Into the Apocalypse: Saving My Favorite Villain

"Hey, boss—you’re here."

The moment we stepped into the dining hall, Liz called out to us. She and Henry approached at an unhurried pace.

"Rosalia... are you alright?"

Liz carried herself differently now. More confident. Stronger. Brighter. Her short, silky hair framed her face beautifully, and her fitted clothes only sharpened her presence. People watched her with complicated eyes—some curious, some wary. But the sheer level of her fire ability, capable of burning a person down to nothing—not even ash left behind—was enough to make anyone with ill intentions think twice.

Of course, those kinds of people mostly came from other teams. Team Cassel was made up of individuals whose character could be trusted.

"Rosalia?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Henry. His gaze was gentle, laced with concern.

I offered a faint smile.

"Don’t worry about me. I’m completely fine. They didn’t do anything to me."

I felt Cae’s arm wrap around my waist, firm and familiar. My expression didn’t change—I’d long since gotten used to this overly attached bear.

Henry’s expression darkened for a split second, but he quickly composed himself and gestured for us to follow him to our table.

Liz, on the other hand, showed nothing at all.

As we walked, she leaned slightly toward Cae and spoke in a low voice.

"Boss, after what happened, I told everyone to stay alert... and not answer any questions from the others."

I noticed the way she glanced at me—her expression complicated—before turning back to Cae.

"But I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep this a secret for much longer—"

Cae cut her off, his face already clouded with irritation.

"It doesn’t matter. Anyone who tries to be clever... kill them and throw them to the zombies."

And just like that, the conversation ended as we reached our table.

The dining hall was packed—tables filled with food and people. It was, after all, a luxury hotel, so the hall resembled a well-equipped high-end restaurant.

The moment I stepped inside, I could feel countless burning stares drilling into me. But I didn’t bother looking around. With Cae holding me so tightly, even death itself didn’t feel frightening.

Just a few stares? Let them look if they want.

Apparently, Cae didn’t share my indifference.

A terrifying aura burst from him—overwhelming, suffocating, unmistakably sixth-tier power. Every bold gaze instantly faltered and turned away in fear.

No doubt they all knew—if they didn’t look away, Cae might very well rip their eyes out.

"Rosalia! Welcome—come, sit down!"

Robin’s loud voice broke the tension, easing the suffocating pressure in the hall.

Across from him sat a row of children—the triplets, Alex, and Robin’s adopted daughter. Everyone was there.

Joe, Sebastian, Frederick... even Matthew sat at the table.

"Sit," Cae murmured. "Didn’t you say you were hungry?"

I jabbed him lightly in the stomach to shut him up.

Ignoring Matthew’s intense gaze—and the wounds marring his face—I took a seat in one of the empty chairs.

Cae sat beside me and, without a word, began filling my plate with every kind of food available. He even carefully removed the bones from the fish.

Naturally, not every table had such variety. In this world, food and water were more valuable than gold. Each team was responsible for its own supplies.

As for our team...

I glanced at Cae, remembering the ruby necklace he carried—a storage artifact with vast space inside. He liked keeping it filled with everything: supplies, weapons, food.

Over the past few months, while building his reputation and strength, Cae had gone on countless missions. No matter how small, he never returned empty-handed. By now, he’d gathered enough resources to let us live for years without fear in this broken world.

"Eat before it gets cold."

I flashed him a bright smile.

"If it does, just use your ability to heat it for me."

I spoke with shameless confidence, taking the plate from his hand and digging in without a hint of restraint.

What? Be embarrassed about taking things from my boyfriend? Not a chance.

It was a rare, peaceful moment—we talked, laughed, and shared a warm, comforting meal.

But peace, it seemed, was not meant to last.

"Hey... Mr. Cassel. May we have a word?"

The man was addressing Cae, but his eyes were fixed on me—studying me with blatant greed.

What the hell?

I barely held back from cursing out loud.

It was Zane. I barely remembered him—just another admirer of the heroine. The same guy who had argued with Cae before over claiming the largest room. He was also the leader of the first squad under the First General.

