Created a Reverse Harem in a Doomed World (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12

After signing the contract with Elisabeth, Michael stepped out of the duke’s office, closing the door behind him, and fell into a strange reverie.

‘Could Elisabeth Keaton really have been that kind of person?’

All the way to the Sky Chamber assigned to him, he kept staring intently at his right hand, which had clasped Elisabeth’s.

A faint, lingering warmth remained on Michael’s hand, which had always been cold.

Just a few days ago, the idea of holding hands with *that* Elisabeth would have been utterly unimaginable for Michael.

If that damned, snake-like pope hadn’t cast Michael aside, he never would have set foot near Keaton Manor—but then again…

‘Not bad at all.’

Michael now found himself accepting this situation as rather agreeable.

The Elisabeth Keaton of the past had been an annoying, bothersome presence—a veritable embodiment of malice who hated and envied Siena, the woman Michael secretly adored, tormenting her at every turn.

But there were other reasons Michael disliked Elisabeth too.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it felt like she wore a mask—an unsettling sense of dissonance.

That feeling only made Michael dislike her even more.

To him, who valued honesty above all else, Elisabeth Keaton was simply an irritating person.

Yet the impression he’d just received from meeting her was strikingly different.

Though she had concluded their business with cool efficiency, he sensed a gentle consideration for his feelings as her conversation partner.

Moreover, every gesture and tone of her speech carried such poise and confidence that it naturally drew the observer’s gaze.

‘Like a butterfly that has just shed its chrysalis and is ready to take flight.’

Her current demeanor suited her far better than the strangely ill-fitting, venomous persona she’d worn like a mask in the past.

Surprised by his own thoughts, he questioned himself.

‘What am I even thinking?’

Michael raised both hands and slapped his cheeks hard enough to make a sharp sound.

Though his stinging cheeks flushed red, the floodgate of his thoughts showed no sign of closing again.

‘…I should just focus on working hard, as stipulated in the contract.’

He must not forget.

His true mission was to save the Empire of Caladia, plunged into chaos by the zombies.

Upon entering the Sky Chamber, where azure and white hues blended harmoniously, Michael recalled someone who resembled an angel.

“Siena… this might be my way of saving you too, won’t it?”

Only an empty echo lingered in the room left entirely to himself.

Michael had already accepted the fact that he’d been abandoned by the temple and the pope.

But the news that Siena had become a zombie was far harder to accept.

‘Looks like it’ll be a sleepless night.’

Yet despite that thought, Michael actually managed to sleep deeply for the first time in a very long while.

It was the first truly peaceful slumber he’d had since hearing of Siena’s marriage.

Chirp chirp. Chirp.

‘…Morning already.’

Another morning of a new day had dawned.

Whether I despair or not, tomorrow in this strange and cruel world strides forward relentlessly and becomes today.

Though I’d tossed and turned all night after being deeply shocked by the party recruitment conditions for the quest the previous day…

Perhaps because zombies lurked outside, my eyes snapped open earlier than my usual wake-up time—without anyone rousing me.

Just at the very moment my personal maid, Rina, was about to wake me.

“Kee, keeeeeeek!”

Rina, meeting my violet eyes faintly threaded with red, shrieked in terror and stumbled backward at least ten paces.

“I—I was so startled! My l—… no, my lord!”

“Oh, sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”

I’d been startled too, locking eyes immediately with Rina’s brown ones upon waking, but I offered an apology first.

And for good reason—Rina held in her hand an unfamiliar self-defense item.

A smooth, well-carved wooden club.

Whoever had made it had done so quite skillfully; it left a strong impression.

‘This isn’t the time to be impressed!’

But as I examined the wooden club more closely, I noticed something—a pure white power seemed to dwell within it.

‘Huh?’

Perhaps because I’d become a saintess, it felt as if someone inside my head was strongly informing me:

That’s holy power.

This wooden club has been imbued with sacred blessing.

My brief admiration quickly turned to suspicion.

Why on earth would she bring a wooden club into her employer’s bedroom?

“…Rina. I’m just asking to be sure—but what exactly do you plan to do with that…?”

Surely she didn’t intend to hit me with it?

When I looked at Rina with suspicion in my eyes, my personal maid gasped in horror.

“No! Absolutely not!”

“Then why did you bring a wooden club?”

I crossed my arms and pressed her like an interrogator, and Rina answered in a subdued voice.

“The holy knight who became a guest of the manor yesterday made it for us.”

“Huh? Sir Michael?”

‘That fussy platinum-haired knight?’

Zero, equally surprised, popped out with an exclamation.

Rina promptly explained the whole story plainly.

“You see, my lord, the handsome holy knight rose diligently at the crack of dawn and carved these wooden clubs—not just one, but enough for every servant in the manor to have one!”

“What?”

He wasn’t some master craftsman specializing in wooden clubs.

‘Why would he do something I never even asked for?’

There was certainly no such clause in the contract—it was absurd.

Seeing my disbelief, Rina, who had quietly moved closer, began combing my tousled hair while chattering away.

“We were all shocked too! He’s a high-ranking guard assigned to protect you, yet he insisted on doing this himself. We told him not to, but he said in such dangerous times, this was the least he could do to earn his keep… So we couldn’t stop him anymore.”

