The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 8

“Hal’t.”

Esmela checked to see if the last ember still clinging to the building had been extinguished before releasing the rain magic.

“My lady, are you unharmed?”

Of course, the zombies couldn’t lay a finger on Esmela, but I still asked out of courtesy.

However, she stared at my face intently and…

“…Can’t you tell?”

She crossed her arms and abruptly turned her head away from me.

…Looks like she’s still sulking.

‘Remarkably stubborn, the Young Lady indeed.’

Well, her whimsical nature is a charm in its own right.

“By the way, I’m surprised. This place is quite a distance from the plaza, yet we encounter those things… Could it be that zombies have appeared in other places besides Pirke Plaza…”

If that’s the case, it means not only are zombies spreading out from the plaza like a stain but they might also be simultaneously expanding to other areas…

It suggests that zombies could take over the entire Royal Capital Erka faster than I’d anticipated.

And more than anything, I’m worried about the safety of the House of Herta.

Before encountering the zombies here, I had been assured that the incident from the plaza hadn’t spread to the mansion yet, but if zombies are proliferating simultaneously in other locations, it’s highly likely they have already extended their reach to the mansion.

“My lady, it would be wise for you to return home to the mansion quickly.”

Esmela nodded seriously at my suggestion.

“Right. We need to check on the mansion’s situation as soon as possible.”

She finished speaking and began walking briskly.

But it looked like her high-heeled shoes were making her gait somewhat uncomfortable.

“My lady, perhaps I should carry you again…”

“No. You need to rest, even just a little. We don’t know when those things might attack.”

“…Understood. If we walk for about 10 more minutes, we should reach the mansion’s grounds, so even if it’s inconvenient, just a bit more…”

-Kwoooor!

“!”

“Could it be…!?”

An ominous roar echoed through the quiet street again.

“Where is it this time?”

I hurriedly looked around to find the source of the monstrous sound.

-Kyaak!


-Kraak, Kkrrak, Kack!


-Grrrrrr…

“…Tsk!”

Esmela grimaced and clicked her tongue.

There was no need to find the source.

Because this time, the zombies were coming from all directions.

Zombies burst forth from the alleys between the buildings lining the road.

When I looked back, I found another horde of zombies was chasing us.

Even worse, a mass of even more zombies was charging in from ahead.

Esmela and I were now surrounded in the middle of the street by zombies.

There were so many approaching that I couldn’t even count how many there were.

My instincts screamed at me. This was real danger.

Esmela seemed to feel the same as she desperately looked around for an escape route.

“My lady, the Flame of Herta is…”

“No! They’re closing in from all sides. If we try to burn them, we might end up trapped in the flames ourselves.”

I asked out of a hint of hope, but of course, I got the answer I expected.

Then there’s only one way.

“Let’s break through head-on.”

“How?”

“We’ll create walls with earth magic to block the zombies’ entry all around us, but we must leave the front open. While doing so, I’ll fend off those coming from the front as best as I can, and in the meantime, you can use the flame magic you used earlier to ignite the front and make an escape route.”

“Do you think that would be possible with your current state?”

I knew. My mana was running low; I might not be able to wield the Flame of the Sword for much longer. But…

“We don’t have time to estimate possibilities! There’s no other way…”

Even as I argued with Esmela, the encirclement was tightening around us at a terrifying speed.

Finally, the distance between us and the zombies shrank to the point where I could clearly see their grotesque faces, and,

“O Flame of Herta….”

Just when Esmela was about to resort to her last measure,

“Esmela, you mustn’t use that power just yet.”

A gentle voice rang clear through the zombies’ growls.

It wasn’t loud, but even from a distance, it resonated as if whispered right into our ears.

“O God Juten, guardian of the thirty-six, humble protector Sigal, I dare to implore you, grant us your light.”

Fwaaaaa!

“Uh, what, what is this?”

I stammered in surprise at the sudden appearance of a dome of light covering the sky.

“I humbly ask you to save those who have gone astray down the path of corruption.”

Woom, woom, woom-

Soon after, countless spears of light erupted from that curtain of light.

“I dare to request that you grant us the power to lead them along the path of light in your place!”

Thud, thud, thud!

And then, they rained down.

-Kwek!


-Guhk!


-Kyaaak!

A deluge of golden spears poured down without pause, piercing the heads of the zombies.

The curious thing was that all those spears were avoiding both me and Esmela.

An awe-inspiring sight unfolded as the zombies that had been rushing toward us were impaled and fell lifeless.

In confusion, I looked around and noticed Esmela’s face.

“…It was you.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t seem shocked at all. No, rather, she had a welcoming smile.

“My lady, what is happening…?”

“Hmm. You might know this person.”

“What?”

As I stood there puzzled by her cryptic response, the dome of light above us began to fade.

Fwoosh!

Finally, both the dome of light and the spears piercing the zombies vanished, leaving countless zombie corpses scattered across the ground.

Shuffles, shuffles.

Breaking the silence, soft footsteps approached from the direction we were headed.

I squinted, trying to see who the owner of those footsteps was.

“…Oh!?”

As that figure drew closer, I couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise at their unexpected identity.

The gentle voice that had just resonated in the air belonged to someone familiar to my ears.

I recognized the simple nun’s outfit the figure was wearing and their flowing golden hair.

The pure golden eyes sparkled with the benevolence of a gem.

I vividly remembered the spiked club they wielded, purging evil as they swung it.

“May Mithri bless our meeting.”

She approached us, set her club down on the ground, and with eyes closed and hands clasped, raised a prayer of reverence, a gesture so familiar and comforting I had seen multiple times in my past life.

“It’s been a while, Arit.”

Esmela smiled warmly at the figure before us, greeting her fondly.

“I’m really glad to see you again, Lady Esmela.”

Arit Ladaine, the woman called Arit, responded with a gentle smile to Esmela’s greeting.

Right before my eyes stood Arit Ladaine, the Saintess of the Radain Church, another Villainous Noble Lady from [Romance in Arkeisia ~The Four Gems~].