Love, Eroge, Music & Other Craziness

by Geek Girl Naruru

Namikaze Naruto is a normal fifteen-year-old high school student. He has a distant relationship with his sister Naruko, who always treats him rudely. One Day in Spring, he encounters a foreign girl playing a piano on one of his travels to a junkyard and helps her in many ways as he discover that her name is Weiss Schnee.

25. Tsundere in Zombie World -Part 1-

Special Chapter: Isekai Naruko — Tsundere in Zombie Apocalypse World

-Part 1-

- This is sort of joke story I made for this fic. It's just for fun so don't treat it seriously. I've been hooked with isekai genre lately so I kinda want to try to make one too with Naruko in this fic. Hope you enjoy this.

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"Ugh…! What the heck this disgusting smell?!"

I just woke up, and I already feel like crying. Tears have actually formed in my eyes and are threatening to tumble over.

These aren't tears produced by a casual yawn. The reason for them is simple: they're a visceral response to the putrid stench hanging in the air and growing thicker by the minute. Sewage sludge is the closest thing I can compare this foul smell to, but the intensity is on a whole other level—worse than living in a sewer. It's so bad, I fear taking a deep breath will cause the mucky air to melt my internal organs.

Where in the world am I? With the information available to me now, most people would probably conclude I am in a garbage dump or a sewage treatment plant. When I first woke up, the same thought crossed my mind, but…

Pressing my wrist against my nose to block out the smell, I survey my surroundings. The quickest way to describe the scene is as a desert island in the middle of the ocean without anything remotely tropical or pleasant on it. The thing is, not only is the island no bigger than a hundred-square-foot room and deader than a wasteland, but the ocean surrounding it is an eerie, noxious purple. I can hear bubbles rising and popping like some sort of witch's brew roiling in a cauldron.

Where the heck is this place supposed to be?!

I don't have the faintest idea where this is. For that matter, I've never seen something in reality that is so obviously a poisonous swamp. It looks just like the miasma marshes in the video games I used to watch my friend Kuroneko play.

Okay, I'm not getting anywhere trying to figure out where I am, so I'll set that aside for now.

The biggest problem is why the heck I'm in a place like this all alone.

I try recalling what happened before I went to sleep. Familiar images flicker through my mind: I went to my junior high school in the morning, sat through my classes, and worked just two hours for my modeling job. Trying to be considerate of my brother, who's three year older than me and in his second year of high school, I went straight home after my part-time job. It was an ordinary day from beginning to end.

The only thing different from usual was that I had dived into my bed the moment I'd entered my room. Work had been so chaotic that I was mentally and physically drained beyond exhaustion. My memories cut off there. I probably fell asleep after that. That makes the most sense to me; I'm convinced that's what happened.

But how was I supposed to know I'd wake up surrounded by a gurgling and bubbling poisonous swamp? Am I still dreaming? That question crosses my mind for a whole second, but I can't deny I'm awake when that foul stench is burning all my senses and I have full control of my body.

Luckily, I'm still wearing my outdoor school uniform consisting of a dark gray cardigan over my shirt and a gray pleated skirt. And for whatever reason, I still have my loafers on. This is a popular junior high school uniform near where I live, but I don't see a single other person around. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered even if I were dressed in my pajamas instead.

SPLAT!

The poisonous muck suddenly splatters onto my small island. A slimy, human-shaped THING crawls onto the island using that muck as a foothold.

"EEP! Wh-What the?!"

"Bwahhh."

The THING rises onto two feet, and the sticky liquid coating its whole body begins dripping off. Something that looks markedly human is left standing there once all the gunk slides off it.

But it's a far cry from an ordinary human. It seems to be wearing some rusty armor and has festering sores covering the exposed skin on its face and neck. Plus, its molting skin has faded to a sickly greenish-blue color. Red lines run through its horribly bloodshot eyes, and rotting, gnarly teeth peek out through its wide-open mouth.

The word zombie comes instantly to mind. I have only ever seen them in movies, anime, games, and manga, but that thing's appearance makes it impossible to think of it as anything else.

"Bwah! Bwoah!"

Staggering, the moaning zombie slowly closes in on my position. I instinctively step back from the grotesque creature. But this is a small island. A few steps and I've reached the end of the line.

A piece of the ledge under my feet breaks off. When that piece hits the poisonous liquid, it disintegrates, leaving behind the sizzling sound of cooking meat.

You've gotta be freakin' kidding me! I'm done for if I fall in!

"Don't you 'Bwah bwah' me! Don't come any closer! Please, just go away!"

"Urg. Aah…aaah…"

"Moan like a baby all you want, zombie! But with looks like that, you aren't winning any cuteness contests. If anything, it only increases your grossness!"

At any rate, what I'm saying isn't getting across to the zombie, as evidenced by the fact that it won't stop coming closer no matter how many times I ask it to go away.

"Th-This can't be real!"

There's almost no space to try to run past the zombie. Even if I did make it by some miracle, this is a tiny island. I can't get away.

As I was trying to think up a plan of action, the zombie had shambled close enough for me to touch if I reached out my hand. It advances on me with its arms lazily hanging in front of it.

"Bwah."

"G-GO AWAAAAAY!" SLAM!

Desperately wanting to survive, I reflexively shove the zombie's chest with my right hand. Did I use more strength than I thought? The zombie falls onto its back and begins writhing on the ground, moaning.

Am I saved?

I just wish I didn't have to touch a zombie. Partly because you never know what could happen when you touch something unnatural, but mostly because it stinks to high heaven. Case in point, my right hand reeks. This sucks!

"Blehk!" I'm staring at my hand, depressed, when all of a sudden, the zombie's body starts shining brightly. "Whoa?! What in the world?! Why's it glowing?!"

"BWAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The light grows brighter as the zombie screams. It's too blinding to keep my eyes open. However, the light quickly fades. I fearfully open my eyes and blink several times.

"Big bro…?"

The zombie is gone. In its place is a young man who awfully looked like my brother. He's a slender man around six feet tall. His other distinct features are his spiky golden hair tied back in a samurai hairstyle and his pretty sapphire-like eyes.

He's clad in the same type of armor as that zombie, but the luster and polish of his doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to that rust bucket. The armor has transformed from rusty metal into very expensive-looking silver. On closer inspection, he even has a sword hanging from his waist and has the appearance of a noble knight you might find in a storybook.

I'm stunned speechless. Not because I'm captivated by his otherworldly appearance or his face that nearly identical to my brother — No, I lied. In all actuality, that has 90 percent to do with it. But there is something else worthier of my attention right now.

I hold my breath.

Um, a zombie just turned into a living, breathing, not-so-dead human!

(◕ω◕✿)

"BY the Goddess…have I returned to normal…?"

The now-living knight examines his body as if he can't believe his eyes. I don't know his deal, but I don't blame him for being confused after reverting from zombie to human. That said, I can confidently say I'm even more confused than he is.

I mean, a zombie that was moaning "Bwah bwah" and trying to eat me turned into a human just by me touching it with my right hand. Does this count as bringing someone back from the dead? He was a zombie. But considering his filthy armor became clean and shiny, and the way the scream ripped from his throat when he glowed, purification seems like a better explanation. Yep, purification it is.

My eyes meet the knight's while I'm in the middle of escaping reality by analyzing my situation. Having grown up with an older brother, I've never had a problem chatting with boys at school, but while that may be true, I still have reservations about talking to some guy who was a zombie trying to eat me a few moments prior—no matter how cool-looking he is.

"Are you the one who restored me to my former self?"

"I didn't do anything so grandiose. I only touched you with my hand…" More like I shoved him with all my strength. But telling him that will only draw attention to how violent my method was.

"I knew it… I vaguely remember things from when I was a zombie. I see, I see. That powerful thrust to my chest was your doing," the knight says as he brings his right hand to his chest.

Crud. The fact that I shoved him is completely out in the open!

"I-I didn't hit you because I wanted to. It's your fault for cornering me while groaning 'Bwah bwah'!"

The knight deeply bows his head to me. "Thank you very much."

"Um, er…"

I'm stumped. All I did was touch him—or rather, gave a hard push to his chest— which normally wouldn't do much at all. Even if my joking conclusion that I have the ability to purify zombies is somehow freakishly true, it's not something I've done before. I'm not aware of having an ability like that. Though if purification really exists…I wish it'd purify the horrid odor exuding from my hand!

The knight raises his head and introduces himself. "My name is Ruto Stormbreaker, a knight with Grantz Kingdom's Royal Knights."

Ruto? He even had similar name with my brother. But… I've never heard of this Grantz Kingdom.

Between the existence of zombie knights and poisonous swamps, I'm starting to think this is a different world from the one I know. It's a ridiculous theory even to me, but taking all the available information into account, there's a high chance the "another world theory" applies here. Though the biggest mystery is how we're communicating without a language barrier.

"If I may ask, what is your name, fair maiden?"

"Um, I'm Naruko Namikaze."

"Lady Naruko… You have a gorgeous name."

This is the first time a man who's not friend to me has addressed me by my first name. It's a tad embarrassing, but it's not a bad feeling. But calling me by name isn't the only problem here!

"U-Um, why are you calling me L-Lady? I'm not someone of high status. You can drop that part."

"Because you are the fair lady who saved my life! I must treat you with the respect you are due!" he firmly declares, shooting down my request.

I was just starting to think he was the gentle-mannered, easy-to-get- along-with type, but it turns out he might actually be the difficult-to-handle type! Even so, he's the only other human around. I have no option but to rely on him right now.

"Excuse me, Sir Ruto?"

"Please just call me Ruto. I would be most pleased if you spoke with me casually as well."

"I can't do that! I only just met you, Sir Ruto."

"RUTO! Please call me that."

I knew it. He's the annoying type. Is he just serious to a fault or more stubborn than a mule? Actually, he's probably both. At any rate, it's just a waste of time if I get hung up on responding to his stupid comments in kind.

I take a deep breath and let the tension out of my shoulders. Then I stare at the man in front of me as I tell myself, all this guy has going for him is his looks. He's a weirdo on the inside. A weirdo. Okay, that should do it!

"Fine, I'll be casual with you, then. Um…Ruto? I have a lot of questions for you. Will you answer them?"

"If it is within my ability to answer you, with pleasure."

"What in the world is going on here? It looks like we're on a desert island in the middle of the deep ocean. We're surrounded on all sides by some sorta venomous-looking muck."

"I don't know what has transpired either. All I can say is that the world suddenly rotted around us, and every person, without exception, turned into a zombie as if in a chain reaction. The only power I know capable of this widespread influence comes from…the Dark Djinn." Ruto pauses there and looks at my face. "M'lady, are you feeling unwell?"

"Ahaha. Yes and no. I'm physically fine…" I say, holding my head in my hand.

Zombie-esque things exist. I probably shouldn't be surprised at this point, but not even I could have predicted that a term like "Dark Djinn" would come up so easily as a part of a normal conversation. My zombie apocalypse nightmare has just turned up the fantasy-world ante. This should be Kuroneko expertise, not me!

"Uh, stop right there. Every person without exception? I'm not sure I really want to know the answer to this, but is it possible there are no other living humans around?"

"Correct. At least, that was supposed to be the case as far as I know."

"Supposed to be the case?"

"Lady Naruko…the curse didn't befall you." Ruto's expression turns serious as he studies my face. "What in the Goddess's name are you? The Dark Djinn's power is indomitable. None should have been capable of escaping its curse. And yet you—"

"I want to know the answer to that question more than anyone. When I came to, I was here without a clue about anything."

