Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 39 - Rescue, Successful, Reward Obtained

「Here, take your reward.」

‘Oh my, thank you very much.’

With a happy heart, I gratefully accepted the sub-quest reward Zero handed over.

[Reward is being given.]

[Obtained: 1 Long-Distance Teleportation Scroll for Large Groups!]

‘Hehehe.’

With this, if something goes wrong on the way back, we can grab a bunch of people and escape straight to the Keaton Duchy.

It felt like I had gotten an extra life—my heart felt sturdy and warm, like after eating a nice hot bowl of soup.

Feeling excited, I told Benedict:

“We’ll make sure you don’t regret fighting with us.”

“……Yeah.”

Huh? He answered surprisingly calmly?

‘I thought he’d be the hardest one to recruit because of how full of hostility he was.’

But now that he was “caught,” he just felt like a slightly grumpy tsundere cat, and it amused me.

Anyway.

“Since you’re a teammate now, no more speaking informally to me.”

“Huh?”

“I know you dislike me, Benedict, but I think showing basic manners as teammates is necessary, don’t you?”

“But I’ve been talking informally this whole time……”

Ahh, so he means he’s used to talking to me that way and wants to keep doing it.

However—who am I! I even made the wildcat-like Ruth Kreichern speak politely to me!

I glanced at Ruth and said:

“Ruth also uses polite speech with me.”

“Ruth is Ruth, and I’m me……”

“Ahem, Ruth is older than you, so if we go by age order, it’s only right that you speak politely to me.”

Ruth is twenty-four, I’m twenty-one, and Benedict is twenty—so he’s the youngest, meaning he should be polite to me.

‘I don’t care about human status when talking to a half-fairy, but now that I’m the Duke of Keaton, it’s not very proper for someone to speak to me informally.’

To clear the main quest and wipe out the zombies, I need to act as the key leader, so even little things like this matter.

Authority is important when leading people.

Ruth stepped in to help me.

“Listen to the Duke, Ben. If you’ve decided to work with us, I hope you’ll follow human rules and manners too.”

“……Fine, I’ll do it. Happy now, Ru.”

Ruth and Benedict, who called each other by nicknames, seemed to be quite close.

“Ughhh.”

After messing up his hair like a bird’s nest several times, Benedict finally muttered in a small voice:

“……Duke Keaton, I’ll be in your care from now on.”

Polite speech looked super awkward on him, but the fact that he tried was cute.

‘You called Sienna “big sis, big sis” and treated her so well……’

My name here was Elizabeth Keaton—an official villainess.

I wasn’t asking for that much. As long as he cooperated with the zombie hunting, I’d be thankful.

“Alright. I’ll be in your care too.”

When I reached out for a handshake, Benedict hesitantly took my hand.

Watching us, Nadia timidly asked from behind my back:

“Um… th-then you’re not going to kill me now, right?”

At Nadia’s voice, Benedict’s expression twisted.

“That and this are separate.”

“B-but in the end, thanks to me, you didn’t go to the Imperial Palace—the source of the zombie outbreak…!”

Trying to slither her way out like a snake, Nadia’s tactic didn’t work.

“That and this are separate.”

“…….”

“Duke Keaton, as her victim, I request that you punish her properly.”

“Polite speech?”

“I-I request that she be punished properly.”

Benedict, as the victim of Nadia’s crimes, was asking me to punish her severely.

‘I see no reason to refuse that.’

「Good timing for your quest.」

‘Yep.’

It was time to finish Zero’s bonus quest: Special Mission—Rescue the Imprisoned Party Member Candidate!

I already rescued Benedict, so what remained was punishing Nadia.

Looking between Benedict and Nadia, I asked:

“Benedict, what punishment do you want Nadia to receive?”

“I want her to feel the exact disgust I felt because of her.”

At the firm answer, Nadia’s face turned pale.

“S-Still, I became allies with the Duke before you did, Benedict…”

Didn’t ask, don’t care.

‘And what does zombie hunting have to do with the punishment you have to face for your own crimes?’

Ridiculous, but Nadia Lutr—wait, Rutley was trying hard to dodge responsibility.

“You promised to forget the past in exchange for my cooperation, remember?”

“That was about things between you and me. Not between you and Benedict.”

“Ugh……”

She kept anxiously biting her nails—she was clearly terrified.

「The Rutley count couple is dead, and she has no family support left, so of course she’s scared.」

Zero’s comment wasn’t wrong.

What should I do?

While thinking, an idea came to me.

“Nadia.”

“Y-Yes?”

“There aren’t only survivors here. There’s one in Duo-2, and another in Duo-1. We need to go check on them.”

“Which families survived?”

“The Damon Duchy, and the Celeste Marquisate.”

“…….”

Hearing the names of the two families whose daughters she had bullied—Sherry Damon and Jacqueline Celeste—Nadia’s face turned blue.

