ESMLT 10

Chapter 10

“Let’s see how you plan to escape on your own. Are you going to swim like a fish? Or maybe try to make a raft? Just so you know, I have no intention of giving you a Warp Scroll.”

Jaeger’s eyes narrowed, as if I had hit a nerve.

“We’ll rescue you from the temple soon—”

“No. Impossible. We can’t even contact the temple.”

Why had the male lead been trapped in the temple for a month?

After the incident, would the temple and the royal family just sit idly by?

No. They had been preoccupied with defending the steam that flowed into the empire, trying to prevent further infection.

They declared the westernmost zone, closest to the zombie area, as a disaster zone, evacuated the western residents, and formed a coalition to block the steam.

In other words, they were only trying to contain it while praying for the saint to awaken; it wasn’t a purification effort.

Moreover, the sacred zone has unique properties—it repels external forces and houses the remains of past saints and royalty, plus sea monsters lurk there, making a rescue far from easy.

In fact, ships sent from the empire after the incident were devoured by sea monsters, so neither swimming nor building a raft to escape was possible.

The only ways to escape were either the saint awakening or using a Warp Scroll from within.

“……”

“……”

I met Jaeger’s gaze for a while. He looked at me with eyes cold as ice, then abruptly turned away.

He wasn’t going to bend his stubbornness.

Sigh. I knew persuading Jaeger wouldn’t be easy…

It was even harder now, since he had no idea how serious the situation was.

We had just reached the edge of the forest when we spotted a zombie wandering near the sacred forest.

The sounds were muffled, but surely it was making that strange, eerie screeching noise: Kyeeeek!

Jaeger stopped and stared at it with wide eyes.

“See? I’m right, aren’t I?”

“…Noisy.”

He glanced at me, expressionless, and drew his sword.

Is he really planning to go into the sacred forest?

I looked back.

The Crown Prince trailing behind us was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, looking extremely displeased.

“You’re just going to leave him like that?”

“He’s done enough. Why are you clinging to the duke so much?”

“So we’re just going to let him go die?”

“You underestimate the duke’s swordsmanship. If he were the kind of man who’d die so easily, my swordsmanship master, the previous duke, would rise from his grave. Oh, maybe he’s among them? A rare quiet time for father and son, then.”

Sigh. I exhaled deeply and spoke.

“Your Highness, please, persuade him instead of me. The duke is also one of the empire’s citizens you’re supposed to protect.”

“……”

The Crown Prince, who had been quietly watching me, irritably ran his hand through the back of his hair.

“There’s a way to stop him.”

“Really?”

My eyes widened.

The Crown Prince, who had smirked at me earlier, put his hands in his pockets and approached Jaeger from behind.

Was he going to pat his shoulder and try to talk him down? Or intimidate him with authority?

“You need to experience it yourself.”

Bam!

He kicked Jaeger in the back.

Caught off guard and unable to prepare for combat, Jaeger passed through the invisible barrier and turned to look at us in shock.

I stared at the Crown Prince, mouth agape.

He shrugged with a mischievous look, like saying, “What? Did I do something wrong?”

Wow… he really is crazy.

“Your Highness, what is—”

I was about to scold him, but my attention was drawn to Jaeger facing the zombies.

He swiftly plunged his sword between a zombie’s ribs, flipping the blade to expose the torso bones.

Although we couldn’t hear it through the isolation barrier, the body collapsed with a rattling sound as the leg bones detached.

The Crown Prince, who made eye contact for a moment, grinned triumphantly as if to say, “See that?”

Annoyed, I glared and turned back to Jaeger.

He sliced the necks of three approaching zombies; the skulls fell with a dull thunk.

But moments later, the first zombie began to reconstruct itself, bones snapping back into place.

The zombies whose necks had been broken did the same.

Jaeger fought them again, but they kept reviving, over and over.

“Hmm, he can’t even use his aura. Should I have told him their weakness?”

The Crown Prince stood with arms crossed, nonchalant.

As if tossing him into a pit of fire is the time to ask that.

Sweat trickled down Jaeger’s temples as he frowned; it was clear without words that he was struggling.

This won’t do.

I watched him carefully and rummaged through the belt pouch at my waist.

I pulled out a small object at hand—a miniaturized flail.

“@#%#.”

I muttered the spell inscribed on it, and it instantly grew to full size.

I dashed out of the forest.

Behind me, the Crown Prince shouted, “Young lady!” but the zombie screeches quickly drowned him out.

“Duke, catch this!”

I threw the flail to Jaeger.

Thwack!

Jaeger turned to catch it instinctively.

I pointed at his head.

“Hit the head! Aim for the head!”

Kweeeek!

At first frowning, Jaeger instinctively swung the flail toward the eerie sound behind him.

Whack! Crack!

The zombie’s head flew off, bouncing on the ground.

Jaeger looked slightly surprised as the body collapsed, unable to revive.

Kyeeeek!

At that moment, a zombie lunged at Jaeger from behind.

“Duke!”

He twisted, grabbed both ends of the chain, and clamped the zombie’s jaw shut. After a brief struggle, he wrapped the chain around its skull and slammed it down.

Crunch!

The zombie’s skull shattered instantly.

Wow.

Admiring briefly, I noticed a dozen zombies staggering toward us from all directions.

I pulled out my hammer from the pouch and stood beside Jaeger.

“What are you doing?”

Jaeger sheathed his dropped sword at his waist and asked.

I gestured toward the approaching zombies.

“You’re not planning to handle all of that alone, are you?”

“No problem.”

“And those?”

I pointed to the zombie horde on the opposite side.

“……”

I glanced at Jaeger, silent.

“You realize now that escaping alone is impossible, right?”

“……”

“If you cooperate, we can return before the Paladin Commander ceremony—”

Whoosh!

Jaeger ran off, clearly unwilling to hear me.

I gritted my teeth and swung the hammer at the zombies.

Maybe I should have just left him to die.

While we were each taking down zombies, suddenly—

Kyeeeek!

A piercing screech came from directly behind me.

Ah! I hadn’t noticed a zombie approaching while focusing on others.

As I spun around, a shadow fell over my face.

The hollow, black eye sockets and clattering teeth opening toward me sent chills down my spine.

Damn it!

I was trying to grip my hammer properly when—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The flail flew like a boomerang, hitting the zombie’s head and passing over me in a semicircle.

I followed its movement as the skull was struck lightly, like a billiard ball.

Thwack!

Jaeger snatched the flail shaft and glared at me coldly.

“Duke?”

“Focus. This isn’t the time to space out. Do you forget we’re in a war situation?”

A hot surge of frustration welled up in me. Why did I have to be told this by him?

I leapt, striking the skull hovering over Jaeger’s shoulder.

Snap!

My tied-up hair floated briefly, brushed Jaeger’s face, and fell.

The zombie collapsed, and I exhaled, looking at Jaeger. His cold, piercing eyes softened, widening with childlike innocence—so unfamiliar.

“See? Duke, stay alert. Don’t lose focus in a war situation.”

Immediately, Jaeger snapped to attention, frowning in irritation.

As if that matters.

Crack!

I swung the hammer, tucking stray hair behind my ear.

Smack!

Jaeger swung the flail as if to show he wouldn’t lose.

Thus, our battle of wits continued until all the zombies near the forest were defeated.