Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 47 - Grand Duke Whitewood

〈Aaaah! Easy-to-wear shoes! Hallelujah!〉

On the day the zombie outbreak happened, when I immediately dug through the wardrobe and found comfortable clothes and shoes, I’d actually cheered.

Those high heels from Madam Canary’s “Ex-Boyfriend’s Wedding” collection—the ones I wore to the Crown Prince’s wedding—nearly destroyed my feet and knees when I tried running in them.

‘I seriously respect idol group unnie who dance on stage in high heels.’

After running for my life in heels, the very next day I made a promise to myself: never run in heels again. My joints are precious.

So when I saw there were flat shoes and boots with no heels, I was thrilled, practically celebrating.

But then—

‘Thinking back, the butler said the real Elizabeth liked hunting.’

It was practically indiscriminate slaughter, but Elizabeth took hunting seriously and owned quite a lot of clothes that were easy to move in.

The outfit I was wearing now—a pants suit—was something Elizabeth had custom-made at a tailor’s shop.

It wasn’t plain or low-key, since flashy luxury was part of Elizabeth’s taste, but even so, I was more than grateful.

That made me feel a little embarrassed that I hadn’t thought things through further.

Zero, who noticed my thoughts, flailed his short arms and legs and snapped,

「I told you not to blame yourself over useless things!」

‘O-okay, I get it.’

「…If you’re really that worried, ask the blue-haired mage.」

‘Oh! That could work.’

I immediately walked over to Ruth and asked,

“Um, Ruth.”

“What do you need?”

“Well… I was wondering if you could make a pair of shoes for Lady Damon.”

In this world, mages can handle six attributes: water, fire, wind, earth, light, and darkness.

Ruth was an all-rounder mage who could use all of them.

「Everything humans eat, sleep on, and wear ultimately comes from the earth, so it falls under the earth attribute. A blue-haired mage who can use all elements should be able to whip up a pair of shoes easily.」

Since that information came from Zero, there was no reason to doubt it.

“I was hoping for something comfortable—maybe flat shoes or boots. Is that possible?”

Asking the future Magic Tower Master candidate to make shoes was rude in itself… but even so, I asked despite feeling guilty.

Ruth rolled his eyes for a moment, then answered,

“It’s possible. Creating objects falls under intermediate magic. It doesn’t even consume that much mana.”

“Oh!”

When I brightened and looked at him, Ruth scratched his cheek.

“I can make them.”

“Just as expected!”

I trusted you, capable mage sir!

“However… what concerns me is the amount of mana I’ll need for the magic to bring everyone back to the Keaton ducal estate.”

“Ah…”

“At the moment, our group consists of Your Grace, myself, Sir Michael and Benedict, Lady Nadia Rootree and her nanny, Lady Damon and her brother, and the servants from the Damon ducal household. That makes seventeen people in total.”

Seventeen already?

When I counted the people walking together, it really was seventeen.

‘Back when we secretly escaped through the hidden passage in the ducal estate, there were only three of us.’

Seeing how crowded we’d become felt both amazing and worrying.

Because of how much mana Ruth would need to get us back to the Keaton estate.

“The variable is how many people are stranded at the Marquis of Celeste’s estate. I said I could handle around thirty to fifty people, but if there are more than that… it’ll be difficult to bring everyone.”

“Even if you use mana recovery potions?”

“That calculation already takes those into account.”

His clear-cut answer made my shoulders feel heavy.

“So… even considering the headcount, we can’t casually use your mana for convenience.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I’d been born with even more mana capacity…”

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who should be sorry for making an unreasonable request. Let’s forget this.”

Feeling dejected, I walked over to Sherry and spoke weakly.

“I’m sorry, Lady Damon. I wanted to get you comfortable shoes, but… it’s difficult due to the circumstances.”

Sherry blinked her blue eyes, then gently smiled and patted me.

“Oh my, I’m fine. If you were going to use magic to make shoes, there’s no need to do that.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes. Rather than something so minor, a mage’s mana should be used to save people’s lives. I’m grateful for your concern, but I’ll accept just the thought.”

Sherry gave me a light bow and winked.

Then she turned to the head maid walking behind her.

“Head maid, among the items you packed, do you have the shoes you were wearing? If I recall correctly, your shoe size is similar to mine.”

“Ah, yes! You remember correctly, my lady. Our foot sizes are indeed similar.”

“Then… if it wouldn’t be rude, could I borrow your spare shoes? I don’t think I can walk much longer in these.”

Sherry took off the ivory shoes she was wearing.

They were decorated with diamonds, obviously expensive at a glance, and the high heels looked uncomfortable.

The head maid looked worried.

