The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 95

“Krrr…”

The Frost Giant, who was having a conversation with Dion at the front, was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion and glanced behind at his comrades.

“…”

However, everyone was silently preparing to slink back in fear.

Caught in a situation where he was forced to be the representative by the unspoken pressure from the other giants.

“…Alright! I’ll do it!”

He shut his eyes tightly, and finally seeming to have made up his mind, stepped forward with a firm expression.

“Your courage is commendable. Good.”

Dion, who was watching, easily smiled and stepped forward to stand in front of him.

“Human! Keep your promise! If I block your attacks five times, you’ll let us go!”

“Yeah. I promise.”

Crack.

Dion clenched his fist and got into a combat stance.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

The Frost Giant, who was panting deeply in the face of the imminent threat of death,

Boom.

“Bring it on!”

Finally tossed his club to the ground and shouted.

With his arms guarding his face and his body huddled as tightly as possible, it was clear that he had tossed aside his pride and displayed only his resolute will to block.

“…What are you doing?”

Dion asked, puzzled by what he saw.

“Krrk? What do you mean what am I doing? I’m preparing to block your attack.”

“…Ah. Ah~”

Hearing the giant’s response, Dion seemed to have an epiphany and was impressed.

“It seems there was some misunderstanding. The condition I proposed of ‘taking five attacks and still being alive’ doesn’t mean you have to just block. You can also attack me during that time.”

Dion’s last remark towards the bewildered giant was clearly laced with mockery.

“To put it simply, I’m going to kill you within five hits, so use every means at your disposal to fight back.”

“GRAAAAAAH!!!!”

The Frost Giant howled in anger at Dion’s provocation.

With veins bulging on his forehead, he quickly picked up a club the size of a person from the ground—

“I’ll smash you!!!!”

He swung it down over Dion’s head.

No, he tried to.

At the exact height of a person above the ground, the club stopped dead in its tracks.

“Grr… Ugggh…”

Even when the giant exerted all his might, gripping the club with both hands, it did not budge, and

“Mm…”

From beneath, Dion’s relaxed voice emerged.

“First, one.”

Bang!

The massive shockwaves emanating from below caused the giant to release the club.

As the club flew into the air, Dion jumped up to the giant’s eye level and said,

“And, two.”

He planted his right fist squarely into the center of the giant’s bewildered face.

“Um, ahem~”

With a cheerful tune humming against the backdrop of the snow-covered landscape, Dion’s beautiful figure could be likened to a snow fairy.

Thud. Slish-

However, that snow fairy was brutally stabbing and slicing the Frost Giant’s flattened corpse with a demonic-sized dagger.

“Are you alright? You’re not hurt, right? Shouldn’t I handle the dismemberment?”

“Yes. I’m perfectly fine. And I want to do it myself. It’s the hunter’s courtesy to their prey.”

“Courtesy.”

Hearing this ridiculous phrase slip from Dion’s lips, Lanit murmured, as he observed from a distance.

“Did you get quite the shock? Lord Lanit.”

At that moment, Arit approached him, striking up a conversation.

“Well… I had heard something about Dion from Esmela, but I didn’t expect him to be this strong.”

“I was surprised too. I never thought he’d grow so much in just a little time.”

Lanit’s recent comment was half a lie and half the truth.

He learned about Dion not from Esmela, but while playing [Loina].

However, saying he wasn’t aware of her strength was indeed true.

Dion Spiano.

She is the only daughter of Baron Spiano, famous for the artistic spirit flowing through her family’s blood, and while the rest of the family pursued aesthetics, she walked the path of untainted skill alone.

Since just after she learned to walk, Dion instinctively began to hone her body.

Through repeated training and battles, seeking the peak of martial arts, Dion was already known across the continent as the ‘Goddess of Martial Arts’ before even entering the Royal Academy, unrivaled in close combat.

She was an embodiment of martial prowess, having invested all her stats into close-quarter combat.

