Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 66 - A Life-or-Death Deal

When Elizabeth, Zero, and the people who had taken refuge at the Keaton estate were spending a quiet, family-like time together,

a man slipped into the lord’s castle in Linstead, blending into the darkness.

The citizens of the city were asleep, unaware that every member of the Wray Count family in the lord’s castle was already dead.

Using magic to hide himself, the man entered the room of the lord, Kieran Wray.

“……”

Because only those of Wray blood were allowed inside the lord’s castle, the interior was completely silent.

Kieran Wray lay collapsed on his side, exactly as he had been when Benedict’s spirit had struck him.

With rigor mortis already gone, his body was no longer in a posture of prayer. Seeing the awkward, slack position, the man clicked his tongue.

He lifted Kieran Wray’s body and laid him flat.

Silver-blue hair.
Skin as pale as a snowy mountain.

The colors the man possessed were exactly the same as those of the dead Kieran Wray.

And that was not their only similarity.

“……Big brother.”

When he pulled back his thick hood, the man’s face was revealed under the moonlight.

Shockingly, it was identical to Kieran’s.

The man was no longer the ruthless, crazed psycho who showed no mercy to zombies. With a gentle expression, he spoke to Kieran,

treating him as if he were still alive.

“I’m glad you understood me, brother.”

He smoothed Kieran’s messy hair and spoke in a sing-song voice.

“I told you, didn’t I? That after Crown Prince Louis takes the throne, every single member of the Wray Count family would be executed.”

“…….”

“You also admitted that you had already failed once because of that woman, Siena—and that you would fail again. That made things easy.”

“…….”

“The souls you and the rest of the family offered will be put to good use as sacrifices. Don’t worry. With this, I’ll wipe out all humans.”

Humming softly, the man recalled the end of his brother Kieran.

After listening to everything, Kieran had only been surprised. He never opposed the man’s insane plan.

〈……You’re saying this curse can really kill every human in the Empire?〉

〈Yes.〉

Trapped in Linstead with no way out, Kieran was exhausted in both body and mind.

The burden of having to rebuild the family’s freedom from nothing crushed him.

Thinking of the family members who trusted him as head of the house, he refused to show weakness and acted even harsher than before……

But after hearing the words of his one and only twin brother, he let everything go.

〈If what you’re saying is true, then I fail at rebellion again, and I end up being the one who kills my entire family.〉

〈That’s right. Because of you, our family meets death instead of freedom.〉

〈Because of me……〉

As Kieran suffered under crushing guilt, the man made him an offer.

〈Since you’re going to lose your life soon anyway, won’t you offer yourself as a sacrifice? For me—and for the family’s long-held wish.〉

The man’s viper-like eyes curved sharply as he smiled.

〈A sacrifice……?〉

〈You and the family will deliver enormous revenge upon the Empire. With our own hands, we’ll destroy Caladia, which grew powerful through our sacrifices.〉

〈……Risking our lives as sacrifices? If you cast the curse, what will happen?〉

〈We can bring a hell beyond imagination into reality.〉

Smiling with the face of an angel, the man spoke with ecstatic eyes about turning the world into hell.

〈The curse I created is perfect—this time. If your life and the blood price of the entire Wray family are offered, then no matter how strong someone is, they’ll be cornered by the many who turn into monsters because of the curse.〉

The man was confident his plan would succeed.

Kieran looked at him and quietly nodded.

〈……This path is better than a future with no hope.〉

If it was a future he could never have, then it was better to ruin it.

The man’s face twisted with joy.

The expression reeked of madness, but Kieran didn’t mind.

After all, he himself was mad too—joining this plan, offering his own soul and his family’s souls as sacrifices, just to ask for a more perfect hell.

〈I’ll get the family’s consent. You fulfill your plan, destroy the imperial capital, and then come for me. I’ll offer my soul as promised.〉

〈It’s a promise. No backing out.〉

〈The same goes for you.〉

And so, the deal was made.

The man said he would keep his promise and come to claim Kieran’s life.

When Kieran later heard the news of the imperial capital turned into a scene of chaos and screams, he laughed with a strange sound that was half laughter, half sobbing.

〈Hahaha. Ahahahahaha!〉

Crying as he laughed, Kieran told the man to take his soul as promised.

〈Thank you, brother. Even our ancestors will be pleased.〉

〈No. You never really cared about the ancestors. You just used the family’s so-called “wish” as a pretty excuse to create even greater chaos and destruction—for your own satisfaction.〉

〈……You don’t want to die as a sacrifice?〉

The man gave his brother one last chance.

