ESMLT 18

Chapter 18

“…Why are you like that?”

“Young Lady, don’t you think you’re being too lenient with this fellow?”

“Then, Your Highness should try doing the laundry yourself. I’ll praise you if you do.”

The crown prince immediately nodded, as if he’d been waiting to hear that.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll take over.”

“…That was a mistake. Please, don’t do anything.”

I’d left him the dishes yesterday when he insisted on helping out, saying he was sorry for forgetting about the original story…

The image of shattered plates came back to me, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Good thing we’re leaving westward tomorrow—otherwise I’d have had to sit at the table eating with my bare hands like some refined orangutan.

For the record, the crown prince and Jaeger were the worst combination when it came to housework.

In the original story, Siën was so furious that he told them not to touch anything before he chopped their hands off.

Perfectly fine ingredients turned into poison, and clothes and bedding into rags.

Sigh—

I let out a breath, and the crown prince looked irritated, as if wondering what the problem was.

Anyway, you—don’t do anything. Not a single thing.

“Aren’t you opening the door?”

Standing straight, Jaeger jerked his chin at the armory door. His look said enough rambling, open it already.

I nodded and slid the key into the lock.

I was curious about this armory too—it wasn’t in the original novel.

With a soft turn, something clicked into place, and the lock gave a clear clack.

As the knob turned, a small space big enough for three or four people came into view.

The crown prince, holding a lantern, led the way cautiously, gesturing for me to follow. In a place full of weapons, traps were always possible.

He stepped in first and raised the lantern toward the wall. What was revealed was…

‘…Huh?’

A sound of disappointment escaped me.

I’d expected walls lined with guns and swords like in zombie movies, but no.

‘Empty.’

Clicking my tongue, I stepped over a low threshold into the room.

At the center stood a heavy-looking suit of plate armor on display.

On the left wall was an empty spot where Siën’s revolver must’ve been, and beside it sat another revolver.

Loading each bullet and emptying casings would normally be inconvenient, but since he could manifest and clear them away with magic, it was efficient for him.

‘It’d be nice if I could use the spare one…’

I looked around the armory with a hopeful eye, then sighed.

‘No bullets.’

Without ammunition, it was useless to anyone but Siën.

Well, I’d expected that. This was, after all, just a shelter in the damned Holy Zone.

The fact there was even an “armory” here was shocking—no way they’d stock actual killing weapons.

Sometimes wild animals appeared near shelters, so the weapons here were only meant to threaten, not kill.

I glanced sideways at Siën, who was inspecting the revolver.

“Tower Master, I don’t think we can use guns outside. We don’t know the zombies’ traits yet.”

In zombie movies, gunfire always drew the horde. We didn’t know if these ones reacted to sound, so it was better to be careful.

Siën examined the gun thoroughly, then looked at me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll use preservation magic to dampen the noise.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes.”

At his confident answer, I let out a relieved smile.

He’d been indifferent to using firearms not because he couldn’t, but because it wasn’t practical. If he could shoot quietly, though, then he’d be a huge asset.

“You seem quite happy.”

“Of course. We’ve gained a real combatant.”

Smiling, I glanced around.

The crown prince and Jaeger were eyeing the daggers on the wall.

They were judging which ones could serve as disposable weapons—something to stab into a zombie’s head and toss aside.

Most of what was there were hunting knives, single-use at best.

As I looked around with them, my eyes caught on a bow at the far end of the wall.

‘…There’s a bow here too.’

I had one already, unwillingly.

Unwanted memories flickered through my mind as I stared at it, and Siën came closer.

“Why the look, Ria?”

His words drew Jaeger and the crown prince’s attention to me.

“…Ah, nothing. I just don’t think we need that. I already have one.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to have a spare?”

Surprisingly, Jaeger—who normally disliked me—offered the suggestion.

It wasn’t like him to initiate anything, let alone make proposals. That alone made me falter.

‘He’s unexpectedly proactive when it comes to combat.’

Having missed the right timing to refuse, I sighed and nodded.

“Alright. Bows might run short.”

Taking out a miniaturization kit, I shrank the bow and tucked it into my bag. The rest of the weapons, I’d sort tomorrow.

“This should be enough. Shall we get some rest? Tomorrow we’ll need to move out to find other survivors.”

Strictly speaking, we were heading for the western shelter where the final male lead was, but no need to slip up and reveal suspicions.

Our visible goal was recruiting more survivors to fill the Warp Scroll capacity.

‘Still… haah.’

I rubbed my shoulder with a fist.

‘This day has been far too long.’

That night, I woke from tossing and turning.

Whenever I had too much on my mind, I woke easily.

Blinking, I glanced downward.

The crown prince had dozed off sitting against the ladder to my bed, one arm tucked in his sash, a jacket barely covering his shoulders.

‘We set traps, but he still stood guard until he fell asleep. Couldn’t he just rest properly? This mistrust of others—he’s exhausting himself.’

I climbed down, smoothed my messy hair, and checked the blanket drying on the line. Still damp. With no choice, I pulled my own blanket over him, tucking it around carefully.

Even as I did, I wondered why I was bothering with the man who’d once made me cry.

‘…Well, even iron men get sick. If he caught a cold, we’d lose part of our fighting strength.’

Lowering my head slightly, I studied his sleeping face.

‘Like a child when he’s asleep.’

Annoyance flared up suddenly. With a mischievous impulse, I wrapped him tightly in the blanket like a snowman.

Dusting off my hands, I stepped outside the hut for some air.

The dawn chill brushed my skin, waking me further. Stretching with a yawn, I froze.

Thunk-thunk-thunk!

A dull, rhythmic sound echoed, spaced with short pauses.

I crept toward the backyard, where the noise came from.

‘Duke Jaeger?’

Under the dim light of early dawn, Jaeger was training.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

He’d set up a log and was hurling several daggers—taken from the armory—into marked targets as he ran past.

Apparently, swinging a mace wasn’t enough for him. He yanked the blades free, reset the log, and threw three more in a single motion.

Thwack! All three struck their marks.

‘Wow…’

I was impressed—until a split second later.

Thunk.

Another dagger whistled past, grazing my cheek.

“…!”

My eyes widened in shock.

Then irritation bubbled up.

‘First the crown prince, now him—why is everyone so eager to throw blades at me?’

I frowned at the dagger embedded behind me and spoke.

“When did you notice I was here?”

Straightening from his throwing stance, Jaeger replied,

“With the racket you made, how could I not?”

His cold tone carried a hint of rebuke.

I was used to his icy treatment after these past days, though that didn’t mean it was fine. I couldn’t stay a punching bag forever.

‘Looks like it’s time to carry out the plan.’

Before coming here, I’d decided: once Jaeger joined us, I would apologize for Redria’s past behavior.

It hadn’t been my doing, but the truth was that Redria had tormented Roeni cruelly and disappointed them deeply.

As for the attempted murder of the saintess—she denied it to the end, so I couldn’t be sure.

‘Sorry, Redria.’

But soothing this man’s heart was more important.

Apologizing would be the same as admitting guilt, but the statute of limitations had passed, and everyone already believed it was her fault. Nothing would change.

‘Instead, I’ll at least believe in you.’

Silently apologizing to Redria, I lifted my eyes to Jaeger as he approached.

He was coming closer to pull the dagger from behind me. This time, I didn’t step aside, but met his gaze head-on.