Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 29 - Let’s Go Get Some Food Supplies

When a full day had passed since Elizabeth had been devastated by the shocking search results.

While Michael was closely examining the water gun and spray bottle Elizabeth had given him in the assigned “Sky Room,” Elizabeth’s maid Lina approached him.

“Sir Michael, the duke says it’s an urgent matter and has called for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. She said to bring you quietly, so let’s hurry to the office.”

Whatever it was, everything Elizabeth had done so far had been helpful, never harmful.

“Understood, I’ll go right away.”

Michael left the crossbow he had used during the zombie sweep untouched and followed behind Lina.

As he walked down the hallway, it wasn’t long before he ran into the mage Ruth.

“Oh, Sir Holy Knight.”

Ruth was walking toward the duke’s office, guided by the butler, Patrick.

“……Mage, it seems you also received the duke’s summons.”

“Well, yes. Who else would she call for an urgent matter besides you and me?”

Beneath his cocky attitude, there was an air of someone who believed in his own ability to an arrogant degree.

Ruth Chricerne. A mage belonging to the Mage Tower of Chatteris, the cradle of magic.

And a promising mage who was expected to become the next Tower Master.

Even within the old, rigid temple, his reputation was widely known.

‘……Not someone I fancy.’

It was like this even when they had that strange tension between them over Sienna, but after Ruth had firmly claimed that Sienna must have died last time, the distance between Michael and Ruth had only grown.

When the two were together, it felt like a cold wind blew violently around them, and even the staff kept their distance.

Duchess Elizabeth Keaton also seemed aware of this, for she never told the two to try getting along.

“We’ll know the reason once we hear it.”

With that, Michael fell silent.

Ruth also crossed his arms and simply followed behind the butler.

Lina and Patrick felt like they might choke from the frightening presence behind them, but they endured and guided the two to the duke’s office.

“Your Grace. As ordered, we have brought Sir Michael the Holy Knight and Mage Ruth.”

“Let them in.”

Once permission was granted, Michael and Ruth entered the office without waiting for the other.

A woman with silver hair, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the large window, greeted them.

“Welcome. Sir Michael, and Mr. Ruth the Mage.”

Her bright purple eyes reflected their silhouettes.

“What’s the urgent matter you called us for?”

When Ruth asked straight to the point, Elizabeth first suggested they take a seat.

“This may take a while, so why don’t we talk over tea?”

On the table were two cups of tea, seemingly prepared for Michael and Ruth.

“……All right.”

The two sat down and sipped their tea.

From the serious look on Elizabeth’s face, they guessed she was about to ask them for something difficult.

‘What is she planning to say that she looks this grave?’

Ruth frowned beside Michael, who was holding back the urge to ask.

It was because of the tea Elizabeth had prepared.

“Ugh, this tea is too bitter for my taste. Where are the sugar cubes?”

Mages who were research fanatics often stayed up late and enjoyed coffee.

But Ruth Chricerne, unlike them, preferred sweet drinks.

Unable to drink bitter tea at all, sweet-toothed Ruth searched for sugar cubes, and Michael found it odd.

‘Up until yesterday, they always brought sugar cubes or milk with the tea, didn’t they?’

But today, there was only tea in the office. Nothing else had been prepared.

There was no way the long-established Keaton Duchy would ignore basic manners like this.

As Michael silently drank his tea, pretending not to notice, Elizabeth slowly opened her mouth.

“We can’t freely use sugar here in the duchy anymore. We’re almost out.”

Ruth’s expression froze as he waited for the sugar cubes.

“……You’re almost out of sugar?”

“Yes. So for now, we can’t take out sugar cubes to soften the bitterness of tea. I’m sorry, Mr. Ruth.”

“……It’s fine. I’m not shameless enough to demand sugar when it’s almost gone.”

Though he said that, Ruth’s face looked as if the sky had fallen.

He stirred the bitter tea with a teaspoon but eventually stopped drinking it altogether.

Michael, who had learned to eat anything while carrying out holy knight duties everywhere, simply drank the rest of his tea.

He could quietly consume even something as bitter as wormwood, which made it possible.

Even Elizabeth herself hadn’t finished that tea and had left hers as well.

Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s not just sugar. The food supplies in the pantry are starting to run low.”

“Because of the party last time?”

“No. The real problem is that the Keaton Duchy is isolated because of the zombies outside.”

Limited food in an isolated place.

‘It was bound to run out someday.’

That day had simply come now.

In a way, Elizabeth had used the sugar cubes as a warning in advance.

So Michael and Ruth could realize the crisis at the duchy more clearly and directly.

“Now that I’ve explained this much, you probably know why I called you.”

“The supply of food.”

“You think we’re the ones meant to go outside and bring food back.”

Michael and Ruth answered at the same time. Elizabeth clapped, saying they were both correct.

