Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem! Volume 2 Page 4

  “It was likely a bird, m’lady. Or to be precise, a zombie that used to be a bird.”

  “I thought so…”

  It has wings, a long beak, and talons. As for the torso, it’s too contorted and gross to make out, but it’s totally rotten. Interestingly enough, it’s about the same size as the crows in Japan.

  “That’s the monster that turned Mommy into a zombie!” the boy shouts, pointing at the deformed bird.

  Lex and I share a worried look.

  “I thought it strange for zombies to appear within the castle walls during the day without the gate falling…” Lex says.

  “Now they can come from the sky? Ugh...another pest to add to the list.”

  Zombie birds can fly over the walls, infect people inside, and potentially do lethal damage with those dive bombs. Judging by what I’ve seen of their movement, zombie birds and animals are unaffected by sunlight.

  “I guess we can’t claim it’s safe during the day or within the walls anymore,” I sigh.

  “So it seems. This requires immediate countermeasures to be put in place,” Lex concludes.

  ◆ Chapter 5: Not Zombie Free Yet

  “I always remember the first time whenever I come here,” Cia says, nostalgia in her voice.

  “The time we tried to purify the castle, right? That was a serious life or death struggle.”

  “To this day, your bravery continues to inspire me, Big Sister.”

  “Ahaha… I think I was more reckless than brave.”

  The next day, not long after the sun rose, Cia and I are chatting about the past as we cross the drawbridge over the moat isolating the castle. This bridge can easily be named the most dangerous place I had to purify. I could go on for forever talking about the dangers I encountered here, but we didn’t come to the bridge to talk about the past.

  I have plans to meet up with Nady again today. We’re supposed to meet up on this drawbridge. As I’m chatting with Cia, I see someone with perked triangular ears and a fluffy tail running toward us from the city side. There’s no mistaking it’s her.

  “I’m sorry. Did you wait long?” she asks once she’s on the bridge, then catches her breath.

  “We just got here too. Didn’t we, Cia?”

  “Yes, it wasn’t much of a wait because it gave me time to enjoy a pleasant chat with Big Sis.”

  That’s basically a roundabout way of admitting we had been waiting. Apparently Cia only counts it as waiting if she is bored. Well, she’s too cute to mind how she words things.

  “I feel bad about making you go out of your way to meet me here…”

  “We’re the ones who invited you today,” I say to assure her. “Besides, I know how scary it can be to enter the castle grounds alone.”

  “Yeah, it certainly is daunting… Ahaha.” Nady forces a nervous laugh.

  Cia tilts her head. “Why is that?”

  “It’s different for you because it’s your home, Cia.”

  The castle belongs to the royal family and Cia sleeps there. It’s only natural she wouldn’t have the same reservations. Though the same could be said for me as it’s where I live in this world and I do treat it like a second home now.

  “Anyway, no point wasting the day here. Let’s go!”

  It goes without saying that Lex is on guard detail today as well. He’s following from a few feet behind us out of consideration for my request from the other day. I shoot him a look, signaling him to come as I set out through the gate with Cia and Nady.

  The gatekeepers instantly stand at attention when they see me and Cia. They keep things formal when there are people around or if Cia is with me, otherwise we often have casual conversations when it’s just me and Lex. Our relationship is a bit like neighbors on good terms.

  “I’m sorry yesterday’s outing turned gruesome.”

  “That’s not your fault, Mizuha. It’s part of your job,” Nady says, being considerate of me.

  The whole zombie bird attack ended up cutting our tour of the capital short. So we decided to have a tea party today to make up for it. Though really, that’s just an excuse to spend more time with Nady.

  “Are zombie birds…common?” she asks.

  “Humans are the most common. I saw a zombie bird once before, but it didn’t attack me like this one did.”

  The last one I saw appeared during our quest to vanquish the Dark Djinn. When I saw it then, it seemed more like a scout. I never saw it again, so I sort of shelved birds as non-threats. But after yesterday, I need to stay on the lookout for them.