"My inkling might not be so far off after all. That sacred power that allows you to not only break the Dark Djinn's curse but also return me to my former self…I believe it means you are the holy priestess sent here by the Goddess to save our world, Lady Naruko."

I can't help blinking at that preposterous conclusion. Is this guy all right in the head? Maybe his brains fried when he turned into a zombie.

"Me? A holy priestess? Not a chance! I'm just a junior high school girl."

"J-Junior, Hi-High? S-Sch…ool? Girl?" Ruto tries sounding out the words.

"Oh…everyone where I come from likes to just call me a schoolgirl, but I guess you wouldn't get that either?" I mentioned that with the fleeting hope he might know what that is, but it's no good. Face scrunched up in a confused frown, Ruto cocks his head at me. "Well, in any case, I'm just a normal human."

"You can't be. A normal person does not possess the holy powers you used—"

"What I'm trying to say is, don't give me special treatment or look at me funny. I mean, look around. Whatever power I do or don't have, it's not getting us out of here."

The power to purify a zombie and revert them to their original human form. I can't deny that's an awesome power, but it's meaningless if I can't escape this tiny island.

"…Lady Naruko."

I turn my face aside to avoid Ruto's sorrowful gaze. If what he says is true, then there are no other humans aside from us. In other words, we can't expect help to come. Walking through the poisonous swamp to find land is out of the question. To be blunt, there's no hope of being saved.

I never really had any particular ambitions in life, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy living. As weird as it is for me to say this, I still have a long life ahead of me. I've optimistically lived out my days thinking I have plenty of time to find what I want to do with my life… but now I'm going to die in obscurity before I ever discover what that is.

I plop down on the ground with a loud sigh. I pull my knees up to my chin and bury my face in them. Is there a point in living if there's nothing for me to do? There's nothing more painful than endless boredom. Maybe I should just make it easier on myself and dive into that acidic poison…

Negative thoughts overwhelm my mind, my mental state descending into chaos. My one forte is my optimistic energy that gets my fans to say, "Seeing you always smile like that cheers me right up too!" but even a cheerful person like me loses hope in a hopeless situation.

The torturous feelings rising inside me turn into tears and spill over. Teardrops drip from my blurry eyes. The drops splatter on the ground.

All of a sudden, the ground faintly glows. Startled, I spring to my feet.

Wh-What's going on now?!

Once the light spreads over the entire desert island, weeds sprout from the dead earth, covering what had been a wasteland moments prior. As if taking that as the cue, the light scatters as if shattering into pieces, eventually turning phosphorescent and quietly fading away.

"W-Weeds grew…!"

"Indeed…they did grow."

I gape at the ground with Ruto. What in the world is happening? Less than a second after my tears hit the earth, the island was covered in green. That's the only thing I know for sure.

"Lady Naruko…may I ask what it is you did?"

"I-I don't really want to say because it's embarrassing… I just cried a little. When my tears fell, the ground suddenly started glowing."

"To think you returned life to the putrefied ground with your tears… As I thought, you truly are the holy priest—"

"You're just looking for excuses to call me that now."

It seems as if he wants to treat me like some kinda priestess no matter what. I'll admit that bringing plant life back to barren land with just my tears is a holy-sounding power. But, I don't want to acknowledge myself as some priestess, regardless of how much power I might have. The reason is simple—everything people view as holy or sacred tends to end badly. Imagining someone suddenly to start religion or cult with my name because of this… No way! I'm no one's holy maiden. I prefer to be just ordinary girl Naruko, that's about it!

Anyway, Ruto is staring at the noxious swamp with hopeful eyes. "While we don't have proof yet, mayhap if you cry over the poison—"

"We might be able to purify it?!"

"Please try it, Lady Naruko!"

"Okay, leave it to me!" I roll up my sleeves and gallantly stride over to the island's edge. I poke my head slightly over the side and strain my eyes. "Geh! The tears aren't coming! They dried up the second I thought I was saved! Ugggh." At my wits' end, I pound my hands on the ledge. No matter how much I pray for my emotional side from several minutes ago to return, it won't. The pointlessly optimistic side of me has taken full control of my brain.

"Pardon my language, but how about saliva?"

"What are you suggesting with a straight face?!"

I knew it, his good looks were too good to be true. There's always a catch.

"Apologies… I simply thought perchance any of your body fluids might work, Lady Naruko."

"T-True. That is a possibility. But why saliva?"

"Because it seemed the optimum choice. Of course, I am all for trying some other options, such as—"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. So please don't finish that sentence."

Spitting in public is plenty immodest as it is. I don't want anyone seeing me spit.

"I-I'll try it. Can you face the other way?"

"Why?"

"Obviously because it's embarrassing!"

The day I get labeled as a girl who spits and drools is the day I can no longer get married. Though I guess the chances of me getting married now that I'm in a post-apocalyptic world are close to zilch.

Facing the edge again, I drop to my knees and poke my head over the side. My shoulder-length hair falls into my eyes, annoying me. I brush my hair up and over my ears.

It's not like Ruto is watching me, but there's something terribly embarrassing about this that it's making my face heat up. I remind myself I'm doing this to survive and open my mouth to spit the saliva I haven't swallowed yet. Not having had anything to drink for a while has made it sticky. The drop of saliva breaks off from the threadlike trail and finally drips into the poisonous liquid.

There aren't any ripples, but a bigger change occurs instead. The poisonous muck surrounding the island unleashes a blinding light high into the skies. The bubbling and popping stops, and the color turns from a sickly purple to transparent. Last but not least, even the stench assaulting my nose vanishes.

"I-It actually worked…"

"How can this be? As I suspected, Lady Naruko is the—"

Pushing Ruto's new favorite phrase out of my mind, I survey the area around the island. It's blue for as far as the eye can see. It looks just like a beautiful, clean ocean or lake. Not a trace of poison remains.

"Do you think it's really been purified?" I voice my doubts.

"Allow me to confirm." Ruto leans over the island's edge and thrusts his hand into the water without hesitation.

"Hey! Are you okay? Your flesh isn't melting off?"

"There is nothing wrong with it. The water is very cool and refreshing," Ruto says, dunking his cupped hands into the water and bringing it back to his lips. He takes two loud gulps of it and stares at the water, stunned. "I have never tasted such delicious water before…"

I'm relieved. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to him. But once the relief sets in, I become aware of a disturbing fact—my saliva is mixed in with the water Ruto just drank. Ew! I start squirming, my face burning hot, when Ruto turns to me with a sparkling smile.

"This is the power of your spit, Lady Naruko!"

"Leave out the part about it being my spit's power! PLEASE!" The heat goes right out of my face, and I dip my hand into the water too. While I'm at it, I scrub the zombie stench off my right hand. The water is cool and refreshing, just as Ruto said. Taking a closer look, I realize it's quite clear as well. I can see all the way to the bottom.

"Is it actually really shallow here?"

"It is. This is Lake Nidel. Some sections are deep, but it shouldn't come up higher than your knees in most areas."

"We can walk through it, then."

"We certainly can. Grantz Castle is located in that direction. Let's head there."

I'll turn into a dried-up husk if I stay put on this island, so I decide to go along with Ruto's suggestion.

One strange thought occurs to me as we head out: Was Ruto scuttling along the bottom of the lake like some sorta zombie crab?

(◕ω◕✿)

Carrying my socks and loafers in both hands, I wade through the lake. I could tell just by looking, but the lake is ridiculously large. Pushing forward endlessly hasn't brought the opposite shore into view yet.

Water that comes up to only your knees slows and weighs you down the more you walk in it. I'm athletic, but even my legs are starting to feel like lead. Fortunately, no matter how much I slow down, Ruto's back in front of me doesn't move farther away. He seems to be matching his pace to mine. I'm of the opinion he's a nice and serious person, though I have no intention of changing my first impression of him being a weirdo.

After about twenty minutes of walking, we finally arrive at the opposite shore. I flop on the ground like I'm falling over.

"I can't go any farther! My legs feel like logs!"

"Shall we tarry a moment?"

"Please…"

I gaze up at the sky while stretching out my legs. The series of surprises I've experienced since waking up stopped me from thinking about it before, but how do I get back home? To my world? Even an optimist can see that this is a dangerous world in every sense of the word. I want to go home right now and play my eroge. The problem is that I don't have the faintest idea of how to make that happen.

I doubt I'll get the answer I want from Ruto, but I'll try asking…

"Hey, what would you think if I told you I came from another world?"

"That it only affirms you are our holy priestess."

And that's why I didn't want to ask him!

To my great misfortune, he's entirely useless when it comes to this topic.

"How long will it take to get to the castle from here?"

"We will arrive in no time if we take that path up ahead. It shouldn't take more than half a day."

The path Ruto spoke of is located on the raised ground beyond the lake. It's not a walkway paved with concrete or stones, but a dirt trail created by many feet traversing it over time.

Anyway, how in the world is half a day arriving in no time?! I think we have drastically different standards for judging distance, but maybe that's just the way it is in a place where you can't travel by car or train. I'm starting to think I should be glad our journey will end in half a day.

"It figures it'd be rotting here too," I comment, glancing around. Purifying the lake removed the horrid stench from when I first woke up.

But a purplish fog is hovering over the mainland, making the air stagnant and foul. The bark is peeling off from the tree trunks near the path. Naturally, there aren't any leaves on the dead trees, and many of them have snapped in half.

"The Dark Djinn's curse was cast on the entire world. However, we no longer have anything to fear—for we have Lady Naruko's spit on our side!"

"For crying out loud, stop bringing up my spit!"

If he continues treating me like a real priestess, I fear rumors will spread behind my back that I'm the Holy Priestess of Spit! That's the one thing I never want to happen. EVER!

My feet had dried as we bickered, so I put my socks and shoes back on. I want to rest longer, but I fear relaxing here too long will make me too lazy to walk later. I shove to my feet and dust off my skirt.

"Okay, I've rested enough. Let's keep up the pace until the castle!"

"SO, I've been wondering… Why are we even heading for the castle anyway?" I ask Ruto not long after we started walking down the path. I didn't question it earlier because I had been desperate to get off that desert island, but now that I've given it some thought, I'm full of doubts.

"Because it is where many people will be gathered, of course."

"What? Didn't you say people aren't around?"

"Yes, I did. You can expect it to be crawling with zombies," Ruto answers without hesitation. "It is very likely some are wandering around outside the capital as I was, so there is no guarantee everyone is still inside the city gates as they were before death… But I am positive scores of zombies are within."

"Stop! Stop right there! Is your brain intact?! You must be insane, wanting to go where there are tons of zombies on purpose!"

"I want to purify a great number all at once with your holy powers, Lady Naruko. Doing so will bring the castle back to its former splendor—"

"Sorry, I'm leaving." I spin around on my heel. I thought I would be safe following Ruto, but it looks like it's the complete opposite of that! This is practically walking toward certain death!

"P-Please wait!" Ruto runs around in front of me and blocks my path. I understand his desperation to regain his castle as a royal knight, but he's putting the cart ahead of the horse.

"Listen, I'm not against purifying what I can purify. We can't get much accomplished with just the two of us after all. But charging right into the most dangerous place first? Frankly, it's a stupid plan."

