<Episode 10>

“Let’s hear how you plan to escape on your own. Planning to swim out like a fish? Or maybe you’ll build a raft from scratch? And just so you know, I have no intention of giving you the warp scroll.”

Jaeger’s eyes narrowed in irritation, the jab hitting its mark.

“The temple will send a rescue team soon—”

“No, they won’t. It’s impossible. We can’t even contact the temple.”

Why do you think the male leads were trapped in the temple for an entire month?

Would the temple and the Imperial Palace just sit idly by after the incident occurred?

Of course not. They were too busy trying to block the steam flowing into the Empire to prevent further infection.

They declared the farthest western region, closest to the zombie zone, a disaster area, evacuated the western residents, and formed an allied force to block the steam.

But they weren’t performing any purification; they were just holding the line, praying that the Saintess would awaken.

Moreover, the sacred zone has special properties that repel external forces, given that it houses the remains of past Saintesses and royals. The sea monsters lurking nearby make rescue missions even more challenging.

In fact, after the incident, ships sent by the Empire were devoured by sea monsters, so swimming out or building a boat to escape is out of the question.

This leaves only two escape options: the Saintess awakening or escaping with a warp scroll from within.

“…”

“…”

Jaeger and I locked eyes for a while. His gaze was as cold as ice, but then he abruptly turned away, clearly refusing to back down.

‘Sigh, I knew convincing Jaeger wouldn’t be easy…’

It was even harder to persuade him now, given that he didn’t fully grasp the severity of the situation.

We had just reached the edge of the forest when I saw it—a zombie wandering aimlessly in front of the sacred forest.

Though the sound was muffled, I could imagine it letting out a grotesque screech.

Keeeeek!

Jaeger stopped in his tracks, staring at the zombie with wide eyes.

“See? I was right.”

“…Be quiet.”

Jaeger shot me a cold glance before drawing his sword.

‘Is he really going to leave the sacred forest?’

I turned to look behind me.

The Crown Prince, Lihad, was leaning casually against a tree with his arms crossed, a look of deep dissatisfaction on his face.

“Are you just going to let him go like that?”

“You’ve done enough. Why are you so desperate to cling to the Duke?”

“So you’re just going to let him march off to his death?”

“You’re underestimating the Duke’s swordsmanship. If he were someone who could die from just that, my swordsmanship master, the late Duke, would rise from his grave. Maybe he’s already among those zombies, eager for a little father-son bonding time.”

I sighed deeply and started to speak again.

“Your Highness, please, can’t you try to convince him instead? The Duke is also a subject of the Empire that you are duty-bound to protect.”

“…”

Lihad stared at me for a moment, then ruffled the back of his hair in frustration.

“There is a way to stop him.”

“Really?”

My eyes widened in surprise.

The Crown Prince glanced at me, giving his usual sly grin, then casually slipped his hands into his pockets and approached Jaeger from behind.

Was he planning to have a heart-to-heart talk? Or maybe use his authority to intimidate him?

“You’ve got to experience it firsthand.”

Thud!

Without warning, Lihad kicked Jaeger square in the back, sending him stumbling forward through the invisible barrier, unprepared for battle. Jaeger turned back to us with a look of utter disbelief.

I stood there, my mouth agape, locking eyes with Lihad, who merely shrugged nonchalantly as if to say, What? Did I do something wrong?

Wow… This guy really is insane.

“Your Highness, what the—” I started, but before I could finish, my attention was drawn to Jaeger as he engaged with the zombies.

Jaeger moved swiftly, driving his sword between the zombie’s ribs, then slashing upwards to tear through its ribcage. Even though no sound could be heard through the barrier, I could see the zombie’s torso crumbling as its legs collapsed to the ground.

Lihad, catching my eye, smirked smugly, as if to say, See? I told you so.

I glared at him, annoyed, before turning my focus back to Jaeger.

He beheaded three approaching zombies in quick succession, their skulls rolling away.

But it didn’t last—soon after, the first zombie reassembled its bones, regaining its original form. The zombies whose necks had been severed also started to reanimate.

Jaeger struck them down again, but the undead kept coming back, over and over.

