“Huh?”
Oh, right. Why was I speaking so casually to Yoan?
Then again, he’d been casual with me from the moment we met. Not that I particularly minded… but I decided to press the issue just to have an excuse.
“Well, what about you, uh, milord?” I challenged.
“Me? I’m a lord. It’s kind of my right.”
Darn stupid class system!
He looked so genuinely innocent when he said it that I was momentarily speechless.
Arguing about age probably wouldn’t work either. I had a feeling Yoan was older than me anyway.
I bit my lip and darted my eyes around, thinking. “I’m just… really used to talking informally now… milord?”
“But you could fix it if you tried, couldn’t you?”
“Are you that hungry for respectful address from me… milord?”
“I don’t know… I’d just like to hear it. Strange.”
He really was a weirdo.
The problem was, for some reason, I found it hard to say no. Was this the power of social status?
“Sasha.”
“Hm? Yes, milord?”
“It was a joke. I didn’t think you’d make such a serious face.”
His face hadn’t looked like he was joking…
“So, can I keep talking like usual?”
“Whatever’s comfortable for you.”
“Phew.”
With that minor crisis averted, I continued with what I was trying to say earlier.
It was a faint memory… but I was pretty sure the original novel’s heroine, Aria, had discovered she was an antibody carrier right here in this region.
“So you’re saying a cure is our top priority, which means we need to find out if anyone is an antibody carrier. And for that, we need the right person for the job.”
“Exactly.”
“And do you happen to know who that might be?”
“Wouldn’t it be someone in the medical field?” I hedged. I mean, the person in my vision had been a doctor, but saying that outright would just make him suspicious.
Yoan thought for a moment, then nodded. “That’s a definite possibility. We’ve got nothing to lose, so let’s start looking.”
“Great. I’m gonna have dinner now.”
“I thought you said you weren’t eating.”
“That was just… something I said.”
“Honestly? I didn’t believe you anyway.”
Yoan chuckled and told me to wait a second before disappearing somewhere.
He came back a moment later with a large tray. He set it on the table and lifted the cloche covering a plate, revealing a thick slab of brisket that greeted me like an old friend.
My mouth started watering reflexively, and I quickly wiped my chin with the back of my hand.
“Bliss has been cooking this since morning,” Yoan said, handing me a fork. “It’ll fall apart without a knife.”
I immediately stabbed the fork into the meat. Just as he’d said, the tender, juicy brisket crumbled, releasing the most incredible aroma.
“Time to eat.”
It would have been a crime to miss out on this.
***
Derek had a long face first thing in the morning.
Worried he might be sick, I sat next to him and placed a finger on his forehead. And then I immediately remembered.
Ah, right. I can’t feel temperature.
I awkwardly pulled my hand back and decided to just ask him directly.
“Are you sick? You look a little pale.”
“No, I’m fine.”
It really didn’t look like he was fine.
“I’m serious. I’m just a little low on energy, that’s all.”
Derek expertly hid his condition with a smile.
I wondered who had forced this kid to become an adult so quickly. He could have afforded to grow up a little more slowly.
Come to think of it, we’d all been running nonstop. It was all for survival, and we still couldn’t let our guard down, but I figured we could afford to take a short break.
No one was saying anything, but I could see the exhaustion etched on everyone’s faces.
It’s not like one day off is gonna kill us.
With my mind made up, I went straight to Yoan. He was getting ready to head out, like it was just another part of his daily routine.
“Yoan.”
He stopped what he was doing and turned around.
“What do you think about taking a rest day today? Everyone seems pretty worn out.”
“It’s about that time. We’ve been through a lot. Alright.”
Yoan readily agreed to my suggestion and passed the word along to the group. “We can’t do anything about emergencies, but we’ve secured a minimum level of safety, so let’s all take it easy today.”
“My lord.” For once, Bliss raised her hand as if she had something to say. “If we’re going to rest, why don’t we do it properly?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Rob and Sasha brought back plenty of supplies yesterday. It won’t be anything grand, but I was thinking we could have a small party. I can handle the preparations.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Rob said.
“I reckon I’m on board with that too,” Grandpa Jeremy chimed in to support her as well.
“Alright.” Yoan cheerfully accepted Bliss’s idea, too.
To be honest, it was about time we all did something to boost our morale.
“It’s free time, so everyone just do your own thing.”
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone scattered, most likely to help Bliss.
Derek hesitated, trying to stay by my side, but Rob dragged him away.
“Sasha, you go get some rest, too,” Yoan said. “I think I’ll just take a quick look around the areas I didn’t see yesterday.”
