“What? Was that it? You said this secret passage was safe from the zombie threat.”

“That’s beside the point. We’re entering the heart of hell, how can I possibly feel good?”

“That makes sense.”

Michael and Ruth were convinced by my reasonable excuse.

‘Managed to dodge that bullet.’

Above all, I didn’t want to show any weakness to those two.

「Arrogance. There’s nothing to gain from empty pride. Who told you that?」

Zero grumbled in an annoyed voice.

I asked Zero as I walked briskly while maintaining a poker face.

‘What is it, Zero! Earlier, you mentioned theocracy. Is that real?’

「……It’s real, if you base it on the theocracy-themed novels you’ve read.」

‘Wow.’

Being related to a theocracy means Zero is also a god, right?

‘……Wait. Then why aren’t you omnipotent?’

As far as gods go, Zero was nothing more than a severely limited hamster.

He even had to get permission from his superiors to grant me rewards, which made me suspicious.

Suspiciously looking at him, Zero seemed offended.

「I’m a god too! By the standards of the era you lived in, I’m just undergoing an internship…… Still, I am a probationary god. I’m evaluated on whether I’m a fit for godhood as an employee of the reincarnator management agency.」

‘Ah, so it’s like a test?’

「Yes. Although I’ve sung about clocking off, it’s actually an evaluation period for whether I can advance to the next stage as a probationary god.」

I had no idea Zero had these circumstances.

I thought he’d be carefree, munching on crispy chocolate chip cookies.

‘That’s really unexpected.’
“Hmph! So you should respect me more!”

“Why does it come to that conclusion? I dislike it.”

“Ugh…!”

Wearing a silk hat and holding a cane as long as his arm, the hamster god was furious, but I ignored it.

Thanks to Zero acting as usual, my rattled emotions settled like a calm surface of water.

Mihael, Luus, and I walked and kept walking through the secret tunnel that threaded like a string for a while.

Due to its depth not being too far from the surface, the mournful cries of zombies occasionally echoed.

“Grooooaar…”

“Wooooo…”

“Graaaaack…”

Listening to the sound of bodies—now aimless, moving chunks of meat—pacing the streets was far from pleasant.

‘I’m getting goosebumps…’

Fortunately or unfortunately, most of the humans in the capital were either dead or infected by zombies, so no sounds of them attacking humans were heard.

If I had to listen to zombies tearing humans apart in real time, I might have given up on getting provisions.

Even Mihael, who was a knight, and Luus, who was a wizard, were annoyed by the noise outside.

“I really want to go out and blow their heads off right now.”

“For once, I agree with Sir Knight. A single area-of-effect spell could barbecue them.”

The conversation was extremely intense. It was a good thing these two were on my side.

“There’s no need to worry about getting bitten by zombies with such excellent bodyguards.”

‘Hmm.’

It would still be useless if the zombies came swarming in groups, though.

While entertaining gloomy thoughts, I made a suggestion to lift the spirits.

“Knight Mihael, Mr. Luus. The atmosphere is rather heavy. How about we chat as we walk?”

There was no need to worry about zombies hearing our conversation since this secret tunnel was effectively soundproof.

I suggested it out of sheer boredom of just walking through this endlessly extending secret tunnel, and both readily agreed.

“Not a bad idea.”

“As long as I don’t have to hear those zombies moaning, I’m in.”

Both of them were also quite tense because of the zombies.

“Since I suggested it, shall I go first?”

“As you wish.”

“While finding provisions is important, I’d like to meet survivors as I mentioned to Mr. Luus earlier.”

Meeting survivors from the Houses of Duke Demian, Count Celest, and Baron Lutri was essential for completing the side quest.

Thus, I cautiously laid the groundwork.

So that Mihael and Luus wouldn’t be shocked upon meeting survivors and would focus on rescuing them.

“If there are survivors, combining our strengths to reclaim the capital would help.”

‘We can reduce the increasing number of zombies.’

Although it was daunting, given that nearly everyone in the capital had either turned into a zombie or died, we still needed to stop any further increase.

As far as I had seen from my last scan, the red dots indicating zombies were only inside the capital.

“Nobles would probably protect their mansions with magical barriers. If we rescue them, they might have capable people who can help.”

As I was making my point to recruit them to our side, Luus spoke up.

“Huh? There’s light coming in?”

Indeed.

After walking for a long time, we finally saw the exit leading to Duo-2 District.