The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 93

“Oh my…”

Arit hurried to kneel by Esmela’s bed, grasping her right hand tightly with both of hers.

Tears began to well up in Arit’s eyes as she gazed at Esmela’s haggard face.

“What on earth… what happened? What’s wrong with Lady Esmela?”

Arit asked in a panic, but Lanit, who had been by Esmela’s side, shook his head as if he didn’t know either.

“This morning, as usual, I came to greet the Young Lady in her bedroom. When there was no answer after knocking several times, I took the liberty to open the door, and…”

Lanit’s gaze returned to the bed where Esmela lay.

“…the Young Lady was lying on the floor. I immediately informed a servant from House Larson that the Young Lady had collapsed, and I’ve stayed by her side since.”

“What did the head of the house say?”

“The head of the house came to check on the Young Lady’s condition right away after hearing the news, and said he would call for the family doctor who lives nearby. He thought it would be faster for him to go get the doctor himself, and left the mansion about ten minutes ago.”

“Ah…”

Arit looked as if she might faint right there alongside Esmela.

Lanit stepped closer to her and gently reassured her.

“Now, calm down. The doctor is on his way, and with you here, I’m sure we’ll find a way to help Lady Esmela.”

However, Lanit’s hopeful expectation did not bear fruit.

The doctor, dragged in by the Count, examined her for a long while but only declared it was an unknown high fever.

Afterwards, Arit prayed and bestowed every kind of blessing she could think of on Esmela, but her condition did not improve.

“I can’t figure it out…”

The Count muttered those words with a troubled expression, encapsulating the feelings of everyone in the bedroom.

As everyone stood around Esmela, unsure of what to do next, suddenly—

*Knock knock!*

The sound of a knock broke the silence.

“Who is it?”

The Count responded irritably.

“Sir, the Master of the House. Young Master Iiergo and Sir Dion have arrived.”

A voice from outside, presumably that of a servant, replied.

“Let them in.”

With the head of the house’s permission, the bedroom door swung open, revealing a maid first.

She quickly stepped aside, allowing two figures behind her to enter.

A large man charged into the room in a hurry.

Lanit recognized him at a glance.

Nearly two meters tall, with black hair, he indicated that he was a descendant of Larson.

However, his pale skin and tearful eyes were quite different from his beast-like father, Anders Larson.

Iiergo Larson, the fourth son of House Larson, was undoubtedly a polar opposite to his father, resembling perfectly the “Northern Duke” typically depicted in female-oriented stories, save for his massive stature.

Wearing a black uniform similar to the head of the house and draped in fur on his shoulders, he walked towards the bed where Esmela lay, worry etched on his face.

As Iiergo stepped aside, a small woman, previously hidden behind his big frame, finally came into view.

“Esmela, oh my.”

The voice of the woman, shocked to see the unconscious Esmela, sounded as if it might break.

Lanit immediately recognized her and almost ran to her in excitement.

With hair as white as snow, she looked like a fairy of ice despite wearing a thick, pure white dress that showcased her slender arms.

Adding her bright, doe-like eyes comparable to a reindeer, she was undeniably a cute and delicate sight.

“I really, it’s so nice to meet the two of them… yet, of all times, it has to be this situation…”

Lanit, or Baek Tae-han, momentarily sidelined his joyous feelings about this highly anticipated encounter with Lopez-Arit, the second supporting couple in [Loina].

However, due to Esmela’s serious condition, he had no choice but to set those feelings aside for now.

He stepped back slightly as ‘Esmela’s Butler’ Lanit, bowing respectfully to the Count and his wife.

“Esmela.”

Dion approached Esmela before Iiergo, calling her name softly.

Perhaps hearing his voice, Esmela opened her eyes with difficulty, responding in a weak voice to the two who had come.

“…Dion. Iiergo.”

“What happened…?”

Seeing Esmela awake, Dion moved closer to her and spoke with a trembling voice.

“…I’m so sorry, both of you. I should be happier to see you after such a long time…”

“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. Just relax and get some rest, okay?”

