Very commendable. After we escape the Royal Capital, I will arrange a special reward for you.”

“Thank you.”

I merely placed my hand on my chest and lowered my head to express my gratitude for the Duke’s praise.

Duke Tereed then turned toward the rest of the other gathered servants.

“I’m pleased to see all of you are safe as well. Of course, some may have sustained unavoidable injuries in the process…”

His gaze briefly glances over Helinante’s severed wrist.

“…including that. Nevertheless, everyone will receive their due rewards for it. Thank you for surviving, people of Herta! Now, let us return together!”

“””Yes!”””

As the Duke concluded his speech, the servants all bowed their heads in unison.

“Father, does that mean we just have to go to the south gate now?”

“Indeed. As we move along the road, the barrier will protect us from any threats. Additional reinforcements are also on their way here just in case. There shouldn’t be any further issues now…”

I watch the happy reunion of the father and daughter with a warm expression, knowing that they are safe.

…

“! ”

Suddenly shocked by an unwelcome sensation crawling down my spine, I turn around startled.

“What, what is this…”

It felt like piercing gazes of a predator zeroing in on its prey, as if I were surrounded by malevolent stares from all directions.

Instinctively, I glance around.

Frantically scanning the area, my gaze lands on what appears to be a pointed building resembling a spire.

Long, jet-black hair.

A black dress and boots.

A black parasol draped over her left shoulder.

Her pale skin was so eerily lifeless, she could easily pass for a corpse that had long since rotted away.

“…!”

This girl, who matched the description perfectly, was surely the ‘Black Witch’ Arit had encountered—

Grin.

As the witch grinned ominously,

KWAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

A bone-chilling roar shook the Royal Capital.