<Episode 15>

“…This won’t do. If you really don’t want to go, I’ll check the west by myself. You all wait here.”

In fact, that was more comfortable for me mentally.

I couldn’t predict when Jaeger and the Crown Prince would act on their own again, so it was easier to go alone than to accompany those two.

“No.”

“That’s not acceptable.”

I thought that until the Crown Prince and Jaeger spoke simultaneously.

“Why? It’s more efficient to go alone and bring back survivors. Besides, since you three are all precious individuals, it’s only right for someone like me, a lower-ranking person, to take action.”

“I told you. I’ll be watching you. Wherever you go, I’ll go too.”

Jaeger said, narrowing his eyes in a reproachful manner.

He was worried that I would do something reckless.

I looked at the Crown Prince with a frown.

“What about His Highness? Why do you think it’s not okay?”

“Is that even a question? Of course, I’m worried about you, my lady.”

I was a bit surprised. I didn’t expect him to be concerned about me. I was secretly touched, but I shrugged it off as if it didn’t matter.

“I can handle zombies by myself.”

The Crown Prince sighed, looking somewhat frustrated.

“That’s not it. If you encounter a survivor, you’ll be alone with them. What if they’re a dangerous person?”

“That’s a valid point, but I’m confident I can handle that much.”

In that moment, the Crown Prince frowned, looking frustrated, and stabbed the knife into the plate.

“Hey, my lady. What I mean is—”

But perhaps he was too forceful.

With a sharp sound, the antique plate holding the steak shattered into two pieces.

The Crown Prince looked quite flustered as he alternated between the knife and the plate.

“Why is this…?”

As the Crown Prince babbled about it being a mistake, my gaze was already fixed on the carefully made steak, now lying amidst the glass shards.

“…My lady, this is—”

“Enough, don’t make excuses.”

What good is an apology? It was already inedible.

My insides simmered with frustration.

Nothing was going right; there was no cooperation, and they only snarled when our eyes met.

One wouldn’t eat even if I made something for them, another broke the plate, and one used me to fill their stomach but kept their mouth shut, leaving no room for negotiation.

“Enough! No one is to eat!”

With my emotions frayed to the limit, I stood up abruptly and reclaimed Sien and the Crown Prince’s plates.

I especially threw the Crown Prince’s broken plate, along with the food that couldn’t be eaten, straight into the trash.

“…Huh.”

The Crown Prince stared at me with a dazed expression. It must have been his first experience being deprived of food in his life.

“Meat…”

Sien had a very aggrieved look on his face, holding the cutlery in both hands.

Jaeger, who had been observing the situation, also watched me with a look of disbelief.

What? Why? What do you want from me?

Ignoring the gazes piercing into the top of my head, I continued to chew on the meat.

* * *

As a precaution before sleeping, I decided to install a security magic device in front of the fence.

It was a device that would beep if zombies invaded the area.

Jaeger took the left side while Sien and I handled the right.

The Crown Prince, perhaps feeling guilty, volunteered to wash the dishes, so I left him to it.

‘When else would I get to boss around the Crown Prince?’

But I wondered if he even knew how to wash dishes.

Click—

I lowered my head at the sound of metal clinking.

Sien was quite skillfully setting up the security device.

I carefully started a conversation, shining my light on him from behind.

“You seem to be experienced?”

“….”

Sien glanced at me and continued installing the device.

‘The reverse harem male lead is sulking over losing his meat, huh.’

“Should I make you something delicious tomorrow?”

Sien looked back at me again while installing the security device. He seemed a bit more relaxed.

So, I mustered my courage, knelt beside him, and moved my light closer.

In the dim light, his handsome profile was revealed.

Sien shook his head slightly as his hair fell over his eyes.

Without thinking, I brushed his hair aside. He naturally turned to look at me.

The moment our faces met, I was captivated by how pretty he was.

‘He looks like a male Snow White.’

Click—

Sien stared at me with an emotionless expression before standing up after finishing the remaining security devices.

My hand, which had been holding his hair, fell away naturally.

Seeing him turn without a second thought toward the cabin, I decided to speak up.

I wanted to avoid bringing this topic up as much as possible.