  Cia frowns up at the sky. “Archers are our only option for shooting them out of the sky.”

  “They would need to be skilled archers because not only are zombie birds on the small side, they also move quickly,” I respond, trying to strategize from a noncombatant’s standpoint.

  Nady’s ears droop and her face darkens.

  “Something wrong, Nady?”

  “N-No. It’s nothing. I was just thinking.”

  She looked awfully concerned for “just thinking”. I’m worried, but I don’t want to pry too much when she purposefully avoided the question.

  “Sir Lex!”

  A panicked voice greets us moments after we enter the castle. I turn around to find a knight running up to Lex, his expression grave. As they converse, Lex’s face darkens.

  “Never a quiet moment, is there?” Cia says.

  “I wonder what happened.”

  I have the day off from my priestess duties, but I won’t ignore an emergency because of it. Cia and I share a look and walk back to where Lex and the knight are talking.

  “What’s wrong, Lex?”

  “…Lady Mizuha. I was hoping to let you rest today.”

  “More trouble? Where’s the zombie?”

  “There’s no zombie, but…the matter isn’t entirely unrelated to you, m’lady.” Lex seems hesitant to discuss it with me. “Please allow me to receive permission from His Majesty before disclosing the details.”

  ◆◆◆◆◆

  “I have come per your summons, Your Majesty.”

  “Good to see you, Lex. Thank you for coming as well, Holy Priestess Mizuha.”

  Lex brought me to the king’s private office. When I asked him to explain what’s going on, he told me I needed to hear it directly from the king. Cia and Nady are in attendance with us too.

  The office is full of simple yet luxurious furniture. It lacks the bombastic flourishes of the royal audience chamber. Thanks to that, my nerves aren’t acting up on me. Another big reason I’m no longer nervous is because I have met with His Majesty many times within the castle since rescuing him and his wife.

  In the three months since then, he has completely recovered and his skin has regained a healthy glow. He’s a silver fox with rugged good looks—I can easily imagine him becoming an actor who always scores the king role in period dramas if he lived on Earth. I understand why he has fanatic fangirls, but Jela took her obsession too far by starting the zombie apocalypse just to have him.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind telling me?” I ask, curtsying like Cia taught me.

  “It’s fine. You aren’t uninvolved in this matter.”

  Lex said the same thing earlier. Is that their roundabout way of saying it has something to do with me?

  The king’s hard expression instantly softens when he sees Cia curtsying beside me. “I see you are with the Holy Priestess again, Cia.”

  “Yes, Father. I was about to have tea with the girls,” Cia replies, looking from me to Nady.

  “Interesting. I didn’t expect the day would come when I would see Lucors in the capital.” He seems surprised by Nady.

  “Hey, Cia?” I whisper. “Are Lucors that rare?”

  “They are. Lucors typically live in the forests and rarely show themselves in places with lots of people like the capital.”

  Fidgeting uncomfortably, Nady mutters, “I can leave if I am a nuisance.” Her ears and tail droop in unison.

  “Stay. May I inquire of your name?” His Majesty asks.

  “I-I am Nady Ol Theos La Quim Rom Lucor.”

  “Oh? Then you are Theos’s daughter?” A delighted smile breaks out on the king’s handsome face. Not only was he unsurprised by her long name, but he even determined her father’s name from it. That’s a king for you.

  “You know my father?”

  “Of course I know him. He is the Lucor Chieftain after all.”

  It sounds like the king and Nady’s father are acquaintances. So if Nady’s dad is the Lucor Chieftain, then…

  “Wait, you’re the chief’s daughter, Nady?!” I cry out a little louder than I meant to.

  “Y-Yeah,” she falters.

  I had no idea, even though we’re friends. I mean, sure, we only just became friends, so obviously I couldn’t have known, but still. I can’t help being a little shocked by it.

