Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse – Chapter 52 – Talking About Death Brings Death

Author: Asternkm

Aston spoke in a faint, lonely voice, sounding as if he had already resigned himself to his fate. The sight of him was like a painting—something you might title “The Sorrow of a Melancholy Handsome Man.” If someone took a photo like that and put it out into the world, it would definitely sell like crazy. That was the useless thought that crossed my mind.

Of course, I was not the kind of person who could just let a handsome man who was exactly my type whimper and then die.

“…So what you’re saying is that you’re fine with dying here and now?”

“…? Your tone got shorter.”

“Forget the small stuff. I’m asking if you’re installing these bombs because you’ve already decided it’s fine if you die here, Your Grace.”

When I pressed him for an answer with blazing eyes, confusion finally crept into Aston’s blank expression.

“Th-That’s… true.”

“Then starting right now, throw away that gloomy resolve! You’ve got a handsome face and a pretty decent personality—why are you so eager to leave this world early?!”

“…?”

At my shameless rant, Aston’s expression turned strange.

「…What are you doing over there? Proposing?」

Zero, who had been wrestling with the search window, looked at me like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

‘N-No, I’m not.’

I was embarrassed. But since my feelings had already burst out, I decided to keep going.

“Grand Duke Whitewood, if you say something like that one more time, I’ll bury you alive with just your head sticking out of a hole.”

“…Duke Keaton, that sounds more cruel than death. And aren’t you powerless?”

“Please shut up, Your Grace. Can’t you read the room?”

“….”

Aston looked at me like I was a talking monkey. Still, that was better than his wax-doll face that didn’t look human at all.

I stood up, grabbed most of the small mana bombs Aston had taken, and pulled them back into my arms. Then I firmly pressed and installed them here and there.

“Graaah… Graaahhh!”

Outside, the zombies were making a huge racket, desperately trying to break in. Bang, bang—chairs smashing against walls echoed loudly.

“Shut up, you idiots!”

“Graaahhh…!”

“Seriously, what’s the point of having a bit of intelligence if you still can’t understand words?!”

After screaming at them, I installed the bombs with lightning-fast hands.

Michael, Ruth, and Benedict also moved through the floors, generously planting bombs everywhere before returning. Maybe it was just my imagination, but after I yelled at the zombies to shut up, everyone seemed to move a bit faster.

“All set, Your Grace.”

“I’m done too.”

“This side is finished as well.”

Leaving only the area around the secret passage entrance clear so we could escape easily, we filled everything else with bombs.

“Good. It’s a shame these bombs don’t have remote triggers, but… we can just toss in another bomb to act as a detonator shortly after we enter the secret passage.”

At that, Aston objected.

“That plan is dangerous, Duke. If the bombs in this room go off, the flames will reach into the secret passage too. We won’t be safe either. To prevent that, someone has to stay behind in this room—”

“If you’re about to volunteer for that, shut up. If you talk about dying, I’ll seriously kill you.”

“…Then doesn’t that still end with death?”

“Yes. But when I say ‘kill you,’ I mean I’ll beat you half to death—dust flying everywhere—not actually end your life.”

“….”

I knew better than anyone how hollow and contradictory that threat was.

Elizabeth Keaton, born powerless.

As the person possessing her, all I could really do was shoot guns a little and use the status window of Zero, my trainee constellation, to come up with strategies. I wasn’t strong.

‘This is so unfair… If I ever get a reward for recruiting the final party member, I should ask Zero to boost my stats.’

If Aston truly decided to sacrifice himself, there was nothing I could do to physically stop him.

But still. Even so.

“Don’t talk about dying in front of me.”

“……”

I had already lost precious family—my parents—in an accident when I was young.

I told myself I was fine living alone, but that was just an excuse.

If I formed new bonds, and then lost them again without being able to do anything…

“Think about the people who are left behind. Is dying the end of everything? Who do you think would be happy if you survived like that?”

“…Duke Keaton.”

I wouldn’t be able to stop my heart from completely collapsing again.

That was why I didn’t want to get close to anyone.

Even after realizing this was a real world of its own, I kept forcing myself to think of it as just a book. That was the reason.

I was going home.

So I shouldn’t grow attached to the people here. If I wanted to return to that quiet, comfortable life where I was alone again.

A villainess? Fine by me. If people hated me, I wouldn’t need to form bonds or grow attached.

That’s what I told myself.

I grabbed Aston by the collar and shouted at him.

“If you die, I won’t let it go. Got it? If you’re going to die, then die somewhere I can’t see!”

It was a completely useless threat, but strangely enough, Aston looked deeply moved.

A smile hovered over his perfectly sculpted features, like a living statue.

“…What? Why are you smiling?”

“…Th—”

What was he saying? His voice was too quiet to hear.

When I leaned in closer, offering my ear, Aston flinched and pulled his head back.

