ESMLT 04

Chapter 4

“Sigh.”

The crown prince ran a hand through his hair and laughed in disbelief.

“…Hey, my lady. Do you really think that makes sense? As you said, this place is a sacred zone.”

Right, a sacred zone.

A sanctuary under the temple’s jurisdiction, protected by powerful divine energy.

Even magical items aside, using mana or aura here is forbidden.

If someone used them forcefully, the resulting interference could cause a disaster. That’s why, in a place like this, pure physical strength was the only way to survive.

And now, because of the zombie vapor, it had become a place that directly opposed the sacred energy.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Sometimes, things happen that can’t be explained with words.”

Just like how I ended up here.

The crown prince’s face twisted. He looked at me as if to say, How can you be so calm?

“I woke up first. I was able to adapt relatively steadily.”

A lie.

I hadn’t adapted yet.

The crown prince laughed in disbelief, then pressed his lips together.

“Is there any way to communicate with the outside?”

I pulled out the communication magic device, a brooch attached to my shirt collar.

But when I tapped it, all I got was a static zzzt– sound.

“It’s broken. It won’t connect.”

“Damn it.”

He swore and ran his wine-colored hair through his fingers.

Then, he seemed to pause and organize his thoughts.

Luckily, perhaps because he was the protagonist type, he didn’t suggest returning to the empire immediately using a scroll before rescuing the remaining survivors.

Survival is a battle of tools, manpower, intelligence, and time.

He knew that any delay could cost additional survivors their lives.

I felt a deep sense of relief that the crown prince was a more rational person than in the original story.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t yet mentally deteriorated like in the original.

Anyway—

“Your Highness, will you cooperate with my plan?”

“…Well.”

What?

The crown prince shattered my thin hope in an instant, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes half-lidded, and stared at my waist.

“Why would I trust someone carrying a weapon alone?”

He nodded toward the hammer hanging from my belt with a look of longing.

“Is that your only weapon?”

Ah, so he wanted me to share.

I tapped my hip pouch lightly.

“I have weapons I can share.”

“That rigid temple wouldn’t have allowed you to carry a weapon. How did you bring it?”

“Obviously, I snuck it in.”

“Huh?”

The crown prince furrowed his brow in disbelief.

It was true.

I had indeed smuggled it.

Sacred zones prohibited weapons and magical items.

Special permission was required to carry a weapon, but the procedure was complex and often had exceptions.

I had thought about burying a weapon a few days before the ceremony, but it would surely be found during the strict inspection before the prayer gathering.

So, on the day of the prayer gathering, I barely passed the portal checkpoint using Heiton’s invisibility patch.

Even I admit the temple security was sloppy… but it’s true, so what can I do?

The crown prince looked skeptical when I admitted I had snuck it in, but I had anticipated that level of suspicion.

Lies only invite unnecessary doubt, so it’s better to reveal a careless truth.

“Then why did you bring weapons and a warp scroll?”

“I brought the weapons to go monster hunting after the ceremony to relieve stress. I didn’t expect this situation to happen.”

“So you smuggled weapons for monster hunting, and then this mess happened by chance?”

“Yes.”

I nodded boldly. Given Redria’s personality, this was a cute level of boldness, so I decided to act shamelessly.

The crown prince looked at me with confused eyes.

He must find this suspicious.

Yet he didn’t press the issue because I was the only one he could rely on right now.

It was better for the disadvantaged party to give in.

“…”

The crown prince stared at me for a while, then seemed to recall something and nodded, looking somewhat convinced.

“I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been hitting your servants’ heads lately. So that was monster hunting practice.”

…Fine, if that makes it understandable, just let me be crazy.

By now, I didn’t even want to bother clarifying the distorted rumors.

“Speaking of which, I’ll share the weapons with you.”

I laid several small-sized weapons on the kitchen island table, one by one.

A hammer, a spear, a mace, and a bow.

Naturally, I chose the hammer.

“I’ll use the hammer.”

“I’ll take the spear.”

Without hesitation, the crown prince picked up the wooden spear.

As he muttered the spell etched into the spear, it grew beyond his head. Even with its lightweight magic, it was impossible for me to use.

He tossed it, caught it, repeated the motion to gauge its weight, then muttered that he hadn’t held it in a while, tracing a horizontal line in the air.

Whoosh—

My bangs lifted before falling back.

Just one swing, and a fierce wind filled the space.

He hasn’t held one in a while? With one swing, he could send three skulls flying.

I watched the crown prince examine the spear, eyes wide.

He had an exceptional physique and was hailed as a prodigy in martial arts—archery, spear, swordsmanship, horseback riding—there was nothing he couldn’t do. He even graduated early from the academy.

Rumors whispered that he had supernatural abilities, though none were confirmed in the original story.

…Meanwhile, I worked until my hands blistered to wield a hammer proficiently.

I looked at my blistered hands, feeling a strange resentment, but right now, survival mattered more than grievances.

The crown prince eyed my hammer and me with thinly veiled disapproval.

I felt like a clumsy new recruit wondering how we’d escape.

He already knew.

He knew Redria Arios, who supposedly dreaded even breaking a sweat, was effectively zero in combat power.

A month ago, I would have been intimidated by that look.

But after a month of special training, I’m different.

I swung the hammer—whoosh—and his red hair fluttered like silk.

Seeing his golden eyes widen slightly at the controlled swing, I rested the hammer lightly on my shoulder.

“…Well, this combat power should suffice, right?”

I shrugged playfully.

The crown prince, eyes back to normal, chuckled.

“Well, it’ll serve as a decent shield.”

Ugh, maybe I should just leave him behind.

“But, my lady.”

“Yes?”

He frowned slightly and ran his hand over the back of his head.

“Why is there a bump on the back of my head?”

“…I don’t know.”

…Good girl, I’ll let it slide.

Creeeeak—!

The crown prince stood slanted by the window and drew the curtains. After peeking outside for a moment, he spoke cautiously.

“So, do we have a way to get through that horde of zombies? You’re not thinking of taking them out one by one, right?”

Well, that would be fun, though.

He grinned wickedly, looking at the zombie horde with interest.

A shiver ran down my spine.

…Is he actually enjoying this?

I glared at him, wide-eyed.

Cancel that thought that he’s mentally sound.

In the original story, the crown prince was charming and sociable, using his looks to disarm opponents before striking.

Yet, internally, he distrusted everyone and built walls—a very troublesome character.

And his mouth ran so freely that he often caused personal enmities around him.

Can I really handle him?

I pressed my temple and answered, feeling like I’d been tasked with a troublesome precious child.

“Your Highness, as you said, taking them all out one by one is impossible.”

Besides, they weren’t burned by sunlight and operated tirelessly day and night.

These zombies were skeletons of unidentified warriors buried together, attacking living beings, with skulls as weak points and slow reflexes and walking speed.

The only relief? They weren’t cannibals.

They bite humans, but their jaw and grip are strong enough to tear flesh.

If a healthy person gets bitten, a true walking corpse is born.

So if a limb is bitten, it must be amputated to avoid infection.

Ugh, that’s creepy.

In summary, we needed a plan to move safely.

Clack.

I removed the temple map from the hut wall and spread it across the table.

“Come this way, please.”

The crown prince let go of the curtains and approached the table.