“Exactly. That’s why I called you.”

Michael and Ruth exchanged unwilling looks. Their brows twitched slightly.

“……Are just the two of us going?”

To Michael’s question, Elizabeth shook her head.

“Of course not. I have no intention of forcing only the two of you to sacrifice. Sir Michael may be contracted with me, but he’s still a holy knight of the temple, and Mr. Ruth is a mage who came to help.”

After her firm words came a moment of uncertainty.

“……Then what exactly do you plan to do for the food supply?”

In response to Ruth’s question, Elizabeth pulled a pair of pistols from the holster at her waist.

Click, the sound of loading echoed in the air.

“You’ll be going with me, both of you.”

Just the three of us, quietly and secretly, will go out there.

As she said this, flames burned in Elizabeth Keaton’s eyes.

Bright flames where justice and madness mixed together.

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

“……The duke is saying she wants to leave the duchy, a safe shelter, behind?”

Ruth asked me back in a voice mixed half with awe, half with shock.

“You’re saying you’ll go out there—where zombies are swarming.”

“Yes. Securing food is a problem we must solve soon, but if there are survivors outside, we need to join forces with them too.”

“Are you assuming there are humans outside who survived like those in the Keaton Duchy?”

“Of course.”

‘Because I already saw everything using Zero’s system search window, that cheat item…….’

Apart from us, members of House Daemon, House Celeste, and House Rutri had also survived.

According to the original setting, noble families often produced many capable individuals, so rescuing them was beneficial for me.

‘I hope a lot of them missed the crown prince and Sienna’s wedding.’

“Noble estates usually protect themselves with emergency magic barriers. I believe the Keaton Duchy isn’t the only special case.”

“……Ha, is that so.”

Ruth couldn’t hide his displeasure at my answer, which came without the slightest hesitation.

‘……What’s with him?’

No, isn’t it too selfish to send only those with magic and holy power?

Shouldn’t he be thinking, ‘Oh, she’s a surprisingly good person for offering to go with us’ and raise his opinion of me?

‘Of course, I’m only doing this because of Zero’s side quest—recruiting party members!’

My goal in summoning Michael and Ruth wasn’t just to secure food, but also to rescue Benedict Fairman.

Poor Benedict—the half-fairy—was probably locked up in the secret basement of House Rutri, and saving him meant saving myself.

I hid all those circumstances and said things like, ‘Oh my, I’m a righteous person, so I simply must go outside!’, and yes, I felt guilty—but I had no choice!

I couldn’t reveal Zero’s abilities to the two of them.

‘If I did, I’d be lucky not to be treated like a crazy person.’

I had only just started to build a good reputation—no way I could ruin it now.

“Sir Michael, Mr. Ruth. Compared to you two, who are far more capable, I know I’d just be extra baggage. But I have two guns loaded with magic bullets, and I do know how to protect myself.”

I tried as hard as I could to sound sharp and dependable, but both Michael and Ruth just rubbed their faces dryly after hearing me.

‘W-why?!’

「They must not trust you much.」

‘I know that already, okay?’

Still, I had Zero as my hidden card, so I wasn’t going to die easily.

Most importantly, I had a water gun and a spray bottle that could hold holy water, crafted with the skill “Help Me, MacGyver! (Intermediate).”

‘I even dragged my shocked body yesterday to ask Benjamin to mass-produce these as fast as possible—good job, me.’

Benjamin granted my request and stayed up all night to make twenty water guns and spray bottles.

The former Duke Keaton had incredible insight. I silently thanked the late Henry Keaton.

“If you fill these water guns and spray bottles with holy water and carry one each, it’ll be less dangerous.”

“These are the ones you passed to Sir Michael, aren’t they?”

For some reason, Ruth’s words were prickly and sharp.

Such a sensitive guy. Was it because he hadn’t been sleeping, or because he wasn’t used to living in the duchy? He was unbelievably temperamental.

“Oh, yes, yes. Just as I said before, you were sooo sulky about it, so I made the second one for you, Mr. Ruth.”

Michael’s was black to match his blunt personality, while Ruth’s was navy blue like his hair.

“Here, now you’re not upset anymore, right? You see you were given one fairly, same as him?”

I said it jokingly, but it felt like there was a pop sound from Ruth’s face.

“W-who’s upset? I never said that!”

‘What do you mean? You said that if I brought you one, you’d help me just like Michael.’

I wasn’t the type to waste a lucky chance, so I crushed his lie with the truth.

“Haha, what are you talking about, Mr. Ruth? You have an important role in this mission.”

“M–me……?”

Ruth pointed to himself as if hearing it for the first time, and I gave him a kind smile.

“As a mage, Mr. Ruth, you need to use your specialty—magic—to find edible food supplies.”

My precious food detector—I absolutely couldn’t lose him.