The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 80

-Kek, kehak!

Hoo-

A zombie goblin with rotting skin jumps, its only attire a tattered piece of cloth around its waist, and swings a club thicker than its forearm at Lanit with all its might.

Thump.

However, in a twist of fate, it meets its end with a sword lodged in its forehead.

“Young Lady, how are you feeling? Facing monsters with just a sword, without magic—can you manage?”

-Kyaaaak!

Swish-

“How low do you think of me? I was nervous during my first encounter with the monsters back when it was the Wood Wolf! A goblin like this? I could take it down with my bare hands without a sword!”

-Kyak! Kah!

-Ugrrr…

-Haaak!

Swish-

Three goblins simultaneously pounce at Esmela. Yet, her response is nothing but calmly swinging a long rapier.

As if painting on a canvas, her thin blade elegantly connects the three points of the goblin heads, tracing a beautiful curve through the air.

Swish-

With an unfazed expression, Esmela casually flicks her sword to shake the blood off.

“Good job, Young Lady. You’ve really grown.”

“Don’t shower me with compliments for something trivial. If you keep that up, no one will take your praises seriously when it really matters.”

Esmela tosses a light jab at Lanit without even meeting his gaze.

But Lanit knows. He knows that she barely smiles every time she receives praise from him.

Their usual banter is interrupted by someone racing through the forest, calling out to them.

“Esmela! Lanit! Hah, hah… I’ve gathered everything!”

Kelya, struggling under the weight of a large bag that seems too big for her tiny frame, crashes through the bushes and approaches them, panting but eager to speak.

The three of them have walked for about twenty minutes northwest from the temporary camp they set up outside the forest, deep within a small clearing.

After a night of conversation, the next morning, as they finished a light meal and prepared to set off for Pedina City, Kelya shyly approached Lanit, hesitating for a while before finally opening her mouth.

She couldn’t gather any of the herbs or mushrooms allotted to her by the city and timidly asked if they could help her collect at least a bit in the forest, even if it was far below her quota.

Lanit readily agreed, and Esmela, still reeling from the shocking news she heard the day before, also agreed without much thought.

Normally, she would have grumbled and made a fuss before accepting, but recognizing Esmela’s gloomy mood, Lanit picked up on her feelings.

Fortunately, knowing the geography of Haruka Forest, Lanit led the way to a damp area where herbs and mushrooms tended to thrive, when suddenly, about six zombie goblins ambushed them.

While walking through the forest, Lanit was worried about how to cheer up Esmela. Feeling lucky, he reassured the flustered Kelya to continue collecting and suggested they both handle the goblins for some light post-meal exercise to lift Esmela’s spirits.

Piyo… as usual, after eating her fill, flew off somewhere. By lunchtime, she would magically reappear and peck at Lanit’s hand for food.

“Good job! See, just like I said, behind that big rock, there’s a cluster of mushrooms and herbs, right?”

“Yes! It’s real! I’m shocked. How did you know that, Lanit? Do butlers learn that kind of stuff from Duke Herta’s household?”

“Haha. No way. Before becoming a butler, I was a hunter for quite some time. Back in my rookie days, I survived doing odd quests like gathering herbs.”

“Wow… You truly are a jack of all trades! Ah… Esmela must be lucky… I wish I could have a butler like that with me…”

“Hahaha. You flatter me.”

Kelya’s excessive praises made Lanit feel good, and after three years, he received compliments, unintentionally revealing a broad smile thanks to her skilled hospitality honed over years of being a stablehand.

Neither of them noticed the sharp jealousy glinting in Esmela’s gaze directed at Kelya.

The three of them, plus one bird, continued their uneventful journey across the Great Forest toward Pedina City for the next ten days.

To be more precise, only Lanit and Esmela felt that way.

Throughout their journey to Pedina City, they faced an onslaught of various types of zombies and zombie monsters yearning for a taste of fresh human flesh. This happened daily, sometimes twice, and even up to four times on certain days.

Various kinds of zombies, from ordinary human-shaped zombies, mutant zombies specialized in strength and agility, to the plain wolf, the original variety of the Wood Wolf, and even cave bat zombies that completely forgot their former habits and ambushed them in broad daylight…

Within just ten days, Kelya experienced far more types of zombies than she had encountered outside the castle in the past three years.

Furthermore, there were the bloody zombie slaughter shows put on by the two of them who combined swordplay and magic.

