The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 66

“…Piiit.”

“So, what do you think? How does it feel to learn about your former master’s true nature?”

The former Villainous Noble Lady finished her dramatic statement with her arms crossed, causing her two-braided blonde hair to bob slightly up and down.

The spirit, shaped like a white bird, seemed to be desperately wracking its brain to find words to defend its master’s honor. It tilted its head seriously from side to side, yet its beak remained stubbornly silent.

…

What am I doing, you ask?

Despite the ridiculous sight of Esmela, a 24-year-old noble lady, angrily hurling a torrent of fierce accusations mixed with a few speculations about her former rival at a small bird sitting before her, I can’t seem to lift my head.

As a butler, how am I supposed to process the image of my lady flailing her arms while berating her former rival, her face flushed from her passionate speech? No matter how much I adore her…

“Oh my, why is Piyo so silent?”

Of course, it’s because she’s a bird…

That’s it. I need to intervene, forcibly if necessary. For her honor and for my sanity.

“Young lady…”

Just as I made that resolution and prepared to step in.

“Piit!”

Piyo suddenly started to scurry across the restaurant table with an urgency I hadn’t anticipated.

“Piiit!”

Then, with its beak, it picked up a book that had been resting on the table and began dragging it toward Esmela.

“…What the…?”

Esmela squinted in confusion at Piyo’s unexpected actions.

“Piik, Piik.”

Tap. Tap.

Piyo poked at the title, glancing between me and Esmela in quick succession.

“…?”

But none of us had a clue what this behavior meant, only exchanging puzzled glances.

Upon a closer look, it seemed Piyo was pointing specifically to the word “twins” in the title.

“Twins…?”

“Piiit!”

Based on her reaction, I think I got what Piyo intended.

“So, what’s the deal with twins?”

But with my next question, Piyo shuffled about the table in seeming search of words before…

“Piiik! Piiik!”

Finally, she squawked a couple of times as if exasperated, then…

“…Tweet.”

With a determined expression, she suddenly flew into my arms.

“Uh, what?! Why are you…?”

As Piyo burrowed into my jacket, what she produced with her beak was…

“…A pen?”

“Pii.”

“You want to write something?”

“Piiyuk.”

Eventually, Piyo nodded, holding the pen in her beak, before returning to the table.

I obliged and took out a notebook from my pocket, opening it in front of Piyo…

“But you can’t hold a pen, can you?”

“Pii.”

In a brief reply, Piyo indicated for me to just watch.

Then, with surprising dexterity, she opened the pen cap using her beak and immersed the tip vigorously into the ink.

“Oh?”

That’s an interesting method she’s come up with.

Soon, Piyo was scribbling across a blank page in the notebook with her beak.

“She can write too?”

“Well… she could draw well, though.”

Scratch, scratch-

What was she trying to write, I wondered, as I watched the characters form on the paper…?

“Oh..?”

Upon closer inspection, the writing wasn’t in the common script of the Tarkma continent used in the Kingdom of Arkeisia.

The shapes looked familiar, yet weren’t quite right… Like characters I had seen somewhere before?

Just as those thoughts began to swirl in my mind—

ZZZAP-!

“Piiiiiik!!”

“AHHH!!”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck out of nowhere, hitting Piyo, who let out a wretched scream, while Esmela matched that volume with her own shrill cry.

“W-what’s happening?!”

Caught off guard by the unforeseen event, I rushed to check if Piyo was hurt.

“Piyo, are you okay?!”

“…”

Though I could hear her breathing and she seemed to be moving well, Piyo offered no response.

“Piyo..?”

“Pii.”

With that single word as a start.

“Peeeeeeep~”

The small bird burst into tears.

“Piiik, piik, piiiiik…”

“Whoa…”

The tiny bird was shedding tears like little grains of rice, crying bitterly, causing even Esmela to abandon her previous demeanor, flailing her arms helplessly and starting to make excuses.

“N-no, I didn’t do anything! I didn’t use any magic! The lightning just came out of nowhere!”

Amidst her rambling, Esmela desperately asserted her innocence.