"We won't be in danger, for Lady Naruko is the—"

"Don't finish that sentence if you are going to call me the holy priestess again." My guess is right. Ruto falls silent. Exasperation is left in the wake of the anger bubbling up inside me. "I'll admit I might have powers belonging to a priestess, but I'm a normal person on the inside no matter what others want to think. I don't want to strut into a place that's teeming with danger…" Besides, I've turned only one zombie back into a living person. There's no guarantee the power will work twice. Say it does work—there's a limit to how many zombies I can take on at once. If they surround me, I'm as good as dead. When it comes down to it, I'm just a junior high school girl. I'm not confident I can see it through to the end.

"Please accept my humble apologies for pushing the plan ahead without trying to understand how you feel, Lady Naruko… However, with that knowledge, please allow me to ask it of you once more." Ruto places his hand over his heart and implores me with dead-serious eyes. "I will protect you no matter what. Won't you please lend me your holy powers, Lady Naruko?"

"…Ruto."

No man has ever sworn to protect me before. My heart skips a beat against my wishes. But my heart-throbbing moment is replaced by sheer shock a second later. A short zombie child lurches out of a tree's shadow beside the path. It teeters slowly toward me moaning "Bwah."

"YAAH! Another zombie!"

"Please stand back, m'lady! I shall handle th—" Ruto leaps in front of me and locks hands with the zombie, stopping it from coming closer. He moved according to his oath to protect me at all costs.

He's so brave and sincere! Seconds after he deeply impresses me, Ruto's skin turns bluish purple!

"Bwah!"

"Idiot! You just got reinfected!"

I can't believe Ruto just turned back into a zombie! This completely ruins how cool he was when he jumped out to protect me! Though this isn't the time to be griping!

I retreat backward at the same time the two zombies shuffle closer to me. Luckily, these zombies are slow. I can probably escape if I run away, but…this is a world full of nothing but zombies, zombies, and more zombies. There's no guarantee I won't run into more zombies wherever I go.

Not much time has passed since I met Ruto, but he's someone I've developed a partial connection with in this world. I don't want to abandon him here. I hate to have my right hand smelling worse than manure baking in the sun for days again, but I just have to suck it up.

Zombie Ruto's knees suddenly start clattering together, and he breaks into an awkward run. Startled by his unexpected new move, I slap him across the cheek as hard as I can. "Wake up idiot!"

"BWAH!" Zombie Ruto cries out as he flies backward from my hit and rolls several times on the ground.

Did I use too much strength? While I'm reflecting on my actions, the zombie child charges me. In the time it's taking me to figure out how hard I should touch the zombies, the zombie child is closing the distance between us.

"Go away!" I cry out, thrusting my right hand in front of me. Miraculously, that gesture turns into an open-handed slap across the zombie child's face. It falls over backward and writhes around on the ground.

I'm slapping zombies, so it doesn't matter too much, but if I think of them as humans, I'm being pretty cruel. Both zombies start glowing as I'm feeling a little guilty. It looks like the purification power activated without issue.

Obviously, one of the zombies turns back into Ruto. His pure-silver armor has regained its glimmering polish. The zombie child transforms into a little girl. A sigh of awe escapes me when I see her. She's prettier than a flower and unlike any other girl I have seen before.

She looks like she's in the last grade of elementary school. Golden hair a brighter shade than Ruto's cascades down her long aqua gown detailed with gold embroidery and white lace. Judging by appearances alone, she has that daughter-of-a-rich-family feel to her.

"Y-You saved me, Lady Naruko." Hand pressed to his head, Ruto stumbles to his feet.

"What happened to your promise to protect me no matter what?"

"I have no excuse…"

Regardless of what happened, it's still a fact that he tried to protect me with dauntless courage. I don't blame him as much as I make it sound like I do.

"Good grief," I mutter just as I hear a cute little sigh beside me.

The girl slowly sits up and asks "Wh-Where am I?" as she restlessly looks around.

"What great fortune the Goddess has bestowed upon us…" Ruto utters in a trembling voice.

Maybe it's because I saw his pupils dilate, but for a second, I got this image of him as a creeper who preys on little girls, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The girl smiles brighter than the sun as soon as she recognizes Ruto.

"Ruto…? Are you not Sir Ruto?!"

"Yes, it is I, your servant Ruto. Thank the heavens you are all right, Your Highness." Ruto goes down on one knee and bows his head.

Given that he called her "Your Highness," the girl's status must be higher than just the daughter of a rich family. Whatever the case, I'm the odd woman out here because I don't know anything.

"Hey, Ruto? Do you know this girl?"

"I do, m'lady," Ruto affirms, turning to face me. He pauses to add an air of importance before introducing her to me. "This young lady is Grantz Kingdom's Princess Cia Greenfield."

The possibility that she was a princess crossed my mind when Ruto called her "Your Highness," but it turns out she really is one. I know it's presumptuous of me to say this after finding out, but she definitely gives off that sacred-and-inviolable vibe.

The princess speaks up while I'm too stunned to. "You are the honorable maiden who turned me back, yes?"

"Ah, uh, um… You have the right idea, Princess Highness."

I'm dealing with a princess. Being overly conscious of that fact made me so nervous I word-vomited.

The princess drops her gaze to the ground and lowers her head to me as I'm internally agonizing over my stupid, embarrassing mistake. "How can I ever thank you enough? Truly, thank you. Thank you so very much…"

"D-Don't mention it. I only touched you with my right hand—" I pause as I feel the blood drain from my face.

Ruto told me before that he has a vague memory of what happened while he was a zombie. That means there's a painfully high chance the princess remembers my Iron Claw slap to her face. What the heck did I do to royalty?! My left cheek twitches as I stare at my right hand.

"Um, please don't let what happened during the purification process bother you. I am nothing but grateful for what you did! I absolutely won't blame you for it!" the princess frantically declares as she balls her hands into fists.

She's so grown-up for her age. She's just like the pure and virtuous princesses in the eroge game I played.

While I'm moved by her maturity, the princess rubs her forehead and nose as she quietly mutters, "Y-You certainly pack quite the punch, though…"

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

She does remember! And vividly at that!

"My 'purification' was painfully intense as well… I believe the strength you put behind it increased significantly since the first time."

"I'm not apologizing to you, Ruto!" I glare daggers at him and he guiltily looks away.

The princess glances from me to Ruto and says, "You seem like good friends."

"Not in particular," I flatly declare.

"L-Lady Naruko!" Ruto turns a pair of imploring eyes on me. It's not like I've said anything bad. I mean—

"We only just met several hours ago…"

"You did? I was completely under the impression you had spent far more time together."

It's true that I no longer hold back around Ruto. Mostly because he has a few screws loose. He's undeniably a serious and good guy, too, though.

"Ruto, can you introduce us?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Ruto introduces me per the princess's orders. "There is nothing to hide here, for the Goddess has sent this fair maiden to save our world as the holy—"

"Okay, stop right there!"

"Is something the matter, Lady Naruko?"

"Yes! Don't give me that look like you've done nothing wrong. You were about to say a word that starts with pr, weren't you?"

"Yes, m'lady. Next would be ie, then st, finally followed by—" Ruto says, giving hints in order, to which the princess cheerfully raises her right hand.

"I know the answer! Does that not spell priestess?!"

"Correct!"

"Hey! How did this turn into a spelling bee?! And she even got the right answer!"

The princess is all for Ruto's games. My head is killing me. I get the feeling I'm going to be introduced as the holy priestess to every person I purify as long as I'm traveling with Ruto. Maybe I should just let him stay as a zombie forever? Of course, that's just a joke. It's only a joke…

"Ruto likes to call me that, but I'm not someone so important as a priestess."

"I understand, Lady Naruko. We shall leave it at that."

She seems to have accepted my opinion because she caught on to how I'm feeling. It makes me wonder if she really understands… You know what, I don't think she does. She's smiling away like she's in on a secret. This has gotta be one of those times when someone thinks they just have to play along! I have to set it straight right now!

I open my mouth to say something, when violent winds carrying a black fog hit me smack in the face. Surprise wins out at first because of how abruptly it happens, but then revulsion almost suffocates me once I realize how bizarre that fog is. The lukewarm wind feels like someone's hands running over my skin. I shudder as all the hair on my body stands up. Disgusting. Creepy.

The wind blows by in a matter of seconds. The thick fog rushes past us at lightning speed. The sickening sensation I felt a second ago is gone.

"Wh-What was that?!" I shout, and I hear a thud right behind me. I look toward the sound and find the princess has fallen on her bottom. "A-Are you all right?!"

"Lady Naruko… Yes, I am all right. Thank you."

She must've been affected by the black fog. It made me feel nauseated, too, but not bad enough to knock me to the ground. But that's me. Princess Cia is still a child. She may be mature for her age, but it makes sense she couldn't endure the overwhelming fear brought with the wind.

"Please be quiet." Ruto touches his index finger to his lips as he grimly locks his eyes on what's ahead of us.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Can't you hear it?"

I incline my head to the side. I don't hear anything that sounds out of the ordinary. Following Ruto's lead, I look ahead while straining my ears, and I pick up on a faint noise. It sounds like the commotion out on a school field. The sound grows louder with the passage of time.

"…What is that sound?"

"Ladies, hurry and hide over there!" Ruto points to the trees beside the road. Seeing how panicked he is tells me this is no ordinary situation. I step forward to move where he pointed but then stop when I see the princess still sitting on the ground.

"Princess!"

The situation being what it is, I think she'll forgive me being a little rough with her. With that in mind, I tug on the princess's hand and head for cover behind the trees. Per Ruto's advice, I hide with my back pressed against the largest tree in the vicinity. Ruto hides elsewhere because the princess and I take up a lot of space together.

Not long after we hide, the noises I'd been hearing sound closer than ever. It's the rumbling, pounding sound of lots of feet chaotically stomping and dragging across the ground to the chorus of "Bwah bwah." That proves it—zombies are here. In droves.

I took shelter without knowing why, but now I want to know what in the zombie apocalypse is going on now. Maybe this is a case of curiosity overcoming fear. I carefully peek around the big tree trunk for a look at the road.

Zombies are walking this way as I suspected. But the number is leaps and bounds beyond what I expected. There aren't just ten or twenty. Fifty? … No, it looks closer to a hundred. It's the end of the line for us if that horde finds us. I have to touch them to purify them, and I don't have that many hands!

I suddenly feel my right hand shaking. I'm in a hellish situation, so it's not wrong for me to be scared. Or so I tell myself, until I realize the shaking is coming from the princess, not me. She had peeked out at the road as well. The shock had been too much for her; her face is paler than a sheet, and she's shaking harder than the vibrations in the ground.

"Don't worry. I'm here with you." My subconscious awareness of being older has me instinctively embrace the princess from behind with both arms. I drop all formalities and hug her close. I'm worried I've angered her, but that concern seems unnecessary. The princess leans into me as if reassured by my actions.

I wonder if this is what it would've been like if I had had a sister. Now's not the time for such delusions, but I can't help myself. The princess's petite frame fits perfectly in my arms. She's comforting to hug. Plus, in spite of having been a stinky zombie until not too long ago, she smells sweet like vanilla. Is this princess power?

Thus, the zombie horde begins to pass by us while I'm enjoying my hug with the princess. I was worried sick about what would happen when they got closer, but we can survive without incident if they keep going on their merry way like this. All thanks to Ruto for quickly noticing them coming.

Giving him silent thanks, I glance at Ruto. Just then, the tree he's hiding behind creaks. It must have been rotten on the inside as well. The tree makes more cracking sounds and snaps in half.

