Created a Reverse Harem in a Doomed World (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16

Having recruited Luce Krichern as a companion more easily than expected, I felt as light as if I could soar into the sky.

“Hehe, hehehehe.”

After ending my video call with him, I slipped into a secluded spot behind the mansion, patrolling while checking the magical barrier for any anomalies, and chuckled to myself.

Zero, perched on my shoulder, shook his head side to side.

“Are you really that happy?”

“Of course.”

I’d already gathered half my party members.

The quest, which I’d assumed was an ultra-hard mode of the highest difficulty, was progressing smoothly, and my spirits began to lift slightly.

I still had no clue why the zombie outbreak had happened or how to resolve it.

But the sense of accomplishment was undeniably satisfying.

“You whined a lot, yet handled it well. Here, your reward.”

“Oh!”

Zero pulled out the sub-quest reward, exclaiming in genuine amazement.

Once again, he’d offered a rather useful skill as a reward.

[Help Me, MacGyver! (Intermediate)] [Three times per day, you can receive a magical scroll containing instructions to craft any item you wish to make.] [Tearing the scroll will naturally create the desired item.] [With an advanced version of this skill, you might be able to craft even more incredible things.]

“Ooooh…! Not bad!”

‘It was a good idea to divide the area and inspect the barrier section by section.’

Communicating with Zero only through thoughts was a bit awkward, after all.

So this moment—letting out a tiny squeal of joy and stomping my feet—felt oddly thrilling.

“Now, what should I make with this?”

Humming softly, I intently studied the skill window with satisfaction.

Three times a day—what a useful skill to craft helpful items. It felt like I’d just obtained a master key, and my heart grew confident.

‘Zero may talk annoyingly, but he does steer things in a surprisingly helpful direction.’

Then again, he’s just another office worker longing for early retirement.

Thinking that, I saw Zero in a strangely sympathetic light for the first time.

“Zero, thank you. You understand me, right?”

When I gently stroked his fluffy hamster body with my finger, Zero recoiled in shock.

“…What’s wrong with you? Did you eat something bad? You’re scary.”

“…”

Right. This hamster has always been like this.

‘No matter how nicely I treat him, he’ll still complain.’

While grumbling and staring blankly at the skill window, Zero tapped my cheek.

“Don’t you already have something in mind?”

“Well, yeah.”

‘A water gun and a sprayer to hold holy water!’

Or perhaps something like a portable spray would be good.

In my original world, water guns were children’s toys, and sprayers or portable sprays were merely household items…

‘But not here, where zombies have appeared.’

Moreover, knowing that the sanctity within holy water could paralyze zombies, there was no reason not to use it.

Earlier, right after returning from the temple, I’d told the butler we needed to make a water gun and a sprayer, but not knowing how to craft them had left me frustrated.

Now, with this skill, I could finally relax.

“No one’s around, right?”

After glancing around briefly and confirming no one was nearby, I activated the skill.

“Help me, MacGyver!”

Ugh—even though no one was here, it still felt embarrassing.

As soon as I pictured in my mind the water gun and sprayer I knew, a status window abruptly popped up, switching to a loading screen.

[Your request has been accepted.][Issuing magical scrolls containing instructions for crafting a water gun and a sprayer.] [Issuance complete.]

Within seconds, two neatly tied magical scrolls dropped before my eyes.

Opening them, I saw illustrations of a water gun boasting a long, sniper-style barrel ideal for long-range shooting, and a compact, spray-type sprayer perfect for carrying around.

Just as I was about to tear the scrolls without hesitation, a sudden thought struck me, and I asked Zero,

“Hey, Zero.”

Crunch crunch crunch. Gulp.

“What.”

Though not even a real hamster, Zero was munching noisily on a large macadamia nut.

Where on earth did he get that?

“These magical scrolls—they’re not usable only by me, right?”

“Huh? No, they’re not.”

Oh! Then this is even better.

After all, even if I obtained these custom crafting recipes, mass-producing them myself would be impossible.

It’d be far more efficient to entrust these items to someone skilled at making them.

‘The Keaton ducal residence has artisans attached to it who, generation after generation, craft and present fine goods.’

Back when I was fully playing the role of a villainess, I had to set trends as a true noblewoman of this era. In my search for rare and valuable items, I discovered that the Keaton family’s artisans were the best.

From crafting luxurious items like precious metals to forging sturdy swords, the wealthy Keaton dukes sponsored numerous talented individuals and brought them under their house.

These artisans didn’t refuse the duke’s generous terms and rewards, and thus the Keaton workshops became renowned for producing beautiful items.

Successive heads of the Keaton family took pride in this legacy and always kept exceptionally skilled artisans residing at their capital mansion.

Since the imperial capital of Caladia saw fashions shift as swiftly as flowing water, only those artisans receiving the highest praise were carefully selected.

Fortunately, such artisans were still present at the current Keaton ducal residence.

“Who are you planning to give those scrolls to?”

“Benjamin. He’s a master at making everyday items like these.”

Benjamin was a craftsman akin to a certain famous inventor from romance novels.

Possessing a talent for developing only convenient goods that seamlessly integrated into people’s daily lives—much like Edison—he’d been personally scouted by Henry Keaton.

I intended to entrust him with the crucial task of mass-producing water guns and sprayers.

