Created a Reverse Harem in a Doomed World (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15

After several minutes of bickering, the mages reluctantly agreed to my request.

“…You really just need us to connect you with Luce Krichern, right?”

“Yes.”

When I spoke with confident assurance, the mages couldn’t hide their suspicion, yet curiosity still flickered in their eyes.

“Do you have some kind of assurance, Duke Keaton?”

“Lord Luce Krichern rarely ever leaves the Mage Tower.”

“He’s been in such a foul mood lately.”

Luce Krichern, already known for his ill temper, had grown even more irritable after suffering heartbreak and had holed himself up inside the Mage Tower.

Even though the Mage Tower was supposedly the place he despised most in the world, he used the flimsy excuse of dedicating himself to research.

‘He was just trying to avoid Siena.’

The love story between Siena Evergreen—who was supposed to become Empress—and the Crown Prince could be heard anywhere throughout the Empire.

Luce, with his sensitive disposition, couldn’t bear it and voluntarily secluded himself within the closed-off Mage Tower.

His father, the Archmage, welcomed his son’s return, but Luce himself remained locked in his laboratory, refusing to come out; whenever anyone called for him, he’d simply hurl them away with magic, so everyone learned to steer clear of him.

Thus, these mages would rather endure harsh labor as punishment than summon Luce Krichern.

“Just connect me, and I’ll handle everything else myself—hurry up and contact him already.”

“Yes, sir…”

Merion reluctantly pulled a white object resembling a remote control from his robe pocket.

On the narrow face of the smooth, white rectangular device was affixed a vivid blue sapphire.

It was a communication magic tool developed within the Mage Tower.

Merion pressed a button and input the coordinates of Luce Krichern’s room inside the tower.

“Respond, Luce Krichern.”

As he channeled mana into the device and called out the name of the person he wished to connect with, the blue gem sparkled and emitted light like a beam projector.

Soon, a clear image floated into the air, revealing someone’s figure.

The projection captured a handsome man with navy hair resembling the dusky twilight sky and irritable silver-gray eyes.

Pale skin, deep double eyelids, a straight nose, and perfectly balanced features.

Though his face was deathly pale—as if powdered—from staying up nights on end, his beauty remained undimmed and even seemed to shimmer.

…Who is this? Who dares contact me so boldly?

His voice was slightly hoarse from exhaustion, yet his lazy baritone was pleasant enough to suit a radio DJ.

His appearance resembled an overworked graduate student, yet his face and voice alone were so strikingly alluring one might mistake him for a model posing for a decadently sexy photoshoot.

‘Truly fitting for a secondary male lead!’

While I inwardly admired him, Luce Krichern snapped at Merion—who had called him—in an irritated tone.

What? Merion? You’re vaguely familiar, so you must belong to the Mage Tower. But you’ve never spoken a word to me before—why call me now? It’s unpleasant.

Seeing Luce scowl fiercely, Merion froze solid.

“It’s… it’s not me, Lord Luce Krichern.”

Then who?

“The one who requested to speak with you is someone else.”

Deflated, Merion politely pointed toward me with his bound hands.

Luce’s silver-gray eyes swept over the restrained Merion and the other mages, then narrowed sharply.

Look at you lot. Bringing shame to the Mage Tower wherever you go.

“…I’m sorry.”

So what is this? Kidnapping? Imprisonment? Blackmail? Who dares treat Mage Tower mages this way?

“I requested to speak with you, Mr. Luce Krichern.”

As I stepped forward in Merion’s place, Luce in the projection looked momentarily startled, then quickly turned fierce.

Princess Elisabeth Keaton?

‘Wow… I’ve never heard someone’s name sound like an insult before.’

It felt similar to when Reporter X shouts, “Shut your mouth, X-ploy!”

“I am now Duke Keaton.”

Why?

He didn’t even use honorifics. I’d expected his hostility toward me—because of Siena—to be strong, but this surpassed my imagination.

‘Patience, patience.’

I answered Luce with a polite smile.

Once he heard what I had to say, his expression would surely crumble into chaos.

“He passed away… bitten by a zombie.”

What’s that?

“It’s a monster—human in form but not truly human. Perhaps best described as a type of undead. It spreads by biting, much like a plague; once turned into a zombie, the eyes redden, and the victim loses all human reasoning, becoming a beast driven solely by the instinct to feed.”

Huh?

At my calm explanation, Luce’s eyes gleamed with interest.

Whether it was curiosity about this new monster called a ‘zombie,’ or suspicion toward this unfamiliar side of ‘Elisabeth Keaton,’ I couldn’t tell.

But now came the crucial point.

“Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Siena was the first human to become such a zombie.”

……!

Clatter.

At my words, Luce shot up from his laboratory chair.

He didn’t even notice his half-draped robe slipping helplessly to the floor.

What… what do you mean by that, Duke Keaton?

“Exactly as I said. Luce Krichern, heir to the Mage Tower—Her Imperial Highness transformed into a zombie on her wedding day due to some unknown cause.”

