“I sensed a beast-like movement too… Is that Siena?”

Without any explanation, Astin, who saw that the humans were getting angry without knowing why it was Siena, clenched his fist.

“Don’t you all know? Siena Evergreen is a zombie. We shared the story last time.”

“… Is that so.”
“It’s an unusual mutant zombie. If you quietly come and go, you might not notice, but those sensitive to surroundings can feel it.”

Astin crossed his legs and arrogantly rested his chin on his hand.

“So, do you know that Siena Evergreen is currently in a quite hungry state?”

“Yes?”

“As discussed, it was worthwhile to squeeze holy water as if it were ant tears, not only for the food Siena eats, the clothes she wears, but also for the flower vases the maids bend over to decorate.”

“Could you please explain in detail, Second Prince?”

Saying so, Michael, with a guarded look, surveyed the surroundings. He didn’t forget to create a shield using holy power.

‘Maybe because he’s afraid that Siena might harm Elizabeth.’

It was funny. Upon hearing the news about Siena, it seemed natural that they would protect Elizabeth like loyal subjects, but it didn’t feel good.

After all, the four people gathered here were each other’s enemies.

“Let me tell you the conclusion first. It seems that Siena Evergreen attacked the chicken coop. It seems she couldn’t overcome hunger and decided to eat even innocent livestock.”

Everyone was surprised at the unfamiliar story.

“What?”

“Wasn’t Siena… good at consuming human food?”

“Absolutely not. Didn’t Kitten Duchess inform you of this? There was a sighting while she was being monitored by the power of Zero. She vomited every bit of food she ate.”

“…”

“Zombies want human blood and flesh. That’s their staple. So, Siena thoroughly controlled herself, making sure she never even thought of hunting humans… Surprisingly, she found a substitute and acted on it.”

When Astin mentioned Zero, Zero, who was lying next to Elizabeth, suddenly stood up and spoke.

“Yes! It’s amazing. During surveillance, I thought she would eventually give in to hunger and search for a suitable human to eat, but she changed her goal to hunting animals. That’s something a regular zombie could never do…”

Then Zero looked silently at Astin.

“Is it because you injected an extremely small amount of holy water into Siena?”

“I don’t know. This is my first experience, so I’m not sure if I should take it as a positive signal.”

Astin was not sure either. He just acted as agreed with the other party members beforehand.

He didn’t expect the result to turn out like this.

“Luckily, she didn’t go on a rampage… but if she continues like this, there will always be clues to suspect Siena in the future.”

Ruth’s expression darkened. He found it pitiful that his friend, dominated by appetite like a beast, was in such agony.

“Peace won’t last long. Even though she’s disguising herself like a human, Siena’s current essence is a zombie. She couldn’t endure hunger and already ate livestock… Next, she might become a real person.”
As Astin finished speaking, he looked down at Elizabeth, who had fallen into a deep sleep. Elizabeth, buried in the soft bed, was sound asleep with her long, finely silver hair scattered in disarray.

“Don’t… die, everyone… I won’t… die either…”

Muttering in her sleep, the four party members chuckled, yet they felt a tinge of sorrow, realizing the desperate wish behind those words.

“The Duke asks you not to die.”

“There’s no chance of dying in front of him, absolutely.”

“If we want the Duke to stay alive, we must do well.”

“That’s right.”

“Yeah, yeah. If you’re my contracted party members, you should follow her words.”

Eustan Zero flew over with a buzzing sound, settling on Elizabeth’s forehead as she slept and muttered.

“Have sweet dreams. I feel sorry for throwing you into this hellish reality. At least you should be at peace in your dreams.”

As Zero injected a faint light, the painful groans emitted by Elizabeth disappeared. Once Elizabeth’s condition stabilized, Zero took a deep breath and spoke to the party members.

“You guys probably expect it, but it seems the culprit was determined to completely annihilate this subjugation force.”

“…Yes.”

“But since they failed miserably, they will definitely target the star of this incident, Riz, without letting her go. With the drug running through your veins, you, a fake saint, will probably be attempted to be killed together with the prince. Of course, using Siena.”

“She doesn’t seem to be considering a direct confrontation with my abilities.”

“I know. Your abilities are monstrous. But does Siena think the same about Riz’s side?”

At Zero’s words, the expressions of all four party members twisted harshly.