Following a faint light through the passage, I soon saw the exit.

“Phew.”

‘I finally got out!’

I successfully entered the residential area of the central nobles, Duo-Dash 2 Zone.

As I knew beforehand, the exit was in a commercial district slightly removed from the residential area of Duo-Dash 2 Zone, in a building owned by Duchess Keaton.

Upon forcibly opening a door identical in design to the one in Duchess Keaton’s office, I saw the outside through a large glass window in the empty store.

Looking around, a bright outdoor scenery could clearly be seen through the window in the room.

‘The sky is so blue.’

The outside was chaotic due to the zombies, but seeing the clear sky made me uncomfortable.

Michael and Luce, who followed me, cautiously scanned the surroundings.

“It was noisy with the screams of zombies when we were in the secret passage, but it’s eerily quiet now that we’re outside.”

“That’s why it’s suspicious.”

The exit led to a jewelry store owned by Duchess Keaton.

The affluent Duchess Keaton owned not just one, but multiple mines where gems were excavated.

From amethysts resembling the Keaton family’s signature violet eyes to expensive diamonds.

The excavated gems were beautifully cut by artisans gathered by the Keaton family and sold at this jewelry store.

Named “The Breath of Angels,” somewhat embarrassingly, this jewelry store was a major source of income for the Keaton family, primarily targeting nobles.

The store, once bustling with nobles coming to buy jewelry and accessories, was now empty.

Not a single sales clerk, manager, or customer could be found, making the lavish interior appear desolate.

In the empty jewelry store, gems that had lost their places were left neglected, covered in dust.

‘…No bloodstains.’

Though there were signs of hasty evacuation when the zombie outbreak occurred, there were absolutely no traces or bloodstains suggesting that anyone was bitten by zombies here.

This meant that this space was still safe from zombies.

Not far from the exit of the secret passage, the three of us cautiously took out our water guns and spray bottles filled with holy water from our backpacks.

The S-grade holy water from the Vatican contained in the silver canister shimmered.

‘Benjamin, you really are the best craftsman.’

I praised Benjamin who had completed these high-quality water guns, spray bottles, and canisters in a short amount of time.

“Michael, Luce. Take these.”

I offered Michael an upgraded water gun resembling a sniper rifle and gave Luce a spray bottle with good dispersal.

Both were gifts I had previously given them.

‘They even carry the water guns and spray bottles I gave them as gifts, considering they brought them on such short notice…’

Luce stored hers in her spatial pocket, while Michael attached his to his sword belt.

Thanks to that, we were able to depart quickly.

“As I’ve mentioned before, the holy water imbued with sacred power can paralyze zombies. If they get too close, don’t hesitate to shoot them with it.”

“Shoot first, decapitate later?”

“Exactly.”

“Easy.”

Luce also attached her spray bottle to her belt.

“If the holy water runs out, both of you should inform me immediately.”

“Do you also have a spatial pocket like a magician?”

“Well… let’s just say that.”

‘I am not a spatial pocket!’

Zero, who had been turned into a spatial pocket, was offended.

Sorry, but there’s no other way to explain it.

I can’t possibly say that I’m storing the holy water in an inventory given to me by Zero.

I also took out my water gun, double-checked the magic bullet gun stored in my holster, and started to move quietly, crouching low.

While doing so, I whispered in a subdued voice.

“Michael, Luce! This building doesn’t have a magic barrier, so stay below the windows to avoid drawing zombies’ attention.”

The jewelry store we were in was located on the third floor, but who knows what people are capable of?

‘It’s safer not to expose ourselves too much.’
This was a lawless zone, a place riddled with danger where magical barriers couldn’t be relied upon.

So, even if it was uncomfortable, it was important to move in a low posture.

“Understood.”

“Hold on. Both of you, stand still for a moment.”

“Why?”

“It’d be better to cast a stealth spell to block noise and scent so that we can move more comfortably.”

“Shadow, erase my traces from this world.”

As the incantation was recited, the shadow beneath us squirmed and vanished with a ‘pop’.

“Wow.”

“Now we can stand upright and walk.”

‘Ah… you hated crawling like a worm.’

Thanks to Luce’s magic, our movements became much easier as we walked down the corridor and arrived at the door with a jewel symbol.

“Let’s see.”

When looking through the small hole designed to spot intruders, all that could be seen were empty stairs.

“There’s no one. It’s desolate.”

“Are there any blood stains?”

“No. It doesn’t seem like zombies have come up here and caused a commotion.”

Relieved, we cautiously opened the door and climbed the stairs.