“But that doesn’t mean you had to bring a wooden club all the way into my bedroom…”

I was frightened. Could it be that the servants had banded together to betray me?

‘In the chaos caused by the zombies, even worse things could happen.’

With everything so unpredictable, Rina’s sudden action felt deeply unsettling.

As I clutched the bedsheet tightly, refusing to lower my guard, Rina looked hurt.

“Oh dear! My lord! I’ve served you since childhood—how could I possibly do anything frightening!”

“You never know with people.”

“How terrified I am of you… If anyone gets stabbed in the back, it’ll probably be me, won’t it?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Nodding at Rina’s earnest words, she sighed and quickened her hands as she helped me dress.

“Sigh… Anyway, I’d never betray you! All the other servants feel the same way. We’re only carrying these wooden clubs for self-defense.”

“Did Sir Michael order you to do this too?”

At my question, Rina nodded affirmatively.

“Yes. Even though there’s a mana crystal barrier covering the manor… he said it’s not enough to feel safe, so he told everyone to carry one just in case the barrier breaks or the crystals run out.”

I noticed a belt neatly fastened over Rina’s maid uniform at her waist, clearly designed to carry the wooden club conveniently.

‘He’s quite skilled.’

I never knew he had such talent. Michael’s unexpectedly thoughtful consideration made me see him in a new light.

Still, I tapped Rina lightly on the forehead to give her a warning.

“Ah! That hurts!”

Tears welled in Rina’s eyes as her forehead stung. Hmm, I thought I’d moderated my strength, but apparently it still hurt quite a bit.

Yet I didn’t feel particularly guilty.

Even if Michael’s actions came from good intentions, they were still unpleasant to me.

“I meant for it to hurt, Rina.”

When I narrowed my eyes fiercely, Rina hiccupped and hastily bowed her head.

“I understand Sir Michael meant well, but right now, I am the master of House Keaton. For someone to threaten my authority within my own manor without my permission… doesn’t sit well with me.”

Even considering the anxiety caused by the zombie outbreak, this was clearly overstepping boundaries.

How dare anyone even consider bringing a weapon into the duke’s bedroom?

‘The magical barrier protecting the manor is still perfectly intact, after all.’

If this had been the peaceful time before zombies appeared, Rina’s action alone would have been grounds for immediate dismissal from the manor.

Realizing this for the first time, Rina turned pale as a sheet, dropped to her knees, and pleaded with me.

“I—I’m so sorry, my lord! I must have been momentarily out of my mind. Please forgive my rudeness…”

“…Enough.”

‘Even with Zero’s Possessor Buff, was it still too much to expect?’

The authority held by Elisabeth Keaton, once known as a villainess, must have been woefully insufficient.

It wasn’t a surprising outcome.

‘Honestly, it’s a miracle I’ve made it this far.’

Without Zero’s Possessor Buff, servants might have already started leaving Keaton Manor.

At best, they’d simply flee in the night—if they’d banded together to raid the food stores, we’d be staring straight at a bad ending.

‘For someone as unlucky as me, this level of loyalty is already fortunate.’

“I wasn’t expecting anything anyway. It doesn’t matter.”

“Y—yes…?”

At my words, Rina’s face changed from pale white paper to a dark, stormy sea.

Why was she acting so shocked all of a sudden?

Her reaction puzzled me even more.

“Rina, it’s true that you and the other servants don’t trust me, isn’t it?”

If trust could be restored so easily just by handing out some holy water, Elisabeth wouldn’t have been called a villainess in the first place.

That was simply my reality—possessing Elisabeth’s body in this world.

“Th—that’s…”

Rina, terrible at lying, trailed off and stammered awkwardly.

‘Just as I thought.’

Seeing her reaction, I was certain once again.

Life is solo. In living this one and only life, others are just that—others.

To survive, I could only rely on myself—on me alone.

I didn’t want to risk being betrayed by trusting others needlessly.

I never wanted to suffer that heart-wrenching, agonizing emotional wound ever again.

Faced with my indifferent, cold response, Rina didn’t know what to do and kept begging for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry, my lord. I was wrong…”

“I said it’s fine. Just don’t forget—your priority from now on must be my orders. Oh, and pass that along to the other servants too.”

“I’ll remember. I’ll definitely remember.”

Rina’s prostrate posture looked as if she were bowing deeply to me.

I clumsily fetched my own clothes and waved dismissively at Rina.

“Go down to the dining hall first. Oh, and don’t forget to summon the mages.”

“The mages?”

Rina, who had been fidgeting impatiently as I fastened my blouse buttons, looked puzzled.

“There’s someone I want the mages to find for me.”

I subtly moved my hand to open the quest window without Rina noticing.

[Conditions for joining the ‘Zombie Extermination’ party are now public.] [Only the strongest characters from the ‘Original Story’ may form a party with you.]

‘If you can’t avoid it, you might as well enjoy it…’

Given the circumstances, I had no choice but to actively seek out other male leads from the original story.

For instance, someone like Luce Krichern—the likely next Archmage and a secondary male lead in the original narrative.