Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem! Volume 2 Page 3

  “It’s so hard to imagine the capital that way seeing it now,” she says, looking at the fully repaired buildings.

  As a member of the reconstruction crew, I’m proud of how far we have come in the past three months. Of course, it was only possible because the people of Grantz worked hard to bring back a sense of normalcy.

  My country often experiences disasters, and each time, the people have come together to rebuild. Maybe that’s why I feel a special connection with the people here.

  “Good morning, Priestess Mizuha!”

  “Oh, it’s our priestess! Thank you for everything you do!”

  Adults and children alike cheerfully greet me. There’s the occasional stiff who is awkwardly formal, but the majority of people here are easy to get along with. I respond to everyone and wave. Nady seems surprised by our interaction.

  “I thought this when we first arrived in the capital, but you are overwhelmingly popular with the people.”

  “Big Sis’s magnetism comes not from her title as Priestess, but from the actions she has taken to win over their hearts,” Cia proudly explains.

  I always wonder how she’s capable of glamorizing me in every little thing. I mean, I’m happy she adores me so much, but I’m scared to death of letting her see my ugly side.

  “In the beginning, I just did what I had to to survive,” I admit.

  “But now it’s more than that,” she states confidently.

  “W-Well…I guess you could say that.”

  Purifying the world with Goddess Sadia’s powers as her chosen priestess—in the end, I chose to continue on this path. That’s why I can’t argue with Cia.

  “How about you, ma’am? You will gain infinite joy if you join the Church of Our Lady Mizuha!”

  I suddenly hear something unsettling in the distance. Warning alarms blaring in my head, my gaze lands on a young woman clad in what looks exactly like the distinctive habit worn by Catholic nuns. She’s soliciting people in the streets.

  There’s no mistaking those violet eyes and the silver hair peeking out of her veil—it’s Iris, the woman who believes without a doubt that I am her goddess. To make matters worse, she is surrounded by the other Mizuha Church cultists.

  “By joining the Church of Our Lady Mizuha, you can live without fear of the zombies!”

  “Your skin will be eternally soft and youthful!”

  “Today is the day for you to join the Church of Our Lady Mizuha!”

  They’re spreading worthless nonsense again. Heck, I’d want to join if it meant I could have eternally youthful skin. Then again, this power does belong to a goddess, so that could be a possible use for it. Never hurts to try it. Looks like I have a new experiment to try on myself starting today—

  “S-Say, Mizuha? What are they—”

  “Don’t look. Your life will never be the same if you do.”

  Just as I give Nady that warning, I accidentally make eye contact with one of the cultists in the street. We both freeze as if time has stopped around us, before things start snowballing out of control.

  “Sister Iris, it’s Goddess Mizuha! She has honored us with her holy presence!”

  “She has?! After her! I’m going to get my head rub—I mean, a divine revelation today!”

  “Crap! We don’t want to get caught! Run for it!” I shout to the girls.

  We hurtle into the back alleys and race around several dozen winding corners. Cia doesn’t have much stamina. It’s unlikely we will be able to escape them for good, but I don’t sense them directly behind us anymore. I assume Lex did something about them for me. We exit the alleyway onto a different street and stop to catch our breath.

  “I think we’re safe now,” I sigh.

  “Th-They seem like very zealous believers,” Nady says, sounding overwhelmed.

  “They won’t stop no matter how I plead with them…”

  “If you give the order, I will bring the full might of Grantz down on them, Big Sister,” Cia offers. It’s scary because she’s serious.

  “Uhh… I don’t think we need to go that far.”

  I’m flattered they idolize me, but starting a whole religion to worship me is too extreme. Still, they haven’t really hurt anyone. And they did play an active part in punishing the person who summoned Diallo. At any rate, I have reservations over squashing their group just because they make me uncomfortable.

  “MiZUha!”

  “Oh gosh, he’s the next one out of the woodwork…” I cringe.

  “Indeed. They just keep coming…” Cia and I sigh together over the obnoxious voice behind us.