  My friends are a princess and a chieftain’s daughter. I’m just a normal high school girl surrounded by the daughters of country and tribal leaders. I have my title as priestess, but it was something I acquired, not that I was born into. I’m not going to start acting differently with them at this point in the game, but it’s another reminder of the kind of amazing people I hang out with.

  “Can you tell us what happened now, Father?”

  “Very well. Someone from Torstana was among the people Priestess Mizuha saved during the last expedition.”

  If memory serves me right, Torstana is neighbors with Grantz Kingdom. I remember hearing they were at war with a country called Ladan.

  “Are you speaking of Mr. Kodbyen?” Nady asks.

  “I am,” His Majesty acknowledges.

  “Know him, Nady?”

  “Yeah. He’s a merchant who often travels between my village a
nd Cladorca.”

  “He’s a traveling merchant, then? What’s Cladorca?”

  “It’s Torstana’s biggest trade city near Grantz. Though it’s more like a fortress with a mountain range surrounding it.”

  It sounds about right for a border city to double as a fortress. In any event, I’m not seeing the big deal with this merchant being from Torstana.

  “Why is this Torstana merchant a problem?” I ask, urging the king to continue.

  “He pleaded with me to make the Holy Priestess purify his homeland.”

  “Aah. Now I get it.”

  It definitely has something to do with me then. Or more like, this is a conversation that can’t continue without my input.

  “I turned him down.”

  “Why…?”

  “As you know, Torstana has warred with Ladan for years, creating chaos in the world. Goddess Sadia made it clear that their war brought the Dark Djinn on us. We mustn’t purify such vile countries,” His Majesty declares.

  I understand the logic behind not wanting to aid them. If we purify Torstana, we will eventually have to do the same for Ladan. Once both kingdoms are back, they will likely resume their war.

  Worse yet, Torstana might even prevent us from purifying Ladan. Or, if they take it a step further, they could very well attack Grantz with Ladan out of the picture. There’s no end to the potential risks. But we are talking about fellow humans first and foremost.

  “Do you intend to leave them as zombies forever?” I ask outright.

  “That depends…” His Majesty says evasively. He is bound by various obligations as the king of one nation.

  “Lady Mizuha,” Lex cautions, trying to stop me from pressing the matter.

  I, however, am not one to hide what I think. “To be honest with you, when I first saw the tall, fortress walls surrounding this city, I was against purifying it because I wanted nothing to do with a kingdom at war. My initial impression was wrong. We can’t leave an entire kingdom crawling with zombies be.”

  Zombies rot the land they stand on and everything they come in contact with. In other words, as long as zombies exist, the threat of decay will never leave the world.

  “I promised Goddess Sadia that I will assist in purifying the entire world, not just one kingdom,” I stress.

  “I also believe it should be done someday. However…I ask you to wait for the time being,” the king requests, his face hard.

  At first, I saw promise in his words, until I realized that “someday” is a word parents often use to appease children for things they never intend to do.

  ◆ Chapter 6: Ugh!

  “I’M so frustrated…!” I grumble while walking away from the king’s office. Cia, Nady, and Lex are letting me vent. I feel bad airing my complaints, but I can’t get over my annoyance unless I talk it out.

  “You always act like it’s not your problem. I’m surprised to hear you actively want to purify zombies, Lady Mizuha,” Lex says.

  “I still hate it. It’s dangerous, scary, and reeks worse than bleu cheese left in the sun to rot!”

  “Wh-Why are you frustrated then?”

  “Ugh… I don’t know how to explain it…”

  It’s times like this that I especially despise my inability to communicate my feelings. With a little time, I think I could sort it out, but it’s still a jumble to me right now.

  “If the circumstances were different, His Majesty would give the order to purify as many people as possible. But it is a given that the people of Cladorca would pressure us into purifying their royal capital next,” Lex reasons. “That will only increase Grantz’s external enemies as they will surely threaten us with military force.”

  “I know. But I don’t purify people for political reasons,” I argue.