Carefully placing the scrolls into my pocket to avoid creasing them, I resumed inspecting the ducal residence’s barrier.

I took the north side, Michael the west, a few servants including the butler handled the east, and Merion along with the mages were assigned the south.

Although I’d untied the dispatched mages, Luce had ordered them to remain at the ducal residence until her arrival, so they had no choice but to stay temporarily.

With spare manpower now available, putting them to work was only natural.

Since inspecting the magical barrier was involved, I figured mages would handle it best, so I assigned them the south side where the main gate stood.

“What if they run away?”

“Well… I’ve already given them the mana stones as promised, so they could leave if they wanted. But I doubt they will.”

“Could it be because of that blue mage?”

“Pfft.”

A “blue mage”? Zero must be the only one calling Luce Krichern that.

“Pff—y-yeah. Mages are extremely individualistic, but since Luce is a strong candidate for the next Archmage, they can’t just ignore her orders.”

Perhaps due to guilt over failing to protect Siena, Luce felt a strong sense of duty to help others.

This was quite unexpected.

The mages had assumed Luce would immediately hurl insults at me and tell me to get lost, so they were thoroughly bewildered by this unforeseen turn of events.

Merion, in particular, trembled with anxiety, fearing he might never return to the Mage Tower and would instead be stuck serving under Luce.

‘Well, that suits me just fine.’

More people I could put to use meant easier survival for me.

Praying that Luce wouldn’t send the dispatched mages back even after entering the ducal residence, I entrusted the barrier to Zero.

“Alright, Zero! You keep an eye on the barrier’s condition. I’ll be cheering you on.”

“Am I managing a possessed vessel or a master here…? Ugh.”

Despite his grumbling, I firmly dumped the task onto Zero.

“What can I do? ‘Elisabeth’ is utterly hopeless with magic. She has only a minuscule amount of mana, so she can’t help with this kind of thing.”

Essentially powerless, that’s all…

No wonder the servants looked as shocked as if they’d seen someone trying to make soybean paste out of red beans when I offered to inspect the northern barrier.

I’d acted boldly because I trusted Zero, but perhaps I should be more careful.

〈Your Grace has changed greatly from the person I once knew.〉

Michael’s words, spoken while studying me with a subtle gaze, made me flinch.

“Be more careful. I understand you want to go home, but it’s best not to let anyone discover you’re a possessed vessel.”

“I know that…”

Because if I’m not careful, I might be accused of being a witch.

The only person to have escaped alive from the Imperial Palace during this chaotic time of zombie outbreaks.

And someone whose behavior has drastically changed from her past as a villainess who reveled in wickedness.

‘And besides… though unintentional, I did kill the original female lead, Siena, when she turned into a zombie—by stomping her head with my shoe.’

If the original story’s supporting male leads ever found out about this, I might lose my head on the spot.

Just imagining being interrogated as the mastermind behind the zombie crisis sent chills down my spine.

“Just don’t cause any bigger mistakes.”

“Yesss. I’ll be careful, so please check if there’s anything wrong with the barrier, esteemed employee of the Possessed Vessel Management Bureau.”

“Hmph! Just this once!”

Zero really is simple. A little flattery, and he puffs up his shoulders like a tsundere, then grants my request.

As he waved me off, telling me to go and return safely, something appeared beyond the barrier.

“Huh…?”

What’s that?

Squinting and tilting my head in confusion, the tiny dot gradually drew closer, revealing its true form.

“Th… uuuuh…”

“Oh… damn.”

A single zombie was limping toward us.

With bright red eyes and dragging a body caked in blackened blood, its appearance was deeply ominous.

“Y-hey, Zero… Look over there.”

Zero, who had been intently examining the barrier like a repairman—spotting even the tiniest cracks and sealing them—turned his head toward me.

“What is it?”

“Zombies are coming.”

“Gah!”

Zero hurriedly finished repairing the barrier, then resettled onto my shoulder to observe the approaching zombie in the distance.

“Is it just one?”

“That… probably isn’t the case.”

Unfortunately.

“Uu… aaaa…”

“Graaaah…”

“Uuuaa…”

Behind the limping zombie, several more slowly emerged, shambling forward.

Roughly ten in total.

Enough to be worrisome, yet few enough to be manageable—my palms grew sweaty.

“Damn it. It had to happen eventually.”

Just as the butler said, zombies had been lurking near the Keaton ducal residence.

Most nobles in the capital lived on Duo Street, and the Keaton ducal residence occupied the prime location in District 1.

Situated north of the Imperial Palace, it was far from the bustling south where the main gate stood, making it quiet and peaceful on its spacious, secluded grounds.

But now that zombies were swarming, what good was any of that?

‘I need to get out of here quickly…’

The moment I hastily turned to flee, by sheer coincidence, my eyes met the zombie’s murky red ones.

The zombie, seemingly locking eyes with me, opened its bright red mouth wide.

“Graaaaaah…”

It looked exactly as if it wanted to devour me.

Goosebumps rose on my skin.

Zero shouted at my frozen self,

“What are you sitting there for, possessed vessel! Hurry and warn the others!”

“…Yeah.”

Snap out of it.

I have to get home alive.

I can’t die a meaningless death in a world that isn’t even my real one.

The wind struck my cheeks fiercely as I ran.