I carefully explained every scene I’d witnessed.

How Siena, now a zombie, bit the Crown Prince standing nearest to her, and how the Prince then turned and began biting the other guests who’d come to celebrate.

I barely managed to escape, but everyone trapped inside the Imperial Palace that day—due to the barrier erected—either became zombie food or turned into zombies themselves, effectively plunging the capital into a state of emergency.

Such an absurd thing…

“It is absurd, yet it’s reality, Mr. Luce Krichern.”

‘I wish this weren’t reality but just a dream.’

「Me too.」

For the first time in a while, Zero and I were in sync. Not that I was particularly happy about it.

Luce, having lost his composure, cast a truth-detection spell on me.

『Reveal the truth.』

Of course, this seemingly unbelievable situation was true, so the spell produced a bright green flame signifying truth.

It’s not a lie, damn it.

Luce slammed his research-cluttered desk loudly and raked his fingers through his hair.

In his disheveled state, he asked me,

What happened to Her Imperial Highness…?

My stomach twisted guiltily.

‘…I put her to eternal rest myself.’

With Madame Canary’s ex-boyfriend collection high heels, I bashed her head in.

If I told the truth, my head would roll, so I offered a suitable reply instead.

“I don’t know. But one thing is certain—she’s no longer human.”

I see.

Luce staggered and sank weakly back into his seat.

…What do you want from me, Duke Keaton?

Finally, he got to the point.

“I won’t waste words. Luce Krichern, I’d be grateful if you’d help us reclaim the capital from the zombies.”

I bowed respectfully, asking him to join us as an ally.

‘I must approach this completely differently than with Michael.’

Luce was sensitive and fussy, and he’d always looked down on Elisabeth—but beneath that prickly exterior, he was surprisingly soft-hearted: firm with the strong, gentle with the weak.

Thus, I believed that if I—who’d once acted arrogantly without knowing my place—now showed vulnerability after a great ordeal and approached him humbly, even a sharp, gray hedgehog-like fellow like him would waver.

You don’t have to go that far…

Indeed. Seeing ‘that’ Elisabeth Keaton—who’d always acted so haughtily—approach him respectfully, Luce awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Your help is desperately needed, Luce. The Imperial family has fallen, and the capital is no longer safe from the zombie threat. Though we survive behind a magical barrier, we’re already isolated.”

The Empire’s most renowned figures had already perished attending the wedding.

The only ones who could resolve this crisis were those marked by Zero’s quest as potential male leads from the original story!

‘I must recruit you into my party, no matter what.’

“If we don’t stop this here, the Empire—and even this world—will face annihilation.”

…I understand the gravity of the situation. But I find you unsettling. I can’t trust you.

Luce frowned at me again.

For the same reason as Merion and the other mages: I, Elisabeth Keaton, simply wasn’t trustworthy.

So I decided to play the card I knew would work best on Luce.

“You don’t have to trust me, Luce Krichern.”

…!

“But please reconsider. This is about saving people. What would Her Imperial Highness have done if she were unharmed?”

Siena Evergreen, heroine of ‘Siena Walks Only Flower Paths.’

She was the kind of sunny heroine who, true to her title, deserved to walk only flower-strewn paths.

Kind, affectionate, and lovable.

Someone who’d grieve even over a single withered wildflower would never stand by in such a crisis.

Luce understood this too, and his tightly clenched fist trembled.

…I know. If Siena were still alive as a human… she’d definitely insist on saving everyone.

“You, of all people, know well that I’m different from her. It’s less about pity for lives falling to zombies and more about survival—I’m asking you to join hands with me for my own sake.”

When I honestly revealed my motives, Michael beside me raised an eyebrow.

But he didn’t object. After all, he’d also made a pact with me to stay at Keaton Manor for his own survival.

“Still, someone must stop this bizarre catastrophe. So, please, help us.”

If you wish to save Siena, whom you loved.

Luce Krichern couldn’t possibly miss the words I’d swallowed silently.

In the end, he too would join the zombie-slaying party, driven by his own selfish desire.

As I earnestly pleaded with proper decorum, Luce found it harder to refuse.

…What exactly do you need me to do?

‘Got him.’

Thankfully, I kept my head bowed—if not, my satisfied grin, stretching ear to ear, would’ve been visible.

In a gentle voice, I told Luce,

“Please come to Keaton Manor. Bring other mages who might fight alongside us, if possible.”

I doubt any of them will volunteer after hearing the situation… Fine, I’ll do it.

Ding.

At his reply, a cheerful notification chimed in my ears.

[Congratulations on acquiring a new ally!] [A new member has joined your ‘Zombie Slaying’ party.] [Current party members: 3/5] [Sub-quest Gather Party Members! progress updated.] [Current progress: Elisabeth Keaton (1/1), Michael Easter (1/1), Luce Krichern (1/1), ??? (0/1), ??? (0/1)]

Oh, how exciting.