Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 70 - Search for Clues

“I want to do it!”

Before I could even finish speaking, Sherry shot her hand up and spoke.

“Sherry!”

“I know you’re worried about me, Cloud. It’s because of Mother and Father… right?”

When the story of the Duke and Duchess of Damon—who had already died after being bitten by zombies—came up, Cloud’s face twisted in pain.

“…I just don’t want you to push yourself.”

“When have I ever pushed myself too far? Even if I use my ability, do you really think I’m the kind of person who’d waste it carelessly?”

‘Oh?’

Wasn’t she? I thought she was the type with such a strong sense of justice that she’d use her ability no matter how much I tried to stop her.

Zero read my thoughts and looked at me like I was trash.

「Honestly, for someone who’s supposed to be a saint… tsk tsk. This is what’s wrong with kids these days.」

‘Yes, Grandpa. Or should I say, great-great-ancestor?’

「Kyaaak!」

‘Are you a zombie? Don’t make weird noises. You’re loud.’

「Uuugh…!」

Heh. Thanks to being trained by Zero’s nonsense, I’d become immune to most old-man scolding.

‘You have to listen to Korean to the end, Zero. I never planned on making Sherry abuse her ability in the first place.’

Taking advantage of others for my own benefit wasn’t my style.

‘If I were going to live like that, I’d rather die.’

After my parents died in an accident and I saw relatives try to use me to steal my inheritance, I came to deeply hate exploiting others.

‘And even if I didn’t step in, Sherry Damon is already someone who can stand firm on her own.’

Her center had wavered for a while after her parents’ deaths, but living with Jacqueline in the separate wing I’d opened for the survivors had helped her stabilize a lot.

Sherry, with her delicate and pretty face that would suit a pink dress, said firmly,

“I know better than anyone that I only get one life.”

“……”

“It’s good to help others and save people by using my ability a lot. But I’m not so self-sacrificing that I’d ruin my own life doing it.”

Sherry Damon was different from Siena, who had been nothing but kind and pure.

She was just the right amount of realistic, and because of that, she knew how to look after herself.

Sherry Damon was only twenty years old. If it weren’t for the zombies, she’d be at the age where she’d be preparing to welcome a fiancé.

The brightest, most beautiful time of her life.

Even though that time had been interrupted by zombies, Sherry confidently said she would still lead her life the way she wanted.

“I have no intention of wasting my youth sleeping all day. I know you said that because you’re worried about me, but I’m fine.”

“…Sherry.”

“You know I’m capable. Mother and Father worried I might get into trouble because I was too bold… but I don’t want to waste a precious life. So… don’t stop me from helping the Duke.”

Not “please allow me,” but “don’t stop me”—that firm statement made me smile.

‘She’ll take care of herself.’

I had no intention of using Sherry’s ability, Observer of the Eastern Dawn, unless there was somewhere truly urgent that needed watching.

‘I have the Sage’s Eye, and Zero’s search window too.’

Even though the system search didn’t work in some areas because of the mysterious dark sorcerer.

In the end, Cloud gave in to his sister’s stubbornness.

“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”

“Hehe.”

“But I’ll help too. Honestly… that stuff about a noble’s duty was just something I blurted out.”

“That really sounded awful, Cloud. It was such a bad excuse that anyone could tell it was forced.”

“R-really? Haha.”

At Jacqueline’s comment, Cloud laughed awkwardly.

「So he’s just a normal big brother worried about his sister.」

“Close sibling relationships like that are rare, Zero…”

Unicorn siblings. Total unicorn siblings!

‘This really does feel like a romance fantasy, huh.’

Ah… why do I feel like crying? Because I swung a sword 500 times this morning for basic sword training? Because my arms hurt?

It felt unfair, but I held it in. Crying wastes water. Thanks to quest rewards, I could produce food easily, but given the situation, conserving even a drop of water was unavoidable.

Once things between Sherry and Cloud were settled, I asked the three of them—including Jacqueline—to look into anything related to sorcery.

“The ducal library is enormous. If there are any books related to sorcery, I’d like the three of you to read them and bring me a summarized report of anything useful.”

“We should focus on dark sorcery,” Jacqueline said.