It falls on the ground with a loud KA-BAM! The zombie horde swivels toward him as one and all cry out "BWAH!" as if it's a call to battle. Or maybe a dinner bell in this case?

Ruto turns toward me with a tense face. "I-I deeply apologize…!"

"STUPID RUTO!"

It's because of Ruto that the zombie horde hadn't noticed us up until now. I'm grateful for that—I am—but it doesn't mean much if they find us in the end anyway!

The fallen tree has drawn the zombies' attention to us already. They single-mindedly lurch our way like a bloodhound on the trail. They move at only a brisk walk, but the sheer number of them is what makes it plenty intimidating.

"Run away first, ladies!"

"What about you, Ruto?!"

"I will follow right behind you after I slow them down!"

"Sl-Slow them down?! Did you forget you got reinfected doing that earlier?!"

"Please fret not. There are a plethora of ways to get by now that I know not to touch them." Ruto draws a real long sword from the sheath at his waist, and something sharp gleams in his eyes.

"H-Hey! D-Don't tell me you're going to cut them with that?!"

Right now, they're deadly zombies, but there's a chance they can return to human if I purify them. We shouldn't kill them if we can avoid it. Ruto should know that more than anyone. I sure hope his brains didn't fry some more after being reinfected!

My fears are proved wrong when Ruto runs toward not the zombies but the gigantic tree growing beside the road. He drops his knees and swings his sword sideways in a flash of steel. He slices right through the trunk close to the ground, separating the top half from the bottom. Groaning, the giant tree falls across the road.

"Wow…"

I don't care how good you are with the sword—it shouldn't be possible to slice through a tree trunk bigger than the human waist. At least, it's not possible in the world I come from. This is surreal in every sense of the word.

"Ruto is the best swordsman in all of Grantz," the princess explains as I stand there dumbfounded.

"He's that amazing of a person…?"

"He does lack in a few areas because he is so serious, which is the one blot on his character."

"That blot on his character utterly offsets the good."

I can't stop from replaying in my mind the scene of Ruto courageously taking on the zombie only to be stupidly reinfected. It's going to be pretty difficult to erase this image without something making a bigger impression on me. While it didn't do the trick, his splitting the massive tree in half was pretty awesome.

While the princess and I are chatting, Ruto is going around knocking the trees down onto the road. Thanks to his efforts, the zombie horde's forward progress has been drastically slowed, though they haven't completely stopped in their tracks. Some of the horde are walking the long way around the downed trees, while others are sluggishly climbing over them, all the while steadily closing in on us.

"Right, this isn't the time to be casually watching… Can you run, Princess?"

"Y-Yes!" The princess nods, her expression frantic.

I take her hand and break into a run in the opposite direction of the zombies.

HALFWAY through our escape I keep the motion going by kicking off the ground every few steps even though we had slowed to a walking speed. I don't know the exact distance we've gone, but I'm positive we've made it a ways. We're currently on top of a small hill. The heavy fog makes it hard to see much, but I can faintly make out an open field ahead of us.

All of a sudden, the right hand I'm holding tugs back. I stop my brisk walk and look over my shoulder to where the princess has sunk to the ground, exhausted. Her shoulders are moving up and down with her heavy breathing.

"A-Are you okay?"

"…I'm sorry. I will stand now."

So she says, but her stamina has reached its limit. Her face is haggard, and I can tell just by looking that she's sweating a lot. Continuing to run in her state could be the real threat to her life. I release her hand and crouch down in front of her.

"Sorry. I made you run at my pace… I think we've put a good distance between us and the horde, so why don't we take a short break?"

"But—"

"Running away now is meaningless if you can't run when you absolutely have to."

"…Very well. Thank you."

"No problem!" I smile at the princess, who sincerely listens to my advice. I love good kids who know when to listen.

I'm cheerfully enjoying the moment until it suddenly dawns on me who it is I'm talking to. Ice-cold sweat trickles down my back.

"I-I-I'm s-s-so s-sincerely s-s-sorry, Princess! I suddenly dropped all formalities with you…"

The desire to protect the princess when I saw her shaking in fear of the zombies took priority over everything else. I think that's what drove out the thought that I need to show her respect. I'm pretty sure that's what did it. It can't be for any other reason.

As I'm desperately trying to make excuses for myself, the princess's eyebrows droop slightly into a sad smile.

"I would be most happy if you continued to treat me as you had before."

"B-But you are a princess…"

"In our situation, the status of princess means close to nothing. Won't you please do me this favor…?"

It's hard to argue that kingdoms mean anything when the entire world's population has turned into zombies. That said, the power to bring a person back from being a zombie exists in this world. What will happen if all the people revert to normal and the kingdoms are restored? I'm worried the patriotic citizens—or more like the princess' fans—will beat me to death later for my transgressions. Then again, it's pretty pointless to worry about what's going to happen in the future of a world already stuck in a zombie apocalypse.

"…If that's what you want, Princess."

"Thank you…! Also, won't you please call me Cia?"

I no longer have any reason to refuse. However, there is something I want to ask of her as well, so I decide to use this as a bargaining chip.

"Okay, I will if you listen to my request as well. Can you stop calling me Lady Naruko? It creeps me out and makes me feel weird."

"Then may I address you as my esteemed older sister?"

She reminded me of the manga my friend Rias lent me. It was one about an all-girls school where malicious bullying is prevalent and the female main character is saved and encouraged by the "esteemed older sister" she shares her dorm room with. By the end of the story, the two girls are joined together physically and emotionally. I have nothing against that kind of relationship, but I hope we're not going ended up like that.

"What? That's a little much…" My face twitches."I really honored, princess. But we aren't really sisters. "

"I felt greatly comforted when you embraced me behind the tree, Lady Naruko… it was then that I wondered, if I had had an older sister, would she have been as kind to me as you are."

The princess presses both of her hands to her heart as if storing away a precious feeling. From the look of it, she isn't seeking a yuri route with me.

"Are you…against it?" she appeals, striking the final blow with watery, upturned eyes. It's a killer move coupled with her adorable looks and big green eyes. Since I no longer have a fraction of an objection to the name, I receive a direct hit to the heart. To think my heart would skip a beat with a girl!

"I-I guess I can let it pass… Do what you want, Cia-chan."

"…! Thank you so much, oneechan!" The princess— Cia smiles brighter than the sun.

That doesn't sound half bad. I've always wanted a cute younger sister, so this is turning out to be win-win for us both.

"I feel reenergized after speaking with you, oneechan. I think I can push myself to go farther now."

"Since we're already here, why don't we rest until Ruto shows up? Okay?"

"But—"

"What's this? You won't listen to your big sister?" I say teasingly. Cia giggles.

"All right. Cia will listen to her big sister."

"That's my girl." I pat her on the head with my left hand, which doesn't reek of zombie.

"Ehehe," she happily laughs.

She's cuter than any eroge little sisters I had played. I made the right choice allowing her to call me her Oneechan. It's great having a younger sister.

But I'm concerned by how damp Cia's hair feels. She must be sweating more than I initially thought. Several locks of hair are stuck to her forehead. She notices it, too, and brings her left hand up to her forehead to brush back the hair.

"Why does it smell so bad…?" She sniffs her hand with her tiny nose. It suddenly dawns on me—Cia's left hand had been holding my right hand the entire time we ran. In other words—

"Ah, that's the zombie stench—"

"Aaahhh…" Cia unsteadily shakes her head and falls over backward. What just happened? She fainted! Not wanting to leave her like that, I sit on the ground and place her head on my lap.

"LADY NARUKO! PRINCESS!" a voice shouts from the road we took to get here.

"Ruto!"

He's running our way on steady legs while waving his hand. He's not moaning "Bwah bwah," and his skin is the right color. At a glance, he looks safe and healthy.

Ruto arrives in front of us and takes a deep breath. His training seems to have paid off because he barely looks tired.

"P-Princess?! What in the Goddess's name happened?!" Ruto panics when he sees Cia. I don't want to tell him she fainted because of the stench coming from my hand. Besides, it's not like it's my smell. I'm not in the wrong here. The zombies are at fault!

"Sh-She's so tired from all the running, she seems to have fallen asleep."

"Her Highness does not exercise much… She must have pushed herself too far."

"Yes, that's it. So let's give her time to rest, okay?"

"I can agree to that. Fortunately, I was able to completely throw the zombies off our trail," Ruto tells me while looking behind us. Then he lets out a regretful sigh. "In any case, I can't believe they noticed us just as they were about to pass by."

"I was ticked off in the moment, but after thinking about it, I realized it was likely to happen because of how far gone the trees are."

"No, it is wholly my blunder. Knights must always be on full alert for whatever may come their way."

He's strict with himself. I keep thinking Ruto would be the perfect superman if not for the few screws he has loose. When I think about how easy it is to speak with him without formality, it makes me glad he's the way he is.

"On the other hand," Ruto says, returning his gaze to the open field before us. I follow his gaze to find the fog has lifted somewhat. A massive structure I couldn't see before stands in the distance. "The capital is in view because we hurried here."

(◕ω◕✿)

"Seeing it up close is pretty daunting…"

The capital of Grantz is a fortified city, surrounded entirely by tall stone walls you have to crane your neck to see the top of. This kind of structure exists in the world I come from, too, but I've only ever seen pictures of it. I'm totally overwhelmed by seeing the real thing in person.

"Hey, since this is a fortified city…does that mean you were at war?" Several moats and canals encircle the city walls. We are currently lying low in one of the dried-out canals, but the mere fact they went to such lengths to prevent invasions gives me the sneaking suspicion they had something they were trying to stop from coming in.

"No. Grantz has never gone to war. These defenses are not for us to partake in war, but to keep others from dragging us into wars. The other two major countries have been fighting for many years now…" Cia sorrowfully relates, squeezing my hand.

Incidentally, the zombie stench has vanished from my right hand. I purified a handy poisonous swamp we had passed along the way and scrubbed my hands in the clean water.

"I'm glad your country isn't at war, Cia-chan. I wouldn't really want to purify a country that's war hungry…"

"Rest assured Grantz is a country that symbolizes peace."

"And it is Grantz's Royal Knights who protect that peace," Ruto proudly continues after Cia.

"Hear, hear." I nod along with him. "You really are amazing, Ruto."

"Nay. This is what a knight is called to be."

"I respect you. I do. Anyway, I'm heading back to my island. Good luck."

"Thank you, Lady Naruko. Please be safe— Wait! Why are you leaving?! Please come back here, Lady Naruko!"

I had made an about-face, but Ruto throws out his arms and stands in my way. Sighing, I glance over my shoulder at the stone wall.

"This isn't right. What the heck is with those numbers? There are hundreds more than what was in that horde. And that's just what we can see!" An absurd number of zombies are loitering in front of the city walls. At a glance, I can tell there are more than a few hundred. If it's like this everywhere around the outer walls, then there are thousands of zombies in the area.

"Don't you think it's smarter to purify the lone zombies first? We'll be surrounded by hundreds of them before I can get much purification done, and we won't have the time to look after the people I succeed in purifying. Not to mention we won't have anywhere to run once we set foot inside the walls."

The more people we bring back from zombieland, the more information we can gather and the higher my chances of finding a way home become. But it's ridiculously stupid to plunge into a place crawling with zombies. We would be literally rushing to our doom.

"I hate to say it, but your plan is insane. Or have you put more thought into it than what you let on, Ruto?"

