Chapter 15
“…This won’t do. If you really don’t want to go, I’ll go check the west side by myself. Everyone else stay here.”
Honestly, that was easier on my mind, too.
With Jaeger and the Crown Prince, who could act on their whims at any moment, it was simpler to go alone than to accompany them.
“No.”
“Absolutely not.”
That’s what I thought… until both the Crown Prince and Jaeger spoke at the same time.
“Why? Going alone to bring back survivors is more efficient. Besides, all three of you are important people, so it’s only right for someone like me, lower in rank, to take action.”
“I told you, I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Wherever you go, I go too.”
Jaeger frowned and spoke in a reprimanding tone.
He was worried I’d do something reckless.
I gave the Crown Prince a reluctant glance.
“And Your Highness? Why do you say no?”
“Is that even a question? Obviously, I’m worried about you.”
That was a bit surprising. I didn’t expect him to care about me. I was secretly touched but shrugged it off casually.
“I can handle zombies on my own.”
The Crown Prince sighed, looking slightly exasperated.
“That’s not the point. If you meet survivors, you’ll need to be alone with them. What if they’re dangerous?”
“Fair point, but I can handle that.”
For a moment, the Crown Prince frowned in frustration and stabbed his knife into the plate.
“Listen, young lady, what I mean is—”
But maybe he used too much force.
Crack. The sound rang out as the antique plate holding the steak split into two pieces.
The Crown Prince blinked in shock, alternating his gaze between the knife and the broken plate.
“Why…?”
But whether he tried to explain it as a mistake or not, my gaze was already fixed on the carefully prepared steak trapped between the shards.
“…Young lady, this is—”
“Enough. Don’t bother making excuses.”
What good would apologies do? It was already inedible.
I felt a surge of frustration.
Nothing was right. They didn’t cooperate, growled whenever our eyes met.
One wouldn’t eat even if I made food, another shattered the plate, and the other only used me when filling his stomach, never giving any room for negotiation.
“That’s it! Nobody eats this!”
Anger boiling over, I stood abruptly and collected the plates from the Crown Prince and Xien.
Especially the Crown Prince’s broken plate—I stomped and threw it along with the ruined food into the trash.
“…Huh.”
The Crown Prince stared at me, stunned. He’d probably never had food taken away from him before.
“The meat…”
Xien held his cutlery in both hands, looking extremely wronged.
Jaeger, who had been observing, also stared at me in disbelief.
Why, what, so what?
Ignoring the gazes fixed on my head, I chewed and swallowed the meat heartily.
Before going to sleep, we decided to install security magic tools along the fence as a precaution.
If a zombie intruded into the fence, a beeping sound would alert us.
Jaeger took the left side, while Xien and I handled the right.
The Crown Prince, feeling apologetic, volunteered to do the dishes, so I left him to it.
‘If not now, when will I get the Crown Prince to do chores?’
I wondered if he even knew how to wash dishes.
Click.
I looked down at the sound of metal clicking into place.
Xien was surprisingly skilled at setting up the security tools.
I carefully followed behind, illuminating his back with a light, and spoke cautiously.
“You seem familiar with this?”
“…”
Xien glanced at me but continued installing the device.
‘He’s acting so pouty just because I took his meat, as if he’s some reverse-harem male lead.’
“Shall I make something delicious for you tomorrow?”
Xien glanced back at me again, seeming a little more relaxed.
I mustered the courage to kneel beside him, shining my light closer on his back.
The faint glow revealed the delicate side of his face.
When a lock of hair fell across his vision, he shook his head slightly.
I absentmindedly brushed the hair aside for him. He turned naturally to look at me.
His face was so beautiful I stared, dumbstruck.
‘He looks like a male Snow White.’
Click.
Xien gave me an emotionless look, finished installing the remaining security devices, and stood.
My hand, which had been holding his hair, fell naturally.
Seeing him turn and head to the cabin without a second thought, I spoke.
I wanted to avoid bringing this up, but…
“Is the reason you haven’t left this place because of the Sacred Forest?”
Xien stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly to face me.
The soft, flickering light revealed his unsettled face clearly. But his eyes, always calm and languid, were sharp.
“How did you know that?”
Because I read the original story.
When the Crown Prince’s group first appeared, he had been lethargic and lifeless, as in the original.
He acted as if it didn’t matter whether he lived or died.
Eventually, he opened up to them and took care of chores well…
Until one day, the Sacred Forest’s barrier collapsed, and monsters appeared.
[ Xien, come back! ]
He lost control and went on a rampage.
The forest was destroyed, and he suffered aftereffects from a heart attack.
The original story didn’t clearly explain why he went berserk, but I assumed it was connected to the previous tower master.
The previous guardian adored the Sacred Forest, according to the brief notes.
That’s likely why Xien still wants to stay in the Sacred Forest.
‘Oh, fragile princess.’
I sighed slightly.
If left alone, monsters would appear in the forest, and he could suffer a heart attack from mana overload.
While part of me wanted to bring him along to achieve something, I couldn’t morally leave him knowing the future.
‘I’ll have to persuade him to come with me.’
At that moment, Xien’s eyes sharpened as he stepped closer to me. Ah, right—we were mid-conversation.
“Answer me. How did you know I can’t leave because of the Sacred Forest?”
“Isn’t it more important what I can do for you than how I knew?”
“…What can you do for me?”
“You have something more important than the Sacred Forest.”
“…And that is?”
“The remains of the previous Tower Master.”
He flinched; a small twitch at the corner of his eye. I continued.
“The Dawn Forest in the west holds the graves of past Tower Masters. Let’s go find the remains together.”
He, who had seemed so tense, opened his eyes slightly, a bit drained.
“If I leave here, I’ll be useless without using mana.”
“I’ll protect you.”
In an instant, his large violet eyes flickered like candlelight.
A cold silence swept over us.
A beat later, heat rose to my face.
‘Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.’
I rubbed my cheek with the back of my hand and turned my head.
“You’ll protect me? You?”
“…Yes.”
“And help me find the remains?”
“Yes.”
Well, for now.
I’d do my best, but honestly, I wasn’t confident in finding the previous Tower Master’s remains.
That’s why I said we’d search together, not that I’d find them for him.
‘If we don’t find the remains, and he refuses to return to the empire… the future might get complicated.’
But for now, this was the only way to sway him.
I exhaled deeply and looked at him seriously.
“Come with me, Tower Master.”
In the soft light, Xien’s purple eyes seemed to shimmer.
He studied me silently for a long moment, then spoke.
“You’re a strange woman.”
“I know.”
“You could just leave me here to die.”
“I can’t do that.”
“….”
Xien frowned and lowered his gaze.
“I…”
He was about to speak when—
Weeeeee—! Beep beep beep—.
A zombie clung to the fence near Xien like chewing gum.
Kwaak!
It didn’t stop there; the zombie reached its hand inside the fence.
I bit my lip.
‘Damn it, no hammer right now.’
I tried to pull Xien’s arm, but he stood motionless like an old tree, watching me.
“What are you doing? Come here, Tower Master.”
At that moment, a gnarled, snake-like hand touched Xien’s hair.
Again and again.
Xien lifted his chin slightly to look at the sky.
“Ha…”
Then, with a furious expression, he rolled his eyes in the air.
“Who interrupts a conversation so rudely?”
His gentle, soft voice was gone, replaced by a chilling tone that made me flinch.
I thought he was speaking to me.
Bang—!
He fixed his gaze on me and drew his revolver, aiming at the back of his head—
