Princess Wintergreen

Thankfully, I was swifter than these zombies, even though they were already scampering toward me. But that didn’t mean I was out of the woods just yet.

As soon as I reached upstairs while following the sound, fortunately, only two zombies were blocking my path. I couldn’t kill them, so I used two of my bricks and shot them in the head to stun them. Once the zombies were temporarily dazed, I knocked on the door where the two ladies could be found! I lost two bricks in my arsenal because of it.

If I used my Baseball Bat right now, I would’ve wasted a few seconds killing these two. My goal was surviving, not massacring all zombies when I was in a disadvantageous position. And besides, I could kill them later. Right now, protecting these princesses was my second utmost priority.

“H-Hey! Open up! I’m clean! I’m not one of them!” I hollered, and continuously banged the door with my fist.

“H-How would we know if you’re… not one of them? We cannot trust words alone!” A female voice replied.

“Well, it’s not like you got a choice,” I bickered.

But just like what the person on the other side said, I couldn’t prove myself. And there was no time for me to do that. So I thought of something else that could evince myself, but the idea didn’t go inside my head.

“Listen, there’s no time to explain. But I can prove myself to you once I’m there! I can show you my arm, legs, or any part of my body! If I have bites, throw me out of the castle! Or I’ll leave you two alone! I won’t endanger you… So, please! I know how these zombies operate!”

“Z-Zombies?”

Once my sentences ended, a click from the door reverberated through the hallway. And the next thing I knew, I fell on the other side of the room. The princess immediately shut the door when she saw me enter the place. As she locked the door, the princess dragged her sister back into a corner and glared in my direction. That same girl also brought in a sword and pointed the tip right beside my nape.

“State your name and why are you here? You do not look like a servant of mine or any of the nobles who have visited the Kingdom of Volatia! Your clothes are different. Y-Your… Everything about you is different! Are you a spy sent by another Kingdom?! M-My father, the King is dead all because of you! Tell me everything you know, stranger, before I can put a dent right next to your neck if I find you unworthy of my trust!”

The girls in front of me were the princesses stuck inside the room, hoping to escape this place. My eyes were instantly fixated on the lady around my age. She had hair as white as snow, silver even, with a curved and glass-hour body under the tight armour covering her skin. This princess had a blade with her. But it seemed this sword was used to shove those zombies, considering I saw no blood marked from the sabre. I assumed she had not killed any zombies or any human being as of late, so that was why they caged themselves inside their room.

Beside the woman was another little girl who I assumed was her sister. She resembled her older sibling. This kid didn’t wear metallic plates. Her casual clothes told me that the young lady was just aroused by what was happening, and she hadn’t any experience fighting or wielding any weapon. She also had silver-looking hair.

Also, this place was called the Kingdom of Ruby. Not that they were aware of, since they live in this fucking place, and I’m the alien here. By the way, how did I know? It was shown on my map a while ago, when I questioned my sanity and the place I had been fighting with. And… wasn’t this princess a bit rude to me? From where I had come from, introducing oneself before asking the other was the norm. Well, I was in another world, so I guessed this was alright.

Furthermore, this princess talked waaay too formally around me. Maybe that was just how she was raised, especially when she was a princess.

While that was happening, my system activated and browsed through the information related to the princess and her sister, I assumed. Even before this woman could even tell their names, strengths, and family history, I already knew everything at the back of my hand, thanks to my ability.

……………..

[Character Name]: {Charlotte Wintergreen]

[Species]: {Human}

[Age]: {18-year-old}

[Class]: {2nd Princess of the Kingdom of Ruby]

[Level 21]

[Intermediate Archery Skills]

[Intermediate Augmentation of Element] -

[Intermediate level of Swordsmanship]

……………………

[Character Name]: {Fey Wintergreen]

[Species]: {Human}

[Age]: {8-year-old}

[Class]: {3rd Princess of Kingdom of Ruby]

[Level 11]

………………..

Fey and Charlotte were really from the elite class. I mean, they wouldn’t have any golden rank beside their name if they weren’t. Were they aware of it? Probably not, since I was the only person who had a system. They were princesses. Charlotte also looked like she knew how to fight, especially with the sword gripped in her hand. But since zombies now overran the Kingdom of Volatia as we spoke, their titles were somewhat meaningless.

Still, I entertained myself, bowed in front of the princess for etiquette, and answered, “My apologies, princess. My name is Kisei. Kisei Hanabi, or you can call me Kisei for short. I do not belong here. It seems I found a magical circle from upstairs and got summoned here by accident. Right now, I belong to another world where these creatures, which I have referred to as zombies, exist.”

‘Well, in our imagination, of course,’ which I wanted to add, but held my tongue. That was just… trivial matter for the grave of the conversation.