"Going forward, I want to keep the citizens you bring back to life with your holy powers as far from danger as possible. However, there is a limit to what I can do alone."

Why is he okay putting me in danger but not the citizens? I really want to know the answer to that one.

"You plan to purify the Royal Knights and have them assist you," Cia says, filling in the information Ruto left out.

He nods and explains from there. "The Royal Knights' primary duty is to defend the castle, including patrolling inside the city walls, which leads me to believe they are very likely still inside."

"I won't argue with you on how reassuring it would be to have lots of strong fighters on our side, but—"

"Aside from my desire to borrow the help of the Royal Knights," Ruto says over my objections, "I also believe the sturdy castle is an optimum temporary shelter."

"Those are great ideas, but it's still too dangerous. What's your plan if there are even more zombies beyond the castle walls?"

"The zombies are slow-footed. They can't catch us if we run."

"Supposing there is somewhere TO run," I say with a sigh. I feel like I'm doing nothing but raising objections. I try to come up with a counterplan, but I have no better ideas than to search out lone zombies and purify them in small numbers. But it's anyone's guess if increasing our number of allies will actually make liberating the capital of zombies any easier.

As it stands, I'm the only one capable of purifying anything. When I consider the possibility of our new allies reverting to zombies on us, I can't say boosting our numbers is necessarily a good thing. Taking all of that into account, Ruto's plan to purify a limited number of people inside the castle and use it as both a shelter and a quarantine zone might be plausible after all.

My biggest concern is Cia and her lack of stamina. From what I can see, the distance between the city walls and the castle spire is long. When it comes down to it, will we be able to safely make it inside the castle? Can Cia run that far?

I look searchingly at Cia, and she welcomes my gaze with determination brimming in her eyes. "I will do everything in my power to make it! If I begin to slow you down…please leave me behind."

"Leave you behind? You'll turn into a zombie!"

"If I do…I hope you will come back and purify me later."

She isn't joking—she's serious. I can't believe I'm being so indecisive when this small child has already found her answer. I feel kind of pathetic even when I set aside the fact that Cia is doing this for her kingdom.

Why am I stuck doing something like this? It's not my problem. Those are my strongest feelings at the moment, but constantly running away isn't going to change anything. I exhale and shift stances.

"Fine. I won't raise further objections."

"…Oneechan!"

I hold up my index finger when Cia breaks into a great big smile. "But you must promise me one thing. I can't stand the idea of leaving someone behind. I don't care how dangerous and difficult it gets—you must fight to survive until the very end. You hear me?"

"Yes!" Cia exclaims.

I answer her with a nod. I made her promise that, but even if Cia trips and is surrounded by zombies, I'll go to save her without hesitation. The reason why is obvious—I never want to see such an adorable girl become a zombie again.

"You heard me, Ruto. I'll be counting on you to be our vanguard."

"…Please leave everything to me. I shall put my life on the line to prot—"

"Please don't. What are we supposed to do once you die or transform again?"

"I-I shall protect you while staying alive!"

"Good boy."

I think there's a problem with him thinking I have to be protected, but I'm in the unfortunate position of being a normal junior high school girl in a zombie apocalypse. I need to rely on him for what he can handle while I focus on purifying zombies and running away.

"First we have to figure out what to do with the zombies loitering in front of the walls."

"I learned from my earlier experience with the horde that the zombies react to sounds within a certain range and have a habit of heading toward the sound. Our best bet would be to lure the zombies away from the walls by making a loud noise."

"How would you do that, Ruto?"

"With this."

Ruto walks over to a nearby battered cart lying on its side. He hauls it to the dried-up canal and throws it as if throwing a hammer, all the while crying out "HMPH!" The cart draws an arc through the air, crashing down on the ground a good distance from us and shattering with a loud KER-THWACK.

"Whoa! Hey! Uh?!"

I said I'd go, but this is too soon! I'm not mentally prepared yet. Even as I'm reeling in shock, a horde of zombies is moving toward the sound. As slow as they are, their pace is close to a brisk walk. We don't have to wait long for them to be gone from the front gate. Ruto leaps out of the canal.

"Now! Please follow me!"

STUPID RUTO! I curse him in my heart, signaling the start of our plan. I stand holding Cia's hand and break into a run after Ruto's armored back.

The zombies are still flocking around the shattered cart pieces, ramming into them while groaning "Bwah bwah." Around ten of the hundred notice our presence, but they're already too far from the gate to reach us in time.

We safely pass through the city gates, and the castle town comes into full view. A wide main street extends from the gates straight to the castle, with wooden buildings packed along either side. Though many of the buildings are in a state of disrepair, the spectacle hasn't lost its splendor.

"Huh? There aren't any zombies?!"

I totally thought the castle and city would be crawling with zombies. It's anticlimactic, but it's better for us if there aren't any.

"Let's charge straight ahead—though that seems impossible now." Ruto had been in the middle of giving directions when that familiar "Bwah" groan sounded from the shadows and zombies began to lurch out of the buildings in droves. Five, ten, twenty… They stagger into the street ceaselessly.

"I KNEW IT! They're here too!" I shout.

"This way, ladies!"

The main street splits into two roads following the city walls. Cia and I run after Ruto as he dashes down the right road. On top of it being significantly narrower than the main street, it's also dimly lit because of the shadow cast on it by the tall walls. The fog hanging in the air adds even more to the horror movie feeling.

Just as I'm trying to shake the thought of a monster showing up, a black shadow drops down from above, instantly followed by the sound of bones snapping. Cia and I stop as one and fearfully look at the ground near our feet. My eyes meet those of a zombie crawling on its stomach.

"BWAHHH!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

A zombie fell down from the sky! Instead of a monster or a ghost, a zombie fell next to us! As we girls are in the midst of screaming our throats hoarse, Ruto quickly grabs hold of a broom resting against one of the buildings and slams the zombie against the city wall with it.

"You saved us, Ruto!"

"Th-Thanks."

"I promised to protect you."

What a reassuring line. Coupled with his gallant face, he pulled it off as cool as can be. It's just the image is thoroughly ruined by the backdrop being filled with zombies dropping from the city walls like flies.

"Eek!" I instinctively cry out.

"It appears zombies have piled up on top of the city…walls!" Ruto sweeps away one of the zombies falling toward his head. Cries of "Bwah bwah" come from all directions, taking away the ability to relax for even a moment. Zombies block our path forward and backward. Ruto is frantically intercepting them with the broom, but the situation is growing rapidly worse.

It's practically a given that the zombies out on the main street will show up if enough time passes. I swivel my head from side to side, scanning the area for anything that can help us escape. It's then that I notice the majority of buildings have flat roofs.

"Hey, why don't we use that to go up on the roof?" I point toward the outdoor stairs leading to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. "The buildings are close enough together that I think we can cross them to get closer to the castle!"

"G-Good idea, oneechan! Ruto!"

"As you command, Your Highness!" Ruto powerfully swings the broom around in a giant circle, mowing down the nearby zombies. We dart up the stairs using the opening he created for us. "Use me as a step!"

"Sorry!"

There's no time to hesitate. I step on Ruto's knee and then his shoulder to get onto the roof once the stairs end. I spin back around and pull Cia up after me. She's so light. I sure hope Ruto doesn't think I'm fat after helping Cia up. Those stupid thoughts cross my mind for all but a second until seeing the zombies closing in on us brings me back to my senses. Rotting hands reach for Ruto's ankles.

"RUTO!"

Ruto jumps a fraction of a second after my shout. He kicks off the staircase rail, lightly flies through the air, and lands on the rooftop.

"Let us be on our way."

Seeing Ruto calmly hurry ahead makes me absently wonder, What the heck is with this superman?

"CIA-CHAN, be careful of the wider gap here."

"O-Okay!"

We close the distance to the castle by traveling over the roofs. Sometimes the gaps between rooftops are wider than others, but they're crossable by jumping. It hasn't proved to be much of an obstacle.

I take a gander below. Hundreds of zombies are pressed up against the walls, chasing after us, but none are trying to climb up. They merely groan and moan as they reach their hands up to get us.

"It doesn't look like the zombies can climb."

"So it appears. Let's draw near the castle while we still can."

We steadily progress onward. Along the way, I look at the zombies falling over themselves as they relentlessly chase us, and I think this must be how a pop idol feels, but then I drop the idea since it's rude to think of fans that way. Besides, the only cheers I'm getting from my zombie fans are to the chorus of "Bwah bwah." Occasionally, they shake things up by throwing in a "GRAGH!" and "Arooh." Also, they stink worse than rotten eggs put inside gym socks. Being chased by that stench is almost as bad as being chased by zombies.

"We are going to descend over there!" Ruto instructs.

We have finally made it to the other end of the city. I had hoped the rooftops would continue on to the castle itself, but that would obviously be a hole in their defenses if it did. With Ruto's assistance, Cia and I safely jump off the roof and hit the ground running.

Perhaps it's because we lured a lot of zombies out before we climbed on the rooftops that not many zombies are roaming in front of the castle. Even with their smaller numbers, there are still too many to dodge them all, so Ruto cuts a path for us by shoving the zombies aside with his broom.

Another moat separates the castle from the city, and a drawbridge connects the two. We cross that bridge and arrive at the castle gate. I thought we were just going to go through the gates, but Ruto veers off and takes the stairs to the right.

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

"I am going to drop the portcullis to isolate us from the outside!"

If I remember correctly, a portcullis is the name of a strong iron grating that's supposed to be used at gates to prevent entry from the outside. I turn my eyes toward the top of the gate and see the sharp spikes on the bottom of the grate peeking out.

"H-Hold on! You'll crush the zombies if you drop that now!"

The zombies that followed us are right under where the grate will fall! They are spilling into the castle grounds in a line, so the portcullis will impale at least one no matter the timing we drop it at.

"But we must hurry or we are doomed!"

"You can't kill them!"

They are zombies right now, but I can turn them back into people if I purify them. In other words, killing the zombies is the same as killing people. I don't want to make Ruto kill the people he's sworn to protect.

"Is there anything? Anything at all we can use to lure them away with?!"

The zombies are drawing nearer as we're standing around dithering. More zombies begin spilling out of the castle buildings, turning the staircase into our only place of escape.

"Oneechan, how about this?!" Cia holds out a rusted helmet as soon as she retreats to the staircase landing. I look toward her and see a complete set of armor laying on the ground. She must have pulled the helmet from there.

"Nice find, Cia-chan! I can use this!"

I take the helmet faster than I think it through and lean half over the staircase, tossing it as hard as I can outside of the castle gate with a sidearm throw.

"Go away!"

The helmet smacks one zombie in the head and clunks onto the drawbridge. The wooden bridge doesn't make as loud of a sound as metal would have, but it still does the job. The zombies make a beeline for the helmet, leaving the portcullis clear of zombies in no time.

"Ruto!"

The portcullis drops at my signal. The sharp iron spikes lock right into the holes in the ground with an earthshaking rumble. Attracted by that sound, the zombies outside whirl around and charge the gate, but the metal grates do a perfect job of keeping them out.

It looks like we've succeeded in isolating ourselves from the outside. Now we can take a break—except it's never that easy in a zombie apocalypse. The zombies that have been spilling out of the buildings within the castle grounds are clamoring up the staircase toward us. A quick look at them reveals the majority as muscle-bound, armor-clad zombies. These have to be the Royal Knights Ruto mentioned.

