Chapter 15
“…This won’t do. If you truly don’t want to go, then I’ll check the west side alone. The rest of you wait here.”
Honestly, I preferred it that way too.
I never knew when Jaeger or the Crown Prince might act recklessly again, so going alone was far easier than tagging along with them.
“No.”
“That’s not allowed.”
…Or so I thought, until both the Crown Prince and Jaeger spoke at the same time.
“Why not? It’s more efficient for me to go alone and bring back any survivors. Besides, all three of you are important people. Someone of lower rank like me should be the one moving around.”
“I already told you, didn’t I? I’m here to keep watch on you. Wherever you go, I go.”
Jaeger’s eyes narrowed accusingly.
So he’s worried I’ll try something stupid, huh.
I turned to the Crown Prince with a sour look.
“And Your Highness? Why do you say I can’t go alone?”
“Do you even need to ask? Of course, it’s because I’m worried about you.”
That caught me off guard. I didn’t expect him to actually care about me. I felt a flicker of emotion, though I just shrugged like it was nothing.
“I can handle zombies by myself.”
The Crown Prince sighed, his expression tinged with frustration.
“That’s not it. If you encounter a survivor, you’d end up alone with them. What if that person turns out to be dangerous?”
“…You have a point, but I can handle something like that.”
The Crown Prince furrowed his brow, clearly exasperated, then stabbed his knife straight down into the plate.
“Listen, Lady. What I’m saying is—”
Maybe he used too much force.
Crack.
The elegant plate beneath the steak split cleanly in two.
The Crown Prince stared, startled, glancing between his knife and the shattered plate.
“Why did that—”
Whether he babbled excuses or not, my eyes were already fixed on the ruined steak now lying among the shards.
“…My lady, this was—”
“Enough. Don’t bother making excuses.”
What good is an apology? It can’t bring back something I can eat.
My stomach boiled with anger.
Nothing works. This way, that way—it’s always no.
No cooperation, constant bickering.
One of them refuses to eat what I cook, another shatters a plate, and another only uses me to fill his stomach while refusing to even negotiate.
“Fine! Nobody’s eating, then!”
Overcome with irritation, I leapt up and snatched away both Sien’s and the Crown Prince’s plates.
I especially made sure to toss the Crown Prince’s broken dish—and the now-inedible food—straight into the trash with a furious huff.
“…Hah.”
The Crown Prince stared at me in stunned silence. Probably the first time in his life anyone had ever taken food away from him.
“…Meat…”
Sien sat with cutlery still in hand, looking deeply wronged.
Even Jaeger, who had been quietly observing, looked at me as though he couldn’t believe what just happened.
What? What are you all staring at?
I ignored their gazes drilling into the back of my head and stuffed a mouthful of meat into my mouth, chewing hard.
Before going to bed, we decided to set up protective magic alarms along the fence.
If a zombie crossed the barrier, the device would emit a shrill beep-beep.
Jaeger handled the left side, while Sien and I worked on the right.
As for the Crown Prince, perhaps feeling guilty, he volunteered to do the dishes—so I left him to it.
If not now, when else will I get to make the Crown Prince do chores?
…Although, I wondered if he even knew how to wash dishes properly.
Click.
At the sound of metal fastening together, I lowered my gaze.
Sien was working deftly, attaching the device with practiced hands.
Standing behind him, I held the lantern to light his way and carefully spoke.
“You seem familiar with this.”
“…”
He glanced at me briefly, then returned to his task.
Still sulking about the meat, huh? Our harem prince really holds a grudge.
“Shall I cook something delicious for you tomorrow?”
Sien turned his head slightly toward me before continuing. He seemed to soften just a little.
Encouraged, I knelt down beside him and held the lantern closer to his work.
In the pale glow, his handsome profile came into view.
When strands of hair slipped down into his eyes, he gave his head a small shake.
Almost without thinking, I reached out and tucked the loose hair behind his ear. He naturally turned his gaze toward me.
Up close, his face was so beautiful I found myself staring in a daze.
Seriously, why does he look like some kind of male Snow White?
Click.
Expressionless, Sien finished setting the last device, then rose to his feet.