“Is the reason you haven’t left this place because of the Sacred Forest?”

Sien abruptly stopped. He slowly turned back to look at me.

His face was clearly revealed in the softly spread light, showing his agitation without filters. Contrastingly, his usually lazy eyes were sharp.

“How did you know that?”

Because I read the original story.

When I encountered the Crown Prince’s group, he was powerless and lacked the will to live, just like in the original.

He acted as if it didn’t matter whether he lived or died.

Yet, he eventually opened his heart to them and started taking care of the lyrics.

Then, one day, he experienced a collapse.

The barrier of the Sacred Forest was broken, and monstrous creatures appeared.

Sien, come back!

In the collapsing Sacred Forest, he lost his sanity and went on a rampage.

Afterward, not only did the forest burn down, but he also suffered from the aftereffects of a heart attack.

In the original, the cause of his rampage wasn’t clearly described, but I inferred it might be related to the previous Tower Master.

The brief description said that his adoptive father loved the Sacred Forest very much.

So perhaps that’s why he still wanted to stay in the Sacred Forest.

‘Oh dear, a weak-hearted princess.’

I sighed a little.

If this continued, monsters would appear in the Sacred Forest, and he would suffer from a heart attack due to mana overload.

While I wanted to take him away to achieve something, it wouldn’t be right to leave him knowing the future.

‘Somehow, I have to persuade him to come with me.’

At that moment, Sien narrowed his eyes sharply and took a step closer to me. Oh right, we were in the middle of a conversation.

“Answer me. How did you know I couldn’t leave because of the Sacred Forest?”

“Isn’t it more important what I can do for you rather than how I found out?”

“…What can you do for me?”

“There’s something more important to you than the Sacred Forest.”

“…What is it?”

“The remains of the previous Tower Master.”

Sien’s eyes twitched slightly. Noticing that faint disturbance, I continued speaking.

“In the Dawn Forest to the west, there’s a grave for the previous Tower Masters. Let’s search for the remains of the previous Tower Master together.”

At that, he, who had seemed sensitive, blinked with a hint of disbelief.

“If I leave this place, I’ll only be a burden since I can’t use mana.”

“I’ll protect you.”

In that moment, his large lavender eyes widened and flickered like a candle.

A chilly silence enveloped us.

A beat later, heat surged to my face.

‘Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.’

As I rubbed my cheek with the back of my hand and turned my head, he spoke.

“You’ll protect me? You?”

“…Yes.”

“And you’ll help me find the remains too?”

“Yes.”

Well, for now.

I would do my best, but to be honest, I didn’t have confidence in finding the remains of the previous Tower Master.

That’s why I didn’t say I would find them for him initially; I said we should look for them together.

‘What if I can’t find the remains and end up not returning to the Empire? The thought of that future is a bit daunting…’

For now, this was the only way to move his heart.

Sighing softly, I looked at him seriously.

“Let’s go together, Tower Master.”

In the gentle light, I could see Sien’s violet eyes shimmering.

He gazed at me for a while with a calm expression before finally speaking.

“You’re a strange woman.”

“I know.”

“You could just leave me here to die.”

“I can’t do that.”

“……”

Eventually, Sien twisted his eyes and looked down.

“I…”

He was about to say something when—

Kweeeeeee—! Beep beep beep—

Clang!

A zombie had stuck to the fence near Sien.

Kueeek!

Not stopping there, the zombie reached its hand into the fenced area.

I bit my lip tightly.

‘Damn, I don’t even have a hammer right now.’

I pulled on Sien’s arm, but he stood there like an ancient tree, silently observing me.

“What are you doing? Come this way, Tower Master.”

In that moment, a bony hand like a snake’s tongue brushed against Sien’s hair.

How many times had that happened?

Sien lifted his chin slightly to look at the sky.

“Ha…”

Then, with a deeply furrowed brow, he rolled his eyes in the air.

“Who interrupts a conversation so rudely?”

His previously gentle voice had vanished, replaced by a chilling tone that made me flinch.

I realized he was speaking to me.

Bang—!

Before he fixed his gaze on me and shot himself in the back of the head with a revolver.