“What a shame he can’t use his aura. Maybe I should have mentioned their weakness,” Lihad mused, standing with his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold.

You shoved him into the fire and now you’re just standing there?

Jaeger’s brow furrowed as sweat trickled down his temple. Even without saying a word, it was clear he was struggling.

This isn’t working…

Keeping my eyes on Jaeger, I quickly rummaged through the pouch on my belt. I pulled out a small item—a miniature mace.

Muttering a quick incantation, the mace expanded instantly.

Without a second thought, I bolted out of the forest.

Behind me, I heard Lihad shout, “My lady!” but his voice was quickly drowned out by the wails of the zombies.

“Duke, catch this!”

I yelled, hurling the mace toward Jaeger.

Thud!

Jaeger, momentarily surprised, instinctively caught it.

I pointed to my head, shouting.

“Aim for the head! Go for their heads!”

Kwaaak!

Jaeger frowned in confusion, but when he heard the groaning from behind, he reflexively spun around and swung the mace.

Thwack! Crack!

The zombie’s head flew off and bounced across the ground.

Seeing the zombie’s body collapse and remain still, Jaeger’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Kwaaaak!

Another zombie charged at Jaeger from behind.

“Duke!” I yelled.

Jaeger pivoted, grabbing both ends of the chain attached to the mace and using it to block the zombie’s gaping mouth. After a brief struggle, he wrapped the chain around its skull and yanked it off.

Smash!

The zombie was flung backward, its skull shattering to pieces.

Wow.

My amazement was short-lived as I noticed a dozen more zombies staggering toward us from all directions.

I pulled out a hammer from my pouch and positioned myself next to Jaeger.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, sheathing his fallen sword at his waist.

I nodded toward the approaching zombies.

“You don’t plan on handling all of those by yourself, do you?”

“There’s no issue.”

“And what about those?”

I pointed to the massive horde of zombies swarming across the way.

“…”

I glanced at Jaeger, whose lips were pressed into a tight line.

“You realize now that escaping on your own is impossible, right?”

“…”

“If you cooperate, we might make it back in time for the Captain of the Holy Knights’ ceremony—”

Before I could finish, Jaeger dashed forward, clearly not interested in hearing the rest.

For a moment, I was left dumbfounded, but then I gritted my teeth and swung my hammer at the nearest zombie.

‘Maybe I should’ve just let him fend for himself.’

As we each fought off zombies in our respective areas, I suddenly heard a bone-chilling screech right behind me.

My stomach dropped.

Caught up in dealing with the zombies closing in from all sides, I hadn’t noticed the one sneaking up behind me.

I spun around just as a shadow loomed over my face.

The sight of the zombie’s empty, sunken eye sockets and its rattling teeth as it opened its jaws toward me sent shivers down my spine.

‘Damn it!’

Panicking, I tightened my grip on my hammer, which had nearly slipped from my hand.

Whizz, whizz, whizz—

A chain mace flew through the air like a boomerang, striking the zombie’s head and passing by me in a perfect arc.

I watched as the mace’s steel ball knocked the skull away like it was a lightweight billiard ball.

Thud!

Jaeger caught the handle of the mace with a cold, calculating look in his eyes as he glanced at me.

“Duke?”

“Get a grip. Don’t zone out in the middle of a battle. Have you forgotten this is a war zone?”

A surge of anger welled up inside me. Why did I have to listen to a lecture from him of all people?

Without hesitation, I rushed forward and brought my hammer down on a skull that was peeking over Jaeger’s shoulder.

Crack!

The force sent my tied-up hair flying briefly before it brushed against Jaeger’s face and fell back down.

I watched the zombie collapse into a pile of bones, then exhaled sharply and looked back at Jaeger. His cold, piercing eyes had widened in surprise, giving him a strangely innocent expression.

“See? You be careful too, Duke. Don’t lose focus in a war zone.”

Jaeger snapped back to attention, narrowing his eyes in irritation as he turned away.

‘Whatever.’

Smash!

I tucked the stray hair behind my ear and swung my hammer again.

Thud!

Jaeger, not to be outdone, swung his mace with equal force.

Our silent battle of wills continued as we took down every zombie near the forest’s edge.