“I understand. I’m not sure about the details, but it seems like some sort of contract magic affecting Piyo. Just now, she must have tried to breach the contract, resulting in the consequence… However…”

I raised my eyes to meet Esmela’s gaze directly.

“I will say just two things.”

“W-what? Not just one…?”

“Does arguing with a bird to the point of victory really improve your mood? And…”

“Uh…”

“…I’m disappointed, Young Lady.”

“!”

Leaving the stunned Esmela behind, I gently cradled the still-crying Piyo in one hand and soothed her with the other.

That was how the morning’s small commotion came to an end.

Even after Piyo stopped crying, she remained slumped on the floor, completely drained.

Esmela watched me soothing the little bird with a strange expression on her face.

Later that evening, when it was time for dinner and I headed to her room to call her, knocking at the door just before I could go in—

“…So, um, I’m sorry.”

“Pii.”

Unintentionally overhearing the conversation between Esmela and Piyo from the other side of the door, I quietly walked away to give them some time.

“Still, Yuria is a bad girl.”

“Piiiiiik!!”

…Well, of course…

Anyway, despite everything, their relationship improved a little after that.

They still bickered here and there, but compared to Esmela outright denying Piyo’s presence and Piyo blatantly ignoring her, it was a monumental development.

They chatted with each other, and surprisingly, sometimes Esmela even fed Piyo herself.

“Piiit!”

“No, it’s the same bread and soup you always eat! What’s your problem?”

“Young Lady, the bread has to be soaked in the soup. Piyo needs it that way.”

“What?! Are you being picky for a bird?!”

They continued to bicker along those lines.

So, that’s the wrap-up of the little commotion caused by Piyo these past few days.

They’ve got food sorted out, a safe home set up, and Esmela has started to accept Piyo’s sudden presence.

Now, it’s nearly time to put a pause in the story.

Having extinguished the urgent fire, I think it’s about time to seriously discuss the lingering questions and what lies ahead with Esmela.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Click.

“Excuse me, Young Lady.”

I opened Esmela’s bedroom door and stepped inside.

This was the guest quarters where we had been shown when we first arrived at the royal palace after escaping the mansion.

We were using this as a base, repurposing the bedrooms we had previously been shown.

As expected for a royal palace, it was a magnificent and extravagant room, but it couldn’t compare to the comfort of Esmela’s bedroom back at the mansion.

Esmela was sitting in one of the chairs at the table by the window, gazing out at the starry night sky tinged with the glow of the moon.

Her expression unfolded a palette of countless emotions—grace, longing, sorrow, nostalgia, regret—confused together, all scattered across her beautiful face like paint.

The nightgown she wore was one I had stumbled upon while exploring the servants’ quarters, likely left behind by a maid who hadn’t managed to take it with her.

It was a plain white nightgown, unlike the silk red one Esmela usually wore.

However, she had declined my offer to find a better nightgown for her.

“Right, you said you had something to discuss.”

Though she hadn’t worn any lipstick, her lips glowed red under the moonlight as her voice flowed with a calmness beneath the usual sharpness.

“Come here.”

I slowly walked over and sat across from her.

“…When are you going to take off that butler outfit? Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“I’ve worn it always, so I’ve never found it uncomfortable. Do you not like it?”

“No… if you like it, then it’s fine.”

“But Young Lady, what about your… outfit?”

“My outfit? Why? …Oh.”

Esmela’s eyes, which had been suspiciously looking at her attire, narrowed when she turned to look at me again, a sly grin creeping on her face.

“Don’t tell me, you, as a mere butler, have daringly developed unholy feelings for your master?”

“…I think I’ll step outside for a bit. Please change while I’m gone.”

“…”

Her response didn’t seem to be what she had hoped for.

“Ugh… forget it. Don’t bring that up after all this time… That was just a joke, so get to the point already.”

“I apologize.”

I bowed my head to her, then focused on her piercing red eyes again.

“So? What’s the reason for coming here so late at night?”

“I’d like to discuss the matters that have been put off until now.”

Yes. Now’s the time to organize the past narrative and plan for what comes next.

“I don’t think we’ll need wine for this, so I didn’t bring any. I wanted us to have this conversation clearly and soberly.”