Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 73 - Duo – Sector 1 Recaptured

What is this?

What is this supposed to be?

Huh? Wasn’t this supposed to be a Western medieval-style zombie apocalypse survival disaster story now? Huh?

That was when it happened.

Thud. Roll, roll.

It was the sound of Zero, who had been sitting next to me cracking almonds, dropping one.

「Kyaaaaaaaah!」

Zero screamed like a pterosaur from the Cretaceous period.

That snapped me back to my senses, and reflexively, what did I do……

Smack!

“Uh?”

“Huh?”

「Kieeeeeeeeeek…….」

I accidentally slapped Benedict across the face.

And not just lightly! It was the kind of slap meant to punish a pervert!

Unfortunately, at moments like this, Michael and Aston’s hell training really showed its effects.

Benedict’s cheek began swelling bright red.

“…….”

“…….”

「Ah…… we’re doomed.」

Zero sighed. Realizing his precious almond had rolled away and gotten stuck under a piece of furniture, he spoke in a gloomy voice.

「I’ll go first. You two sort out a peaceful agreement yourselves.」

“Hey, wait a—!”

Zero ran off before I could grab him.

Left in awkward silence, we stood there unable to say anything for a long while before I finally spoke first.

“Um…… I’m sorry. I absolutely didn’t mean to do that. It just happened without me realizing…….”

Benedict, who had been standing there with his mouth slightly open like he’d lost his soul, suddenly flushed light orange across his face as if paint had spread over it.

“E-Excuse me!”

“No, wait, just a moment. Mr. Benedict?!”

Benedict disappeared at the fastest speed I had ever seen from him.

I muttered in confusion.

“……What was that?”

Seriously, what was that earlier?

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

 

Because my mind was in turmoil, I ended up staying awake all night.

My eyes felt dry and scratchy from lack of sleep.

‘I wish I had eye drops…….’

“I will bring you water for washing.”

“Okay.”

Putting my regrets aside, I washed my face, but every time my hand touched my cheek, I remembered what happened yesterday.

“……Ugh.”

Seriously, what was that…….

Why do I suddenly feel like burying my face in a bowl of water?

The one who did something weird wasn’t even me, right? Huh?

‘So annoying.’

With a messy state of mind, I let Rina help me get ready and finished breakfast without even knowing whether the food was going into my mouth or my nose.

Zero, who takes delicious food very seriously, did not show up by my side until dawn had fully broken. But the moment it was time to eat, he appeared as if nothing had happened.

Somehow…… his usually well-groomed fur looked clumped and messy today.

Zero sat naturally across from me and ate without saying a word.

Benjamin had specially made a doll-sized chair and dining table just for him. As I watched him cutting food with a fingernail-sized fork and knife, the words slipped out.

“Zero.”

「Yeah.」

“What do you think yesterday was?”

I asked directly.

He was the only third party who had been there.

‘If it’s him, he’ll explain what that was!’

Holding both expectation and tension, I waited for Zero’s answer.

I had always ignored him when he talked nonsense about “green lights,” but this time…… I wondered if that nonsense might actually be right.

But Zero put down his tiny fork and knife and answered with a very serious expression.

「Yeah. I think it was nothing.」

“Just as I thought…… huh?”

「Since we left the original storyline, it seems like the genre changed from romance fantasy to zombie apocalypse survival. Haha, I was foolish all this time. No more investing in doomed stocks. I’ll face reality now!」

“…….”

「From now on, I’ll view the world in a wholesome way. A world for all ages—how beautiful is that? Ahh, once I let go, all worldly desires disappeared.」

Hahahahahaha.

‘This guy’s lost it.’

I don’t know what he went through, but it sounded like he was saying he’d stop spouting useless nonsense from now on.

「Romance is dead in this place…….」

“Why are you looking for frozen-to-death romance here?”

We’re struggling just to survive.

When I snapped at him, Zero smiled faintly as if he expected that reaction.

「Yeah……. I knew you’d answer like that…….」

“Anyway, in your view, it was nothing, right?”

「What meaning is there to find in a completely wrecked atmosphere? You mood breaker.」

“What are you even saying?”

Snorting, I finished my salmon steak for breakfast. Zero grumbled but cleaned his plate as well.

“Let’s go. We said we’d clear a quest today!”

「Ugh, you Korean obsessed with clearing quests. Fine, let’s go!」

As I changed into an outdoor pants suit, Zero waved his wand and put on a suit of the exact same design.

“Oh. Matching outfits.”

「Don’t even say the first syllable of ‘couple’ in front of me! I’m going to live forgetting all that now!」

“……?”

I already knew he was sensitive and prickly, but I didn’t know he’d make such ridiculous demands.

“Then I guess you can’t eat custard pudding anymore. Since you can’t say it. That’s unfortunate, but I’ll tell the kitchen to remove custard pudding from your snack list.”