Truthfully, my body didn’t really need rest.
“Alone?”
“What, you want to come with?”
“Sure, why not.” It wasn’t like I had anything better to do.
Yoan looked a little surprised that I’d actually take him up on the offer, but he quickly broke into a smile.
“So it’s a date.”
“…”
I decided not to react. From experience, I knew that reacting to these kinds of jokes only made him tease me more.
“So, Sasha, you were looking forward to some alone time with me, huh?” Yoan kept poking at me as I coolly maintained my poker face and got ready to leave. “You should have said so sooner. How unobservant of me.”
“...”
“Our fun little date—”
“It’s not! It’s not a date, so could you please just be quiet!”
I finally lost it and burst out yelling.
Yoan just shrugged with a sly look on his face.
“I was wondering how long you’d last. Alright, alright, let’s go. We have a party to get back to later.”
We told the others we’d be back before evening and left.
Derek, still in Rob’s clutches, shot me a pleading look, begging me to take him with us. But since he was the whole reason for the day off, even I couldn’t help him.
“Today, we’re just scouting, no overexerting ourselves. It would be even better if we can meet some survivors in this town and hear what they have to say.”
“Got it,” I replied, pulling my hood down lower.
Even though he’d said not to overdo it, Yoan meticulously checked his map, marking the locations and characteristics of the survivors.
He didn’t bother hiding the fact that he was the regional lord, either.
In a manageable crisis, revealing one’s identity could be helpful. When things got out of hand, though? It could seriously backfire.
And we had run into exactly that kind of situation.
“The lord? What the hell were you doing while things got this bad! Take responsibility, you hear me!”
“What’s going to happen to us?” someone sobbed. “How long do we have to live like this?”
“Where did this disaster even sprout from? Has His Majesty the Emperor said anything?”
“Bring my family back! Bring them back, I said!”
The fear and frustration of people trapped in a hopeless reality were aimed squarely at Yoan. Even if they knew this catastrophe wasn’t his fault, they needed someone to blame.
Surprisingly, Yoan didn’t argue. He just took it all in, claiming it as his duty.
He really is something else.
Once again, I found myself impressed by Yoan’s mindset and attitude as I followed quietly behind him.
The areas without survivors were nothing but ruins.
A two-story café that must have once been bustling with people now stood completely empty, giving off a strange, unsettling feeling.
It didn’t look like there was anything worth salvaging, so I was about to leave when Yoan came over and held something out to me.
“A ribbon? What’s this for?”
“Looks like someone left it behind. It’s new. Found it in a gift box.”
What did that have to do with anything?
I stared at him, my expression clearly asking for an explanation. He just grinned and turned me around, then started fussing with my hair.
“I’m not the best at this, but I used to tie ribbons like this for my dog, Sasha.”
Ugh, that dog… I really wanted to see what this other Sasha even looked like.
“There. Want to see a mirror?”
Yoan led me to a broken mirror in the corner. My shoulder-length bob looked quite neat and felt much cooler tied back in a half-up style.
“It suits you. Do you like it?”
“Mhm. It’s alright.” It was a cute ribbon, with a bit of understated lace. Oddly enough, it felt like a gift from Yoan, and my heart felt all fuzzy.
“Alright, let’s head back now,” Yoan said, taking my hand.
“My hood!” I stopped, about to pull it back over my head, but Yoan’s hand stopped me.
“We’re going straight back to the base, so you can just go like this.”
“But what if someone sees me?” People would not be happy to see a zombie standing next to their lord, who was supposed to be on their side.
When I still looked hesitant, Yoan added, “It’d be a shame to hide the ribbon.”
“That’s true, but…”
“If anyone says anything, I’ll just tell them I captured you.”
Was I some kind of wild beast?
The word “captured” didn’t exactly thrill me, but it wasn’t like there was a better alternative. I followed his lead and stepped out into the street without my hood.
“You don’t have to be so self-conscious. I told you, it looks good on you,” he said.
Have you always been this much of a doting fool? I thought, but wisely kept it to myself.
Thankfully, we barely ran into anyone on the way back, and the few people we did see paid us no mind.
“Sis Sasha!” Derek was the first to greet me when we got back.
“Welcome back. You’re just in time.” Bliss followed him out, smiling, and led us to the warehouse behind the general store.
“Ah, you’re here. Come on in and sit a spell,” Grandpa Jeremy said, beckoning.
In the few hours we’d been gone, the warehouse had been transformed into something that actually looked like a party venue.