Her red eyes sparkled beneath her glasses. She clearly loved this kind of quest, where she could use her brain at 200 percent.

“Well… it won’t be easy. There are so many books that even the butler doesn’t know the exact number.”

They were books bought as part of noble education, but like most households… there were far more unread books than read ones.

It was the second-largest private library after the imperial palace, so even with three people, finishing the investigation quickly would be difficult.

“That’s fine. Honestly, a challenge like this is thrilling.”

Jacqueline even enjoyed it. I would’ve collapsed and refused, but she immediately divided the investigation areas with Sherry and Cloud.

“Jessica, do you want to help too?”

“H-huh? M-me too?”

Jessica, who had been dozing quietly under a blanket in the corner, hurried over when her sister called her.

“I-I don’t think I’ll be much help. I’m not smart like you…”

“Hey. We’re just looking for books about sorcery, so it’s not hard. And just having you around is a huge comfort to me.”

“Sis…!”

Moved by Jacqueline’s gentle words, Jessica gathered her courage.

“I-I’ll do my best!”

“If we do it together, we’ll find something quickly.”

“…Yeah!”

Watching the sisters’ close bond, I remembered what Jacqueline’s true talent was.

Her nickname had been “Angel’s Voice,” I think.

Not because she was good at singing.

She had entered a prestigious foreign academy with top scores on the written exam, received a perfect score in the interview with professors applauding her, and during her time there, she never once had trouble with teammates on group projects.

Jacqueline Celeste’s greatest talent was persuasion.

Using her words to produce fifteen or sixteen logical, reasonable arguments and eventually get what she wanted.

Thanks to this, she was queen of the debate club throughout her school years and eventually became student council president.

If the Caladia Empire’s capital hadn’t fallen, she would probably be getting scouted by the emperor to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs right now.

Even now, she was happy just to be able to use her abilities.

Someone who knows what they’re good at and can use it anywhere—that kind of person is beautiful.

“…Zero. I don’t really want to say this, but thanks for giving me a cooperation quest.”

「It’s all for my getting off work earlier, so don’t bother thanking me. Hmph.」

Zero shrugged, acting all tsundere.

I knew his cotton-swab-like tail twitched whenever he was in a good mood, but I pretended not to notice.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Please use communication devices to inform the empire that zombies are appearing, and gather reinforcements. Um… right now, it’d be good to have even one more capable person willing to help.”

「Even non-powered people count.」

Zero tapped his head and temple.

「A zombie’s weakness is the head. So even people without abilities can be useful if they can handle guns like you, Lizzie, or ranged weapons like crossbows.」

“The head… so the corrupted brain might be what drives them? If sorcery is involved, there must be some kind of medium… We’ll need to look into that in detail.”

Jacqueline pulled out a notebook and pen and started taking notes.

“Luce couldn’t figure out the cause. He said it’s not something magic can observe.”

With the system search blocked by the unknown mastermind, we had no choice but to take an analog approach.

That made the collaborators’ research all the more important.

“Then… gathering basic information on sorcery should be our top priority. If sorcery can only be observed through sorcery, we may need to learn how to use it ourselves.”

Mm-hm. Nodding, Jacqueline continued scribbling nonstop. Her twin sister Jessica giggled as she watched her sister write at lightning speed.

Zero stared at Jessica for a moment, then whispered to me.

「That girl, Jessica. She looks innocent, but she might end up being your biggest blessing.」

“Huh? Why?”

I asked, pausing with a piece of cake halfway to my mouth.

「Her Luck stat… is SS-rank.」

“What?”

What do you mean, what?

I hurriedly looked at Jessica, but she just looked like an ordinary girl.

「There’s no sign of forced luck, so… Jessica Celeste seems to be someone who was born extremely lucky. In this world, people with very high luck—an uncertain stat—are considered non-attribute ability users. This is the kind of person who’d pick up a winning lottery ticket just lying on the road.」

‘Wow…’

When I looked back and forth between Jacqueline and Jessica, Jacqueline made a “shh” gesture at me.

‘…I should stay quiet.’

Still, thanks to this, I’d basically boarded an SS-rank luck bus.

Wow, amazing. I guess I don’t need to worry about finding sorcery books anymore. Yeah.