<Episode 18>

“…What’s wrong?”

“Lady, aren’t you being a bit too lenient with this guy?”

“Well, then why don’t you do the laundry, Your Highness? I’ll praise you for it.”

The Crown Prince immediately nodded, as if he found that idea appealing.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll take care of it.”

“…I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t do anything.”

I recalled the Crown Prince, who had completely forgotten the original story and had offered to wash the dishes, leading to the shattered plates from the previous day…

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Thank goodness we’re leaving for the west tomorrow; I was close to sitting at the table like a refined orangutan, eating with my bare hands.

For the record, the Crown Prince and Jaeger were the worst combination for household chores.

In the original story, Sien had been furious and insisted that they not touch anything.

They had turned perfectly good ingredients into poison and turned clothing and bedding into rags.

Hah.

As I sighed, the Crown Prince frowned and asked what the problem was.

Anyway, you shouldn’t do anything. Just don’t.

“Are you going to open the door or not?”

Jaeger, standing straight and glaring at the door, gestured toward the weapons storage. It was his way of saying to stop rambling and just open the door.

I nodded and inserted the key into the doorknob.

I was also curious about the weapons storage, which wasn’t mentioned in the original.

As I turned the key slightly, something clicked, and with a clear sound, the door opened.

Turning the knob, I revealed a narrow space that could fit three or four people.

The Crown Prince, holding a lantern, motioned for me to follow him slowly, wary of the traps in a storage filled with deadly weapons.

Once inside, the Crown Prince brought the lantern to the walls of the storage. The storage was…

‘Huh?’

A sound of disappointment escaped me.

I had expected to see guns and swords lined up against the walls like in a zombie movie, but that wasn’t the case.

‘It’s empty.’

I licked my lips as I stepped inside, crossing the threshold.

In front of me was a heavily armored suit on display.

On the left wall of the display, there was another revolver next to an empty spot where Sien’s revolver had been.

While it was inconvenient to load each bullet and remove the casings, it was efficient for him to manifest and remove bullets using mana.

‘It would be nice to use the remaining one…’

As I looked around the storage with hope, I sighed.

‘There are no bullets.’

In this case, the weapons were meaningless except for Sien.

Well, I had expected that. After all, this place was the cursed sanctuary of the Sacred Zone.

It was surprising enough to find a weapons storage in a place where weapon entry was prohibited, let alone having any meant for killing.

Since wild animals sometimes appeared in the sanctuary, they must have kept weapons that could threaten them even if they couldn’t kill.

I glanced back at Sien, who was examining the revolver.

“Tower Master, I can’t handle firearms outside because I don’t know the characteristics of zombies.”

Why? Don’t zombies swarm to the sound of gunshots in movies? Since I still didn’t know if zombies reacted to sound, it was better to be cautious.

Sien examined the revolver and then glanced at me.

“Don’t worry; I’ll reduce the noise using the preservation method.”

“Is that possible?”

“Yes.”

His confident statement made me smile faintly in relief.

Even though Sien could use firearms, he was calm because he had difficulties using them in real situations.

If he could reduce noise while using a gun, that would be a huge advantage if he could be a significant asset.

“Is it that great?”

“Of course, we’ve secured a combatant.”

I looked around at the cheerful atmosphere.

The Crown Prince and Jaeger were examining the daggers displayed on the wall.

They were discussing what items could be used as weapons, assessing which ones would work and which ones wouldn’t.

Since most of the items were daggers, it seemed they were looking for disposable knives that could be thrown at a zombie’s head in dangerous situations.

As I scanned around, I noticed a bow hanging at the end of the wall.

‘…There’s a bow here too.’

I had reluctantly brought one myself.

Suddenly, as an unwanted memory surfaced, Sien approached me, watching me as I gazed at the bow.

“What’s wrong, Ria?”

At Sien’s reaction, Jaeger and the Crown Prince turned their attention to me.

“…Ah, I don’t think I need this. I already have one.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be wise to keep it as a backup?”

Jaeger, who usually disliked me, unexpectedly made the suggestion first.