  I hate the stench of zombies with a passion, but I’d hate even more for there to be bloodshed. They underestimate the sensibilities of someone who grew up lazing around in a peaceful country.

  “Besides, I doubt the people of this world can withstand living in fear of zombies forever. Don’t think just because they are beyond the border that you can ignore them.”

  “Th-That is another problem…”

  Seeing Lex stumped gives me a headache. I know I’m being willful, but I’m not wrong either—nor is Lex or His Majesty. I exhale all the air I possibly can in hopes it will rid me of the irritation building in my chest.

  “Am I being childish?” I mutter.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “…Nady.”

  “You are thinking about everyone equally, outside the confines of political allegiances.”

  Just hearing that relieves some of the weight pressing down on me. On the other hand, having my opinion acknowledged makes me wonder whether I’m on the right track or not. I still don’t know what’s right.

  Cia folds her hands together and hangs her head beside me. “I’m sorry, Big Sister.”

  “It’s not your fault, Cia.”

  “But it’s my father who made the decision.” I didn’t think this one out. By criticizing the king, I’m making his daughter feel guilty. I shouldn’t have vented in front of her.

  “I’m sorry, Cia.”

  “…Big Sister.”

  I run my fingers through her hair as a peace offering. Some of the tightness goes out of her cheeks as she relaxes.

  I still need to grow up. I’ve failed as her “older sister.” I begin engaging in some serious soul-searching when a short man walks around the corner.

  His bearded face is too craggy to guess his age. Triangular ears perk up on his head and a brown tail swishes behind him—he’s a Lucor. The man’s catlike eyes go round when he sees Nady.

  “…Nady?”

  “F-Father?”

  They aren’t just acquainted, but parent and child. Except at a distance, their height is so different you would mistake which is which. Up close, the father is clearly wrinkled—older, so there’s no mistaking their relationship.

  Noticing my surprise, Nady quickly introduces him. “Um, this is my father. Father, this is Mizuha. I’m sure you already know this, but she’s the Holy Priestess who saved us.”

  “H-Hello, sir,” I greet with my head bowed. Nady’s dad has a stern-looking face—I naturally default to being polite.

  “Thank you very much for your assistance the other day, Holy Priestess. Allow me, Theos Ol Jino La Tiro Muo Lucor, to thank you on behalf of my people.”

  “I was only doing my job, sir. I see long names run in the family.”

  “You may call me Theos.”

  I wish he had just introduced himself with that one name then, but there must be a cultural reason for starting with their full name. I need to have Nady teach me the meaning of their names someday soon.

  “Why have you come to the castle, Father?”

  “I summoned him.”

  Nady’s question was answered by a giant man who came from a different corner. This towering muscleman is Oden Jaxor. He’s the Reigning King of Charges who inevitably injures everyone in his path and the captain of the Grantz Royal Knights.

  “Lucors are some of the best archers in the world. After hearing about the zombie bird in the capital, I decided to request his assistance in training our men in archery and he graciously accepted.”

  “We were also hoping to return the favor of borrowing living quarters in the royal capital and this presents the perfect opportunity to do so.”

  Both sides can benefit from the arrangement. Sounds like a win-win to me.

  Sir Oden puzzles his brow for a moment before facing Cia. “How would you like to watch, Your Highness? Your presence will surely raise morale. I would love for the other two ladies to join as well.”

  “If Big Sister wants to, I will.”

  “It’s up to you, Mizuha.”

  It appears I have the final say of the day. I’m not a fan of making decisions, but I’m glad for once that it falls on me. After all, it sounds like the perfect thing to distract me from frustrating politics.

  “I want to go. It sounds like a unique opportunity.”

  ◆ Chapter 7: The Lucor Technique

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been here before.”

  “You have never needed to because you don’t wield a weapon, Lady Mizuha.”

  Sir Oden and Theos left to greet the king together, so the rest of us went on ahead to the training grounds. It’s only a short walk from the castle that takes less than five minutes.