"Cia-chan, run to the top of the stairs! Shoo, zombies! Shoo!" I let Cia run away first as I pick up the fallen pieces of armor and chuck the cuirass, greaves, and gauntlets at the incoming swarm of zombies. But the zombie knights don't even flinch or stagger. Worse, their cries grow louder and they increase their speed.

I-I have to flee soon too or—

"URAAAAAAAAH!" Ruto rushes past me. I have no idea where he picked it up, but he's charging into the swarm holding a pavis shield large enough to cover the entire body. In one broad sweep, he drives the swarming zombie knights down the stairs and slams them against the nearest wall.

"Ruto!"

"I finished isolating us from the outside! Lady Naruko, please commence purifying them!"

Over Ruto's shoulder I make out his desperate profile. Kicked into motion by that expression, reflex takes over, and I run down the stairs. With my right hand I touch the five zombies he has pinned.

As the purification process begins, the area is filled with a bright light. Their skin transforms from a molten bluish purple to that of a normal human, but I don't have the time to watch over them. At a glance, the surrounding area has a good twenty to thirty zombies gunning for us. Doubtless the rest of the castle is teeming with them.

"We can look after the purified later!"

"Roger that! Cia-chan, don't get separated from me!"

"O-Okay!"

Ruto immobilizes the zombies, and I purify them in that order. There are a few cases where I could take a chance and purify some more on my own, but I restrain myself. Ruto seems to be fighting while paying close attention to where Cia and I are located, so I don't want to create more work for him by making the wrong move.

"Ugggh… Cia-chan, please don't hate me if my hands reek for life…" I whimper, holding my stinky hand far from my face.

"D-Don't worry, Oneechan! If it's your hands, I will sniff them no matter how bad they stink!"

"Cia-chan, you don't have to sniff them!"

As we're conversing, I glance over my shoulder at the people I have finished purifying. All of them are suspiciously examining their bodies with expressions that scream, "How did I return to normal?!" I'd love to explain it to them, but the situation doesn't allow for it right now.

"Tch!"

"Ruto?!"

Ruto had been taking on three zombies at once and hadn't noticed the crawler latched on to his ankle. He's visibly transforming into a zombie from his feet up to his head. Several seconds later, his face has turned bluish purple.

"B-Bw—"

"As if I'm going to let you say it!" I leap forward and smacked him with my right hand, canceling out his "Bwah" groan. The color returns to his face, and he kicks the zombie off his ankle before slamming the shield hard into the zombies in front of him, sending them flying.

"You saved me again…!"

"All I did was touch you. Don't worry about it. Anyway…there are way more in here than I thought."

Additional zombies are coming into the outer ward from the front courtyard and the inner castle gate ahead. About fifty from what I can see. There seems to be no end to the line following behind them.

"My deepest apologies… I completely misread the situation."

"Well, regretting it now isn't going to save us. Our only option is to do whatever we can to survive."

"Indeed!" Ruto responds as he knocks down more zombies with his shield.

"Kyaa!"

I hear Cia scream. I quickly turn around to find her on her butt scooting away from the zombies lunging at her.

Where the hell did they come from?! The answer comes as quick as the question. Zombies are dropping down from the outer and inner castle walls like a hailstorm.

"CIA-CHAN!" I spring into action as soon as I can, but I don't think I'll make it in time. The zombie's filthy, smelly hand is inches from grabbing Cia!

Out of nowhere, a man decked out in full armor tackles the zombie with a kite shield, knocking it back with great force.

The suddenness of it all leaves me gaping. The man who saved Cia is a whole size bigger than Ruto and is built like an ox, his muscles clearly visible even underneath his armor. He's a sullen middle-aged man with distinctive white hair and beard. He was probably among the people I just purified, but…his presence is a cut above the rest.

Swallowing hard, I ask, "Who are you…?"

"I am the captain of the Grantz Royal Knights, Oden Jaxor." S-Someone with a delicious-sounding name just appeared!

(◕ω◕✿)

"Your Highness, are you unharmed?"

"This is an emergency situation. Don't dawdle taking care of me and confront the zombies!"

"As you command, Princess…" Sir Oden taps his fist against his chest, then turns to the others I had purified. "Men! How long do you plan to sit around?! We have returned to the living! We are free to speak and move of our own volition! That knowledge should be enough to move you to arms! Get to work immobilizing the zombies!" Sir Oden's manifesto booms through the castle grounds, clearing the minds of the newly purified knights.

You rule, captain of the Royal Knights! I'm mentally raising my glass to him when I notice some of the knights heading toward the zombies without gear.

"P-Please wait! Be careful not to let the zombies touch you, or you will be reinfected!"

"…You have my gratitude for your warning."

The sharp glint in Sir Oden's eyes makes me flinch. I feel like I'm being censured even though he's thanking me.

"You heard the lass! Don't touch the zombies if you don't want to drool and have foul breath again!" Sir Oden barks out another set of orders.

The knights find substitute shields and push back the zombies in groups. Leave it to royal knights to be skilled at suppressing riots. The zombies in the front courtyard are being taken down before my eyes.

"Right, this isn't the time to be an onlooker! I have to purify them!" I jump into action and start slapping the pinned-down zombies as if we're playing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose. "Excuse me! Please move! I'm purifying them! Yes, just slide over a little for me!"

Growing used to something is a very scary thing—I no longer have any objections to touching the putrid zombies. My biggest complaint is with that foul odor. They stink worse than an outhouse doubling as a pigpen! I've got the horrible feeling my right hand's stench is worsening by the second, but I just have to grin and bear it for now. Once I'm done with this, I'll scrub and scrub until my body is clean again.

I can finally take a breather now that the zombie moans have been eradicated from the front courtyard. I didn't notice before since I was wholly devoted to touching every zombie in sight, but I purified way more than I thought. Glancing over the surrounding area, I can see easily more than a hundred people. Zombies are all I've seen since waking up in this world, so it's super strange seeing living, breathing people.

It's while I'm basking in the moment that I realize everyone is staring at me. I know they never saw a cute girl like me before but why's everyone staring so hard? I arrive at the answer as soon as I put a little thought into it. Yes, the reason lies with my right hand that's even now putting off a horrid stench that could make grandmas swoon. This stinking thing has the power to purify zombies. Everyone here has witnessed its power for themselves, so it's not unreasonable for them to be curious about it.

Even if they have a good reason for it, though, it's incredibly uncomfortable to be the source of everyone's attention. Cia runs to me while I'm fidgeting by myself. She leaps and hugs me without slowing.

"Oneechan!"

"Cia! Are you okay? Did any zombies touch you?"

"Hehehe. You're silly, Oneechan! I would be a rotting, putrid zombie about now if they had. As you can see, your little sister is a bona fide human!" Cia spreads open her arms and informs me of her safety.

Yep, her cuteness level is as strong as ever. I happily nod along with her when Ruto shows up at my side next.

"There is no greater joy for me than to see you are both safe, my ladies."

"Looks like you're in one piece too."

"Yes, thanks to you, m'lady."

He thanks me, but I only went around smacking zombies, which is nothing to boast about. Ruto is the one who should be praised for putting his life and body on the line to take down the zombies. I'm about to tell him that when a towering shadow falls over us from the side. Sir Oden is here.

"Good work, Ruto."

"Captain Oden! I could have never done it alone," Ruto says, directing his gaze to me. "All of this was only possible because of this holy priestess— because of Lady Naruko's power."

This guy just smoothly introduced me as the priestess. And in a loud voice at that. Thanks to him, everyone in the courtyard overheard.

"Did he just call her the holy priestess?"

"She can't be…"

"Yeah, but she did bring us back…"

Everyone doubted the news at first, but they seemed to have been swayed by Ruto's words. Before long they start shouting "Yeah, she must be the great and holy priestess!"

I kept telling and telling him not to treat me like a bloody priestess… I'll say it once more: STUPID RUTO!

The courtyard begins buzzing with excitement to the point I'm afraid they'll begin chanting "Priestess, Priestess!"

The celebration is cut short when even more zombies spill out of the inner castle gate.

"Geh! There are still that many left…"

At a glance, there are at least twenty. Not too many compared with the hundred plus I took on in the front courtyard, but…if this is a sign of things to come, there must still be hundreds within the castle buildings. Naturally, that means I have to go around touching lots and lots of zombies. This SUCKS!

As depression looms over me, Sir Oden steps in front of me to block the zombies. "Lady Naruko, I hope you will lend me your power."

"And I hope you will let me refuse with all my might… But since I won't be able to get any sleep tonight if I don't help, I'll go."

"You have my thanks… Ruto, I leave Lady Naruko to you!"

"Yes, sir!"

At Ruto's reply, Sir Oden brandishes the massive shield that's a perfect fit for his large body. Apparently, he plans on charging through the zombies. As I mentally prepare myself to follow in his wake, Cia tugs on the back of my cardigan.

"Oneechan!"

"Don't look so worried. I'll be fine." I pat her on the head, getting a reluctant nod out of her.

"…Please be safe."

"I will. M'kay, I'm heading off, then!" I say as my parting words as I dash after Sir Oden's broad back.

"Follow me! We're going to regain control of the castle right now!"

"I know you said we'll regain the castle right now, but…I can't believe it went that fast." My shoulders shake with heavy breathing as I stand there in disbelief.

In short, we finished securing the castle grounds and interior. It didn't take more than thirty minutes. That's an incredible speed considering how many more zombies I took on compared with what was in the outer ward and how big and complex the castle layout is.

"But what do we do about them?"

I point to the wide stone corridor. Dezombified people are hunched over on both sides of the corridor, their faces twisting with pain. Their aches come not from the purification process but from the wounds Sir Oden inflicted on them. In brief, the scene of the zombies being knocked back one after another by Sir Oden's tanklike charge was brutal. To be blunt, he went too far. The purification went smoothly thanks to Sir Oden, but I'm left with complicated feelings on the matter.

"There are none in the lands who can best Captain Oden at charging."

"I'm surprised you guys even compete in that."

Setting aside Ruto's dopey smile and his exposition on the "charging industry," I'm just glad to see no one is seriously injured. They're all just bruised and beaten up. Sir Oden may have been holding back, but only he knows the answer to that.

Speak of the devil: the Reigning King of Charges has just come around the corridor corner. He's wiping the sweat from his brow as if to signal the job is done. The dezombified people are giving him the evil eye, but he returns the favor with a hard face. Everyone looks away from him. How heartless.

"Lady Naruko, you have my thanks for your cooperation." Sir Oden comes over to me and bows his head. After that Akuma guy, this the second time a huge old man bowed to me again. It feels really weird receiving that from someone whose age almost five times of mine.

"P-Please raise your head. I haven't done anything much. I only hung behind you slapping people."

"I can go on a rampage suppressing the zombies all I want, but it is a meaningless venture without the ability to purify them. We were only able to gain total control of the castle because of you, Lady Naruko."

He knew he was going on a rampage… I shut my mouth before I accidentally say something about it. I get the feeling he'll think I'm a pain if I continue being humble here.

"O-Okay, I accept your thanks. You're welcome."

"Thank you. I will rush to your aid should you ever need me."

"Thanks. Please do if the time comes!"

Zombies are still all over the place, making this a bad time for gathering information, but I'll ask him if he knows a way back to my world once things settle down. Sir Oden looks like a man with a lot of experience and knowledge. I'm certain he knows something or can at least point me in the right direction.

"On another note, Lady Naruko, I have a favor to ask of you." Sir Oden breaches this new subject with a mysteriously serious look.

