The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 49

“Renit! Papa!!”

Hanging on the zombie’s shoulder, Esmela reaches out to us pitifully with both hands.

“Esmela!!! What are you doing? Go catch them right now! Hurry!”

The head of the household, flustered like I’ve never seen before, gives orders to the servants.

The servants, also flustered, were just about to prepare to rush toward the suspicious creatures still clinging to the wall.

Crash!

-Grrr!

“No way… there’s one more?”

The muscle-bound zombie we saw earlier has now appeared on the road.

Smashing through the narrow alley that hardly fits its size, its heavy footsteps shake the ground like a tank.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

-Graaah!

“Protect the master!”

At Helinante’s urgent command, the servants step in front of the muscle zombie that’s striding this way.

One butler swings the Flame of Herta at the advancing muscle zombie.

Swish, clang!

The sword bounces uselessly off its tough skin, but…

-Grr?

The crimson Flame of Herta burns relentlessly, igniting its skin.

“Physical attacks do nothing to it! Spread Herta’s Flame as wide as you can across its skin!”

-Kirrk…

-Kyaaaak!

“!”

I hastily turn to see what’s making that ominous sound behind me.

Another horde of zombies is closing in.

Have the zombies from another area finally arrived…?!

“Ahhhh!”

“No!”

As the zombies swarm, those clinging to the wall easily jump to the building’s rooftop, kidnapping Esmela.

“Stop!”

My urgent cry falls flat as they leap over the rooftop and vanish from view.

“What the… what am I supposed to do?!”

Esmela is kidnapped, and the people of House Herta are too busy dealing with the muscle zombie and the other advancing zombies.

In the end, it looks like I have to act alone, but how do I chase after such fast creatures…?!

“I’m gonna lose it, seriously!”

Resigning myself, I gather mana into my heart, planning to jump in the direction the zombies disappeared, even if I can’t catch them.

“Just a moment, Renit!”

Suddenly, the Saintess’s voice calls me to a halt.

“Arit?!”

“O God of Adventure, Aratzukashi, guide those who embark on their journey with fair winds.”

Whoosh-

With Arit’s blessing, my body feels as light as a feather.

“Th-thank you!”

“I’ll assist the others! You hurry to find Esmela!”

“Understood. Master!”

“Please, Renit!”

Thud-!

I leave behind the master’s reply, sprinting with all my might and leaping up towards the rooftop of the building where the zombies took Esmela.

“Flame of Herta, pierce through the hearts of my foes with your spear!”

The last thing I hear is Duke Tereed chanting a spell.

Thud, thud, thud!

I leap across the rooftops of the royal capital, using the roofs as stepping stones.

“Where the heck did they go…?!”

But despite searching everywhere, there’s no sign of the zombies who took Esmela.

Thud.

Finally, I pause briefly atop the highest building around, scanning the royal capital’s streets with both eyes.

“Please, Esmela…!”

“Do you really think you can find Lady Esmela that way?”

“AHHH!”

Startled by the Head Maid’s voice right next to my right ear, I jump aside.

“W-w-whoah—”

“Be careful.”

As I’m about to lose my balance and fall off the roof, the Head Maid grabs my jacket sleeve and pulls me back up.

“Ugh, thanks… Wait, when did you get here? How did you follow me?!”

“That’s not important right now. You’re struggling to find out where Lady Esmela was taken, right?”

“Well, yes…”

“I expected as much. That’s why I followed you.”

“Head Maid, do you know where the Young Lady is?!”

Finding a ray of hope in my despair, I can’t help but raise my voice.

“Yes.”

“How?!”

“That’s not important right now.”

“…”

Her mysterious magic that manipulates shadows, her veiled identity.

Plus, her suspicious behavior throughout the conversation…

There are plenty of things I want to ask, but…

“That’s right. We must rescue the Young Lady first.”

“Then follow me. A faint trace of Esmela’s magical aura remains here.”

Magical aura? I’ve never heard of such a thing, not even when playing through the main storyline of [Roina] or in my 17 years living in this world as Renit.

I force those questions to the back of my mind and leap into the air, following where the Head Maid is headed.

As I dash alongside the Head Maid, searching the rooftops for Esmela, I catch a glimpse of Erka’s streets spread out below me.

The scene could only be described as hell.

The streets infested with zombies overflowed with the stench of rotting corpses and the terrible cries they emit.

Wherever the zombies had swept through, only black bloodstains, shattered windows, and scattered corpses littered the ground and walls.

In the royal capital, there was no corner untouched by the claws of the deceased who refused to die.

