Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 74 - The Crown Prince Zombie and Aston’s Gloom

My head hurt.

‘They say when you set out, it’s always market day….’

How, of all things, did we end up meeting Crown Prince Louis after he turned into a zombie?

If Jessica Celeste’s luck stat was SS-rank, then mine had to be F-rank.

Otherwise, there was no way the zombie Crown Prince Louis—who had mercilessly bitten off Henry Kitten’s neck right in front of me—would appear before my eyes again.

Since Aston, who used to be the Second Prince, personally confirmed that the zombie over there was his older brother Louis, it was only natural that the group would be shaken.

Everyone except me and my party members fell into confusion.

Nadia and Marquis Nigel Celeste hesitated, giving very aristocratic reasons.

“If that really is His Highness the Crown Prince, should we… I mean, put him to rest? We won’t be punished later for attempted regicide or something, right?”

The imperial palace had already completely fallen because of zombies, and she’s worrying about that? Rejected.

“No matter what, to put a hole through His Highness’s head… As someone who was once his teacher, I find that difficult.”

He’s already dead. And that man bit Elizabeth’s biological father, Duke Henry Kitten, to death in one bite. There is absolutely no reason to treat him as a person. Rejected again.

After clearing up their confusion, the only ones left were Merion, the senior mage from the Mage Tower, and Emily and Rose, maids of the Kitten duchy and friends of Rina.

They hesitated for very different reasons from the nobles.

Emily and Rose, each holding a crossbow, asked me,

“Um… Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

“You said that if we see a zombie, we should wait and let anyone shoot its head, but… shouldn’t that zombie be yours?”

“I agree with Emily, Your Grace. That zombie bit Duke Henry Kitten, your father and the former head of the house, to death. It’s only right that you take care of it with your mana-bullet pistol…!”

With sparkling eyes, the two maids insisted that our duke must be the one to deal with that zombie.

Honestly, I had prepared myself to hear nonsense like, He used to be the Crown Prince, it’s too scary to kill him, or How can you be so cold to someone you once loved?

‘But this is even more than that….’

Loyal maids giving me priority to kill the zombie. I was almost moved to tears. Sniff.

“I’m fine, though.”

‘I’m not the real Elizabeth anyway, so it doesn’t really matter if I don’t deal with him myself….’

Since I had already lost interest in the ruined original storyline, seeing Zombie Crown Prince Louis again left me feeling completely calm.

‘Ah, I see. So you were here.’

That was it.

That was all.

No waves of emotion at all.

‘Can’t we just get rid of him quickly and move on?’

It was annoying more than anything. I was worried that Nadia and Marquis Nigel might hesitate and end up like Henry Kitten.

“Grrraaa… Gaaahhh….”

The Crown Prince zombie wandered around a noble mansion with slightly overgrown grass.

While we hid behind a wall and watched him, Merion spoke up.

“Um, Duke Kitten.”

“Yes? What is it, Merion?”

“You said whoever sees a zombie first should just take it down, right?”

“I did.”

Before coming out, I had made a deal with Merion, who had practically been dragged back to the duchy.

〈How am I supposed to go hunting zombies?! I can’t! I’m squeamish and weak-hearted—I can’t even read scary stories! I have to hug a cushion to sleep at night!〉

〈Then I’ll give you extra pay. Think of it as a long-term business trip.〉

〈…How much are we talking about?〉

His attitude changed instantly.

〈Ten gold per zombie. How about that?〉

〈Duke, the capital is destroyed. What use is money at a time like—〉

〈Then for every zombie you kill, you get to choose one fresh ingredient you want.〉

〈…!〉

Of course that tempted him. The Mage Tower was still full of people. After hearing Ruth’s stories, they must have been switching into emergency mode.

‘I can’t give them mana stones because we need them for the magic barrier. This will have to do.’

If chaos had broken out in Chatteris, where the Mage Tower was located, then even with money, food would be hard to get.

I aimed right at that.

