ESMLT 13

Chapter 13

I pulled up a chair to the table and sat across from the bed.

Shien was on the bed, wrapped up in a blanket with only his eyes peeking out.

Haah—.

Despite having taken a nap earlier, he yawned and tears gathered in his large eyes as if he were exhausted.

If it weren’t for that handsome face, I’d have thought he was some shut-in in the corner of the room.

Shien’s beauty was renowned even in the Empire.

Pale, almost ghostly white skin, black layered hair falling over his neck, soft violet eyes that seemed unfocused, full lips, and a sharp nose.

His shirt and perfectly pressed slacks that reached his ankles gave him the image of a noble young master.

“……Haah.”

Shien yawned again, blinking his tear-filled eyes. His bangs twitched slightly with the movement of his eyelashes.

Scrrrk—.

At that moment, the Crown Prince dragged a chair beside me and crossed his legs.

With his sculpted appearance and elegant posture, I almost mistook this rundown cabin for a hotel lounge.

If only that scowling expression weren’t there.

He had been wearing that look ever since I said I would accompany Shien.

“So… you mean we’re escaping from here, Master of the Magical Tower? That’s what you intend, right?”

Even after I finished explaining the zombie situation, Shien just yawned with a sleepy face.

“Master of the Magical Tower? …I haven’t heard your decision yet.”

I asked, studying Shien’s expression, and he only turned his eyes toward me.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s troublesome.”

…Right, this guy was less just haughty—he was the kind of princess-like, picky perfectionist.

“And—.”

Shien lifted his gaze toward the Crown Prince. His previously drowsy eyes sharpened considerably.

“Why should I accompany him? It’s awful.”

He twisted his face away in distaste.

The Crown Prince tilted his chin and looked down at him with a displeased expression.

“See? Don’t expect cooperation from this one. Forget him and find another survivor, milady.”

Sigh. I rested my forehead in my hand.

“Your Highness, please just stay still.”

Instead of helping persuade Shien, he was only making things worse.

The Crown Prince looked back at me, bewildered.

“…Are you siding with him instead of me?”

“Are you dividing teams like a child?”

“….”

There was a hint of hurt in the Crown Prince’s eyes as he looked at me.

…Why that expression?

Shien lay on the bed with an indifferent expression, resting his chin on his elbow and staring out the window. There was not a trace of motivation in his indifferent eyes.

Sigh… I thought we just crossed the mountain called Jaeger, and now this.

I sighed deeply and brushed my bangs back. The neat line of my bangs became a tangled mess.

The relationship between these two men went back a long way.

When Shien was eight, the previous Master of the Magical Tower had adopted him. But the child they found turned out to be a golden goose.

By the age of ten, he had surpassed even the Master’s direct disciples.

Not only did he possess vast mana, he could also easily unravel spells that adult magicians couldn’t.

Having been pampered in such an environment, he had never even furrowed his brow.

And possessing enough mana to rival the strongest magicians, it was natural in a world of survival of the fittest to cater to his whims.

But Shien did have a natural nemesis: the Crown Prince.

At twelve, he went to the Imperial Palace with the previous Master of the Magical Tower. While his adoptive father was away, he met the Crown Prince during training.

At the time, a sword the Crown Prince cherished as a memento of his mother was in the training area. Shien played with it secretly and accidentally dropped it into the pond.

The Crown Prince was furious but restrained himself once. He didn’t want to cause trouble between the Palace and the Tower.

Yes, he restrained himself.

Until Shien refused to apologize.

“I don’t want to.”

From that moment, their enmity began.

“What an insolent child. He needs training to grow into a proper adult.”

The Crown Prince kicked Shien into the pond.

He watched the struggling Master with disdain before turning away.

“Don’t help him until he can get out of the pond on his own!”

Splash—.

Since unauthorized magicians couldn’t use mana in the Palace, Shien flailed helplessly.

After the Crown Prince left, he realized the pond was shallow and finally touched the bottom.

Soaked like a drowned rat, he glared at the Crown Prince through wet hair.

He had felt shame and humiliation in front of countless servants.

From then on, they became rivals and enemies—constantly trying to outdo each other.

Sighing shallowly, I reflected.

Even though Shien looks like that, he’s aggressive in battle. Whenever they meet, their stats clash and they end up evenly matched.

I glanced at the Crown Prince and Shien, who weren’t even looking at each other.

Watching them stirred my emotions oddly.

Why do these same people who will later agree to polygamy to avoid my heartbreak act so viciously only in front of me?

I suppressed my anger for a moment and calmed my mind.

Focus. Right now, persuading Shien is priority.

Honestly, I’d like to grab Shien by the collar and drag him along, but I have to try to change his mind respectfully.

Changing someone’s decision takes time and effort to understand them.

For that, first…

I leaned toward the Crown Prince and whispered.

“Your Highness, let’s stay here today and use the opportunity to persuade Master of the Magical Tower.”

“He’s not a valuable ally anyway. Why not just leave him?”

“…So ruthless, huh?”

I narrowed my eyes in mild reproach.

I saved you! I cried because of you!

Hah, the Crown Prince muttered under his breath and roughly tousled his hair.

“Fine, fine, I get it.”

In the end, we decided to stay at the northern shelter for the day.

Even in the original timeline, the northern shelter was safe thanks to the barrier of the Sacred Forest, so we could stay without worry.

“For a while, we can rest.”

Screeech—.

Oh no.

I almost burned the meat while lost in thought.

I quickly flipped the chunks of meat, pressing down hard with the tongs on the four tenderloin pieces tied with silk thread.

Juices flowed, mixing with the oil and sizzling, releasing a delicious aroma.

I grilled green onions seasoned with oil and salt next to the meat.

After lowering the heat, I covered it with another pan like a lid, stirring the mushroom soup to prevent it from sticking, and prepared the steak sauce.

It was a flavorful, classic demi-glace sauce.

I tested it on the back of my hand and was impressed.

“Mm.”

As expected. My skills haven’t diminished.

I had chosen the finest ingredients from the northern food storage.

Although food management was crucial for survival, there was a reason for raiding the pantry.

Shien, being gifted, was always surrounded by people motivated by curiosity and greed. Their affection only made his inner world impoverished.

So except for his adoptive father, he couldn’t form attachments, and he satisfied his inner void with food and sleep.

Of course he would love to eat.

Then I just needed to win over his taste buds—my plan even before coming to the zombie zone.

“…He should start reacting to the smell soon.”

I craned my neck like a deer, observing Shien, wrapped up in his blanket like a larva on the bed.

How’s that for cooking skills honed through self-study while working at a restaurant?

As expected.

I grinned triumphantly.

Even pretending to be asleep, Shien reacted to the delicious smell—his eyes twitched slightly.