The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 55

“…”

Esmela gives me a strange look.

What emotions are packed in that gaze?

“I’m sorry to call you by your name without permission, Young Lady. I thought you wouldn’t listen to me if I didn’t.”

Dodging that gaze, I simply deliver my words calmly.

“I don’t think your actions back then were right, Young Lady. Your obsession with His Highness the Prince led you to harm Princess Yuria, which, clearly, was wrong.”

Her shoulders flinch and tremble.

“But that doesn’t give me a reason to dislike you, Esmela. Even if you commit greater crimes in the future, I will always stand by your side.”

That’s the mindset of a fan towards their favorite.

“Others from the House of Herta feel the same way. The Head of the Family, the Head Butler, the Head Maid, and all the other Servants… No one has blamed or insulted you for that incident.”

“…”

Esmela turns her gaze away with a distant expression.

“There’s no need for you to blame yourself, nor should you worry that those around you will abandon you. If you wish to mend things with the royal couple, I’ll assist you with all my strength, and if you wish to disrupt them, I’ll support that too. Of course, only within reasonable bounds.”

I rise from the floor, brushing off the dust from my pants.

“So, please don’t give up on yourself so easily. You’re still a valuable person. To me and to yourself.”

“…”

I still couldn’t read any emotion from Esmela’s expression.

What thoughts could be passing through her mind as she receives my comfort?

“I think it’s best for you to rest today. I’ll be on night watch on the first floor, so please call me anytime if anything happens.”

I leave those words behind, closing the door and stepping into the dim hallway.

Hoping that tomorrow morning will bring the sight of Esmela energetically delivering her sharp remarks like usual.

“Uh, good morning, Young Lady. I didn’t expect you to come down this early. I was thinking of going up to wake you.”

“…”

Esmela and I briefly lock eyes across the dining table.

Last night, after leaving Esmela in the bedroom on the second floor, I first checked around the house.

As I suspected, this house we woke up in was merely a two-story home once belonging to an ordinary family.

Fortunately, it seems the original residents managed to escape before the Special Zombies attacked, as there were no broken windows like other buildings in the street, with the exception of a bit of disorder inside.

After a quick exploration, I spent some time sitting at the dining table.

Apart from the occasional low groans from zombies outside the window, it was an unremarkable night.

“… Yeah, good morning.”

It’s a relief to see Esmela seems to have regained some energy.

“So? What are you planning to do now?”

She sits casually across from me, crossing her legs and folding her arms.

“I’m thinking of heading to the outskirts of the Royal Capital to take a look at the Barrier.”

“That’s a pointless task.”

“But I still want to check. If there’s even the slightest chance, I need to make an effort.”

“… Do as you please.”

“I’m also planning to survey the overall situation in the Royal Capital on the way back.”

“How exactly do you plan to move?”

“I’m going to jump from roof to roof as before, aiming for the Southern Entrance of the Royal Capital. Even without Arit’s blessing, if I use Haste myself, I should manage to move across the rooftops. However, I’m not sure if I can carry you while doing that… I’m sorry, but could you wait here until I return?”

“Didn’t you just swear that you’d be by my side always yesterday?”

“… I’ll always be with you in spirit…”

“Ha ha, I’m just joking. You’re planning to climb right up to the roof through that window on the second floor, right? Are you leaving right now?”

“Yes. I’ll be back soon.”

After finishing my conversation with Esmela, I stand up to head upstairs.

“Be careful.”

Esmela’s quiet words hold me back as I’m about to leave.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

As I climb the stairs, my steps feel lighter.

The path to the Southern Entrance went smoothly.

I worried that the Special Zombies who attacked the mansion might detect my presence on the roof, but fortunately, I didn’t encounter any of them.

I leisurely moved across the rooftops, glancing down at the streets of the Royal Capital.

Zombies, zombies were everywhere, confirming that the Royal Capital had completely fallen into their grasp.

Careful not to stumble, I cautiously stepped on the rooftops for 40 minutes.

Finally, I arrived at the roof of the building closest to the Southern Entrance.

“Hmm…”

The gates were firmly shut.

In front of the closed gates stood a much larger horde of zombies than elsewhere. Were these zombies perhaps chasing after survivors attempting to escape through the Southern Entrance?

Originally, I had intended to avoid the zombies and descend to ground level, hoping to get a close look at the Barrier, but with zombies sprawled below, I’d have to give that up.

*Zing!*

Well, I can confirm from here that there’s no way there would be gaps in this Barrier.

“What’s with that thickness?”

When thinking of shields, one typically imagines a thin film, but the Barrier before me looked to be at least 50 cm thick, resembling more of a wall.

“Something like that surrounds the entire Royal Capital?”

Amazed by its scale, I had no choice but to turn back after finding it all fruitless.

Once I returned to the makeshift shelter and reported to Esmela, her response was simply, “I knew it.”

… Well, I somewhat anticipated this outcome too.

“So in the end, we have to survive hiding within Erka, avoiding those monsters.”

“Exactly…”

“Sigh.”

After hearing my report, Esmela threw herself onto the bed with a groan.

“Young Lady, it’s unbecoming for a lady to act so unrefined…”

“Shut up. There’s no one here to see me but you.”

“…”

“What now…”

Clutching an old pillow, Esmela laments.

“What do you mean, what now? We need to figure out how to survive moving forward.”

“I don’t know how.”

Esmela pouts.

She understands the seriousness of the situation, but since she’s never been in such circumstances before, she seems completely lost on what to do.

Well, that’s to be expected. It’s unreasonable to expect survival skills from a young lady of a noble ducal family who grew up sheltered from reality.

She’s always brought her Servants along when going on long excursions to hunt monsters… expecting her to have any survival knowledge seems futile.

“What do you think?”

“Naturally, securing food and a safe shelter should be our priority.”

“How?”

“Well… we should rummage through the other houses nearby for supplies. If we spot a decent house without zombies around, we can set it as our base.”

“… Sigh.”

Esmela lets out another deep sigh.

“Who would’ve thought the noble daughter of the House of Herta would find herself rummaging through commoners’ homes like a thief…”

“It’s unavoidable. Whether you’re a Duke or a member of the royal family, you need to survive first to keep your title.”

Esmela just lies on the bed, looking at the ceiling with a gloomy expression.

It seems she hasn’t completely accepted the current situation yet.

For a noble young lady to suddenly find herself stranded among zombies, left to survive with just one butler, must be the worst sort of joke from her perspective.

“Come on! Lingering around like this won’t change anything. You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning, have you? If you don’t want to starve, you need to get moving now.”

I scold Esmela like a mother would her daughter.

“Look who’s talking.”

Esmela pouts, but finally gets up from the bed.

“By the way, you didn’t get any sleep last night either. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, maybe I managed to catch some shut-eye while knocked out. I’m still fine.”

“Hmm… Alright then. Let’s move out. Have you found a potential place for food?”

“I discovered a small convenience store about 200 meters south of here. I’m not sure if they have food, but it seems worth checking out. We need a lot more than just food.”

“Well, there’s no other option. Alright, let’s go there.”

“Right now?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Well then… let’s go.”

I finish speaking and wait for Esmela to rise from the bed.

“…”

“…”

But Esmela remains sitting on the bed, arms outstretched towards me, just standing still.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“You need to escort me.”

“…”

So she wants me to carry her.

“But, the Saintess’s blessing…”

“I’ll cast the physical enhancement spell for you. It’ll be several times more effective than what you could cast yourself. Now, come on.”

She spreads her arms wider, urging me to lift her.

“…”

After dealing with the immediate crisis, I think I might need to train Esmela a bit more.