Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 43 - Purification

‘I—why did I raise my hand?’

Benedict Fairman regretted lifting his hand within a single second.

It was true that Sherry Damon, Sienna’s best friend, was in a sad situation.

‘But that was supposed to be it.’

Benedict, who didn’t care much for humans to begin with, would normally end his thoughts at, ‘How pitiful. The end.’

The reason he volunteered to deal with the zombies himself was… none other than Elizabeth Keaton.

‘…Why does she look so upset?’

Elizabeth Keaton, who used to be both stupid and nasty, had changed.

She was obsessed with hunting zombies and saving people, and she shamelessly treated Benedict, Michael, and Ruth as if nothing were beyond her if it was for that cause.

〈I’ll make sure you won’t regret fighting with us.〉

She didn’t have some grand plan, nor did she have a weapon strong enough to wipe out all zombies.

All she could rely on were two guns loaded with magic bullets and some holy water she claimed to have brought from the Vatican—yet she was boldly confident.

Maybe it was because the way she acted, as if she could do anything, somehow reminded him of Sienna when she was alive… it made his heart ache a little.

‘I thought she was the kind of woman who’d just snort and be fine no matter what happened.’

“Among all of us, Lady Keaton, you’re the only one I can comfortably hate.”

“…”

At Sherry Damon’s knife-like remark, Elizabeth bit her lip hard and looked as miserable as a lost child.

And so what.

Why should it matter that a woman he thought was strong showed a fragile side?

“I’ll do it… okay?”

Before he knew it, his hand had shot up.

And he even used awkward polite speech, just like he promised.

‘Why did I do that?’

As a half-fairy, he didn’t have much resistance to killing. But he also had warm human blood flowing through the other half of him, so taking down zombies—former humans—was never going to be comfortable.

Yet Benedict’s mouth went ahead and betrayed its master’s will, speaking on its own.

“Not you… Lady Damon. Since you were Sienna’s friend, you might already know. I’m a multi-attribute ability user contracted with spirits.”

“…And?”

“Among the spirits I’ve contracted with, I have one that handles fire. And another that handles light. If they lend me their strength, I can send your parents off without pain, peacefully.”

Spirits—beings born from the purest substances in existence.

Similar to magic, but with far more diverse attributes, spirits were so innately pure that they could cleanse corrupted things.

The attributes most suited for purification were light and fire.

Pure light and fire would warmly embrace the corrupted, driving out the foul energy and saving the soul trapped in suffering.

Burning away everything without leaving even a single scrap—ending it and awakening a new beginning.

That was the ability held by spirits of light and fire.

‘The body that’s become a zombie has long since stopped breathing—its soul is already gone.’

All that remained was a rotting body moving by force, with no master.

What held it together was the lingering attachment of the living.

The spirits of light and fire, reading Benedict’s thoughts perfectly, popped out and shouted.

【We’ll do it.】

【Purification—we can do it cleanly.】

【The soul already returned to the circle of reincarnation.】

【What remains is just flesh, like meat. Only we spirits can purify it and let it rest.】

【Ben can do it.】

【He’s our contractor.】

【Purification will comfort that child too.】

【And it’s better for the human being cared for by the manager.】

【She seems solid but she’s delicate like glass.】

【We don’t want her to break.】

【Purification is hard and costs a lot—it’s exhausting.】

【But if Ben’s okay with it, we’d like him to help.】

【Please.】

Benedict summarized the spirits’ chatter—spoken in dreamy voices—into a single explanation.

“I’ll take care of laying the zombies to rest. With the spirits’ help, I can purify them completely.”

“…Then will my parents go to heaven, like in the Scriptures?”

At Sherry’s question, the spirits shook their heads.

【The soul already left on a long journey.】

【What remains is only flesh, held by the lingering attachment of the living.】

【Sorrow, anger, regret.】

【But feeling heartbroken doesn’t give anyone the right to hurt the manager’s human.】

Benedict agreed with the spirits completely.

“Lady Damon, I’m a half-fairy, so I don’t know anything about the heaven and hell humans talk about.”

“…”

“But I know this. You’re clinging to your lingering attachment. And you’re taking out the sorrow of losing your parents on Duke Keaton. Am I wrong?”

Sherry Damon’s twisted expression turned toward him, her eyes bloodshot.

“…I know it’s just lashing out. I know it’s ugly. I’m not that stupid.”

“Then give it up.”

