The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 63

As soon as I entered through the bedroom door, the first impression that hit me was how surprisingly plain the room was for royal accommodations.

Sure, the floor, walls, and ceiling were made of luxurious materials like in any other part of the royal palace, flaunting their splendor. But aside from that, there were no extravagant decorations like fancy paintings or pottery, just basic furniture like a vanity and a wardrobe.

“With a vanity present, this must be the Princess’s bedroom.”

My assumption turned to certainty when I opened the wardrobe and saw it packed with dresses for various occasions, both for galas and casual wear.

“…If we’re talking extravagance, Esmela’s room feels way more royal.”

From the few times I had been in Esmela’s bedroom, I remembered it being lavishly decorated in a striking red, with elegant furnishings and curtains on her canopy bed that reflected her taste.

You could practically catch a glimpse of the differing family cultures between the House of Arkeisia and the House of Herta from the two women’s bedrooms.

“Alright, let’s put these pointless thoughts aside for a moment. I need to see if there’s anything useful here.”

I felt a bit guilty about Yuria, unaware that a servant of House Herta was rummaging through her room. But when I thought of what I was doing as ‘gathering necessary items for survival’ instead of ‘trespassing,’ I honestly felt a little excited.

I could finally understand why protagonists in all those RPGs would barge into random homes and dig through hidden items.

“Now, where should I start looking…”

To cut to the chase, my search through Yuria’s bedroom ended pretty uneventfully.

I checked the wardrobe in case there were any outfits that Esmela might wear, but all that remained were dresses that looked cumbersome to move in.

The drawers of the vanity yielded nothing but cosmetics and jewelry boxes filled with various gems.

Aside from that, there was astonishingly nothing left in the bedroom.

“I half-expected this, to be honest.”

In classic RPGs, there’d be legendary weapons stashed away in royal palaces. But in reality (at least for me), I doubted anything like that would exist here.

Moreover, any important items or essentials for escape would surely have been taken by Yuria before leaving, and anything that would cause trouble if seen by others would have been disposed of long ago.

It was a predictable outcome, but it couldn’t help but feel a bit deflating.

I considered grabbing some cosmetics for Esmela, but I quickly gave up that idea, thinking it might just remind her of Yuria and only escalate things.

“Still, isn’t there a nagging feeling that something special must be hidden in a royal bedroom?”

I tried to rationalize my actions to myself.

“…”

Technically, I didn’t find nothing at all.

The one thing I did find was an old book lying at the very bottom of a drawer, beneath some jewelry boxes with its cover frayed at the corners.

It was a rather large book for its type and surprisingly thin for a book.

There were no illustrations or writing on the cover, save for an adorable title written in gold letters.

As I opened the book and flipped through, I noticed it was a fairy tale, with only a few sentences written beneath cute illustrations on each page.

“The title is… [The Twin Sorcerers Who Became Stars]. Can’t say I’ve heard of it before.”

Growing up in a poor island village, I never really read fairy tales as a child.

To be fair, in that impoverished coastal town, any written paper beyond letters or newspapers hardly ever made its way in.

“Hmm…”

As I stared at the book, an inexplicable curiosity began to arise within me.

Why on earth was such a fairy tale hidden in Yuria’s room, of all places, tucked away in the deepest drawer?

Maybe I should read a bit. It hasn’t been long since I’d parted ways with Esmela, so I had plenty of time left.

So, I plopped down on the bed and began to read the fairy tale with great care.

[The Twin Sorcerers Who Became Stars]

Once upon a time, a pair of twins lived in a small shack deep in the forest.

The twins were truly extraordinary sorcerers.

The older brother could teleport across vast distances in an instant.

No matter where in the world, he could move there in the blink of an eye.

The younger brother had the power to reverse time, either moving forward or backward.

With the younger brother’s ability, the two siblings could live forever without aging.

Despite possessing such incredible powers, the twin brothers worked only toward one goal.

With magic, let’s make the world a more peaceful place.

And so, for countless years—hundreds, thousands… an unfathomable span of time—they dedicated their lives to studying magic.

Eventually, after their long pursuit of knowledge, the twins finally understood all the truths of the world.

“It seems there’s nothing left for us to learn in this world,” the older brother declared.

“Then, how about we journey beyond the world?” suggested the younger brother.

And off the twins set towards the very edge of the world.

It was a place no ordinary person could reach, but for the twins, who had mastered special magic, it posed no issues.

However, not long after they almost reached the edge of the world, a brown-haired youth stood in their way.

“Stop! I don’t know how a human made it this far, but you can’t go beyond this point!”

The brown-haired youth warned the twins, dagger in hand.

He was the god of adventure, Araztka.

“Why are you stopping us, Araztka, oh god of adventure? We are simply embarking on a journey to reach the truth,” the older brother implored.

After a moment’s thought, Araztka opened the path for the siblings.

“If that’s the case, go ahead. But be cautious. This place is not ordinary.”

As Araztka sent them off, he cautioned them.

Not long after meeting the god of adventure, a slender woman shrouded in a blue veil appeared before the twins.

“Stop, human sorcerers. Why have you trespassed into such a place? This land is not for the living. No matter how much you claim to understand all the laws of the world, those laws do not apply here.”

The white-haired woman warned the brothers with a gentle voice.

She was the goddess of peace, Miniz.

“Why are you preventing us from moving forward, Miniz, goddess of peace? We strive for peace in this world,” the younger brother questioned.

After much contemplation, Miniz replied to the twins.

“I discern your nobility. However, as a protector of the weak, I cannot send you forward knowing you might encounter danger.”

In response, the older brother unsheathed his dagger and dared to threaten Miniz. He’d secretly lifted the dagger from Araztka during their farewell.

Disliking violence, Miniz had to flee the scene hurriedly.

With the goddess of peace gone, the twin brothers pressed on, undeterred.

Yet the moment they stepped beyond the world, a horrifying sight unfolded before them.

Just as Miniz had warned, none of the laws from the world the twins knew applied here.

Monsters unlike anything they had ever seen chased the brothers, hunting them down.

Hellfire blazed around them, searing their skin.

Chilling air stole the very breath from the twins, freezing their lungs.

In this land, life and death were indistinguishable.

Only then did the twins regret setting foot in that place.

Unfortunately, the twins knew the way forward but had no idea how to return.

In utter despair, the brothers prayed for salvation one last time.

Perhaps their prayer was heard?

Before the suffering twins stood a yellow-bearded man clad in a white robe.

He was Juten, the god of all deities.

“Please, Juten! Send us back to our original home!” the twins urged him.

“Poor children… you have come too far to go back now,” he lamented.

Yet, even Juten couldn’t fulfill the twins’ wish.

“However, I can ensure you shall no longer suffer.”

So, Juten sent the twins up into the heavens, freeing them from all pain.

Thus, the twins became the constellation of twins in the bright night sky, guiding the paths of many.

~The End~

After finishing the surprisingly lengthy fairy tale [The Twin Sorcerers Who Became Stars], I slammed the book shut.

The first thing I blurted out was—

“Seriously? Is that how a fairy tale goes?”