Rosalia — POV
Damn it.
That was the only word that came out of my mouth.
How could I be so stupid?
How did I forget the arrival of the "dramatic heroine"?
Yes—she and her team were surrounded by zombies, moments away from being torn apart.
Then, like a miracle, the protagonist's convoy appeared.
And what a cursed scene that was.
The so-called "hero" stood behind Cassel, ordered him to save the heroine…
and then hid—like the coward he was.
And afterward, he had the nerve to be called the Savior of Beauty.
Savior?
What a joke.
And that "beauty"? That bitch had been strong from the very beginning.
She had the power to heal and purify—the ability to cleanse zombie infections.
She could've saved Cassel's wounded men.
But no.
The delicate "heroine" feared pain. She didn't want to feel a little sting when using her powers.
It wasn't as if doing so would shorten her life—but as the selfish, self-centered heroine she was, she chose to cry at the funeral rather than lift a finger to save the dying.
Because of her, Cassel lost men that day.
The most tragic part?
Some of them only had minor injuries—just scratches from the infected.
But because of the spreading virus, Cassel had no choice.
He had to raise his weapon… against his comrades.
Against his brothers.
Against his friends.
He had to kill them himself—before they turned into mindless, flesh-eating monsters.
It was one of the darkest days in Cassel's life—
all thanks to those damned people: the so-called heroine and her "hero."
"Damn it! We're surrounded! Men—split into two teams! One covers the front line, the other defends the rear!"
Henry's voice boomed through the chaos, echoing off the walls like a thunderclap.
"Vice-captain, I'm a woman," Liz shot back with a grin, gripping her weapon tightly as she sprinted toward the rear line—the one facing the flood of zombies pouring in from behind those desperate survivors.
You couldn't really blame them.
Anyone would want to hide behind a group of soldiers dressed in black camo, armed to the teeth, radiating raw, lethal power.
"Henry," Cassel's calm, deep voice reached us through the noise, steady as stone, "tell the others not to use their abilities unless it's absolutely necessary."
Henry was right in front of me—close enough that when Cassel whispered, I heard every word.
Are they trying to hide the fact that there are able users among them?
That's strange. In the novel, Cassel's team never hid their powers before. They used them freely on every mission.
Why is it different this time?
Cassel's gaze flicked toward me briefly before he stepped forward—straight into the battlefield.
It didn't take long for the survivors to reach our position.
Only four made it through.
Behind them came the horde—grotesque, blood-stained corpses with missing limbs, torn clothes, and that sickening stench of decay.
"Don't let these things touch your skin—no matter what! Your first priority is survival, understood?"
"Understood, Boss!"
And the battle began.
Cassel's men fought like warriors born from hell itself.
They were not cowards afraid of death.
Some were ex-soldiers, others mercenaries—they'd all danced on the edge between life and death more times than they could count.
When their ammo ran out, they switched to knives.
When their knives broke, they used their bare hands.
Military combat turned brutal art.
The battlefield became a storm of blood and corpses.
Since I wasn't part of the team and had no weapon skills, Henry had told me earlier to stay back, somewhere away from the fight. He knew what my power was.
So I watched from afar.
And I wasn't the only one.
Mary stood not too far away, in a zone where zombies were thinner. Any that approached her were immediately cut down—either by that reckless young man beside her or by Cassel's men.
The heroine's "aura" was terrifying.
It wasn't that Cassel's soldiers were bewitched by her beauty—it was a coincidence. Pure chance.
Somehow, one or two of his men always ended up near her, and in defending themselves, they'd save her again and again without realizing it.
What kind of power was that?
How was I supposed to strip her of that damned luck?
As I tore my gaze from her, my eyes landed on Cassel.
He wielded a long blade—almost like a Japanese katana—and with one clean strike, severed two zombie heads.
His movements were precise.
Powerful.
Terrifyingly elegant.
Wait… didn't he start using a sword much later in the story?
Something wasn't right.
The details weren't exactly as I remembered.
But I knew this story. I'd read it thousands of times—memorized it by heart.
Then, suddenly—
Our eyes met.
Time stopped.
He stood tall, his blade gleaming cold in his hand.
The steel shone like ice—reflecting his own chill.
Each swing was swift. Merciless. Final.
And then—
Robin, the giant of the team, fell to one knee.
He'd been hit.
A stray bullet—from that man standing near Mary.
[No!]
My mind went blank. My body refused to move.
Zombies were closing in on Robin.
I can't let this happen.
If Robin dies, Cassel will suffer.
I can't let that tragedy repeat itself.
I ran—
with every ounce of strength I had left.
"Rosalia!" Liz's voice cut through the gunfire, sharp with alarm.
Henry must not have told her about my ability. Panic filled her expression.
Henry's face stayed calm, but tension coiled behind his blue eyes.
Cassel only glanced once—then turned back to behead another zombie.
