“We were also taken aback. He is a knight of high caliber supposed to guard the Duke, but he took upon himself to do the hard work. We told him not to, but he said he must do this much to earn his keep in these dangerous times……. so we couldn’t stop him anymore.”

“There’s no need to bring the wooden stick into my bedroom, though……?”

It was frightening. Could the servants have conspired to betray me?

‘In the chaos caused by the zombies, even worse things could happen.’

The unpredictable situation made Rina’s sudden behavior all the more jarring.

Seeing that I kept gripping the bedsheet and did not lose my wary look, Rina became aggrieved.

“Goodness! Duke! I’ve been serving you since you were a child, and I would never do anything scary!”

“You never know with people.”

“I’m the one who’s afraid of you, Duke……. If anyone is going to be betrayed, it’s likely to be me, isn’t it?”

“That may be true, but.”

Nodding at Rina’s earnest words, she sighed and increased the speed of her aiding hands.

“Phew. Anyway, I won’t betray the Duke! The current mansion’s servants all feel the same. Carrying these wooden sticks is purely for selfdefense.”

“Did Sir Michael order that too?”

At my question, Rina nodded affirmatively.

“Yes. Although there is a magic stone barrier covering Valterminster’s residence…… he said we cannot feel secure with that alone, in case the barrier breaks or the magic stone runs out, so we should carry one each.”

Looking at Rina’s waist, there was even a belt attached to her maid uniform to carry the wooden stick conveniently.

‘He’s skillful.’

I didn’t know he had this kind of ability. I saw Michael in a new light because of his surprisingly meticulous care.

Still, I lightly tapped Rina’s forehead to warn her.

“Ah, it hurts!”

Rina’s forehead reddened, and she shed a tear. Hmm, I thought I had controlled my strength, but it must have hurt quite a bit.

However, I didn’t feel much guilt.

Even if Michael’s actions were out of goodwill, they were distasteful to me.

“It’s meant to hurt, Rina.”

When I glared at her, Rina quickly lowered her head with a gulp.

“I know Sir Michael meant well, but at this point, I am the master of the Keaton Duke house. Doing something that threatens my authority inside the duke’s residence without my permission doesn’t look good.”

Even with the anxiety caused by the appearance of the zombie virus, this was clearly overstepping.

How dare he think of bringing a weapon into the duke’s bedroom?

‘The magic barrier protecting the duke’s residence is still intact.’

If this had been the peaceful time before the zombies appeared, Rina’s actions would have been equivalent to getting herself expelled from the duke’s residence.

Realizing this at last, Rina turned pale, fell to her knees, and pleaded with me.
“I apologize, Your Grace! I must have been out of my mind for a moment. Please forgive my rudeness…….”

“……It’s fine.”

‘Even though I have the Possessor’s buff of Zero, it was still too much.’

The control that the villainess Elizabeth Keaton possessed was utterly inadequate.

It wasn’t a particularly surprising outcome.

‘Honestly, it’s a miracle that I’ve made it this far.’

If it weren’t for the Possessor’s buff given by Zero, there might have already been servants abandoning Duke Keaton.

It would have been a relief if they had only deserted in the night. If they had conspired to rob the food storeroom, it would have led to a bad ending.

‘It’s fortunate for my unlucky life that it’s at this level.’

“I didn’t have any expectations in the first place. It doesn’t matter.”

“What……?”

My words transformed Lina’s face from blank white paper to a dark blue sea.

Why did she look so shocked all of a sudden?

I was the one who found that reaction strange.

“Lina, it’s true that the servants, including you, think I am not likable. Isn’t that so?”

If trust was something that could be restored just by bringing some holy water, then Elizabeth wouldn’t have been called a villainess.

My situation, having possessed Elizabeth’s body here, was like that.

“That…… That is…….”

Lina, who was bad at lying, stammered and faltered.

‘As expected.’

I reaffirmed once more at her reaction.

Life is about oneself. In living this one and only life, others are merely others.

To survive, I had to trust only myself.

So as not to worry about being stabbed in the back by trusting others needlessly.

I didn’t want to suffer a heartwrenching, painful wound again.

Lina, confused by my cold and indifferent response, continued to plead for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I was wrong…….”

“I said it’s fine. Don’t forget that my orders are to be prioritized next time. Oh, and tell the other servants.”

“I will keep it in mind. I will definitely remember.”

Lina, bowing deeply, looked as though she was kowtowing to me.

I clumsily took out my clothes and dressed, waving my hand at Lina.

“Go down to the dining room first. Oh, don’t forget to call the wizards.”

“The wizards?”

Lina looked puzzled as she watched me buttoning my blouse.

“I have someone I want the wizards to find for me.”

I subtly moved my hand to open the quest window without Lina noticing.

[The conditions for being a part of the ‘Zombie Extermination’ party are made public.] [Only the strong characters from the ‘original work’ can form a party with you.]

‘If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it….’

Since it had come to this, I had to actively seek other male lead candidates from the original work.

Like ‘Rus Crichton,’ who was a strong contender for the next Magi Tower Lord and a submale lead in the original work.