As the ‘Goddess of Martial Arts’ stands in the way of players aiming to clear the Iiergo route, can Yuria triumph in the blood duel for her love against her?

…This is the description written in Dion’s character profile.

In reality, Lanit had faced dozens of game overs during battles with Dion, where her Strength, Agility, and Durability stats had all reached their limits, while playing through the Iiergo route in his previous life. Each time, he barely managed to win through relentless save-load tactics and painstaking grinding to optimize Yuria’s stats to their extremes.

So, Lanit had no doubts about her strength.

He just couldn’t gauge how much stronger she had become over the past ten years since the main story.

‘System Spec.’

…

[Detailed Status]

[Strength: SS] [Agility: SS] [Durability: S]

…

‘Whoa, I got it, understood.’

Lanit jumped in surprise and closed the menu as soon as he read the first line of her status.

‘So she’s broken through the previous stat limit of S+, huh.’

A nonsensical laugh slipped out of Lanit’s mouth at the absurdity of it all.

Arit looked at him with a puzzled expression.

‘…I just hope I don’t run into her in combat.’

Seemingly aware of Lanit’s inner thoughts, Dion and Iiergo were whispering sweet nothings to each other, creating a romantic scene before a giant corpse.

After hunting the giant, everything proceeded smoothly.

Dion was preparing to head back with some of the Pelt cut from the giant’s body strapped to his horse.

As for what to do with the remaining remains of the giant, in response to Lanit’s inquiry, Dion replied with a bright smile,

“They’ll be eaten by other monsters if we leave them here.”

Without delay, the group rode back to the mansion.

There, they handed over the skin that the Baron had previously arranged to have tanned by the tanner and tailor.

By the time the sun was setting, the rough-designed cloaks were presented to Esmela.

“…Do I really have to wear this?”

The cloak was large enough to cover her entire body, hastily trimmed without the time for proper processing, leaving the rough fur intact as part of its design.

Initially, Esmela grimaced at the thought of putting it on, but after confirming that she showed no adverse effects while wandering outside the barrier, she no longer complained about the cloak’s design.

Anyway, to celebrate Esmela’s recovery, a modest banquet was held that evening, with all members of the Larson family attending.

For a brief moment, everyone enjoyed food and drink, forgetting their individual predicaments—

And then, the next dawn.

The darkness still shrouded the snowfield where the sun had yet to rise, quietly covering all living beings sleeping above it, or below it.

In that early hour, three individuals emerged from the mansion’s front door.

Lanit, Esmela, and Arit all wore thick fur coats in preparation for the bitter cold they had endured for several days.

On top of that, Esmela had draped a leather cloak over hers, making her, from a distance, resemble a gray fur ball the size of a person, just like Dion did.

“Are you really going to be okay?”

And there at the front, the Baron and Iiergo had come out to see them off.

“It’s about to get freezing soon; wouldn’t it be better to wait inside the mansion until the cold dies down before heading out?”

Worried, Dion gently urged Esmela, with white breath rising into the air each time she spoke.

“I know my condition isn’t caused by the cold, so it’s fine. Tikhah said she would guide us, so that won’t be a problem. Besides, look.”

Esmela rummaged through her outer pocket and pulled out a small glass vial containing black flames.

“Your stove, huh?”

“Yeah. I trapped the Flame of Herta in heat-resistant glass, so it won’t go out unless it’s in a vacuum. It’s a great stove. Plus, I have plenty of extra coated vials, so the cold means nothing to me now.”

Esmela proudly showcased her invention to Dion.

“…And I want to see my father sooner rather than later.”

As Esmela shyly confessed this heartfelt desire, Dion silently embraced her with his slender arms.

“Be careful out there.”

Iiergo, standing behind Dion, said his farewell, and

“After you reunite, come back to the mansion with your father. I’d like to share a drink with that rascal Tereed once he’s back to normal.”

The Baron grinned and made a joke.

With the sun finally rising over the white horizon, the three, following Tikhah, set off on their journey towards the final destination of the House of Herta.