“Being here any longer is madness.”
The nowdeceased former Duke Henry Keaton had summoned them, and among the wizards, Senior Wizard Merion muttered.
“True.”
“It’s too scary.”
“My goodness, what on earth is that! Duke Keaton… no, the former Duke Keaton never even hinted to us that those monsters were lurking there!”
Leading the wizards who were sent out on this mission, Merion exploded with complaints.
They huddled in a corner of the room they were assigned and talked about the horror of the zombie they had clearly witnessed with their own eyes.
Of course, they also lamented the fact that they were trapped like rats in Duke Keaton’s residence all of a sudden.
“An individual who has turned into a monster due to an unknown disease, how are we to deal with that?”
“You even saw the destruction of the Kaladia Empire’s royal capital! That oncepowerful imperial family vanished overnight… We’re not just worried about solving the problem; it’s getting hard to see how we’ll even survive.”
“I wonder if we can get back to the tower? We might manage a short distance, but we don’t have enough magic for longdistance travel. We might end up being stranded here and become prey to those monsters.”
Had they faced a highlevel monster that they had encountered before, the wizards wouldn’t have been so downcast.
But their opponent was an unknown monster: a zombie.
With the scarcity of information about zombies, the wizards were scared and could only think about fleeing back to the tower.
Especially Senior Wizard Merion.
“Staying in the frosty Duke Keaton’s residence for a day or two is bad enough. How long will he feed and shelter us as his guests?”
Although the wizards were being treated as people summoned by the former Duke Keaton, who now helped with their powers.
‘How long will that last in isolation?’
Merion’s anxiety increased when she saw the servants of the Duke’s family carrying wooden clubs.
Although the Keaton family was rich and of high status, in a capital where they could not keep many mercenaries, they were not very different from other noble families.
In other words, the only people in the current Duke Keaton’s residence with combat abilities were Merion and the other wizards, and the Paladin Michael.
Even though Elizabeth Keaton, who was a princess, had succeeded Henry Keaton and become the new Duke, Merion did not trust her.
The woman with the worst reputation in the Kaladia Empire. Stupid and rude, she was considered the worst in the empire.
Her reputation even reached the famously closed community of the tower.
Merion was not patient enough to trust that young Duke.
‘I don’t want to die here!’
As soon as possible, Merion wanted to return to the tower with her companions.
Going back there would at least increase their chances of survival compared to the Duke’s residence.
“Let’s watch for an opportunity to escape from here.”
At Merion’s words, the other wizards nodded as if they had been waiting for that remark.
“Yeyes.”
“……But how do we escape?”
“The former Duke Keaton’s requested task failed… we have no reason to return now.”
The wizards looked dejected.
They should have completed the task and received a highquality magic stone from Duke Henry Keaton as payment to return.
But since the Duke who had requested their services had died, and since the residence’s barrier had turned to a magic stone, it became awkward to ask for it.
‘Without a good magic stone, returning to the tower is impossible…’
The magic stone they had brought with them for the purpose of returning had been used up more than half in shock from the sudden appearance of a zombie horde.
Because they had to transport Elizabeth Keaton and the Duke’s escorts when using the movement magic, even the short distance consumed considerable magic.
“What do we do?”
Amidst the wavering eyes, someone shouted as if throwing a fit.
“That, that’s nothing! We can just steal it and run away!”
Normally composed wizards threw away their pride at that statement, their ears perking up.
“That… yes! Merion, sir! Wasn’t that supposed to be our payment for our work anyway!”
“Leaving a note that I have urgent business at the tower and must go, what more can they do?”
“Indeed! Indeed!”
Though the talk of stealing and fleeing meant their plan had lost its legitimacy at this point, Merion had no intention of stopping this flow.
“Where does Duke Keaton store the magic stones?”
“I know it as the ‘Earth’s Chamber.’ There, Butler Patrick takes out the magic stones to replenish the energy needed to maintain the barriers.”
“Then tonight, we will open the door to the ‘Earth’s Chamber’ and take out a highgrade magic stone to escape from the Duke’s residence.”
Opening a tightly closed door was not a problem at all with the skills of a highlevel wizard like Merion.
“We must move secretly when everyone is asleep. The paladin might notice.”
“Understood.”
“We will follow Merion’s instructions!”
The wizards dispersed, excited by the prospect of returning.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