I was slightly taken aback by his rare initiative in speaking.

‘He’s surprisingly proactive in battle.’

Having already missed the opportunity to decline, I sighed and nodded.

“Okay. It might be lacking after all.”

I took out a compact kit from my pouch and shrank the bow to fit into my bag. I planned to gather other weapons tomorrow.

“I think this should be enough, so shall we get some rest? We need to move to find other survivors tomorrow.”

Technically, we were heading to the western shelter where the last male lead was, but there was no need to reveal suspicious intentions by making any slip-ups.

The visible goal of our journey was to find additional survivors to fill the warp scroll.

‘Sigh, by the way…’

I lightly patted my shoulder with my fist.

‘The day has been long, way too long.’

* * *

I woke up from tossing and turning in my sleep.

It was a habit of mine to wake up easily when I had too many thoughts.

I blinked my eyes open and lowered my gaze.

The Crown Prince was sitting on the bed ladder, asleep with a window tucked under one arm. The only covering he had was the jacket draped over his shoulder.

‘After setting traps, who falls asleep on watch, thinking someone might break in? He should be sleeping comfortably. This distrust in humans is exhausting.’

I got out of bed, tidied my disheveled hair, and touched the blanket hanging on the clothesline. It was still damp. Reluctantly, I pulled my blanket over the Crown Prince, covering him carefully.

Even while doing so, I questioned why I was being so considerate to someone who had made me cry.

‘…Even this tough guy is human. If he catches a cold, it could be a problem for our strength.’

I stole a glance at the sleeping Crown Prince, who had his head slightly bowed.

‘He looks like a child when he’s asleep.’

Ugh. An unnecessary mischievous thought crept in, and I rolled him up in the blanket like a snowman.

Afterward, I dusted off my hands and stepped outside the cabin to take a moment to breathe.

The dawn air brushed against my skin, waking me up. I stretched my arms out and froze mid-stretch.

Tap tap tap—!

It was the sound of something thudding that caught my attention from a distance.

I quietly moved toward the backyard where the chopping wood was taking place.

‘Is that Duke Jaeger?’

Under the dim sky as dawn approached, Jaeger was training.

Tap—. Tap—. Tap—!

He had set a log upright and was quickly running while flicking a few daggers he had found in the weapons storage, embedding them into the target.

It seemed that merely using a mace wasn’t enough for him. With a somewhat irritated expression, he drew the daggers and, as he passed the standing log, threw three daggers at once.

Thud! The daggers flew toward the log and struck their designated spots in unison.

‘Ohhh….’

Just as I was admiring his skill—

Tap—.

In the blink of an eye, another dagger whizzed past my face from a considerable distance.

“…!”

I jumped in surprise, wide-eyed like a rabbit.

But that shock quickly turned into annoyance.

‘Why are both the Crown Prince and this guy throwing daggers first?’

I glanced displeased at the blade stuck in the wood behind me and spoke up.

“When did you know I was here?”

Jaeger straightened up from his throwing stance and replied.

“How could I not notice with all the noise you were making?”

There was a hint of reprimand in his cold tone.

It was the same cold treatment I had become accustomed to over the past few days.

That didn’t mean it was okay. I couldn’t be a garbage can for emotions forever.

‘It can’t be helped. I suppose it’s time to execute that plan.’

I had planned this before coming here.

Once Jaeger’s companionship was confirmed, I would apologize for Redria’s past behavior.

Though I hadn’t committed any of those acts myself, it was true that Redria had cruelly tormented Roeni and let them down.

While I couldn’t firmly assert that she was guilty of attempted murder against the saintess, she had denied it until the end…

‘Sorry, Redria.’

I thought it was more important to soothe his feelings.

Apologizing would be akin to admitting guilt, but since the statute of limitations had passed and everyone already knew it was her fault, it wouldn’t change anything.

‘But I’ll believe in you instead.’

As I internally apologized to Redria, I thought it was timely and looked toward Jaeger as he approached me.

I didn’t avoid him as he came closer to pull out the dagger stuck behind me; instead, I looked up at him.