I didn’t know why I did that, but it felt like it. Besides, this princess right in front of me was caught by surprise. I also told the princess the truth. There was no point in lying in front of the people of this otherworld.

“So put down that sword right in front of my face, and we can talk… peacefully,” I persisted, gingerly pushed the sword away from my face. “As you can see, I have no bites, wounds, or anything from the zombies.”

Ah, I turned back to normal. I couldn’t help myself with all of this formality, so I casually referred to this princess as a lady or a woman for some reason.

“H-How do you know the etiquette of the Kingdom?! Are you simply an undercover prince or a noble we do not know?” Princess Charlotte asked, as she tilted her head to the side ever so slightly.

“Zombies. What do you know about them, Kisei? I will assume that is your real name, unless I notice you are a spy that wants me dead!” the princess also uttered back, and slowly sheathed her sword in her scabbard. “My name is Princess Charlotte Wintergreen, and this is my sister, Fey Wintergreen. We demand an explanation why this is happening!”

“One question at a time, princess. But, yeah. Since we’re literally being chased down by zombies, I guess answering your questions as fast as possible will help us,” I said, and scratched my head. “And don’t boss me around. I know that the two of you are princesses, but… your servants and knights are gone, and probably the entire castle, too.”

“YOU DARE INSULT OUR KINGDOM, KISEI!?! THIS CITY WILL FIGHT THROUGH WHATEVER CONFLICTS WE HAVE, BE IT… ZOMBIES, IF YOU MAY, DRAGONS, OR POWERFUL ROGUE ADVENTURERS! INSULT MY FAMILY’S KINGDOM AGAIN, AND I WILL OBLITERATE YOU FROM THE FACE OF GAIA!!!”

I might have hit something that I shouldn’t have. When I repeated those words, Princess Charlotte revealed her sword and pointed at me. This time, it was nearly touching my eyes.

I heaved out a sigh and carefully swayed the blade away as I filled up the questions these two ladies had in mind. “To put it bluntly, princess, we are surrounded by zombies. Zombies are undead people who came back to life. Now, these zombies will do anything to reproduce and hunt other living beings to feed their crippling organs. Usually, the only way to defeat them is to disconnect either the spine or behead them with… any weapon, actually. To answer the question ‘where did these zombies come from’… That I do not know. I just got here, you see?”

“Is it true that you are the hero my father wished to summon? All the information you’ve presented… matched what had happened. When these…. Zombies appeared, father… King Grey went to the magician’s room in the hopes of summoning a brave adventurer from another world. Are you the one from the legends? Was the spell successful, or are you trying to deceive me?”

“If I wanted the two of you dead, I would’ve already killed you. You’re right in front of my eyes, and I can take your lives the moment I want to.”

And I was telling them the truth. Princess Charlotte and her sister were just in my plain sight. I had them.

But I wasn’t that kind of person. I was just a humble man following my system’s orders to survive. Thankfully, my system led me to these two ladies over here. If it hadn’t, I might as well leave these two for good. Well, I also had a kind heart. That, too, played a part in shaping me as a wannabe hero.

“Maybe you are right, Kisei. I shall believe you for now. Fey, do not worry. This man might be the key to our escape. Come! Let us leave this place, find mother and father, and escape the Kingdom and save who we can.”

I shook my head and replied, “Nope. Not on my watch. You can’t do what you want if I’m around.”

“What do you mean, Kisei? Have you gone mad, or do you wish to die in this place?”

“That’s exactly my point. If your father, the king, is outside, he’s pretty much dead.”

“HE HAS JUST BEEN BITTEN BY A ZOMBIE!” Charlotte roared, and stood up.

But I didn’t raise my voice. I knew this was too much for her to handle, so I explained it to the best of my abilities. “Is your father wearing a red cape, a crown, and a mustache almost covering his chin?”

“And why do you know my father’s facial features, Kisei?” Princess Charlotte demanded an answer.

I took a deep breath and replied, “Because he turned into one of those… I saw them downstairs. And I think you know what happened after seeing a bunch of those walking in the ballroom.”

Princess Charlotte became silent after hitting her with the truth. She might have realised that these zombies were powerful individuals and that we could not win this battle in a fistfight. And they were the only ones alive in this castle.

After our brief introduction, my system also alerted me that I had already completed my quest! And the reward was already handed to me.

Another faint light appeared before me. Princess Charlotte and her sister, Fey hastily reacted, thinking I was going to blow the place up! But I wasn’t. I explained this was my power, and I had unlocked something they wouldn’t know.

I also learned something new. It seemed whenever I made friends, which I already considered these two women, the bright light was now visible to them. So that was something. And now they were marked with a green dot on my map, indicating that they were now my allies.