Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 69 - A New Quest with an Ally

Not only the party members, but also the registered collaborators—Sherry, Cloud, Jacqueline, and Nadia—became busy as well.

[Sub Quest – Let’s Give the Zombies a Punch! 2]

[1) Spread the news across the empire that the capital, Agatha, is in danger!]

[2) Bring brave reinforcements willing to fight zombies to the capital!]

[Condition: This quest requires help from collaborators.]

[Reward: Obtain the discontinued book, “All About Curses”]

The new quest Zero gave me was a win-win for both the collaborators and me.

Among the collaborators, I decided to ask Sherry, Cloud, and Jacqueline for help, excluding Nadia.

‘I can focus on researching materials related to the zombie outbreak, and the three of them won’t have to laze around doing nothing.’

If Michael, Aston, Ruth, and Benedict were the attackers, then those three suited the role of supporters working from the rear.

Even if they didn’t have the ability to directly kill zombies, I had no reason to turn away people who wanted to help with information gathering or strategy.

So, during a break from training, I gathered all the collaborators into one room.

And I showed them my helper—Zero.

“Hmph! You already know this since Elizabeth revealed it, but let me properly introduce myself. I’m Zero. Not my true name, though. Liz, the Saint I chose, just made it up on her own.”

‘You’re calling me Liz without asking too.’

Maybe because Elizabeth was a long name, or to distinguish me from the “real” Elizabeth, Zero had started calling me Liz for convenience.

I didn’t have the spare energy to nitpick over something so small, so I let it slide.

I displayed the quest Zero had given me in a blue status window and showed it to Sherry, Jacqueline, Cloud, and Nadia.

“Wooow!”

“My goodness, so this is the power of a god.”

“To be honest, when you said you were chosen as a Saint, I wasn’t completely sure…”

That last comment came from Nadia. I lightly pinched her ear, and she immediately shut up.

Jacqueline reacted the most enthusiastically to the status window.

“So missions are assigned like this, and you get rewards for completing them! It’s similar to mercenary work! You grow step by step while receiving compensation.”

“Um… yes, basically.”

To be exact, the gods of this world—Zero’s side—had outsourced work to me after I got dragged into an error.

‘Come to think of it, just winning the lottery isn’t enough…’

I needed extra pay for extra labor.
Of course, that definitely had nothing to do with the fact that I was being put through horrific stamina training every morning and night.

Anyway, back to the main point. After I explained the situation with some careful editing—leaving out the whole “possessor” part—Sherry’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

“To think I’d be a helper to an apostle chosen by a god… Could anything in my life be more spectacular? I’m so excited!”

Sherry, with her status as a Damon duchess, bright looks, and smooth way of speaking, was always surrounded by people—and she was thrilled about this.

“Could you look into anything related to sorcery, or any incidents similar to the zombie outbreak, and write reports for me?”

“Of course! I was bored anyway, so this is perfect. I can finally be of help to you, Duke!”

Sherry disliked the idea of only receiving help from me and wanted to contribute in any way she could.

The one who reacted negatively was her older brother, Cloud Damon.

“But Sherry, agreeing to this means we’re agreeing to labor. This isn’t a noble’s duty. Even if we left the Damon estate, we’re still a duke’s son and daughter. There’s no need for us to accept requests like this.”

‘Hmm… so this is the classic case of saving someone from drowning, only for them to demand your luggage.’

Cloud held the honorary title of holy knight, but his divine power was low.
He didn’t possess any of the other five great powers, and his base stats weren’t particularly impressive either.

That was all confirmed through Zero and my skill, Sage’s Eye.

‘…Stat-wise, Nadia Lutri is actually better than Cloud.’

As the daughter of a martial family, Nadia had clear talent. With just a bit of training and refinement, she could be sent straight into zombie extermination, so I entrusted her to Michael and Aston.

“I don’t wanna! I already told them at the Lutri Count estate that I don’t want to learn martial arts, and they said I didn’t have to!”

When I first suggested she train more and fight zombies as a martial artist, Nadia threw herself onto the floor and threw a tantrum.

“‘Nadia Lutri. You tried to rebel against your martial-arts-obsessed family by becoming a refined lady, but even that plan was completely ruined by Elizabeth Kitten.’”

‘…Even if Elizabeth hadn’t used her, that was bound to happen someday.’

Nadia only said she hated learning, but her hidden talent for hand-to-hand combat was incredible.
She claimed she’d only learned the basics, yet even at a glance, her punches and kicks were far from ordinary.

“…I’m scared of that woman.”