"What is it?" I ask, tilting my head.

"It has to do with the way you say my name."

"Um, Sir Oden?"

"Would it be possible for you to call me o-DEN? This is the correct way to pronounce it."

I was striving so hard not to pronounce his name the same way as the simmered one-pot dish I eat every winter that's also called oden! Now every time I say his name I'm going to think of the food oden. I'm starving as it is. What kind of hellish punishment is this?

As I'm thinking about how delicious his name sounds, my stomach loudly growls. "Ugh…"

Embarrassing much? It's even worse when there are so many people around to hear it too! My face is hot, and I bet it's turned tomato red. I'm holding my growling stomach with both hands, squirming from the shame, when I hear Sir Oden's loud guffaw.

"HA! HA! HA! We were running around a lot. Hunger is nothing to be ashamed of… Ruto."

"Yes, Captain. Worry not, Lady Naruko. We have plenty of food stores."

"Really? You do?"

It's not my fault I jumped on the mention of food like some kind of glutton. My empty stomach is.

"Grantz Castle stockpiles a large volume of food for emergencies such as this. The food is emergency rations, so I can't guarantee the taste."

"We aren't in a situation to complain about taste."

"In that case, let's head straight to the food stores! Foodstuffs is stored in the basement and ground floor of the tower keep!"

In unbelievably high spirits, I journey with Ruto to where food supplies are stored in the basement of the tower keep.

"I-It is all rotten…"

"It figures…"

Wooden boxes are piled up to the ceiling of the candlelit, windowless basement. We pulled a few boxes over and checked their contents, all of which were coated in a sickly purple. The boxes were originally filled with hardtack, but most of it has lost its shape.

I had a hunch this would happen. The decay of the environment outside the city and the damage to the buildings were dead giveaways. Considering how things have been going, there's no way the rations would be conveniently intact. I don't think that would change even if their food were canned or freeze-dried.

"I humbly apologize, Lady Naruko."

"Meh, that's the way it is here. Anyway, it's not like this is your fault, Ruto."

"However, your stomach will continue growling if we don't find some food, m'lady."

"Please, PLEASE, don't make this about me."

I eat a lot for a girl, but not enough to be labeled a glutton. I can endure my hunger during an emergency like this—I can…but my stomach is growling as if to refute that thought and say I can't. I'll do my best in the war against hunger!

Endurance for a time is one thing, but it does us no good if we never have any food later either. As I'm racking my brain for a plan, I spot Ruto's thoughtful expression out of the corner of my eye. He's rolling what looks like some sort of rotten legume in his hand.

"What's up, Ruto?"

"…Lady Naruko, I have another request to ask of you." Ruto's face suddenly presses in close to mine, causing me to bend my neck away from him.

I have no issues talking with boys, but I have little experience with men. Or to be exact, I have zero experience. I can't help being shaken up by his proximity, and it has nothing to do with liking him or not.

"Huh? Back up and tell me."

This is the first time I have seen him look this serious since we met. I swallow the spit that formed from nervousness. About a second after that, Ruto finally makes his request known.

"Please give me your saliva, Lady Naruko."

"DIE!"

(◕ω◕✿)

"SHEESH! You should have said so sooner! I was scared, wondering what you might say when you drew so close with a serious face, and then you go and ask for my saliva. You really aren't in your right mind…!"

"My sincerest apologies… My actions lacked forethought. But lady Naruko, for such small girl you sure could pack a hefty punch."

I had returned with Ruto to the front courtyard, and we're now standing in an open corner. Why are we in a place like this? To test Ruto's plan to "bury the seeds and see if they produce food by spitting on them."

"That being said, your saliva is a sacred treasure, Lady Naruko."

"It's not sacred, nor is it some treasure, so please talk about it normally next time."

Anyone who overhears this is going to think it's some sort of perverted foreplay. In my world at least, this conversation is outlandish enough to make most people recoil, thinking you're a deviant.

"But we don't know for sure if it'll succeed or not."

"True, but think back to the desert island I met you on. Grass and weeds grew luxuriously where it was previously arid, dead land after you purified it. If you take that into account, the chance these seeds will grow is high enough to merit trying it."

"Hmm. Don't get your hopes up."

This world being overrun by zombies makes it a far cry from what I know to be the norm, but I haven't even heard of produce being cultivated by saliva in fictional stories. For that matter, say it does work… Doesn't that mean everyone will be eating food grown with my spit? Oh my gosh! Just imagining that makes me so embarrassed I want to dig a hole and bury myself in it.

"Lady Naruko, everything is ready for you now. Please commence gracing the land with your holiness," Ruto says, patting the soil where he finished planting the seeds.

Don't crops need a ton of prep work like fresh soil, fertilizer, and water to grow? Doubts cross my mind for a whole second before I decide to discard them and stop thinking. The moment we decided to grow crops with spit was the moment we strayed far from agricultural basics.

"Got it. Look the other way, then."

"I would like to see you in the act once. May I?"

"Only if you're okay with me not spitting."

"I apologize for my foolish request! I shall look the other way!"

As I watch Ruto quickly turn his back to me, my eyes lock with the other knights curiously looking my way. I flash a killer smile, then narrow my eyes, exuding an intimidating aura. The knights make a unified 180-degree turn.

They might be wondering why I'm making such a big deal over nothing, but what can I do when it's embarrassing? I crouch down to make it easier to spit.

Surrounded by a strange tension in the air, I somehow manage to squeeze together some saliva in my dry mouth, then let it drip down my tongue. The droplet of spit hits the ground without a sound and soaks in. A bright light begins emitting from the courtyard. The arid land is rapidly being covered by lush lawn. Surprised cries of "Ooh!" erupt from the people in the area.

Up to this point has been no different from what happened on the desert island, but there is one drastic change. Green sprouts spring up from where the seeds were planted in the ground. Only a brief time passes between when the seeds sprout and when they grow into saplings and then rapidly grow bigger.

It takes only a second for branches to jut out and for adorable white-and-pink flowers to bloom from them. The flowers burst off the branches like fireworks, allowing green fruit, which quickly turns red, to take their places. This new fruit that's slightly bigger than a fist has to be—

"A-Apples?"

"Yes, those are apples, Lady Naruko."

I don't know if they're the same as the ones on Earth, but at least this world has some form of apples.

"However, I am astonished to see that the seeds really grew to the point of bearing fruit."

"I'm the most surprised. How the heck were they even pollinated?"

"Your unworthy servant Ruto shall taste it first." Ruto plucks one of the many apples off the tree and sinks his teeth into it without a moment's delay. His eyes fly wide open, and he begins trembling. "How can it be this sweet and juicy?!"

"Uh, so what's your final verdict? Is it good?"

"They are the ultimate delicacy!" Ruto exclaims, giving me a thumbs-up with a broad smile. From the bottom of my heart, I'm relieved. I was terrified about how bad apples grown from my spit would taste.

"Try one, too, Lady Naruko."

"Th-Thanks."

Ruto picks an apple for me too. I'm a little hesitant to try it since I've never bitten into an apple with the skin still on, but hunger has me sinking my teeth into it before I know it. It crisply crunches under my teeth. One of the sweetest juices I've ever tasted gushes into my mouth.

"Mm!" I instinctively moan.

"How is it? Delicious, isn't it?"

"Yeah! I've never had an apple like this before!"

Starving, I tear another piece out of the fruit without a care about what others think. The apple is extremely sweet, but it has a slight sourness to it that only whets my appetite more.

"You can eat the apples!" Ruto announces to the courtyard in a booming voice. "They are a tried-and-true delicacy!"

At Ruto's invitation, the people watching from afar partake in sampling the apples. They must've been starving, too, because everyone who grabs an apple smiles broadly.

"I don't believe it… She actually succeeded in making apples grow in less than a minute!"

"But this definitely tastes like an apple. What's more, it's delicious!"

We only have apples, but everyone is celebrating like it's a great big party. It's not as if I went through much trouble to make it happen, but seeing them happy makes me happy.

"But how in the Goddess's name did it grow with such a rich honey flavor?"

"The answer is obvious. It grew from Lady Naruko's holy saliva!"

"Hey, Ruto! You're embarrassing me! Stop saying random things!"

"I knew that was it!"

"Gah! Are you really okay with that answer?!"

Not a single person doubts Ruto's response. Worst yet, some people even begin to chant, "Thank the Goddess for the Holy Priestess of Spit!"

"NOOOOOOOO!"

It's happened. I've been dubbed the two names I feared most. This is all stupid Ruto's fault! I turn a sharp glare on Ruto, but he welcomes it with a sunny expression as if he's attained enlightenment.

"You are not looking at this the right way, Lady Naruko."

"There's a right way to look at it? Who in their right mind would rejoice over being given a title with the word spit in it?"

"Spit certainly does not have a very good image."

"RIGHT?!"

"However, that only applies to commoners. Lady Naruko, your spit is the holy power capable of saving the world… It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it holy water at this point. When it comes down to it, there's no problem at all."

"Uh, even if you have no problem with it, I totally do!"

Dear Mother, your daughter is currently in the predicament of being given a nickname including the word spit in another world. Please save me from this embarrassment— I'm silently seeking help from my mother, when the sky starts to darken.

"It's getting dark out. Is it almost nighttime?"

"An untold number of zombies still prowl the city, but…it appears we should save our purification patrol for the morrow."

"It would be a real load off my back if we did. To be honest with you, I'm beat."

Everything from my waist down hurts, but my calves are especially tight. I've never walked this much before in my life. My muscles are going to kill me tomorrow.

"You have truly gone above and beyond the call of duty today. Please leave securing the premises to us and sleep well tonight, m'lady."

(◕ω◕✿)

"Is it really okay for me to sleep here too? Isn't this one of the royal bedchambers?"

"You are Cia's big sister. You can sleep here! I am actually the one who feels apologetic for not being able to prepare a better room for you…" Cia sadly trails off.

The castle interior is filthier than filthy because of being left in disrepair for however long the people have been zombified for. Cia's bedchamber is usable now only because we cleaned and cleaned the horribly dusty mess we found it in.

More than half the furniture in the room was damaged beyond use, so we had it removed for now. With the rest of the furniture gone, all that remains is the bed and the wooden stool sitting beside it. The sheer size of the room without anything in it makes it bleak and stark.

"It's the situation we're in. Plus, when I think about the alternative— camping outdoors where zombies are prowling—I can put up with practically anything."

"True. It is all thanks to you that I can sleep in this chamber again, oneechan."

"Meh, all I did was go around touching things," I respond with a wry grin and settle on top of the stool.

Cia's bed is right in front of me. It's fitting that a bed for a princess is king-size. This bed was terribly filthy at first, too, but beating the dust out of the blanket that was the most intact made it decent enough to sleep in. It's not the most hygienic thing, but we have little alternative.

"Anyway, it's a real pain not having a change of clothes. My uniform is going to wrinkle if I sleep in it."

Circumstances being what they are, I don't have a change of clothes. Most of the spare clothing in the castle has been devoured by moths or is too caked with dust to use without thorough washing first. I want to avoid wrinkling and staining my shirt and skirt as much as possible. On the other hand, it's too cold and unsanitary to sleep naked.

"I guess I could just remove my shirt and skirt."

As soon as I strike upon the idea, I strip off my clothes down to my undergarments. My bra and underwear are both pink. If I had known this would happen, I would've gone with a color like dark blue so stains wouldn't show as easily, but I would have done a lot of things differently if I had known about this in advance, so there's no point regretting something I can do nothing about.

