The Villainess and I, her Zombie

"...mister Carambola, on one hand I appreciate your help, but on the other... something inside me is deeply disturbed how easily you are dispatching all the traps that my mother order to put in place..."

The blond prince sighed with a mixed expression while watching the silver-haired gentleman touch the wall of the eerie cobweb-covered secret hallway - they entered through a secret passage through a locked cell in the royal-castle's dungeon – have his body flash white as he used some sort of skill and nod to himself in satisfaction before crouching and repeating the same action but with the floor.

"Magic traps set by skills have the rather obvious flaw of being dependant on mana. Even if a magic stone is set in place to keep it nice and active, the skill will disappear once the mana is depleted."

Carambola stood up and shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Those... those are really expensive you know...?"

The blond prince made a horrified expression once he realized how much money goes down the drain each time Carambloa drains new magic crystal dry to deactivate the next trap.

"Give it a rest, Roan, or what, are you trying to tell us that you wanted to test your 'luck' against the traps here?"

The red-haired Cranberry raised her brow and scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I... ugh... You know what – I will not pick a fight I know I can't win."

Roan frowned, looking away with a bitter expression.

"I will, although, ask for mister Carambola's help with rescuing Mary, though."

But then he turned right back and said, making eye contact with the red-haired girl.

"Think about it as compensation for me leading you here... And I don't think I need to tell you this – but once inside – please don't even touch anything that's in there. My mother will not let me get away with it if anything will go missing."

The blond prince added, shivering at the mere thought.

"I will not touch anything that isn't rightfully mine. I just want my husband back."

Cranberry had no problem promising that as she honestly could think only about her blue familiar that was taken away from her.

"About that, my lady..."

After the girl's statement, the silver-haired gentleman flinched and turned around to look at her curiously.

"Why didn't you try to save him sooner? I know that it has something to do with that precarious necklace of yours, but... what it actually is...? I've heard a voice coming from it on a couple of occasions, so is it some communication device? Is someone threatening you and forcing you to comply with their demands? Why haven't you told me about it sooner – I will track them down and deal with them as soon as young lord Zombie will be safe."

The older gentleman declared while disarming another dangerous obstacle – and with each one he would become more proficient and faster, making their group pick up a quite good walking speed.

"Ha? Wait, are you telling me you never actually met Kopia?"

Cranberry blinked a few times in confusion and asked the silver-haired butler.

"Kopia? Is that the name of the mastermind behind this necklace? Oh, do not step on this brick – it will activate a physical trap."

Carambola asked before pointing at the stone on the floor that looked exactly the same as every other stone next to it while cautiously walking around it, making sure that the two young adults would follow his steps.

"You're a mastermind!"

"...?"

Suddenly, the sword-shaped pendant that Cranberry was wearing started vibrating and released a high-pitched noise that turned into angry words – words that made Carambola furrow his brows in bewilderment.

"You will see her other form later, once we free my Zombie – the only thing you need to know right now is that this pendant is actually a shape-shifting sentient sword that belongs to my husband."

The red-haired girl explained, pointing her thumb at the small pendant that was shaking from anger directed towards the old man.

"As you should have noticed by that witty comeback – she's an idiot. But you did hit a bullseye with figuring out that she threatens me – if not for her I would have made sure that Roan would lead me to this damned place a long time ago."

"No, you're an idiot!"

She added, glaring down at the pendant who shouted back at her in the exact same way as it responded to the silver-haired gentleman just a bit earlier.

"...then... what is the reason for you to keep wearing it...? Although you did not have it on that night four years ago, after that I've seen it on your neck all the time."

The old man was already at such a level of trap-disarming mastery, that he could freely chat while finding and draining mana out of the magic stones hidden within walls, floor, and the ceiling.

"Haa... Because I can't take her off for the same reason I can't really disobey her? She's way too strong."

The red-haired girl sighed and complained, shaking her head.

"How about me removing it then? If I'll drain the mana that makes it work..."

Carambola asked, already reaching out to Cranberry's neck, but...

"Oldie, what do you want to accomplish by trying to drain something that isn't even there in the first place?"

"...!"

The sword-shaped pendant swung from left to right and asked in a shockingly menacing tone that made the silver-haired gentleman subconsciously take back his hand before he realized what he was doing.

"My lady, this thing..."

The old butler furrowed his brows and looked up at Cranberry's face, waiting for confirmation of that statement.

"Is speaking the truth. Haaaaaa... Anyway – she said that she is making sure that the story will go in such a way that the Eternal will be destroyed so I hope you understand why I'm putting up with her."

Cranberry answered him immediately though she did not look very pleased.

"You're putting up with me? But you always talk back so much!"

The sword-shaped pendant didn't quite agree with her though.

"Yes, but it always only ends with talking – if I actually wanted to fight back – I would do it with magic."

The red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders.

"Anyway, are we there yet?"

She breathed out and complained, glaring between the blond prince and the silver-haired butler.

"Yes, actually – the hidden door should be somewhere in this area."

Roan, who was staying out of the three-way conversation spoke up and pointed at the piece of wall that was completely indistinguishable from the rest.

"You sure that it's not just a trap? It has the mana reading identical to just another trap..."

Carambola spoke slowly, inspecting the part of the wall pointed by the prince.

"Just press it – mister Carambola, I want to enlist your help – I would not wish to trick you and ruin the chance."

He assured him.

"..."

The old gentleman squinted his eyes at him but after glancing at the red-haired girl who gave him an encouraging nod, he sighed and pressed the seemingly random brick...

*click*

*hshaaa*

Something made a dry sound but instead of a trap threatening their lives – what happened was for the piece of wall swiftly open up with the sound similar to a silent whisper, and revealed...

...a sturdy-looking door with an extremely small keyhole.

"Nnnn... Monty's not here, so I'll do it, I guess."

"!!!!"

Everyone got equally surprised when the sword-shaped pendant spoke up and released a few crimson strands that reached out towards the keyhole and crawled inside.

*click*

An identical dry sound was heard and the door popped away from the doorframe, waiting to be opened – which the impatient Cranberry went for even before Carambola could do it himself.

And then, inside the secret treasury of the avatar of greed...!

"Dear heavens...!"

The old gentleman gasped and backed off at the mind-blowing sight.