The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 54

When the Head Maid first encountered the Black Witch, she clearly couldn’t recognize her, asking if she had somehow reconstructed her body.

If the Black Witch is indeed the Head Maid’s mother, it would make sense to think that she used Dark Magic to somehow transform her body into that of a girl.

Moreover, Esmela’s recent testimony adds credibility to this hypothesis.

If the claim the Black Witch casually mentioned about the “Dark Magic she taught” is true… then the mysterious power the Head Maid wields would be of a similar nature to the Dark Magic used by the Black Witch, explaining why the Head Maid looks much younger than her actual age.

At this point, let’s revisit what Dark Magic actually entails.

Dark Magic is a term used to collectively refer to magics typically associated with curses or necromancy—spells that target the living or are imbued with evil intent—commonly found in the fantasy world of “Romance in Arkeisia.”

Sticking to the typical clichés of romance fantasy, spells that are ominous or appear malevolent, like curses or summoning the undead, are all lumped under Dark Magic.

And as it’s called “magic” rather than “sorcery,” Dark Magic falls outside the regular magical systems like elemental magic or body manipulation spells.

However, that’s just the setting; in reality, Dark Magic hardly makes any appearances in “Romance in Arkeisia.”

“…Um, I’ve broadly covered the history of magic so far. Regarding Dark Magic mentioned in the textbook… currently, it does not exist on the continent. It has been completely eradicated due to being designated as a taboo in most countries, including here in the Kingdom of Arkeisia, thanks to the efforts of the Radain Church. Therefore, the study of Dark Magic is merely a concept that appears in history for now, so let’s keep that in mind…”

This is the kind of thing that pops up randomly when the female protagonist attends a history class on the study of magic.

Aside from that, Dark Magic isn’t even mentioned outside of the Prince’s route in “Romance in Arkeisia.”

Still, the reason I’m fixated on Dark Magic isn’t simply because the Black Witch and Elina are involved with it, but because it plays a crucial role in a critical scene in the Prince’s route.

It’s the very Dark Magic Esmela used to cast a curse on the female lead in the later part of the story.

“…”

Esmela looks somewhat anxious, almost as if she fears being accused of a crime at this very moment.

“My lady. As your butler, it might be presumptuous of me… but I’ve heard snippets from other servants about what you did while attending the Royal Academy.”

In truth, I’ve experienced it myself directly from Yuria’s perspective in the game.

“…!”

Her face noticeably pales.

“And that during that time, you attempted to cast a curse on the former Princess using Dark Magic, which failed, resulting in the Prince taking the curse in your stead.”

Yes. This explains why the delicate and uncomfortable relationship between the House of Herta and the royal family persists.

If anyone has followed the conversation this far, they must have felt puzzled about something I mentioned regarding the main story.

Is it really acceptable for a Prince, regardless of his status, to publicly break off an engagement with a young lady of a ducal family, especially one who is the only heir of the most prominent family in the kingdom and also the daughter of the Chancellor?

From our modern perspective, the story narrates how the Prince realizes true love through his encounter with a commoner, breaking an engagement with his fiancée that was merely a facade, which feels romantic and cathartic…

But in reality, doing so would place even a legitimate heir of the royal family in a very awkward situation.

From the viewpoint of other nobles, the Prince would be seen as publicly insulting the noble Ducal House due to being infatuated with a mere commoner.

While nobles might not directly confront Robertze as a royal, to quench the angry opinions of the nobility, the King would intervene first and take action against the Prince and those around him, forcibly separating the female protagonist and the Prince.

And then, left alone without anyone to protect her after the Prince’s departure, the female protagonist would suffer severe retaliation from the other nobles.

Esmela’s public insults and bullying against the female protagonist? That would be a trivial matter, a mere justification for a noble’s actions against a commoner.

…Typically, that’s how it would go.

However, at this moment, the psychologically cornered Esmela learned the forbidden Dark Magic and actually used it to try to harm the female protagonist, resulting in the Prince getting involved and being lightly injured, leaving a mark on the royal family.

This fact creates a peculiar dilemma between the royal family and the House of Herta.

