Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 33 - Benedict Faerman, Kidnapped and Imprisoned

As soon as Ruth finished speaking, we hurried down the stairs and exited the building. What greeted us outside was the sight of dozens of zombies shuffling around like beans in a sprout jar.

“Uueeaaahhh….”

“Excuse us, coming through.”

Just like squeezing into Line 2 during rush hour, we threaded our way carefully through the densely packed zombies, doing our best not to touch a single one.

“Grrraaaaahhhh….”

‘Hiiik.’

Even though Ruth had cast a solid concealment spell to keep our presence hidden, I was terrified at the thought of brushing shoulders with the staggering zombies.

Not even a few minutes had passed, yet cold sweat soaked through my clothes.

We barely managed to push our way out of the zombie cluster.

“This must be the biggest grocery store in the district, right?”

John and Jane’s Everything-You-Could-Want Grocery.

The owner must have been quite wealthy—this place was enormous by grocery store standards.

Not only that, the interior was oddly luxurious, clearly designed to attract servants and maids of noble households.

Through the clear glass windows, I could see mountains of fruit and flour sacks, along with seafood and meat.

And conveniently, there was even a message posted on the window:

Our store employs a renowned preservation mage to ensure all products remain as fresh as the day they were harvested.

To the owners—Mr. John and Mrs. Jane—I wanted to say:

I love you. Je t’aime.

The food displayed inside seemed to glow with a holy aura.

「Wow, jackpot.」

Zero whistled. I noticed his beady, shiny black eyes fixating on an expensive cookie brand. Zero was undeniably a cookie killer.

Anyway—praise be to noble money-wasting habits.

I wasn’t the only one excited.

Both Michael and Ruth brightened at the message on the storefront.

Fortunately, this grocery store was in relatively good condition compared to the wrecked streets outside. Some items had fallen over, but considering the chaos out there, this was pristine.

“Let’s hit that corner first.”

“I agree.”

“Of course. But could we not say hit? We sound like criminals.”

“Let the small things go.”

“Duke, the more I peel back the layers, the more convinced I am that you were an onion in a previous life.”

“Uh-huh. Less talking, more bagging, please.”

The moment I finished speaking, the three of us dove in like people possessed, sweeping anything fresh-looking into our arms.

All we had to do was follow the threads visible thanks to Ruth’s spell, and we were guaranteed safe, edible food. Extremely convenient.

Everything we collected was immediately dumped into the massive dimensional pouch I had prepared.

Crashhhh— Each time an avalanche of food fell into the pouch, our hearts grew fuller.

“More. Let’s get more.”

“We have to fill it up.”

“Should I use magic? Honestly, it’d be more efficient.”

“That’ll give off a presence. Trust me, I want you to, but let’s hold back. We’re going to scrape everything clean and bring it straight to the ducal chef.”

“Yes, Duke.”

John and Jane must’ve been quite the visionaries—this place was practically a medieval supermarket. It was convenient. Too convenient.

Even though this wasn’t the time, weaving through the aisles felt like shopping. And everywhere we passed, nothing was left behind.

After we cleared the snack section on the third floor—down to the last crumb—the alarm spell Ruth had set went off.

It’s time to go.

Seeing the message appear on my skin, we hurried up to the rooftop.

Michael and I each grabbed one of Ruth’s arms tightly.

“Don’t let go, gentlemen. If you drop me, we’re all taking a one-way trip to the afterlife.”

Ruth recited a flight spell.

『O wind, lift us like feathers and carry us beyond.』

Our bodies floated upward. Higher and higher. When the zombies below looked like tiny matches scattered on the ground, the entire capital, Agatha, spread out beneath us.

“…….”

From high above, Agatha looked like a painting of hell.

「Ugh….」

Just like Zero’s system window had shown, crimson-stained zombies filled the streets. The bodies were beyond counting.

With no one left to care for the paralyzed city, the roads decayed and the air grew thick with dread.

As I stared, unable to tear my eyes away, Ruth nudged me.

“Duke, please decide where we’re heading.”

“Ah, right.”

“There are three barrier-protected estates still intact within view.”

“……!”

I knew instantly.

Three blue dots glowing in Duo Street.

The three surviving noble households!

Feigning ignorance, I asked:

“Can you tell which estates they are? It’d help if I know the families.”

Ruth narrowed his eyes, studying the glowing barrier-wards.