If he wanted to live, he would let him live.
If he feared death, he would hide him somewhere safe for a while.

But Kieran refused.

〈No. I’m not afraid of a death offered for revenge. I welcome it. If what you say is true, then you lost everything, went mad, and decided this was the best path. I understand you. So offer me and everyone in this family as sacrifices, and destroy this absurd world.〉

If you promise that, I’ll die quietly.

At Kieran’s fierce request, the man smiled gently and accepted.

〈That’s exactly what I want.〉

With those words, the man pulled out the souls of his brother and every person of Wray blood and carefully stored them in glass bottles.

After finishing his memories, the man rubbed his cheek against the bottles and whispered sweetly.

“I love you, brother. Thanks to your sacrifice, the curse is complete—and it will play a huge role in destroying this world.”

Humming happily, the man looked truly joyful.

Under his hand lay Kieran’s body, now nothing more than a cold corpse.

“My pitiful, foolish brother. My poor brother who chose the path of self-destruction.”

Since your soul was shattered into countless pieces by me, shouldn’t this world be the same?

Snickering, the man placed a bouquet beside Kieran’s body.

It was a clumsy mix of datura and dogwood flowers.

“Since you sacrificed yourself willingly, I’ll keep my promise and break this world.”

Under the moonlight, the man lifted his head. His blue eyes burned with mad frenzy.

For several minutes, he laughed and cried noisily beside Kieran’s body—until he heard movement and turned around with delight.

“You’re here!”

My lovely first product of a curse.

“Uu…… aaah…… graaah…….”

Limping forward was a zombie.

A dress so tattered and soaked in dark red blood that its original white color was unimaginable, blonde hair torn out and clotted with blood, and eyes that once shone a brilliant green but now held only a dull red.

There was a deep hole in the zombie’s forehead, as if something had smashed it in.

Tracing the edge of the hole with his fingertip, the man spoke.

“Oh dear. Someone tried to hurt you. You shouldn’t have such an ugly hole.”

“Grrr…… aaah…….”

“You want me to heal you quickly? Alright. You’re so impatient.”

Even before the horrifying zombie, the man remained calm. He lightly kissed the hole in its forehead.

Amazingly, the twisted bones snapped back into place, the gouged flesh filled in, and the filthy, grotesque appearance slowly became clean again.

“Ah…… ahhh…….”

Even the meaningless muttering began to sound more human.

As he slipped a pair of shining glass shoes onto her feet, the man asked,

“You remember the face—the scent—of the human who tried to kill you, don’t you?”

“Ah…… ah…….”

The thing that was neither fully zombie nor human nodded. If Elizabeth and Zero had seen this, they would have been horrified.

The man whispered into her ear with a lover’s sweet voice.

“Kill that human. No matter how.”

“Aaah…… ah…….”

“I don’t want to see living humans anymore. Understood?”

At his sharp words, the red-eyed zombie replied,

“Ah…… u-under…… stood……. m-my…… f-father…….”

“Good.”

The man’s body trembled with anticipation.

Imagining the chaos this zombie would bring made him happy.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

“……This is a conspiracy to make me miserable.”

Huff. Huff huff.
As I ran laps around the training grounds of the Keaton estate, I openly complained.

Why was I running in circles like this, you ask?

It all started back at the party, with what Zero had said about a healer’s true duty.

That ridiculous claim that a Saint must be able to protect allies by smashing enemies’ heads and dealing physical damage.

Against my will, I was diagnosed by Zero as needing to raise my stamina to the level of people who actually fight zombies.

Diagnosed by whom, you ask?

By the damn strongest holy knight, Sir Michael, and the oh-so-great northern grand duke, Aston Clitter.

“Huff…… huff huff…….”

At this rate, I felt like I’d turn into a zombie myself.

“You’re already panting after just five laps. What if a passing dog asks you to be friends?”

I really wanted to throw this bastard in prison for insulting nobility.

Michael was a madman with a rare talent for scraping people’s nerves raw.

「He was born to be an excellent instructor……。」

Every time Zero admired him, I screamed that this time I really would bite that cute little body in half.

“You…… you little jerk, I’ll kill you and live! Get over here! Come here!”

「Eek! Residents of the estate! Duke Keaton is trying to kill a weak and fragile hamster!」