Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse – Chapter 45 – Gather Your Allies

Author: Asternkm

When the Duke and Duchess of Damon—who had become zombies—were cremated by Benedict using the power of spirits, Sherry and Cloud personally cleaned up the ashes that remained.

Using a small broom and dustpan, they swept up every last grain of ash into a jewel box and stored it with care.

They hugged the jewel box filled with ashes, stroking it several times.

They wept, over and over, finally holding a belated funeral for their parents.

After their time of mourning, the Damon siblings—eyes swollen like goldfish—spoke to me.

“…Thank you, Duke Keaton.”

“!”

Not Lady Elizabeth Keaton, but Duke Keaton.

Puzzled by their use of the correct title, I glanced at Nadia, who had maintained a ghost-like silence the whole time. She tapped her own lips lightly.

“I told them, sis.”

“…Oh.”

Should I say she did well?

Unsure, I just gave her short blue hair a quick pat.

“Hey, don’t! You’re messing up my hair!”

Wasn’t she all grimy and unwashed for days when we went to the Rutri estate? Zero muttered.

‘She was.’

Look at my hands. They’re still oily from touching her.

Annoyed, I pretended to pat her again but just wiped my palms on her dress, then checked her face.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks. She didn’t dislike the praise—she just didn’t want to admit it.

Zero studied Nadia closely, then glanced at Michael, Ruth, and Benedict, before mumbling:

“You’re like a human magnet for tsundere types…”

‘What?’

“Nothing. Mhm.”

‘Nothing my—huh?’

Ding.

A notification sound that shouldn’t have rung echoed.

[Affection +300 gained from Sherry Damon and Cloud Damon!]

[Affection has shifted from Minus to Plus.]

[Sherry Damon / Cloud Damon → YOU : Contempt → Fondness]

[The two will now listen more closely to what you say.]

[An achievement not in the original quest has been updated.]

[A new category, “Achievement Update Window,” has been unlocked.]

[Achievement — Gather Your Allies!]

[Elizabeth Keaton’s Allies: Nadia Rutri / Sherry Damon / Cloud Damon]

Before I could even ask Zero what that was supposed to mean, someone’s warmth overlapped my hand.

It was Sherry Damon’s hand.

“…I’m sorry, Duke Keaton. I said harsh things to you earlier. I sincerely apologize for my discourtesy.”

She bowed deeply, 90 degrees.

Her eyes were still swollen and teary—she looked like… just a girl her age.

Losing both parents so young, everything must have felt terrifying and chaotic.

“You should thank Benedict, not me. I didn’t really do anything.”

“No. In the end, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t come to rescue the survivors of House Damon. Thank you… truly… for helping ensure our parents’ bodies would not be further defiled.”

When I looked at our joined hands, I noticed how thin hers were. The bones of her hand stood out more sharply than when I’d met her as Elizabeth Keaton.

‘She must have suffered terribly, seeing her parents turned into zombies.’

“I haven’t had a peaceful night’s sleep since they turned… not once.”

Cloud added quietly.

His pale skin and dark circles practically dripped exhaustion.

“Yes. We stayed awake night after night thinking: what if they break out of the underground cell? If we have to handle them, where should we strike so they won’t suffer…? We couldn’t rest.”

With their parents gone, and the heirs themselves too anxious to show their faces, the number of servants quietly fleeing had increased.

Sherry and Cloud wore bitter smiles as they spoke of that part.

“Not a single one of the people who slipped out ever returned.”

“And that was a relief. We didn’t want to see anyone end up like our parents again.”

Though sharp and worn thin, the siblings now looked relieved—unburdened.

“The young humans have suffered much.”

‘…Yeah.’

I hesitated—then slowly approached the two and opened my arms.

“…?”

“What are you doing, Your Grace?”

“Um… well… you two have been so brave, so admirable, that I just… felt like giving you a hug.”

My cheeks grew hot as I spoke honestly.

Michael, Ruth, Benedict, and Nadia stared at me like they were witnessing something extraordinary.

Feeling awkward under their stares, I moved to retract my arms.

“Ahem. Right, this is probably too much. Forget I—let’s just focus on escape—”

“…No.”

“Pardon?”

“I—I said yes. A hug. Go ahead. A woman should stand by her words.”

“Isn’t that a saying for men?” Zero interjected, but I ignored him—because warmth filled my arms.

Sherry Damon—the girl who had hated me—hugged me first. And tightly.

As if she had never barked or snapped at me.

‘She’s like a pink Pomeranian…’

Her personality had been described as sharp and dependable, so I imagined she’d be tall—but in my arms, she felt tiny. Barely 160 cm at best.

“Thank you… truly… for coming to save us. Even though I acted so rudely… you still didn’t abandon us…”

Her trembling grew worse—and then she burst into tears again.

“Uhuuuhh… M-Mom… Dad…”

Her sobs were a mess of grief and relief.

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay now.”