“Hmm… One is in Duo-1, to the west. The other two are in Duo-2. One south, one southeast.”

In that order—Damon Ducal House, Celeste Marquess House, and Rutley Count House.

Perfect. Positions confirmed.

“Can you see their crests as well? I can’t tell just from location alone.”

Ruth answered diligently.

“The first has lilies. The second—cotton flowers. The third—hydrangeas.”

“Ah, I know which is which now.”

“Where do you intend to head first?”

Michael asked from my other side.

Three choices:

The nearest—House Damon.

The prime location—House Celeste.

Or the one that brazenly kidnapped and imprisoned Benedict Faerman in their basement—

House Rutley.

I didn’t hesitate.

“The noble estate in Duo-2, southeast—that’s the Rutley Count House. We’ll go there first.”

We rescue Benedict Faerman before anything else.

The reason I decided to visit the Rutley Count House first was because if we went later, rescuing Benedict Faerman might become harder due to the other survivors we’d pick up.

Besides, rescuing Benedict and successfully recruiting him as a party member came with a very appealing reward.

Nadia Rutley…

That troublemaking little villain could pull any kind of stunt.

Zero chattered on my shoulder.

「I checked with the search window—turns out it really was Nadia Rutley who locked Benedict Faerman in the basement.」

‘Yeah, I figured… I expected that…’

Nadia had a hobby of collecting pretty things.

And I remembered very well the many times the original story mentioned she coveted Benedict, who was described as doll-like and beautiful.

「Careful, Possessor. That girl holds a massive grudge against ‘Elizabeth’ and is grinding her teeth about it.」

At Zero’s warning, my shoulders stiffened.

‘Damn it… why do I have to clean up the mess caused by the real Elizabeth?’

「It’s the fate of becoming a possessor. Accept it.」

‘Damn it all.’

Zero’s sub-quest even included punishing Nadia Rutley.

Even if I wanted to avoid her, I had no choice but to meet her if I wanted the reward.

Please, don’t let her do anything psycho-level crazy.
Please don’t harm Benedict. Please.

「But considering she once even kidnapped Benedict Faerman in broad daylight just to get back at Sienna… I feel like your hopeful wish is already doomed.」

‘Stop injecting depressing reality into my brain…’

Haaah. My sigh poured out deep enough to crack the ground.

Ruth, who had been watching me sulk, asked,

“Do you have some bad blood with the Rutley family?”

I do. With you too, honestly.

“I do… Their only daughter, Nadia Rutley, is my age. She once plotted to harm Sienna and got exposed publicly, so she’s been banned from social gatherings.”

“And that’s why—oh.”

Ruth’s expression turned grim.

Michael looked just as displeased.

“Now that you mention it, I vaguely recall. She was the young lady with red hair, wasn’t she? The insolent girl who tried to serve Sienna poisoned tea.”

“…It was blue hair, Ruth.”

Wow… misremembering her hair color.
If Nadia heard that, she’d have gone ballistic. Good thing she wasn’t here.

“And the one who cut her off as the mastermind behind it all… was you, Your Grace.”

Michael’s words made the atmosphere drop several degrees.

Cold. A direct hit right to the heart.

“Y-yeah… that happened.”

When I admitted it, both Michael and Ruth sighed deeply, as if catching my mood.

“So we’re not going to meet a survivor… but a nemesis?”

“That young lady will probably try to kill you, Duke. Regardless of the situation.”

“I know that… yes, I do…”

Nadia Rutley—only daughter of the Rutley house, spoiled and raised without discipline.
She had a terrifying personality: forgot kindness instantly but repaid grudges tenfold.

“But there is a reason we have to go.”

“What is it?”

I couldn’t say “Zero told me through the system,” so I made up something.

“I believe a half-fairy named Benedict Faerman is being held there.”

“What?”

“…What did you say?”

The moment Benedict’s name—once their crush comrade and rival—was mentioned, both Ruth and Michael jolted in shock.

“I thought Benedict returned to his homeland?”

“On what grounds do you think he’s imprisoned at the Rutley estate?”

They fired questions at me urgently, so I had to answer in a way that made sense.

“Nadia dislikes me, sure—but she hates the Crown Princess just as much.”

“She does. And?”

“Knowing Nadia’s reckless personality, if she heard about the Crown Princess’s wedding, she would’ve run there barefoot to throw flour or eggs or cause some scene… but as far as I remember, she never showed up at the ceremony.”