〈Last time, I went out to Duo Street to restock ingredients. While rescuing survivors, I gathered food too. We have plenty of supplies. So?〉

〈I will do my absolute best to blow off zombie heads.〉

〈Mm, good. I like that materialistic attitude. Instant feedback is satisfying.〉

…That was why Merion was extremely motivated right now.

Later, I heard from Ruth that Merion had a fox-like younger sister to support, and a rabbit-like baby nephew she had given birth to.

〈Merion may be a senior mage, but he’s not from a noble family. He’s been working under sponsorship.〉

The sponsorship money wasn’t free. After becoming an adult, he had to repay it, so even when his research succeeded, all his earnings went toward paying off his debt.

Then zombies appeared, prices soared, and suddenly making a living became nearly impossible.

“…If it’s not rude, may I take that zombie? If it’s one you’re reluctant to kill, Duke, just count it as three times the reward!”

‘His nephew just turned one, I think.’

“It’s love from an uncle,” Zero muttered.

Seeing Merion focused only on the food reward, not caring at all that the zombie used to be the Crown Prince, actually made me feel at ease.

“Go ahead. I’ll count it as five times.”

With my miracle jar that doubled any food put into it, that was nothing to me.

“Thank you!”

Merion raised his hand brightly.

“Pierce the enemy, Spear of Lightning.”

A flash of light pierced straight through the Crown Prince zombie’s head.

“Gueeegh…!”

Thud.

With a final scream, the zombie collapsed, a clean hole through his forehead.

“Ooh, that was a neat shot.”

Ruth even clapped.

“…Confirmed.”

Aston, with a complicated expression, delivered the finishing blow. Though he had already confirmed it with his sharp eyesight, he still walked over to look at the body himself.

“W-wait! Sister! Is this really okay?”

Nadia asked anxiously.

“There’s only one answer I can give,” I said. “Is it really right to leave His Highness wandering as a zombie, unable to reach heaven?”

“…No. I spoke out of turn.”

At the mention of heaven, Nadia fell silent. Marquis Nigel also said nothing after learning that the Crown Prince zombie was the one who had killed Elizabeth’s father.

‘I’m the comfortable one here.’

If anyone had dared call me a wicked woman for killing the Crown Prince, I would not have let it slide.

Thankfully, no one did.

“Then let’s move out again.”

“Yes!”

We were about to leave the body behind when Aston spoke in a calm voice.

“Duke Kitten.”

“Yes, Your Highness the Grand Duke of Whitewood.”

“May I… remain here for a moment? Five minutes. No, three will be enough.”

Aston looked down at the body—once the Crown Prince, now so ruined that none of his former beauty remained—and murmured softly.

Though it was quiet, I heard every word clearly.

“…You drove me out of the palace just to meet an ending like this? You hated me that much? Framed me, sent me to the frozen lands… If you were going to do that, you shouldn’t have ended up like this. Tell me, brother. Why? Why did you make Father abandon me? Why…?”

Old anger and despair sank into the ground.

The Emperor was missing. The Crown Prince was dead as a zombie.

The answer Aston Clitter—Aston Hainsworth—had long sought would never be found.

After a brief time not of mourning, but of quiet resentment, Aston rejoined us, eyes red with broken blood vessels.

He had always been like a cold winter wind, but after seeing the Crown Prince zombie, he felt even sharper—like a cutting gale.

“Ironically, the only royal who survived is the one disgracefully exiled from the imperial family,” Zero said.

That was probably why he looked so pained.

Seeing someone so usually calm shaken like this felt strange.

‘Ugh… I’m not really the type to meddle.’

Should I? Or not?

The others had given Aston space.

Even Michael, Ruth, and Benedict seemed to sense this was something painful and untouchable.

‘So it’s just me.’

I strode over to Aston and held something out.

“…Duke Kitten. What is this?”

“Something sweet. When your heart hurts or your mood is bad, eating something sweet helps.”

When facing danger, go toward dessert.

Yes, too much sugar isn’t healthy. But it’s true that sweets can briefly lift your mood.

I handed him a chocolate bar I had the chef specially prepare. Aston accepted it without thinking.

“Eat that and feel better.”

If the person who hurt you is already gone, then for your own sake, it’s better to forget…