The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 9

“I didn’t expect to see you in the Royal Capital. I thought you’d be off hunting monsters everywhere.”

“Well, it’s not just anyone’s wedding. It’s Lady Yuria and Prince Robertze’s, so of course I have to attend… sigh.”

“…You really don’t need to worry about me. Honestly, that attitude is more annoying.”

“I’m sorry… Oh, and there’s another reason I’m here in the Royal Capital besides the wedding.”

“Oh? What reason is that?”

“Um…”

Arit glances around as she trails off.

“If I were to tell you that, it would take a while… Are you headed to the mansion?”

“Yeah. It looks like they’re showing up not just in the plaza but in other areas too. We need to get back to the mansion quickly.”

“Then why don’t we go together? I’ll share the rest of our conversation at the mansion.”

“Sounds good. Let’s head out right away. The mansion is this way.”

Esmela quickens her pace, her heels clicking as she walks ahead.

Arit follows closely behind her while I take up the rear.

Watching Arit’s flowing blonde hair sway as she walks, my inner [Loina] fanboy stirs once more.

Arit Radain, a contradiction of a character as both a saintess and a villainous noble lady.

Of course, her villainous noble lady role appears in a different route, so in this timeline, Arit is likely living a normal life as the saintess of the Radain Church, having married the male lead from her designated route.

In any case, it’s hard not to feel thrilled meeting the second villainous noble lady in person.

I want to strike up a conversation with her, but…

As a butler, I can’t initiate conversation unless my master introduces me to the other person first, so all I can do is quietly follow her.

While I’m trying to contain my disappointment, Arit suddenly turns her head back to look at me and slows her pace, coming up right next to me.

“Excuse me.”

“Y-yes?”

I stammer at her sudden approach.

“Are you the personal butler of House Herta?”

“Um, yes, that’s right.”

“I am Arit Radain from the Radain Church. If it’s alright, could you share your name too?”

“Oh, um… I’m the personal butler of Miss Esmela, Renit.”

“Nice to meet you, Renit. May the god of fate, Mitri, bless our first meeting.”

She offers a brief prayer as she smiles brightly at me.

“…I could die happy now…”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing. Just talking to myself, so don’t mind me.”

“I see…”

Oh no. I accidentally let my inner thoughts slip out loud.

However, I can’t help but be touched by Arit’s kindness in coming over to introduce herself when she could have left me alone.

I remember how Arit looked at 17 in [Loina] and compare it to the 24-year-old Arit walking beside me now.

Back then, her height was set at 165 cm, but she seems to have grown a bit, looking around 170 cm now.

Not just her height, her overall aura seems more mature as well.

In [Loina], Arit’s CG portrayed her as a young, innocent saintess, but the current Arit has blossomed into a mature saintess who embraces everything.

But some things haven’t changed.

Her golden eyes, the symbol of a saintess, still shine with a unique brilliance.

Her hair, sparkling like pure gold and differing from Esmela’s silver, remains the same.

Her thoughtfulness in keeping an eye on her surroundings and her humility in using honorifics with everyone are also still there.

In any case, it would be endless to describe the appearance of the adult saintess Arit Radain with words.

“Huff…”

Taking a deep breath, I internally raise a prayer of thanks.

“Thank you once again to whoever reincarnated me here. This touching moment is only the second time I’ve felt this way since meeting Esmela for the first time…”

As I offer that divine prayer filled with the emotions of witnessing Arit as a character in person, I suddenly feel a sharp gaze boring into me from in front.

Looking ahead, I see Esmela has turned around, glaring at me with evident displeasure.

“Arit.”

“Y-yes?”

“Come over here. I have something to say.”

“Y-yes…”

Arit seems flustered as she hurries to Esmela’s side.

“Well then, Renit. Sorry for the interruption.”

As Arit joins Esmela and they begin walking side by side, I can only smile and wave them off.

“What is it you need to talk about, Miss Esmela?”

“Nothing too serious. How have you been?”

“Uh? Me…?”

Hearing their conversation, it doesn’t seem like Esmela had anything serious to discuss either.

I wonder if she’s still miffed from earlier, not understanding why she’d interrupt Arit and me talking.

As I bury that small, unresolved question in my chest, I continue to walk toward the mansion behind the two of them.

Ten minutes later.

We arrive in the noble district of the northwestern part of Erka.

Nobles who don’t live near the royal palace mostly have mansions here.

True to the upscale residence area, lavishly luxurious mansions with expansive gardens can be seen everywhere.

However, even in a place where the pinnacle of nobility and wealth resides…

-Guhhh…

-Creeeak…

In the end, living corpses have taken over.

The three of us hide behind a mansion wall near the entrance to the residence area, cautiously scoping out the streets.

Aimless zombies are staggering about, roaming between the mansions.

The tall-walled mansions were able to protect their gardens from zombie invasions, but those with open gates or low enough walls were completely overrun by the undead.

“…This is the worst-case scenario.”

Esmela mutters quietly.

She’s right about that.

“Yes, Miss. How are we supposed to get rid of those zombies and reach the mansion…?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Uh? Well, I’m not fully prepared myself, and there are more than a hundred zombies in sight…”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something—the fact that zombies have spread this far is the worst part. It means that even the Herta mansion up north isn’t safe anymore. Dealing with the ones right in front of us isn’t actually that hard.”

As I struggle to understand what Esmela is saying, she and Arit boldly start walking straight toward the zombies.

“Miss?!”

I rush to her side.

“You just stay hidden. If you’re really determined to help, you can take care of any leftovers we miss.”

Esmela says without looking back.

“How kind of you, Miss Esmela.”

What part of that was kind…?

“Hmph.”

With a light scoff at Arit’s remark, Esmela wraps her right hand around her neck.

“Announce.”

That’s a daily magic that amplifies one’s voice…

At that moment when my head couldn’t catch up with her actions,

“You cursed beasts, known as zombies, who dared to defile the land of Royal Capital Erka, listen!”

“!!!”

I cover my ears at the sudden booming voice.

Esmela’s magically amplified voice resonates throughout the area.

“I, Esmela Herta, the eldest daughter of Tereed Herta, warn you for the last time—vanish back into the ground where you belong!”

-Greeeek?

The zombies, hearing her sudden proclamation, begin looking for her.

Then finally—

-Kraaaah!

The horde of zombies, spotting the confidently standing Esmela, rush toward her en masse.

“Uh, uh oh…”

I can’t process this sudden turn of events and just go back and forth between staring at Esmela and the zombies.

Despite the wave of zombies surging toward her, Esmela wears a confident expression.

“Hmph. I’ve given my warning. Arit, do your thing.”

“Whenever you say.”

With Arit’s response, the air around Esmela starts to ripple.

Esmela closes her eyes, and after a moment, her mana heart begins to glow once more.

The difference this time is that the light has a dark red hue mixed in.

The black flame vortex escaping from Esmela’s mana heart envelops her.

“Ugh…”

The heat washing over my body forces me to take a few steps back.

Yet Arit remains calmly standing beside Esmela.

Esmela opens her eyes.

The red in her eyes glows even brighter than before.

Her hair, which was already reddish, has now completely turned a fiery red.

-Kraaaaaah!

She murmurs a spell aimed at the distant horde of zombies.

“Flame of Herta.”

Before she even finishes casting the spell, a massive wall of black flames erupts fiercely before us, and as she commands,

“Burn them away.”

A tidal wave of black flames sweeps over everything in sight—