“This isn’t the time to get sentimental, Renit.”

It’s as if she could see through my thoughts; the Head Maid’s soft voice reawakens my senses, which had wandered off.

“Ah, yes…”

I answer absentmindedly, staring vacantly at the Head Maid’s fluttering black skirt and white apron in the wind.

“Stop!”

At her signal, I instinctively lower my body as we land on the low roof of a building that appears to be a mansion.

“There’s Lady Esmela!”

I follow where she points with her finger.

“!”

Finally, I spot Esmela being dragged along, clinging to the shoulder of one of the four Special Zombies we had seen earlier.

“They’re heading into the alley.”

Just as the Head Maid said, the monsters step into a dark alley where sunlight does not reach.

“Let’s proceed stealthily over there.”

I suggest, and the Head Maid silently nods.

Flutter!

Without delay, we jump off the roof, heading cautiously toward the alley they entered, suppressing our footsteps.

A gripping tension troubles my heart, and a fear of the unknown arises. But more than that, my chest is filled with worry for Esmela.

After what felt like an eternity, we press our backs against the wall where the alley turns and sense the auras inside.

“Renit, can you feel anything?”

“Not really. There’s no sound at all…”

“Don’t act like a night visitor, just come in boldly.”

The ringing voice of a girl cuts the tense silence that had been taut until now.

“You’re guests, after all.”

“…”

The Head Maid and I exchange glances.

We straighten our posture and confidently step into the alley.

A dead-end alley without sunlight.

It’s narrow enough for four people to barely stand side by side, with mysterious trash strewn across the ground and a full trash can next to some building emitting an indescribably foul smell.

The typical sight of a slum’s back alley, complete with walls made of chipped bricks, was in full display.

At the far end of the alley.

The four zombies we had seen earlier split into two on either side, kneeling with their heads bowed to someone as if presenting themselves to a king.

Where the four knelt was a girl in a black dress leaning against the wall, her pitch-black eyes turned toward us.

And…

“Ugh, mm!”

“Young Lady!”

Esmela stood next to the black witch, casting us a sorrowful glance.

It seemed she wanted to say something, but her mouth was gagged with a black muzzle, leaving her only to produce incomprehensible groans.

Tied by shadowy bonds at her arms and ankles, she couldn’t do anything but stand still.

The girl watching us silently pulls away from the wall and walks between the zombies toward us.

I flinch and prepare to draw the dagger from my waist.

“That kind of thing doesn’t suit this occasion, so please put it away.”

As she folds her parasol, tossing it lightly into the air, it instantly crumbles into dust and scatters.

Then she grabs the edges of her wrinkled skirt, preparing to introduce herself.

“Nice to meet you. I am—”

Swish!

However, her greeting is cut short by a shadow arrow shot from behind me.

Whoosh-

The three shadow arrows fired by the Head Maid are effortlessly brushed aside by the black witch with a flick of her right hand.

“How rude.”

Her formerly smiling expression turns cold.

Adding to her already pale complexion, the black witch’s face now had an unsettling resemblance to a poorly crafted doll rather than a human.

“Does House Herta not even teach their maids proper manners? To attack before properly finishing a greeting is simply…”

As she glares menacingly at the Head Maid advancing rapidly toward us.

I immediately reach for the hilt in my cloak, preparing to chant a spell.

But suddenly,

“Wait…”

The black witch abruptly halts.

The rage etched on her face is instantly replaced with surprise.

“That was surely dark magic just now.”

Her eyes dart quickly over the Head Maid’s entire body.

“Black hair, skin as pale as porcelain, sharp eyes…”

Uh, what’s going on all of a sudden?

I turn my head to look at the Head Maid in confusion, only to be shocked.

The Head Maid is glaring at the black witch, her expression tense.

I’ve never seen her show such intense emotions before.

Her furrowed brows, clenched teeth, and eyes burning with fury…

It looks as if she’s staring at an arch nemesis.

“You recognize, do you?”

She speaks lowly, almost like a growl.

At her words, the black witch covers her mouth with both hands in sudden realization.

“Elina?!”

“Don’t you dare say my name with that disgusting mouth!”

The Head Maid yells. Then, from the shadows at her feet, countless shadow arrows shoot at the black witch.

Thud!

But the arrows that flew with such momentum all vanish helplessly at a certain point, as if there were an invisible wall there.

The calm and poetic voice of the girl disappears, and the black witch starts crying out in a desperate voice.

“Elina, Elina! I am your mother! How could this be? Why can’t you recognize me?!