A few seconds later—
My glasses fell, but strangely, my vision grew clearer. Sharper.
Dodging the undead and the soldiers, I ran, unnoticed.
The zombies couldn't sense me—that was my gift.
Unlike others, they didn't even glance my way.
Finally, I reached Robin.
He was still on one knee, massive even in his wounded state—his head nearly reached my chest as I stood behind him.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. From afar, it must've looked like I was hugging him from behind.
The wind caught my red skirt, lifting it slightly, while my white shirt was splattered with crimson.
From a distance, those stains could almost be mistaken for blooming scarlet flowers.
"Don't move," I whispered.
"You—! You'll die if you stay! Run! Get away from here!"
"Shut up. Don't talk. The zombies won't attack me. That's my power. As long as I'm touching you, they can't sense us. Just—don't move."
"Huh?" Robin froze, confusion clouding his eyes.
But I didn't have time to explain.
This was the first time I'd tried to extend my invisibility to someone else.
It had worked for a few seconds before—when Cassel and Henry brushed against me—but for how long?
I didn't know.
If it failed now, we'd both die.
Sweat dripped down my forehead.
I wasn't afraid for myself—only praying that Robin would live.
The zombies passed us by—
ignoring us completely.
Cassel's team fought fiercely, cutting down wave after wave.
After half an hour, the horde thinned—but there were still too many.
The black car behind them—the one carrying Cassel's father and half-brother—was still under protection.
No one else fell after Robin.
Thank the heavens.
Then—
A hand grabbed mine.
"Let go!" I screamed, clutching Robin's shirt with my other hand. "What the hell are you doing?! Get away from me!"
It was the man who'd been with Mary.
"I saw everything," he gasped. "You can hide from the zombies! You have to save me—and Mary too!"
"What?! You're insane! Let go of me!"
Robin, pale and bleeding, tried to raise his hand, but he was too weak.
George—one of those useless side characters from the novel—tightened his grip.
"If you can save him, you can save us too! What's wrong with you? Where's your humanity? Can't you help a little? How can you be so heartless?"
He said it with such righteousness that it made me sick.
Then a soft, sweet voice floated from behind him.
"George, don't be like that. She's our classmate. She didn't mean any harm. Don't bully her."
"Ah, my lovely Mary," he sighed dramatically. "Even so, we still need her help."
Mary let out a helpless sigh, pretending she'd done her best to stop him.
Disgusting.
George yanked me closer.
"Hey! What are you doing? Let go! Where are you taking me?"
"Stop shouting! You'll draw more zombies! We need to get somewhere safe!"
"Robin's injured! I'm not leaving him!"
"He's going to die anyway—he's lost too much blood," George snapped, dragging me away.
"No—no! The zombies are everywhere! If I leave him now, he'll be eaten alive!"
But I wasn't strong enough to fight a grown man. My fingers slipped from Robin's shirt.
Robin gave me a faint, reassuring smile.
"Henry! Henry!" I screamed, my voice raw, searching for him through tears.
But the world blurred—the darkness closing in, my breath ragged.
So I screamed again—with everything I had left.
"Henry, move! Save Robin! Use your damn power—he's going to die!"
A shadow fell before me.
I couldn't see who it was—but I clung to that tiny thread of hope.
Through my sobs and gasps, I whispered weakly,
"Henry… get this bastard off me… please… Robin… Robin's going to—"
By then, George had dragged me far from Robin.
And with zombies' heightened senses, every second counted.
I didn't realize the battle had nearly ended—the last zombies were falling, cut down by Henry and Liz.
Then—
a sickening crack.
Bones snapping.
And suddenly, my hand was free.
I wiped my tears and tried to stand—but my body gave out.
I fell forward, dizzy, drained.
Maybe it was the terror. Maybe the exhaustion.
But I refused to lose consciousness.
Not yet.
Robin couldn't die. Not him.
He had a daughter—a little girl waiting in the car.
Sleeping. Waiting for her father to return.
I couldn't let him die.
When I forced my eyes open again, I saw a face—
sharp, handsome, dark eyes like the abyss itself.
But wait—Henry's eyes were blue.
A second later, realization struck.
It wasn't Henry holding me.
It was Cassel.
He held me in his arms—cradling me like a princess.
I froze, staring at the face I had dreamed of for so long.
The face I had wanted to touch but never could.
"Cae…"
His name left my lips like a whisper.
His secret, sacred nickname.
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Erato-san has something to say!
My little angels, hellooo~ How are you all doing? 💕
Look at my surprise—two chapters in one day! Exciting, right?
So, since I'm greeting you with a surprise, how about leaving me some ratings?
Even if they're not all positive, that's okay! I mean, there are only two so far... so sad, poor Rosalia will be heartbroken... 😭💔
Note: My time zone is (GMT+1), so for me, two chapters "in one day" really are in one day—
not two separate ones, hehe~ ⏰
See you tomorrow.
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