  “What keeps coming?” Nady asks, the only one who doesn’t know better.

  Anyone who hangs out with me will eventually learn his name whether they want to or not. After all, I have a nearly ninety-nine percent encounter rate with him if I’m in the capital.

  “I was really hoping you wouldn’t show up today.”

  I heave the heaviest sigh yet as I turn around. Right behind me is a young man who looks like the poster child for spoiled noblemen—Keith Rowadan. He’s an annoying guy who habitually proclaims his love for me because he feels our meeting was fate.

  “Then that means you prefer me to show up on certain days,” he says, coming to the wrong conclusion.

  “Nope. I never want you to show up, just more so today.”

  “HAHA! I see you are ever the shy lady, MiZUha.”

  Keith never takes a hint no matter how blunt I am. Either he’s deaf or has a mind of steel. Whichever it is, his persistence is the epitome of harrying.

  “Mizuha, who is this?” Nady asks nervously.

  “Keith Rowadan. He’s a man with his head screwed on backward.”

  “You’re so harsh, MiZUha. You should have introduced me as ‘the man who loves me more than anyone in the world.’”

  “As you can see, he is not someone you can hold a conversation with.”

  “I-I can see that.”

  Nady is more put off by Keith than even the Mizuha Fanatics. I don’t blame her. I felt the same way when I first met him too. And I still do.

  Cia steps in front of Keith with her eyebrows turned down in a stern scowl. “Lord Rowadan, I believe I gave you a firm warning not to pester Big Sister Mizuha.”

  “Why, if it isn’t Her Highness, the Princess. I apologize for not greeting you sooner.” Keith sweeps his arm under his chest in a gallant bow, paying his respects as a noble, before cheekily dismissing her warning. “As for MiZUha…she and I are bound by the red thread of fate. Alas! We have been since the day I received that heavenly blow that shook me to my core and saved me from the depths of darkness with a godly light!”

  “Yeah…that was just the purification light,” I demur. “Everyone else experiences it too.”

  “Even so! I am absolutely positive no one else experienced the same hard blow that I did!”

  True...I might’ve hit him twice as hard as everyone else if he was just as persistent as a zombie. Though that has absolutely nothing to do with affection or positive emotions…

  “All right, MiZUha, why don’t you come away with me? I have prepared a superb lunch for you today!”

  “No thanks. I’m not going anywhere with you ever.”

  He never listens to a word I say. Keith reaches for me to whisk me away with him, but Nady grabs his arm before it touches me.

  “Sorry, but Mizuha is uncomfortable with you touching her!”

  “What’s the deal with you, cat?” Keith scoffs. “Where did you come from?”

  “I have been here from the start.”

  “I only have eyes for MiZUha, you see.”

  Apparently, Keith’s eyes are still experiencing zombie rot.

  “Does that mean you have forgotten whose presence you are in, Lord Rowadan?”

  “N-Naturally I always see you too, Your Highness.” Even Keith falters before Cia’s pointed remark. It doesn’t make him back down though. “Wh-Whoever you are, release my hand! Only MiZUha’s pure hands can touch me.”

  “No. I refuse to let go.” Nady stubbornly holds on. She must have some serious grip strength because Keith can’t shake her off.

  She cares about me enough to do this even with her timid personality. I’m thrilled she likes me that much, but I don’t want her invoking Keith’s ire. He’s a weirdo down to the bone, but still a noble. I can just see this taking a troublesome turn if things go too far. I have to do something.

  “Lord Rowadan, that is enough out of you.”

  Lex arrives just when I need him. Keith has lost to him countless times and his face twists with disgust knowing his time is up.

  “Lex Irvine… You dare to tear me from MiZUha yet again?!”

  “We aren’t close enough to be torn apart,” I point out.

  “Lady Mizuha has made her feelings clear,” Lex states dryly.

  “She’s only being bashful because there are onlookers.”

  “I see. It appears Lord Rowadan has business at the library. Escort him there.”