Dion attempted to comfort her with a forced smile, and Esmela also managed a faint smile back before slipping into unconsciousness once more.

“Arit, did you find out the cause?”

In response to Dion’s question, Arit simply shook her head while still holding onto Esmela’s hand tightly.

“…”

“The doctor said he couldn’t identify the cause. He mentioned it doesn’t seem like she’s sick…”

Upon hearing the Count’s explanation, Dion’s expression darkened further.

“…”

However, Lanit’s gaze was not directed at those speaking but rather at Iiergo, who had yet to say a word since entering the room.

Iiergo, resting his chin on his thumb while observing Esmela, finally spoke after a long pause.

“…perhaps I might know the cause of Esmela’s symptoms.”

Iiergo spoke in a low, calm voice.

Lanit momentarily forgot the current situation in awe of that distinguished tone.

“Really?”

Arit lept up, nearly rushing towards Iiergo in excitement as she clung to the faintest sliver of hope.

“Wait, Arit, calm down…”

Her fervor was so fierce that even the huge Iiergo took a step back.

Once Arit finally regained her composure, Iiergo began to explain his hypothesis.

“First, I need to explain the reason for the relentless cold that’s swept through this northern region for the two of you who are not from here.”

He glanced briefly at Lanit and Arit as he spoke.

“This unyielding chill isn’t a natural phenomenon. For some unknown reason, there’s mana with cold properties flowing through the atmosphere in this area.”

“Then, that’s why this place is abnormally cold…?”

Iiergo nodded affirmatively at Arit’s guess.

“Exactly. The dense concentration of mana has disrupted the climate of the entire northern region.”

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but…”

At that moment, Lanit piped up for the first time since the two had entered the room.

All eyes turned to him.

“Are you the personal butler of Esmela?”

“Yes. I serve Lady Esmela, I’m Lanit.”

Lanit responded simply, offering a polite greeting at Iiergo’s question.

“Yeah, what do you want to say?”

“Well, could it be that the deterioration of the Young Lady’s condition has worsened rapidly since entering the northern region due to the mana in the air?”

“Precisely.”

Iiergo nodded slightly.

“The blood of House Herta flows with a unique black flame mana. Esmela’s mana has been continuously exposed to the freezing mana in the atmosphere, causing a reaction that negatively affected her… that’s my hypothesis. And there’s a simple way to verify if my hypothesis is true.”

As Iiergo continued his explanation, he turned to Arit.

“Arit. Could you set up a barrier around Esmela? An effect that blocks magical properties without hindering physical access.”

Upon his request, everyone moved away from Esmela, and soon after, Arit summoned a golden barrier that enveloped Esmela’s bed, accompanied by a simple prayer.

“If I’m right, Esmela should improve soon…”

Everyone, including Iiergo, stared anxiously at Esmela, watching for any signs of change.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes…

Before they had waited for thirty minutes,

“…?”

Esme found her eyes wide open.

Suddenly, she propped herself up, looking around as if she couldn’t understand what was happening to her body.

“Um… I suddenly feel better… why?”

Hearing her mumblings, relief washed over everyone’s faces.

“Thank goodness, Lady Esmela!”

Arit sprinted to her side, hugging her tightly.

“Um, wait, Arit, I can’t breathe…”

“So, does this mean it’s solved now?”

The Count asked Iiergo but found him wearing a somewhat ambiguous expression.

“While she’s within the barrier Arit set up, that’s the case, Father.”

“That means Esmela has to be stuck within that barrier as long as she’s in the northern region. It can’t be moved.”

The Count stroked his beard, a pained expression on his face.

“Is there really no way…?”

“I just thought of something, Father.”

At that moment, Dion, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly chimed in.

“Oh, Dion, please go ahead.”

The Count requested, noticeably softer in demeanor.

“Couldn’t Lady Esmela just wear Frost Giant’s Hide? That hide has properties that block mana.”

Dion suggested with a bright smile.