After Benedict finally escaped from Nadia’s grasp, he muttered that he couldn’t beat her in raw punching power and ran away whenever he saw her.

Nadia had long since admitted her mistake and stopped paying attention to Benedict, but it didn’t look like their relationship would ever improve.

After thinking about how to persuade Nadia, I simply told the handsome party members to use their looks on her.

“…You want us to pretend to like Lady Lutri even if we don’t?”

Ruth reacted surprisingly strongly to that question.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, if that were the case, I wouldn’t have asked you. I’m saying you should just approach Nadia with those good looks of yours, be a little nicer than usual, and ask her once if she’d like to learn martial arts. A small smile would help too.”

“…That’s really enough?”

“The Duke tried persuading her several times and failed, didn’t she?”

Ruth and Benedict looked at me doubtfully, but I raised my thumb confidently.

“Try it and see. Want to bet? I’ll bet Nadia Lutri won’t even hesitate for one second.”

And just as I said, the moment four handsome men crowded around her and told her she had talent in martial arts—especially hand-to-hand combat—and asked if she wanted to make that talent bloom, Nadia nodded so hard her head spun like a propeller.

“Yes! I’d love to! If you teach me personally, I’ll learn even if it means staying up all night!”

“….”

Stunned, my party members froze like ice statues for a while before promising to take turns teaching Nadia themselves.

“…You were right, Duke.”

“That Lady Nadia Lutri really does care a lot about looks.”

“She’s so motivated during lessons it’s almost scary. The exact opposite of you, Duke. She has talent and actually tries hard, so her learning speed is incredible.”

Sure enough, Nadia was steadily becoming a master of hand-to-hand combat by making full use of her aptitude and talent.

I wasn’t surprised. I’d expected it.

I only told them to send her into battle once she was strong enough for real combat.

After resolving Nadia’s situation and feeling relieved—

‘Unexpectedly, Cloud Damon is the real problem.’

Nadia, who had once talked about killing me the moment we met, was now smoothly increasing her stats.

In contrast, once Cloud Damon was given a comfortable place to stay, he grew somewhat lazy.

“In times like this, I don’t think bringing up a noble’s duty has much meaning, Lord Damon.”

There were only four central nobles left in the capital.

House Kitten, House Damon, House Celeste, and House Lutri.

With the imperial family and other nobles already turned into zombies, clinging to pointless class customs was foolish.

‘What, are you going to talk about noble duty even after you’re dead?’

Obviously not.

I didn’t like him, but mocking Cloud outright might affect his sister Sherry, so I tried to let it go quietly.
With more people staying here now, stirring up trouble wouldn’t help anyone. But—

“Lord Damon, I understand what you’re trying to say. But by your logic, what am I supposed to be?”

“What do you mean, Duke Kitten…?”

“You can’t have missed the holster I always carry at my waist.”

I lifted the silver gun I carried everywhere and tilted it slightly.

“With this gun, I’ve already worked together with the people in my estate to repel zombies that came right up to our doorstep. And as you know well, I also rescued survivors left in the capital alongside Sir Michael and Mr. Ruth.”

“…That was—”

“If I had only cared about my pride and talked about noble duty, you and your sister wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

“….”

It might have sounded unpleasant, but it was the truth. Cloud couldn’t argue back.

‘Sherry is desperate to help in any way she can, yet her brother doesn’t want to step forward.’

Contrary to my worries, Sherry even looked at me with eyes full of support as I pressured Cloud.
Jacqueline, standing beside her, clenched both fists and made a cheering gesture toward me.

Since the first emperor, Caladia, had been a woman, female heirs were allowed in this world—but because men still dominated society, Cloud disliked the idea that all survivors, regardless of gender, had to contribute.

“…Sherry is still young.”

“Yes. And I’m around the same age as Lady Sherry Damon.”

And I’m powerless too.

Cloud, who couldn’t have missed my meaning, fidgeted with a hangnail.

Sherry Damon’s ability wasn’t limited to gathering information.

Observer of the Eastern Dawn.

This light-attribute ability only activated under very specific conditions, but it allowed her to observe and record distant locations as if she were seeing them firsthand.

‘It’s an ability perfectly suited for investigation.’

However, it consumed physical stamina as its price. After using it, she had to sleep for several days to recover, which was why the Duke and Duchess Damon had told her not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

Cloud likely opposed me because he hated the thought of his sister spending her time bedridden.

“I understand that you cherish your sister deeply, Sir Cloud Damon.”

But what about Sherry Damon herself? What does she want?