"O-Oneechan?!" Cia is shocked by my sudden strip show.

"Sorry, sorry. I thought it's fine since it's just you here."

"I-I guess so. It is just me here… Um! Your skin is very pretty…!"

"You think so?"

"I do! Also, you're so big I'm envious…" Cia is gawking at my chest. I'm not flat-chested, but I'm also not big enough to comment on. I was just average. That doesn't change how big they come across to the young Cia, though.

"You will grow at least this big once you're older, Cia-chan."

"Are you certain about that…?" Cia anxiously looks down at her chest. It'd actually be more of a problem if she was big at this age. I'd worry about her balance. I'm biased, but Cia is best the way she is right now. I slip on my cardigan while I'm thinking about those things. I feel a draft from above and below, but I just have to put up with it.

"All right, I think we should get some sleep now. You must be tired, too, Cia-chan."

"I am. As ashamed as I am to admit it, I could fall asleep right now…" She bashfully nods before her face suddenly darkens. "But are the others all right?"

"You're a kind girl, Cia-chan. I don't think our friendly neighborhood zombies can get in with the gates down, but…even if they manage to break in, they move slow, and the knights should be able to handle them just fine now that they know not to touch them or be touched by them."

We don't have just superman Ruto on our side. Oden, the Reigning King of Charges, is here too. I just know he will send the zombies flying again if they rush into the castle.

"Besides," I continue, trying to alleviate Cia's worries, "I'll purify any zombie that happens to get inside."

"You will, won't you? We will surely be all right with you on our side, oneechan!"

"Yep, I'll protect you, too, Cia-chan. Come here."

I move onto the bed and have Cia sit next to me. As I'm stroking her hair, she relaxes and leans against me. This inkling of maternal instinct isn't just my imagination. I'm currently acting as an older sister. Not like in eroge I used to play. But real older sister. Little sister's rule! Good riddance, Big Brother!

I'm amusing myself with such thoughts, when I suddenly hear a freaky cry from somewhere. The wail is a mix of "SKRIEEE" and "BWAHHH." That's definitely not the sound of someone in their right mind.

"What was that? Did you hear it, Cia-chan?"

"I heard a creepy screech…"

I wrap my arms around Cia as she clenches my cardigan. Honestly, I'm terrified to death myself. Never did I think I'd hear an eerie noise like that from anything other than a horror movie.

Another shriek splits the air, ripping a small "Eek" from us both. The horror movie screeches are increasing in frequency.

"Pardon the intrusion, Your Highness, Lady Naruko!"

The bedchamber door is thrown open with a loud bang. Ruto barges into the room. I can tell he's panicked from the sound of his voice and the look on his face, but that's a separate matter from me forgiving his sudden entrance into our room. After all, I am currently dressed in little more than my undergarments and a cardigan. The second Ruto notices, his face tenses into an expression that screams, "I'm so dead!"

"Hey! Why'd you suddenly barge in?!"

"M-My deepest apologies! I shall humbly accept a firm slap to the cheek!"

"Forget getting slapped and turn right around! Leave!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The door slams shut. I might be overreacting, since it's not like he saw me naked, but…don't underestimate how a virgin feels. My entire body feels red hot. I re-dress as the scorching heat in my face wakes me up.

"Sheesh, Ruto can be so dense sometimes. Besides, isn't this your bedchamber, Cia-chan? Isn't it bad for him to barge in even if I'm not half-naked?"

"Ahaha… You could say it's a part of his personality."

"He's got a few screws loose, huh?"

He's not a bad person, but he really does a lot of things that could ruin his good-guy image. Just like my brother. But that's exactly why he's so easy to interact with.

After I slip on my shoes, I open the door. Ruto is standing perfectly straight in the corridor, his expression awkward.

"So? What happened? You seemed to be in a hurry."

"I am! It's an emergency!" Ruto practically shouts after he remembers why he rushed here. "Zombies have come over the walls!"

(◕ω◕✿)

After bolting out of the room, we come to the third floor corridor on the front-castle-gate side of the tower keep. We stop in front of a large oblong window with a beautiful design. When I peer through it at the courtyard below, my eyes are met with a swarm of zombies with red, glowing eyes.

Zombies are climbing over the castle walls and running at full speed straight for the inner gates. They don't have the cleanest running form, but they're moving at a speed unimaginable for the zombies we saw during the daytime. These zombies run even faster than humans. A small cry escapes me as I watch the terrifying scene unfolding below.

"They were so slow and sluggish during the day… How did this happen?" I ask Ruto.

"I don't know either, m'lady. All I can say is that the change began the moment the moon smirked."

"The moon smirked?"

"Look over there, Oneechan!" Cia points through the window to a round moon colored a more vivid red than blood. With jagged eyes and a curled mouth, the moon looks like a Halloween jack-o'-lantern.

"…Oh gosh, you're right. It's smirking."

"The zombies' eyes glowed red, and they instantly became smarter and faster when that face appeared on the moon."

"Okay, so how are things below?" I ask, keeping my voice calm. Panic washes over Ruto's face.

"The knights on guard became reinfected and overran the outer ward. Now the zombies are rushing for the inner gates."

"D-Doesn't that mean we're in big trouble…?!"

"The inner gates are thick and sturdy. You have my word that human hands, even if transformed into those of zombies, can do nothing to those gates. Besides, it is our very own captain of the knights who is protecting the gate," Ruto declares, full of confidence.

A second later, I hear a number of windows shattering on the lower floors. Not a moment after Cia and I share a worried look, Sir Oden flies around the corner from the direction of the staircase—an army of zombies hot on his trail!

"Zombies have broken into the tower keep!" he shouts while knocking back zombies with his big shield. "Ruto! Take Her Highness and Lady Naruko away from here!"

"YOUR word is meaningless, you know that?!"

"I-I cannot apologize enough!"

We race down the corridor, retracing our steps back the way we came. An army of zombies is chasing us. I'd love to purify them, but I'll be trampled under their sheer numbers if I get too close. The zombies are that fast and ferocious right now. All of a sudden, the window ahead to our left shatters. A zombie, covered in glass fragments, launches itself into the corridor in front of us.

"Oneechan!"

The zombie lunges for my shoulder with its big mouth wide open. It's too fast to dodge. The only part of my body I know for sure won't be infected if I touch a zombie is my right hand. What will happen if any other part of me makes contact? Well, at the moment, infection is the least of my worries. I won't be walking out of here intact if I'm chomped on by that giant mouth. I-I'll die!

Just as I resign myself to my fate, Ruto's gallant profile enters my view. With his shield, he thrusts away the zombie about to take a chunk out of my shoulder. I seem to be safe for the moment. Not quite sure if I'm still alive, I stand there stunned.

"Th-Thanks," I manage to get out.

"No problem. We must hurry!"

Ruto's grim expression reminds me of the zombies in hot pursuit of us. I jump back into running for my life.

"But where the heck can we even run to that's safe?!" I shout to Ruto.

I hate to think of what state the first and second floors are in if the third is already swarming with zombies. The rooftop doesn't offer much security when the zombies can climb the walls.

"Do you mind returning to my bedchamber?!" Cia calls out. "I'm pretty sure we'll be sitting ducks there!"

"A trapdoor installed in my room leads to a hidden tunnel! We might be able to escape from there!"

It's as plain as day that Cia is grasping at straws, but we're in a situation where nowhere is safe. We don't have any better options.

"Okay, let's go there! You heard us, Ruto!"

"As you command!"

Ruto is holding our rear, fending off the zombies coming from behind. I race through the corridor as the vanguard with Cia between us. We had turned only one corridor down from her chambers, so the way back is an easy route I don't need directions to follow. As soon as I arrive at her room, I throw open the door, let Cia and Ruto in, and shut and lock it behind them.

Ruto slams his shield against the door, reinforcing it to hold back the incoming swarm. A loud crash shakes the door a fraction of a second later. The zombies are body slamming it. Noisy bangs, slams, and scratches continue without ceasing. Great, the zombies aren't going to give up until they destroy everything in their path to get us. The walls and floor are stone, but the door is made of thick wood—it's not going to last long.

"Find the trapdoor while I can still hold them back!" Ruto shouts with a face twisting in pain and exertion.

I nod and run over to where Cia is crouched in a corner of the chamber. "This part of the floor is supposed to move…"

Underneath the filthy carpet is a section of the stone floor where a square has been cut out. The square stone is very heavy, so I kick it a few times to create enough of a gap to fit my fingers under it. Carefully, I shift the square onto the floor in front of me.

"This! Trapdoor! Woulda been…impossible for you to move alone… Cia-chan!" I pant out as I feel the weight of the square cutting into my fingers.

"I never intended to use it! I could never run away alone and leave my people behind! But I must do so now to help you escape, Oneechan!"

Cia decided to escape not for herself, but to lead me to safety. She's a really good kid, unlike me. Impressed by Cia's determination, I finish moving the square stone away. Stairs seem to lead deep below the floor, but it's too dark to see much else.

"I am about the only person in the world who knows of this passage. Though that doesn't mean much if the zombies can detect us underground."

"We just have to trust it's safe for now, because the alternative is not!"

"Yes…!"

I let Cia descend the steps first and shout over my shoulder to Ruto.

"Ruto, hurry over here!"

"The door is broken! If I leave my post, the zombies will storm the chamber! Please go on ahead without me!"

"Stop sacrificing yourself all the time!"

"I swore to protect you, Lady Naruko." He is putting everything he has into keeping the door standing, and yet he flashes a confident smile. Is he doing that to reassure me? "Besides, it's not as if I will die. I will just rot a little."

"Don't act so chivalrous when you're a rust bucket of a knight… Stupid Ruto!"

I don't want to leave him behind. But everything will be done for if I throw a fit here and end up getting killed by zombies. Seeing as the ones earlier were trying to bite me, there's no guarantee they aren't out to kill me. I understand all of that. I understand it, but—

"Go on now! Hurry! I won't last much longer!"

"…I swear I'll come back to save you!" I tell him, and he answers me with a silent, trusting nod.

Once I make up my mind, I move faster than even I expected. After descending into the hidden passage a few steps, I move the square stone with both palms facing up. It snuggly fits back in place. Without the light from the bedchamber, the secret passage is shrouded in pure darkness.

I'm starting to worry we won't be able to see where we're going, until my eyes adjust to the dark and I'm able to make out the faint outline of our surroundings. Huh...I thought it's impossible for your eyes to adjust if there's no light at all. I glance around and spot a small slit through the stone wall to the outside. Given that there are small openings in key places, it seems to be an intentional part of the design. The faint light streaming in through the cracks must be moonlight.

"Please watch your step since it's dark."

Right after I descend the last step behind Cia, I hear an explosive shattering noise overhead. The unique sound of wood splintering easily leads me to the assumption the chamber door has been breached. Ruto!

My chest aches as if someone is squeezing my heart. Cia grabs my hand. Is she afraid? Is she trying to reassure me? Considering how kind Cia is, it's probably the latter.

We still don't have an exact idea about how good zombie senses are. Too afraid to talk or let our footsteps echo on the stones, Cia and I stay perfectly still on the floor without making a sound. The zombies might find us… Such fears whirl through me, but strong determination reigns over every other emotion.

I can't let Ruto's fulfilled promise to protect me go to waste. I'll absolutely survive through this and purify Ruto and everyone else!

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