  Two knights appear behind Lex and begin dragging Keith away.

  “U-Unhand me! I have no business at the library! It is you who should hit the books, dumb brutes! Who do you think I am?! Grr! I’ll remember this, Lex Irvine!”

  Keith disappeared around the corner leaving behind an awfully villainous one-liner. I’ve seen him carted off more times than I can count, and he always kicks up such a fuss on the way.

  “I owe you one, Lex.”

  “Nonsense. I merely did my duty as your knight, Lady Mizuha. Call if you need me again.”

  It seems like he took protecting me from the shadows as the rule of the day, since he walked away to give us girls space again. I don’t know why, but he seems a tad cooler today. Nah, it’s just me imagining things. r />
  “Thank you for standing up for me, Nady.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. We’re…friends, after all.”

  I was a little worried that I had forced her into being my friend. So hearing her affirming our friendship makes me extra happy.

  “Thank you too, Cia.”

  “I simply did my part as your younger sister.”

  We ran into two obstacles in the beginning, but the rest of our stroll through the capital went off without a hitch. Now we have finally arrived at our destination: a plaza near the entrance into the city. Various flowers are blooming in the sea of green. But the flower in the center of the plaza stands out in particular. It has four large, pristine, white petals. Each of the petals curls upward at the tip while the flower itself has a natural droop.

  “Is this the flower you were talking about, Cia?”

  “Yes. It is called the holy flower.”

  “…I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “It is believed this flower was born of your purification as it is a variety we have never seen before. The people are calling it the holy flower because it comes from the Holy Priestess.”

  “I knew it!” I figured when I heard the name, but I hate when I’m right. I can’t look at it the same way now that I know it grew out of my spit.

  It’s still pretty—in an uncomfortable way.

  I hadn’t realized it, but a lot of people have gathered in the plaza to admire the Holy Flower.

  “Beautiful…”

  Nady is entranced by it. I guess if it makes her and everyone else happy, it doesn’t matter where or what it came from.

  “AGHHHHHHHH!”

  A loud scream in the distance interrupts my flower appreciation. Not only are there no more zombies inside the capital, but we are also surrounded by tall, thick walls. The one usable gate is guarded by anti-zombie trained soldiers. Little gets by them. Even more so during the day when zombies are slow.

  But the zombies have adapted in ways I couldn’t imagine several times before. I won’t discard the notion they’ve done it again.

  I spin toward where Lex is. “Lex!”

  “Let’s head straight there!” he responds.

  ◆ Chapter 4: Coming From There is Unfair

  WE grasped the general direction of the commotion from the screams and the steady stream of fleeing people. After running through several streets, we finally come out on a tiny back road where it is.

  “BWAAHH!”

  “Of course it’s a zombie…”

  How did it get inside the walls? Questions can come later though, because I have to do something about the small boy who is scooting away from a zombie on his butt first. The zombie slowly ambles toward him.

  “Lex!”

  “URAAAAAAAAH!”

  Lex springs into action faster than I call on him. He deflects the zombie with his shield and stands between it and the boy. I rush in behind him and help the child up.

  “It’s going to be all right,” I say.

  “Miss Priestess! Mommy…Mommy is…!”

  It appears the zombie is this boy’s mother. If I look past the grotesque rot and decay, the long hair and figure does appear to belong to a woman. I’d better save his mother soon before this image gets burned into his mind and becomes a permanent trauma.

  “Cia, Nady, take care of him for me!”

  “You can entrust him to us!”

  “O-Okay!”

  I leave the boy to them and assist Lex. He takes the initiative by knocking the zombie back and pinning it to the ground, careful not to cause too much harm in the process. I slip in and touch her leg before she can break free.

  “Another excellent rescue, Lady Mizuha.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you, Lex.”

  We have dealt with countless zombies before—we’re used to it by now. The zombie reverts back to human while we’re catching our breath.