“Well… I can lend them to you, my lady. But my shoes are old and dirty, and the quality isn’t worthy of you. Would that truly be all right…?”

For a noble young lady raised delicately—especially the daughter of the Duke of Damon—a servant’s shoes would surely be unacceptable.

They were shoes Sherry had probably never worn in her entire life.

But Sherry smiled and said,

“What does that matter? With the imperial capital in ruins because of zombies, how could I complain about shoes while trying to escape?”

“You literally just did…?”

Cloud asked in disbelief, and Sherry jabbed her elbow into his side.

“This is me being thoughtful and switching to something with better mobility.”

“…Hmm. Fine. I’ll think of it that way.”

“Anyway, I’m fine, so I’d appreciate it if you’d lend me your shoes. I’ll be sure to repay you properly later.”

In a situation where the capital was nearly destroyed by zombies, it was hard to imagine what kind of reward she could give.

Still, Sherry confidently declared that she would keep her promise.

The head maid, who had been staring at her, shook her head.

“No, there’s no need for repayment. Duke Keaton came for us, and you’re taking us along as well—we owe you our lives. If anything, it’s we who should repay you and Duke Keaton.”

“Head maid…”

The head maid pulled out a worn pair of shoes from the bundle on her back.

“They’re humble, but… at least your feet won’t hurt anymore.”

The shoes fit Sherry perfectly.

Like Cinderella slipping on the glass slipper, Sherry looked delighted.

“Wow, brother! My feet don’t hurt anymore. In these, I could run around our training grounds five laps without stopping!”

“With your stamina, five laps is a bit much—ow!”

Cloud ended up getting kicked in the shin by his sister.

“What did you say?”

“N-no, nothing. They suit you well.”

“Hm, that’s more like my brother.”

Grinning, Sherry thanked the head maid.

“Thank you, head maid. You said repayment isn’t necessary, but this is a big debt to me. I’ll repay it someday, for sure.”

“Please do as you wish.”

“Okay!”

As Sherry walked ahead energetically, Zero grumbled as if to say see?

「See? It all worked out on its own.」

“…Yeah.”

I finally felt relieved.

And so, we slowly crossed the zombie-filled streets of Duo and arrived at the Marquis of Celeste’s estate.

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Inside one of the rooms of the Marquis of Celeste’s estate.

There was a man who stood endlessly staring at the magical barrier surrounding the estate.

‘I was wondering how long I’d be trapped here—this works out well.’

He had already packed the small amount of belongings that were his.

That was because Jacqueline Celeste, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Celeste, who had been hosting him as a guest, had told him this:

〈Grand Duke Whitewood, please prepare to leave. We’ve found a way to get outside.〉

〈…What’s happened? Have you found a plan to defeat those monsters roaming outside?〉

〈Not exactly. Reinforcements are coming to rescue us.〉

〈Were there other survivors besides the people of the Celeste estate and the Damon ducal household?〉

That, at least, was unexpected. In truth, the man had been certain that hardly anyone could have survived after seeing the monsters outside.

An incident had occurred right after the Celeste family returned to Tricala, and it was he who had barely managed to escort them into the estate at that time. Because of that, he knew all too well how dangerous those monsters were.

‘And yet, reinforcements are coming?’

Grand Duke Whitewood thought that the reinforcements Jacqueline mentioned must either be incredibly powerful experts—or utterly shameless con artists.

In the current state of anomie, there would be people everywhere willing to trample others just to survive.

‘…No. Even if the times weren’t this disastrous, twisted people would act the same way.’

When he closed his eyes, a past nightmare replayed vividly, as if it had happened yesterday.

〈You are too outstanding. So outstanding that it’s irritating.〉

“……”

It was a painful memory that hadn’t faded, no matter how many years had passed.

Grand Duke Whitewood asked Jacqueline bluntly,

〈How can we trust the people who say they’re coming to save us?〉

〈I heard it from Sherry. She said they’re the ones who returned Duke Damon and his wife—who had turned into monsters and were locked in the underground prison because no one knew what to do—to the arms of the gods. She said we can trust them.〉

〈…There were humans capable of doing such a thing?〉

When the shocked Grand Duke Whitewood asked, Jacqueline replied proudly,

〈They weren’t human. A fairy half-blood named Benedict Fairman helped.〉

〈That fairy half-blood? That’s surprising. Weren’t there plenty of rumors that he’d returned to his homeland?〉

〈The situation was complicated. Apparently, he’s now following Duke Elizabeth Keaton and has become one of her companions, fighting to eliminate the monsters outside.〉

〈…Duke Elizabeth Keaton?〉

That wild, reckless young lady was gathering survivors as reinforcements?