And because of that mix, her crying felt unmistakably alive.

Cloud, being a boy, hesitated to hug me—but when Sherry cried, his own eyes welled. He stepped forward, but—

Michael grabbed him gently from behind and awkwardly patted his head.

“S-Sir Michael…? Sniff.”

Michael sighed and handed him a handkerchief.

“…Use this.”

“T-Thank you, sir.”

With his past as a holy knight, Cloud looked at Michael with admiration—cherishing the handkerchief. Michael just let him.

After the wave of tears passed, we steadied ourselves and prepared for what came next.

Unable to lose to Ruth’s bold declaration, Michael and Benedict quietly raised their hands as well.

“Cover fire won’t be an issue. If needed, I can paralyze the zombies with holy power.”

Michael solemnly lifted the water gun filled with holy water that I’d given him, while Benedict pointed to the spirits floating around him.

“…Even if an emergency occurs, the spirits can buy us enough time to escape.”

Wow. I always complained they were the worst group project members on earth, but the original sub–male leads really had 200% reliability in terms of ability.

“You heard them, right? They said it’s fine.”

“…Yes!”

Sherry, delighted, quickly relayed the message to Jacqueline.

“They said yes, Jackie!”

— R-Really?

“Yeah! So stop worrying and start packing! Only bring what’s necessary!”

— All right. Thank you, Sherry.

“You should be thanking our savior here, not me.”

At Sherry’s words, Jacqueline fell quiet for a moment, then added softly:

— …Could you tell Duke Elizabeth Keaton that I’m truly grateful?

Oh?

I was surprised. Jacqueline knew the one coming to rescue her was me.

Sherry, also startled, asked:

“How did you know?”

Sherry knew Jacqueline disliked me—Elizabeth Keaton—as much as she herself once had, so she had intentionally not told her who was coming to help.

She didn’t want to risk delays if Jacqueline reacted badly—a decision matching my own stubbornness.

‘Ah… come to think of it, Lina must have noticed my absence by now!’

Two or three hours? As if things ever went as planned. If they did, I’d be walking a rose-petaled road by now.

I just hoped no servants would be crying and asking where I’d gone when I returned.

Jacqueline replied calmly over the line:

— Sherry, I recognized the voices around you while we were talking.

“Really? Just from that?”

— My strength is that I never forget what I hear or see. The voice sounded familiar, and I realized—it must be Lady Elizabeth Keaton. I didn’t expect it… but who has the energy to cling to old grudges in a crisis like this? Please tell her I’m truly, deeply grateful.

“Of course!”

— Then… see you soon.

Jacqueline’s voice carried relief and hope.

“…Yeah! See you soon.”

Sherry was about to hang up with a bright expression when—

“One moment.”

“Yes?”

I stopped her.

“Um… it’ll just be a word. Could I borrow the communicator for a moment?”

“O-Oh, yes! Of course, Your Grace. Here!”

I took the receiver she offered, took a deep breath, and spoke.

“Hello? Lady Jacqueline Celeste?”

— …Hello, Duke Keaton. It has been a while. May I ask why you asked me not to hang up?

She sounded tense, perhaps fearing I was about to cancel the rescue.

I chuckled softly.

“I’m not canceling anything. I was going to check this at the Damon estate anyway, but for you I thought it’d be better to ask ahead of time.”

— …Ask what?

“Well… if you have any firearms or crossbows—any long-range weapons—could you pack those as well? And if you have any holy water at home, please bring it.”

‘If we’re bringing more people, we need more weapons so they can protect themselves!’

And ultimately, we needed enough weapons to wipe out the zombies.

The Keaton estate had a decent supply, but because the story took place during peacetime, there weren’t that many.

Right now, weapons and food—those mattered most.

“Short-range weapons like daggers are fine too. Basically, if it’s a weapon, bring it. Ah, and don’t worry about the weight—we brought a spatial-expansion pouch, so everything can be stored in that.”

As I rapid-fired instructions, Jacqueline let out a soft, breathy laugh—forgetting her tension for a moment.

— Yes, understood, Duke Keaton. I’ll order the household to gather every weapon available, and we’ll pack all remaining food as well so it can help the group.

“…Thank you.”

She even planned to bring food without me asking—how thorough. Truly a descendant of House Celeste, where teaching one thing made them learn ten.

— We should also have a spatial-expansion pouch in our treasure vault. I’ll bring that as well.

“Lady Celeste…! I love you!”

I wiped imaginary tears. Competent, prepared, smart—she understood everything even when I explained badly! I love you, brilliant older sister-type!

Startled by my enthusiastic praise, Jacqueline went silent for a beat before laughing.

— I never imagined you were this kind of person, Duke Keaton. How unexpected.

Yikes.

‘That’s because this isn’t the real me…’

A truth I could never say aloud. I just laughed awkwardly.

“Th-Then, I’ll see you soon.”

— All right. How long will it take?”