Chapter 6
Pop—!
At my shout, we burst forward.
Kueeek!
Crack—!
I ran, swinging my hammer wildly.
“Damn it!”
Crack!
I hacked off the zombie’s arm as it lunged for my side, then brought the hammer down, smashing its skull.
Its limbs dropped off with dull thuds before the body collapsed in a heap.
Thud! Crunch! Smack!
A chain of ugly, wet sounds erupted from all directions.
The corroded human bones scattered around shattered easily at random. Once, I nearly slipped while running, my foot skidding over a heap of fallen remains.
Is he keeping up?
I glanced back. The Crown Prince was right behind me, wine-dark hair streaming as he ran. Between the disheveled strands, his eyes glittered like flecks of gold dust.
Yeah. When he’s at full strength, it’s reassuring.
Relieved, I kept running, cutting down zombies as I went. Thanks to slicing through those clinging to us from both sides, we safely reached the gap created earlier by the grenade.
“Huff… huff.”
After sprinting at full speed while swinging the hammer, my breath came out ragged.
The zombies hadn’t closed the distance yet, so I could afford to catch my breath—if only briefly.
Thud! Crunch!
That didn’t last long. Realizing the safe zone was shrinking, I started forcing a path toward the cliff again. Soon, we reached a split in the ground that looked like a lightning-shaped sinkhole.
Just looking at it made my stomach drop, but with a raft bridge, crossing it wouldn’t be impossible.
First, I need to secure the safe zone on the northern side.
Zombies from the northern land were swarming toward us, tumbling into the cliff in droves, leaving no room to stand.
I pulled another grenade from my pouch.
KABOOM—!
After throwing it and securing the area, I turned around.
“Your Highness, now the raft bridge—”
Huh? The Crown Prince?
My outstretched hand grasped at nothing.
Sensing something wrong, I spun around wildly. When I finally spotted him, my mouth slowly fell open.
The Crown Prince was still in the middle of the horde.
Zombies that had broken through the fence gathered one by one, some carrying others on their backs, closing in around him.
When our eyes met, the Crown Prince smiled—as if amused.
Damn it! Is this really the time to smile?!
Just as my chest tightened, the zombies completely swallowed him up.
“Your Highness!”
At that moment, a spear swung powerfully through the gaps between the zombies.
Whoosh—!
A furious wind tore through, scattering bone dust, and several zombies were blown away. The swirling dust cleared.
“Whew.”
What emerged was the Crown Prince, letting out a deep breath as he swept his wine-dark hair back, casually surveying the fallen zombies around him.
I was still frozen in shock when one of the downed zombies reached out toward him—its weak point, the skull, still intact.
“Behind you—watch out!”
At my shout, the Crown Prince reacted instantly.
“Tch.”
With an annoyed click of his tongue, he grabbed the zombie’s skull barehanded as it lunged for his side.
Kieeek—!
Blue veins bulged along the back of his hand.
Crack!
Fractures spread across the corroded jaw, and the lower half shattered.
As bone fragments clattered to the ground, I let out a hollow laugh.
He crushed it with his grip alone? Even if the bones are rotten, what are they—apples or something…?
I was momentarily speechless at his inhuman strength.
The Crown Prince ran toward me and laid the raft bridge across the split ground. Guarding the rear, he flicked his eyes at me.
“Cross first, my lady.”
“Follow right after.”
When he nodded, easing my nerves, I stepped onto the raft bridge—
KRAKABOOM—!
“Ugh!”
The ground began to shake violently, splitting apart.
I pulled my foot back in a panic as the raft bridge plunged downward, my body pitching forward.
I’m falling!
The cliff swallowed my vision—
“My lady!”
The Crown Prince yanked me back roughly just before I fell.
“Huff… huff…”
The quake stopped just in time. With the back of my head pressed against his chest, I gasped for air.
The chill of almost falling passed, and clarity snapped back into place.
What just happened?
Why…?
The Saint hasn’t even appeared yet—so why was there an earthquake?
In the original story, earthquakes occurred when the Saint descended, as holy power clashed with the energy of the zombie zone.
That raised questions about how the zombies were purified in the first place—but I didn’t have the luxury to think that far right now.
I looked up at the Crown Prince, confusion swirling in my eyes.
He looked just as unsettled.
“Damn it. No choice, then.”
After muttering a curse, he slid an arm beneath my thighs and lifted me up.
I wobbled as I lost my balance, grabbing his shoulder.
When he stopped, murmuring that this distance would be enough, a bad feeling crawled over my skin.
“…What are you planning to do?”
“We need to cross, don’t we?”
“You’re saying you’ll carry me across?”
He raised a red eyebrow and shot me a look.
“Is there another way?”
“Have you ever run while carrying an adult woman?”
“Are you scared?”
“I asked if you’ve done it before.”
Crunch!
He kicked away a charging zombie and glanced at me.
“…Not really.”
Damn it. So, no.
Then he wrapped the arm holding the spear around my waist.
“Hold on tight, my lady.”
Tap—!
He sprinted forward and leapt.
“Ah!”
You lunatic—what am I supposed to hold on to?!
In a panic, I grabbed the Crown Prince’s flying hair.
Every sensation felt painfully vivid while airborne.
His hair lifted with the wind, then dropped sharply as we descended.
Thud.
We landed with a heavy, solid impact. I cracked my eyes open.
I saw the grotesque zombies of the northern land—this was the safe zone secured earlier by the grenade.
I… I lived.
My strength drained away like air from a punctured balloon.
“You can let go now.”
A chilling voice pierced my ears.
Turning my head slowly, I met the Crown Prince’s blade-cold gaze fixed on me.
My hands were still tangled in his hair.
I released it immediately. A few strands of bright red drifted down.
I blew them away with a soft puff of air and gave an awkward smile.
“Did it hurt?”
Ha. The Crown Prince laughed incredulously and set me down. He shook his head sharply, glaring.
“In all my life, I’ve never seen a noble lady who grabs the Crown Prince by the hair. You really live up to that reputation of yours.”
Crunch—!
I took out an approaching zombie and gave him a dubious look.
Come to think of it, why should I be the one apologizing? He’s the one who picked me up and jumped without asking.
Well—at least we made it across.
Clearing unnecessary thoughts, I jerked my chin toward the forest.
“Your Highness, we’ve lost a lot of time. Let’s head into the woods.”
“Agreed.”
He nodded easily and began clearing the path.
That was when—
Krrrzzzz—
The ground rumbled violently once more.
Not just my legs—my brain felt like it was shaking too.
Ah—why another earthquake now?!
In my panicked vision, I saw the Crown Prince tipping toward the cliff.
“Your Highness!”
I reached out desperately. Between his gently swaying wine-dark hair, golden eyes flew wide open.
For someone on the brink of death, his expression was oddly calm. No terror, no panic—just the look of someone surprised by something unfamiliar.
Grab—!
“Ugh.”
I collapsed to the ground, barely managing to snag his arm.
I’d dropped my hammer. Using both hands, I pulled with all my strength, but my body was dragged forward uselessly.
My grip slipped from his forearm to his wrist—then finally to his hand.
With pale fingers, I clenched my teeth and struggled desperately not to let go.
Damn it…
Kueeek!
Zombies were closing in from behind. The Crown Prince would die the moment I let go.
A complete, catastrophic mess.
“Hey, my lady.”
I heard his voice then. Unlike my strained groans, it was calm and languid—like he’d just woken from a nap.
“W-what is it?! Hurry and drop the spear and grab my hand! Don’t tell me you don’t even have the stamina for that?!”
My words came out sharp, driven by desperation.
My arms felt like they were about to be torn out of their sockets