  The young woman definitely resembles the boy who called her mommy. Still in a confused daze, she confirms her body is completely unzombified before running over to her son and hugging him. They revel in each other’s safety for a minute, then look up at me with teary smiles.

  “Thank you! Thank you!”

  “Thank you for saving Mommy, Miss Priestess!”

  I don’t do it for the thanks, but seeing their smiles fills me with joy. It acts as a reminder about why I chose to stay in this world.

  “Mizuha! Get away from there! Quick!” Nady cries out in panicked warning.

  “…Huh?”

  Unsure of what I’m supposed to be getting away from, I stand there dumbfounded. I just finished purifying the only zombie—the threat should be gone. Where am I supposed to be running to?

  “SKRIEEEEE!”

  An unsettling screech comes from the sky behind me. I whirl around and look up. My view is blotted out by a black bird. It looks like a crow, but…one eye is missing, its wings are tattered, and it’s covered in rot—a zombie bird, no doubt about it. But there’s something I need to be more concerned with than its ghastly appearance.

  The zombie bird is diving right for my face!

  “Uwah!”

  I quickly move to the side, barely escaping the bird’s trajectory by the skin of my teeth. The flying zombie whizzes by me at a tremendous speed. I would’ve had a hole ripped out of me right about now if it had hit me. I swallow my sigh of relief and shudder when I see what it’s doing. The zombie bird has ascended high into the sky and is circling back to dive bomb me again.

  Its descent is even faster and sharper than before. It’s right on me. I might be worse off than I thought.

  All I can see is the zombie bird’s gnarly wingspan. A fraction of a second before its beak tears into my nose, I’m slammed from the side. The world spins from the impact and I hit the ground on my back. Luckily, I didn’t whack my head. What happened?

  The face I open my eyes to says it all. Lex. He must’ve taken me into his arms and dove out of the bird’s way. I wish I could relax thinking I’m safe now, but the zombie bird is still gunning for me. I have to keep moving.

  Or that’s what I thought until I spot the zombie bird where I had just been standing. It’s a splattered mess on the ground. It probably swept down too fast—it couldn’t pull up in time.

  “Urgh…” I squeak, my stomach twisting just looking at it.

  “Are you uninjured, m’lady?” Lex asks.

  “I-I’m okay…” I sputter. My thoughts instantly shift from the zombie splatter to something entirely unrelated—my current position.

  Lex is straddling me. His face is so close that if I just lift my head slightly, our foreheads will collide. Frankly, this is too close for comfort.

  “I’m so glad to hear that…” Lex sounds relieved from the bottom of his heart.

  I can’t help being conscious of his tranquil face when I know it’s an expression meant solely for me. It’s really unfair that his face is so ridiculously handsome. But any more of this and my face is a goner—it’s so hot, it feels like it’s going to erupt.

  “Uhh, Lex? Thank you for saving me, but…um, I would appreciate it if you got off me now…”

  I beat around the bush too much—Lex doesn’t get it right away. But when he does, he leaps off me like a cat frightened by a sudden noise.

  “M-My humblest apologies!” he stammers.

  “It’s okay. You were only helping me. Yeah. It doesn’t bother me one bit! Thanks.” I accept his proffered hand and stand.

  Seeing as Lex won’t look at me, I think it’s safe to say he’s just as conscious of what happened. I’m not sure if that makes me happy or just plain embarrassed.

  Cia and Nady run over while we’re still being awkward with each other.

  “Are you all right, Big Sister?”

  “Yeah. I made it out without a scratch thanks to Lex. Thank you for the warning, Nady.”

  “I didn’t do anything much. I only called out to you.”

  “It is thanks to your word of warning that I acted as fast as I did. You have my gratitude, Lady Nady.” Lex bows to her.

  “Please don’t thank me!” Nady shrinks away. She’s too modest. If not for her warning, I’m not sure what would have happened to me. That goes to show just how unexpected and unusual this zombie encounter was.

  I shift my gaze back to the zombie bird smear. “Well, this was a new one…”