“No—please don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of mocking you.”

“…Really? Then you can promise me, right?”

That he wouldn’t talk about dying in front of me.

I glared at him with all my strength, and Aston nodded obediently.

Like a well-behaved, gentle dog.

“Understood.”

His voice sounded noticeably calmer.

That alone was enough to ease my mind, for now.

“Good. And there’s a plan that doesn’t involve that kind of sacrifice, so now—”

“Graaahhh! Graaahhh! Aaaah!”

Bang, bang, bang.

“Oh, damn it.”

The zombies had finally managed to crack the solid wall. Frightened by the thought of it collapsing like a crumbling cracker, I hurriedly pulled out my trump card from my subspace pouch.

“…? Duke Keaton. What is that?”

“Ah, this? It’s a water gun and a spray bottle filled with holy water.”

I’d been wondering when I’d finally get to use these—and now the moment had come.

Thanks to Ruth’s magic, they’d been safely stored in my subspace pouch until now, but with zombies right outside and about to go berserk, this was the perfect time.

Just then, Zero came running over on his short legs, panting as he spoke.

「Th-The search window won’t connect!」

‘What?’

「Just like last time, it’s throwing an error. I can’t figure out why those zombies are showing abnormal behavior……」

‘Then can I still activate the Sage’s Eye you gave me as a sub-quest reward?’

When I asked calmly, Zero blinked his tiny, black bean–like eyes.

「The Sage’s Eye…? That’s a passive skill you can use even when the system is down. Of course it’ll work!」

‘Okay. Then we’re fine.’

「H-Huh? What are you planning to do?」

‘I’ve got a plan. Oh—and since there are people nearby, can I activate the skill silently instead of shouting the name?’

「Of course!」

Without hesitation, I activated the skill.

‘Sage’s Eye!’

[Please specify the item or individual you wish to obtain information on.]

“Tell me about the small mana bombs!”

[Searching for information on small mana bombs.]

[Loading…….]

[Information retrieved.]

[Item: Small Mana Bomb]

[Manufacturer: Magic Tower]

[Type: Custom Order C-Type / Discontinued]

[Power: Strong enough to blow off a zombie’s head]

[Special Notes:
An upgraded C-Type version with additional options not found in mass-market mana bombs.
A waterproof enchantment has been applied, allowing it to detonate normally even when wet.
If multiple bombs are detonated simultaneously, the destructive power may rival that of an A-Type large mana bomb.

Due to increased production costs caused by the waterproof enchantment, it was deemed unsuitable for mass distribution and was ultimately discontinued.]

‘This is it!’

That was exactly why I had searched up the bomb’s effects in a situation this urgent.

It wouldn’t be affected by water.

Even if it got wet, it would still detonate properly and unleash its full power.

Because starting now, I was going to use holy water-filled water guns and spray bottles.

“Sir Michael, Ruth! Get out your water guns and sprayers!”

The jewelry shop we were in—Angel’s Breath—was spacious and grand, befitting its ownership by the wealthy House of Keaton.

‘I can’t do this alone.’

If we wanted to escape safely—and completely pin the zombies down—we needed the water guns and sprayers I had prepared earlier for Michael and Ruth.

“Understood.”

“What exactly do we do with these?”

As Michael and Ruth asked, I loaded my water gun and answered.

“The floor, the ceiling, the walls! Spray everywhere—every single spot where we planted the bombs! Make sure the holy water is evenly spread!”

“But if we do that, the bombs might not detonate properly—”

I cut off Michael’s concern with confidence.

“These are waterproof C-Type small mana bombs!”

“!”

“So don’t worry about them failing—just spray! Like you’re salting the place!”

“Understood!”

Michael and Ruth immediately began spraying holy water all throughout the jewelry shop.

Alcohol evaporates quickly after being sprayed—but holy water doesn’t.

Unless it’s used for a blessing or to ward off evil, holy water remains where it is, sometimes for years… even centuries.

‘Wow. When Zero forced the Saintess class on me, all I did was curse him.’

As the zombies drew dangerously close, a status window automatically appeared before my eyes.

Zero’s doing.

「Possessor! This might help too—use it! It’s a mode that only activates in emergencies. You’ll be able to borrow a portion of a fully awakened Saintess’s power, so try it!」

‘You could’ve mentioned that a lot earlier!’

If it was helpful, of course I’d use it!

[Activating Emergency Auto-Manual.]

[Confirming you as the assigned possessor of No. 00000234232.]

[Beginning download.]

[Trainee Administrator_Saintess Package_zip downloading…….]

[Download complete.]

[For approximately 10 minutes, you will receive temporary access to the knowledge of a fully awakened Saintess.]

[Do you grant permission?]

[YES / NO]

‘Obviously YES.’

A massive amount of Saintess-related knowledge flooded into my mind.