「T-That’s an exception……. Don’t take custard pudding away from me…….」

After teasing him a bit, he immediately became gloomy. It was pathetic and cute.

When I opened the drawing room door, my party members were already waiting.

“You’ve arrived, Your Grace.”

Two maps were spread out on the table where they gathered.

One was a map of the entire continent, and the other showed the administrative districts of Agatha, the capital of the Caladia Empire.

I sat at the head of the table and cleared my throat.

“Today, we…….”

I placed the piece with the blue flag I was holding onto the map.

“We are going to seize this area.”

The piece stood on Duo Street, the second administrative district of the capital, Agatha.

Among them, I chose Duo–1 Sector.

It was the area where the Kitten Duchy and the Damon Duchy were located—home to only the most powerful and wealthy noble families among the central aristocracy.

‘Now that the secret passage has been destroyed, our priority is to gradually reclaim the areas adjacent to the Kitten Duchy.’

There was also a quest requiring us to go to Linstead, so I had debated whether to head there first…….

But like how criminals return to the scene, I feared running into that horrific being again, so I postponed it.

“Let’s begin the zombie hunt.”

It was time to proceed with the sub-quest Zero had given me, “Let’s Teach the Zombies a Lesson! 1.”

Ding.

[Sub-Quest – Let’s Teach the Zombies a Lesson! 1]

[Increase your stamina and go zombie hunting with your party members!]

[Select one sector and reclaim that area.]

[Reward: Acquire the skill ‘Grow, Stamina and Strength.’]

[You are currently progressing through this quest.]

[Reclaim Duo–1 Sector (0/100%)]

The twin pistols in the holster at my waist felt heavy.

It was time to show the zombies what we were made of.

……It had not even been thirty minutes since we left the Kitten Duchy in such a grand manner.

We had formed a small elite team and were now hiding behind a wall, observing a single zombie.

“Uuu…… Graaaah…… aaah…….”

It was torn, stained with blood, and covered in dust and dirt, making it hard to recognize…… but the zombie was wearing a high-quality black tailcoat.

“Guaaaah…… aaah…….”

A blond male zombie looking around as if hungry.

On his chest was a brooch bearing the golden lion emblem symbolizing the imperial family.

“Hmm…….”

There were ten of us on this zombie hunt, including me.

Me, and my party members Michael, Aston, Benedict, and Rus.

Additionally, Nadia, and Nigel, the Marquess of Celeste.

And the maids Emily and Rose, who had been with us during our first victory over zombies.

The final member was a familiar mage reluctantly dispatched after Rus relentlessly pressured the Magic Tower—Merion.

Merion had not wanted to be dispatched…….

But due to adult circumstances, higher-ranking mages kept pushing the task onto others until the Tower Master finally ordered, “You’ve already been there, so go again,” and he returned to the Kitten Duchy.

〈I can’t believe I’m stuck in this mansion twice……!〉

On the day Merion returned, Rus smiled wickedly beside his wailing figure.

〈Good. Now I can finally get some proper sleep.〉

〈E-Excuse me……? What kind of ominous thing is that supposed to mean……?〉

Rus grinned at the already frightened Merion.

〈Stay here a few days getting your mana drained dry and you’ll understand what I mean.〉

With dark circles like a tired panda, Rus smelled like an overworked office worker exhausted from endless overtime.

And Merion soon came to understand what Rus meant.

He followed me zombie hunting without complaint, stumbling along.

〈It’s better to hunt zombies……. T-There’s too much work……. I want to go back to the Magic Tower. Sob.〉

He looked far from normal…… but anyway, a mage was an extremely valuable resource, so I had no intention of letting him go.

In any case, we left the magic barrier of the Kitten Duchy and began moving toward the edge of Duo–1 Sector when……

“Guaaaah…….”

“Wait a moment!”

Thanks to Rus and Merion, we were walking while completely hiding our presence when we encountered that zombie.

“That…… unless my eyes are mistaken…….”

“It’s not Crown Prince Louis, is it?”

“No way…… surely not…….”

The first to voice doubt was Nadia, then Nigel, the Marquess of Celeste.

The one who said “surely not” was Merion.

“……I think it is.”

Its eyes were entirely red like a snow rabbit’s, making it impossible to tell their original color.

But the undeniable proof of identity—the golden lion brooch that only officially recognized members of the imperial family could possess—was impossible to fake.

“……That zombie is Crown Prince Louis. I guarantee it.”

Aston, the Grand Duke of Whitewood and the tragic second prince exiled from the imperial family, confirmed firmly.

“Crown Prince Louis has moles on his earlobe and neck. That zombie bears the same physical traits.”

Even without Aston’s confirmation, I had my own clue.

‘……The bite mark from when zombie Sienna tore into him is still clearly visible…….’

Ah, damn it. Why did we have to run into him here of all places?