“…”

“Sometimes, choosing to let go is what sets you free.”

“What do you know…!”

Before the overly sensitive Sherry could explode, Benedict spoke first.

“Just like Duke Keaton lost his father, I also lost my dear friend Sienna in that disaster.”

The moment he mentioned Sienna, the color drained from Sherry Damon’s face.

“That’s… that can’t be…”

He had no intention of offering comfort. Sherry Damon was an ordinary, selfish human, after all.

But as soon as he finished, Benedict felt as if he had been saved by his own words.

‘…Sienna.’

I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.

But even though this world no longer has you—I think I want to live. Because of one strange girl.

Someday, when I finally meet you again, I’ll live in a way that won’t make me ashamed.

As he resolved that, the heavy guilt weighing down his heart suddenly felt lighter.

Ruth stared blankly, shocked at how bright Benedict’s expression had become.

“…I’ve never seen Ben talk that well except in front of Sienna.”

Clap, clap, clap. Ruth even applauded, and Benedict’s forehead wrinkled deeply—he had just gotten calmer.

“Stop saying unnecessary things, Ru.”

“Yeah yeah, got it.”

“So, Lady Damon. What will you do?”

Benedict pointed at himself and Elizabeth with his index finger, urging a response.

“…If the purification is done by you, Mr. Benedict, a half-fairy… I can trust it. Please take care of it.”

Having made her decision, Sherry stopped resisting and entrusted her zombie parents to Benedict.

The spirits, excited that their contractor was stepping forward, buzzed with energy.

【Purification, after so long!】

【How exciting!】

【Light and fire are so lucky.】

Firefly-like light and fire attributes wrapped around Benedict.

Elizabeth, who had been quietly watching all this time, finally spoke.

“…Thank you.”

Just hearing that one line made Benedict feel no regret about volunteering to deal with the zombies.

“Then treat me to something good later as payment. Ru said you grabbed a bunch of food from the shops in Zone Duo-2.”

“Ah… of course. I’ll treat you well—no need to worry.”

“…Good.”

How should he describe this feeling?

Elizabeth Keaton—he didn’t dislike her anymore.

The spirits chattered again.

【You like her.】

【We support your new beginning!】

‘…Be quiet.’

But Benedict’s ears felt hot, as if they had been burned.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

After a bit of back-and-forth, Sherry Damon entrusted the final moments of her zombie-turned parents not to me, but to Benedict.

Going down the hidden passageway inside the massive Damon ducal estate, we found an old underground prison filled with damp air and moss.

“It hasn’t been used for at least a hundred years, so the sanitary conditions aren’t good,”

Cloud said, coughing awkwardly.

“Mother and Father would never have imagined it would be used like this…”

With a distant look in his eyes, Cloud strode to the very end of the underground prison and stopped in front of the bars.

“Grrrrrrr…”

“Graaaah…! Gaaaahhhh…!”

When the two zombies behind the bars saw Cloud, their rotting arms thrashed violently.

At the sight of those vicious hands trying to grab and devour Cloud, Sherry turned her head away, unable to look any longer.

“…Please, free my mother’s and father’s bodies.”

“Understood.”

Benedict spoke in the spirits’ language.

【Purify.】

The spirits of light and fire raised their power at their contractor’s command.

【Light brighter than dawn.】

【Fire that burns away the darkness.】

【Guide the bodies of these poor and pitiful humans.】

Following Benedict’s hand, the spinning light and fire—like tiny rotating axes—burst forth toward the two zombies trapped in the prison.

“Gh… aaaah…”

“Aaaahhh…”

The pillar of white light and the flames wrapped around it looked scorching, yet the zombies didn’t look like they were in pain.

Rather, they slowly closed their eyes, as if falling asleep in a warm cradle.

Within the blazing purification flames, the two unmoving zombies melted like wax candles, leaving behind nothing but ashes.

Sherry and Cloud shed tears at the sight.

“Goodbye… Mother, Father.”

「It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen spirits in the human realm.」

Zero watched the scene like a child watching fireworks, fully captivated.

「Benedict, was it? For a half-fairy born between human and fairy, he has power he doesn’t deserve. And seeing how the spirits adore him, he’s in no danger of dying from magic overload.」

‘You say terrifying things like they’re nothing.’

Zero shrugged.

「So, what are you planning to do now?」

‘…We’ll have to lead the remaining people in the Damon estate.’

To our final destination—the Celeste marquisate.