My hand, which had been holding his hair, naturally fell away.
Without hesitation, he turned and began walking back toward the cabin.
I opened my mouth, hesitating. This was something I hadn’t wanted to bring up.
“…The reason you haven’t left this place—is it because of the Sacred Forest?”
He froze. Slowly, he turned back to look at me.
In the dim lamplight, every flicker of turmoil showed clearly on his face. But his usually languid eyes had sharpened like blades.
“How do you know that?”
Because I read the original story.
Back when he first met the Crown Prince’s party, he was listless, devoid of will to live.
It didn’t matter to him whether he lived or died.
But after some time with them, he opened up and even took charge of chores, living well enough… until that day.
The Sacred Forest’s barrier collapsed, releasing monsters.
[Sien, come back!]
Before the destruction of the forest, he lost control and went berserk.
Not only was the Sacred Forest reduced to ashes, but he also suffered the aftereffects of heart failure.
The original story never explained clearly why he lost control, but I always suspected it had something to do with the former Tower Master.
His adoptive father was said to have adored the Sacred Forest.
So maybe that’s why Sien is lingering here now.
Ah, fragile little princess.
I sighed.
If left alone, the Sacred Forest would indeed collapse, and he’d suffer mana overload leading to a heart attack.
Of course, part of me wanted to bring him along to earn merit, but knowing the future, I couldn’t just leave him to that fate.
I’ll have to persuade him somehow.
Then Sien narrowed his eyes and stepped toward me. Right, we were still in the middle of a conversation.
“Answer me. How do you know I can’t leave because of the Sacred Forest?”
“Rather than how I know, shouldn’t the real question be what I can do for you?”
“…And what exactly can you do for me?”
“You have something more important than the Sacred Forest, don’t you?”
“…And what would that be?”
“The remains of the former Tower Master.”
His eyes twitched ever so slightly. Catching that flicker of emotion, I pressed on.
“In the Dawn Forest to the west lies the tomb of the former Tower Masters. Let’s go together and search for your predecessor’s remains.”
At that, the sharpness in his gaze dulled somewhat, as though some of the tension drained away.
“But if I leave here, I won’t be able to use my mana. I’ll only be a burden.”
“I’ll protect you.”
His wide violet eyes flickered like candle flames.
A chilly silence swept between us.
A beat later, heat rushed up into my face.
Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
I rubbed my cheek with the back of my hand and turned my head aside.
“You’ll… protect me? You?”
“…Yes.”
“And you’ll find the remains for me?”
“Yes.”
Well, at least I’ll try.
To be honest, I wasn’t confident about actually finding them.
That’s why I said let’s search together instead of outright promising to retrieve them.
Still, if he refuses to return to the Empire without them, the future could get messy…
For now, though, this was the only way to sway his heart.
I exhaled slowly and met his eyes.
“Come with me, Tower Master.”
In the dim glow, his violet irises seemed to shimmer.
He studied me quietly for a long moment before finally speaking.
“You really are a strange woman.”
“I know.”
“You could just leave me here to die.”
“I can’t do that.”
“….”
His gaze wavered, then fell toward the ground.
“I…”
Just as he opened his mouth—
Graaagh! Beep-beep-beep!
Clang!
A zombie had latched itself onto the fence right beside Sien.
Groooan!
More of them stretched their arms through the barrier.
I bit down hard on my lip.
Damn it. I don’t even have my hammer right now.
I yanked on Sien’s arm, but he stood unmoving like a tree trunk, just staring at me.
“What are you doing? Come this way, Tower Master!”
At that moment, a skeletal hand slithered through the fence and brushed against Sien’s hair.
How many times did it graze him like that?
Then Sien tilted his chin up slightly, gazing toward the sky.
“…Haa.”
A laugh—or perhaps a sigh—escaped, his eyes swirling with anger.
“To interrupt a conversation… how utterly ill-mannered.”
His once gentle, mellow voice now dripped with chilling menace. I flinched, thinking he was speaking to me.
Bang!
It wasn’t until he drew his revolver, fixed his gaze on me, and fired right past my head—blowing apart the zombie behind me—that I realized who he was really aiming at.