Kelya was more astonished by the fact that so many different zombies lived around the castle than by how easily Lanit and Esmela disposed of them as if doing the dishes.

In any case, whether it was a big deal or not, the end of the journey was approaching…

“Over there! We’ve arrived!”

As they climbed a low hill, Kelya suddenly dashed to the top, pointing ahead eagerly at something for those following her.

Standing tall at the edge of the green meadow was a massive gray castle.

“Ah… I never thought I’d see Pedina City again alive… thank you so much! It’s all thanks to you two!”

Kelya looked down at the city with teary eyes and, without warning, turned to hugs the two of them tightly with her small frame.

“Kyah?!”

“Haha, Kelya…”

Esmela, frozen in surprise by this unexpected display far removed from noble manners, and Lanit, with a slightly awkward expression, shared a warm scene.

Meanwhile, only Piyo, perched on Lanit’s shoulder, made a displeased face and emitted a peculiar snort.

“Open the door! We’ve brought supplies!”

Kelya shouted, knocking at the castle gate.

Creak-

With a sound of creaking wood, the gigantic wooden door slowly swung open.

Once fully opened, they were greeted by sharp barricades set up inside the gate and soldiers eyeing them suspiciously from behind them.

“Name. Role. Quest number.”

One of the older soldiers, still aiming his spear, stepped slowly out from the barricade and stood in front of Kelya.

“Kelya, stablehand. Quest number S-9120.”

“S-9120…”

Upon hearing her answer, the soldier stopped examining the list in his hand, glaring at Kelya with an intense expression.

“… The numbers don’t match? One stablehand, three hunters, four gatherers—where are the rest?”

His busy gaze froze on one point of the list, and he soon stared at Kelya with a fierce expression.

“… There was an accident, and they were wiped out. I barely survived and managed to bring back supplies.”

“What? Then what about the two?”

“They’re from a different region. They saved me from the monsters chasing me.”

“… They came from outside?”

Upon hearing her words, the soldiers visibly looked shocked.

“No, where exactly? Is there anywhere nearby where people still live? Hey! Did we receive any special notice during morning roll call? Anyone coming?”

The oldest soldier asked the soldiers behind him, but they all just shook their heads.

“… Strange.”

He glanced back and forth at Lanit and Esmela with a comical expression of being at a loss in this unexpected situation before hurriedly putting his spear away and bolting into the castle.

“Both of you stay right there! And that stablehand kid too!”

“I’m not a kid!?”

About ten minutes later, the soldier who disappeared inside came back with someone.

Dressed in armor like the other soldiers, but with a short golden cape draped over his shoulder and a more rigid manner of speaking—he must be the captain of the guards.

“Excuse me. I am Rigid, the captain of the first city guard of Pedina.”

It seemed they judged that this issue was beyond their capacity and decided to bring in their superior.

“First of all, welcome to Pedina City, where you have arrived safely through all the dangers outside from zombies. However, due to security regulations, individuals whose identities are not verified must first be moved to a secure area for a simple interrogation to confirm their identities and check for any injuries caused by zombies before they can enter the castle.”

“What? A body search?”

Esmela retorted, incredulous, but the captain continued without a hint of humor.

“It’s a necessary procedure for the safety of our citizens. Please understand. Jack, escort them to the secure area.”

Pointing at them with his chin, the captain gestured to a soldier named Jack who stepped out from behind him.

“Wait a minute.”

Esmela raised a hand to stop him and addressed the captain.

“There’s no need for identity verification. Go tell the mayor that Esmela Herta has returned alive from the Royal Capital Erka.”

“…?”

The soldier named Jack looked at her as if she was speaking nonsense.

The other soldiers chuckled among themselves, looking both amused and incredulous at her words.

“…!”

Only the captain understood Esmela’s words, and shock spread across his face.

“W-wait! Just a moment! I’ll bring the mayor right away! Jack! Take them to my office!”

“Yes?! Not to the secure area?”

Jack’s question went unheard as the captain hurriedly rushed into the castle.

Once again, the three of them stood awkwardly between the closed castle gates and the barricade.

“… Young Lady.”

“Don’t you dare say anything to me. This is a legitimate exercise of my rights. How dare they even think of searching the body of Esmela Herta?”

Lanit, at a loss for words, exchanged glances with Piyo perched on his shoulder, and they both let out a deep sigh.

Kelya was simply blinking her eyes, trying to grasp what had just transpired.