From the royal perspective, a commoner who gained affection through the Prince dares to duel against Esmela and wins, right before the Prince publicly breaks off the engagement in front of other students and faculty, thoroughly humiliating the House of Herta.

Even if Robertze is the heir to a powerful centralized monarchy, if it becomes known that he acted this way toward the only daughter of Duke Tereed, who has faithfully supported the royal family as Chancellor and has upheld the royal lineage for centuries… then not only Robertze’s claim to the throne but perhaps the very authority of the royal family itself could be challenged.

On the flip side, Duke Tereed’s position is equally precarious.

Esmela is, after all, a victim who was broken off by the Prince for nonsensical reasons (at least from the noble’s perspective).

But if the Duke were to publicly reveal this fact and confront the royal family, it would carry immense burdens.

If the royal family decided to conceal this incident at all costs and oppress the House of Herta, regardless of how prestigious the Duke’s status is as the Chancellor of the kingdom, he would have no choice but to capitulate.

He is, after all, a servant of the royal family, and there is a clear hierarchy between the royals and nobles.

Of course, such flimsy excuses would not prevent the fiery Duke Tereed from confronting the royal family.

However, if his precious daughter’s safety comes into play, the story changes.

If the conflict surrounding the Prince is publicized, it would naturally reveal that Esmela lost the Prince to Yuria, bringing this fact to the nobility and eventually to the public, slandering Esmela’s reputation in the process.

She would be mocked for being a worthless woman who lost her man to a commoner, likely becoming the butt of jokes time and again.

Even now, amid swirling rumors about Esmela, she is somewhat of a target for such ridicule.

Moreover, the investigation would reveal that she committed the grave crime of injuring a royal with the forbidden magic, meaning no matter how noble she is, she wouldn’t be able to escape punishment.

Even if she were granted clemency, she would face confinement in a monastery or, at worst, be exiled from the kingdom or imprisoned in an aristocratic cell.

She may not care what happens to her, but the Duke would definitely not allow any harm to befall Esmela, the only family he has left after losing his wife.

And thus, an unspoken agreement was reached between the royal family and the House of Herta.

Let’s not hold each other accountable for our sins; formally, let’s play our roles as King and subject.

But that’s just for show; in reality, the feelings between the two houses, particularly regarding Esmela and the Prince, were festering out of control.

“…So?”

Esmela suddenly shouted, hands clenched, her voice trembling.

“Are you going to blame me too? Like Robertze? Like that Yuria girl? Or like those loathsome noblewomen in high society? Ha! Of course, that’s the sensible thing to do, right? Isn’t it? A pathetic woman who touched Dark Magic, trying to win over the Prince’s heart only to commit a grave sin, losing to a commoner in a magical duel and losing her fiancé—it’s only right to despise such a miserable creature!”

Esmela stomped her feet, shouting furiously.

“…Enough, do as you please.”

Then, she suddenly slumped down, looking as if her spirit had left her, and plopped down onto the bed.

“Leave if you wish. You wouldn’t want to serve a person like me. I’ll be nothing but zombie food anyway.”

Just like that, her voice settled, as if the earlier commotion had been a lie.

“…My lady.”

She doesn’t respond.

“Sigh…”

I can’t help but let out a sigh.

Indeed, it seems I’ve stepped on a minefield.


I had intended to check the relationship between her and the Head Maid, but in hindsight, I’ve made a ridiculous blunder.

…Ugh, whatever. I’ll just treat it as a necessary conversation to have with her one day.

Her lingering feelings for the Prince, hatred towards Yuria, and the deep-seated sense of guilt and inferiority rooted in her unconscious because of that incident.

If I don’t resolve this, Esmela will remain shackled to that event and won’t be able to move forward.

“Esmela.”

“…!”

Esmela, who had looked like her soul had escaped her, suddenly raises her head with a startled expression when I call her name.

Is this the poise of a noble? It seems commoners being rude instinctively trigger a sense of rejection.

She sits back down again, this time without kneeling, comfortably crossing her legs.

From my vantage point, I carefully choose my next words.

Even if I can’t be like Robertze, at least I will try to be someone akin to the Seven Dwarfs.