The quick-witted butler knew from experience that it was best not to interfere at times like this.
Butler Patrick judged that the Duke in front of him wasn’t a bad person, considering he had come all this way with his colleagues.
‘Duke must have brought good people.’
The servants of Duchess Elizabeth Keaton now followed Elizabeth without needing any more reasons to like her.
He willingly led the Duke to Elizabeth’s bedroom.
“This way.”
“Excuse me.”
Just in case, Ashton gently laid Elizabeth on the soft bed.
“Hmm…”
As soon as her body lay on the comfortable bed, Elizabeth breathed more comfortably.
Her act of clutching the soft cushion exuded only peace.
‘She’s like a lamb, just born.’
It was hard to believe that this frail-looking Elizabeth was the same person who had shouted and raged at Ashton.
But it felt strangely fitting, considering she was the one who had been confronting zombies with quick judgment and execution.
‘…It would be rude if I keep staring.’
Hiding his disappointment, Ashton left the bedroom of Duchess Keaton.
At that moment, a status window popped up, framed by the sight of Ashton’s departing back.
Ding.
[Sub-Quest – Gather Party Members!] [A hidden party member meeting the quest conditions has been detected.]“Huh?”
Lying next to Elizabeth, Zero was about to doze off but quickly opened his eyes in surprise.
[Ashton Clitter (Formerly: Ashton Hainsworth)] [White Wood Duke / Exiled 2nd Prince] [Stats[Dash] Strength: S
[Dash] Stamina: S
[Dash] Agility: S
[Dash] Intelligence: A
[Dash] Magic: B+] [Available Skills: Aura / Sword Master] [Final Comprehensive Combat Power Rating: S] [Summary: A Northern Duke sharpening multiple blades. It’s hard to find someone with such stats!]
The translucent blue status window continued to rise.
[Sub-Quest – Gather Party Members!] [A small reward will be given each time you gather members who can be a part of the ‘Zombie Slayer’ party.] [Current Progress: Elizabeth Keaton (1/1), Michael Easter (1/1), Russ Kretchern (1/1), Benedict Fairman (1/1), Ashton Clitter (1/1) [Dash]〉 New!] [Congratulations on acquiring a new companion!] [The last member is added to the ‘Zombie Slayer’ party.] [Current Party Members: 5/5 (Complete)] [Sub-Quest – Gather Party Members! Completed.]Zero also received a status window alert.
[Undelivered quest rewards for your host ‘Elizabeth Keaton’: 2] [Reward for successfully recruiting Ashton Clitter: 1] [Final reward for completing the Sub-Quest – Gather Party Members!: 1] [Please give the rewards to your host on time.]“…What is going on?”
Zero was confused.
‘Wasn’t the last party member candidate supposed to be the villain of the original story?’
Why, then, was Ashton Clitter, who was never even mentioned, selected as a hidden party member?
Wide awake, Zero hurriedly began to search.
Unbeknownst to Zero, the mansion to which his master had returned was peaceful.
Before entering his assigned room, Ashton made a request to Patrick.
“If Duchess Keaton wakes up, let me know. I owe thanks to the person who saved me.”
“Understood.”
The butler quietly closed the door to Elizabeth’s bedroom.
Hoping that the owner of the mansion would dream happily.
Meanwhile, in the ruined building that Elizabeth and her party members had left, flames were still blazing.
Crackle, crackle.
The fire created by the magic bomb continued to burn, fueled by the rubble of the collapsed building and the corpses that were once zombies.
The fire laced with magic didn’t shrink.
There was no sign of rain in the capital, and with no living humans left, no one could put out the fire.
“Graah… Aaah… Aaaah…”
“Uu… Uuuuah…”
“Aaaah… Aaah…”
The zombies that had been drawn to the bright flames retreated from the intense heat.
No unusual behavior was observed from the wandering zombies that had been cornering Elizabeth and her party members.
“Uuuh… Grrrrr…”
They emitted intermittent groans like speechless beasts, circling endlessly around the fire.
Crackle.
The persistent fire, flicking its crimson tongues, even aimed to move its nest to the adjacent building.
But…
〔Contaminated Code: ¿Unknown_virus? Access Granted.〕
〔Coordinates Set to Waterworks Agatha / Duo Street / Zone 2 / Fire Site.〕
〔Initiating Transmission of Code: ¿Unknown_virus?〕
As ominous as the fire that painted the sky red, a crimson status window appeared and the situation changed.
In front of the collapsed building where the ‘Breath of Angel’ was located, a complex and eerie pattern glowed with red light.
It was almost identical to the magic circle used by wizards for teleportation.
It was the power people of this world call magic.
Within the magic circle, there was a flash, and a man appeared.
He was as beautiful as a winter snow spirit.
His silvery hair shone crimson beneath the fire.
“Hmm… What a mess we have here.”
Rubbing his chin, the man murmured to himself as if he was in trouble.
“I thought it was perfect this time… where did these surviving humans come from?”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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