She had harassed not only Sienna but also her friends.

She had only dared because the real Elizabeth Keaton promised to back her up.

But once the real Elizabeth threw her away, that promise was worthless.

“Since we’re already out, I plan to take all survivors with us back to the Keaton estate. So we’re visiting the Damon estate and Celeste estate too.”

“C-Couldn’t we… go later? Sis…”

Nope. Not changing. No chance. I’m not going home empty-handed after coming all the way here.

“You, who just got rescued, don’t really get to say that.”

“Ugh……”

Nadia looked extremely uncomfortable, and Benedict’s brown eyes flashed sharply.

“I’d like that to be her punishment.”

“W-what punishment?”

“For Nadia Rutley to personally apologize to the young ladies of the Damon and Celeste families who she caused trouble.”

“I-I don’t want to……”

“You don’t? Then will you pay with your life? That works for me.”

Benedict cracked his knuckles loudly. Nadia went paper-white.

Standing at the crossroads, Nadia squeezed her eyes shut.

“I’ll go…! I’ll go and apologize…….”

As the spoiled only daughter of the Rutley Count family, she wasn’t used to any hardship—but now that her parents were gone, she had no shield left.

It would be torture for Nadia, who had lived without ever lacking anything, to offer a sincere apology.

Benedict seemed to know that too, because he lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile.

“Just like the Duke of Keaton told you to, sincerely apologize for bullying Sienna’s friends. If you do that, I’ll overlook the fact that you dared to kidnap and imprison me.”

「That’s quite a generous decision.」

‘My thoughts exactly.’

Compared to wanting to rip her apart like an enemy, this was a very lenient punishment.

Nadia knew that too, so she agreed.

“I understand… I promise to apologize to Lady Damon and the Celeste young lady.”

“Don’t break that promise. If you do—”

Benedict drew his hand across his neck.

“Don’t forget that your life is in my hands.”

“…Alright, I get it.”

“Hmph. Be grateful for your luck.”

With a sassy retort, Benedict stood up and said:

“By the way—where’s the bow and quiver you took from me? Can’t you bring them right now?”

“S-Sorry! I’ll get them right away!”

Off she ran. Without a shred of dignity, Nadia bolted away at full speed, and I couldn’t help thinking:

‘Is this team composition… okay?’

Everyone had good individual abilities, but somehow it felt like we were becoming a chaotic mess with too many captains steering the boat.

「It’s your job to manage that properly.」

‘Yeeees…’

I felt exhausted already.

Still, as if rewarding me for my hard work, a notification sound rang.

[Bonus Quest Completed!]

[Special Mission – Rescue the Imprisoned Party Member Candidate!]

[Benedict Fairman rescued and Nadia Rutley punished as per quest requirements.]

[Reward is being given.]

[Gained +100 Trust and +100 Favorability with the Damon Duchy and Celeste Marquisate.]

「Take your reward and work even harder.」

‘Would I ever say no, Your Majesty.’

I’ll work like a dog—woof woof!

Sherry Damon and Jacqueline Celeste probably hated “Elizabeth Keaton” with every fiber of their beings, but at least with this, they’d be willing to listen.

‘Hmm. Hopefully.’

Even if they were isolated, it would be sad to be turned away at the door.

With anxious hands, I pulled out the pocket watch I had packed.

I planned to spend only two or three hours before heading back, but the hands of the clock were already laughing at that idea.

‘Lina must be worried.’

I’d left saying I wanted to rest and slipped out of the estate, but I did leave a note so they wouldn’t go searching for me too recklessly.

「But when you return, the servants are definitely going to scold you for disappearing.」

‘I know, I know.’

As I grumbled and packed my things again, Ruth and Michael approached me with a question.

“Where do you plan to go now?”

“Shall we head to the Celeste Marquisate first? Or the Damon Duchy? Please tell us your destination.”

“Hmm…”

Both were families I’d rather not face.

“Since the Celeste estate is closer, let’s stop there first, then head to the Damon Duchy and return through the secret passage.”

Logistically, that was the most efficient route.

Benedict nodded in agreement.

“I’ll cover the rear.”

“We’ll travel quietly with magic, just like we did coming here, right?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. At this point, the servants at the estate have definitely realized we slipped out, so we should hurry.”

Just then, Nadia returned carrying Benedict’s bow, quiver, and some clothes. She wasn’t alone—she came with the nanny who had remained at the Count’s estate until now.

“H-Here they are!”

“Well done, Nadia. Then let’s prepare to leave.”

“I already packed my luggage.”

A well-maintained leather bag hung on Nadia’s back. It looked like the other servants had their things packed too—none of them had even a fingernail’s worth of attachment to this place anymore.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

‘Now… what should I say to make Sherry and Jacqueline open their doors?’

That was my biggest worry.