Aside from his name, there was nothing remarkable about him.

His skin was artificially darkened, his build unimpressive—nothing compared to anyone at our table.

Even the aura of the children sitting nearby felt stronger than his.

I doubted he could even beat Alex in a direct fight.

Finally tearing his gaze away from me, he said,

"Cassel, we’re all on the same mission. We should support each other. There’s no need to hide secrets."

Secrets?

What was he talking about?

The answer came quickly.

"Your girlfriend should tell us what’s going on with her. Whether she has some kind of ability... or—"

He paused, then continued in a firm, ominous tone.

"—whether she’s actually a zombie."

Silence fell.

The noisy hall froze, as if time itself had stopped.

No one spoke.

But the members of the other teams subtly moved together, standing side by side in silent understanding—hands drifting toward their weapons.

"Are you full?"

"...Huh?"

The tension was thick enough to choke on. I’d already braced myself to see blood spill, heads roll—

And this idiot was asking if I’d eaten enough?

For some reason, I felt offended.

But when I met Cae’s calm, serious gaze, I sighed and answered honestly.

"Almost. I want something refreshing to drink."

"Alright. Let’s go. I have something refreshing for you in the room."

There was something oddly suggestive about the way he said it, but I didn’t dwell on it. I stood up, ready to leave with him.

The rest of the team followed.

But Zane wasn’t done.

"Cassel, I’m talking to you. Don’t ignore me—or else—"

"Or else what?"

Cae’s voice dropped—cold enough to kill.

His brows drew together like blades, his handsome face stripped of all expression. It was terrifying in a way that defied explanation.

He let out a low, mocking laugh.

"You think you’re in any position to threaten me? Worthless insect."

Zane’s face flushed bright red, especially as scattered laughter echoed around us.

"Y-you—"

Cae didn’t let him finish.

"I’ll give you two choices," he said, his voice dripping with deadly intent.

"Get lost... or die."

Zane’s eyes trembled. He fell silent.

But not everyone knew when to stay quiet.

A soft, delicate voice rang out.

"Cae, I know you want to protect your girlfriend, but this—"

I didn’t let her finish.

The moment I heard her voice—what she said—I stepped forward, moving in front of Cae, my gaze turning lethal as I locked onto that so-called saintly hypocrite.

"What did you just call him?"

She took a few steps back before stopping, clearly aware of the crowd watching.

"Miss Rosalia, aren’t you being a bit too much? You won’t even let others address Boss Cassel now?"

I clicked my tongue sharply.

"I might let others call him whatever they like. But you—"

I looked her up and down, then smiled sweetly—too sweet.

"Something as disgusting as you doesn’t deserve to say his name."

"It seems last time’s lesson wasn’t enough for you."

I stepped forward, ready to slap that shameless bitch—

But an arm wrapped around my waist, another around my neck.

Warm breath brushed my skin. Then came a soft chill... followed by a low, amused chuckle.

"Looks like my little rabbit is quite jealous."

"Cae, let me go! That shameless woman dares call you so familiarly—like she’s close to you? Let me go! How dare she flirt with my man right in front of me? This time, I’ll kill her!"

I struggled, twisted—useless.

No matter how much I fought, I couldn’t break free from his iron grip.

"We’re not interested in your little romantic drama,"

A calm, powerful voice cut in.

Victor—the leader of the second squad. He had always maintained a neutral stance toward our team... until now.

"But Zane isn’t wrong. You can’t leave without giving us a clear explanation. Why don’t the zombies attack your little girlfriend? We deserve to know."

Victor... siding with Zane?

"...Cassel’s girlfriend... isn’t that me?"

The realization struck.

That’s why Cecil had tried to contact me.

That’s why everyone looked at me with that strange mix of fear, greed, and unease.

Had my ability been exposed?

It must have been when they came to help me earlier. They noticed the zombies didn’t attack me.

So that’s it.

I looked at Cae. He clearly had no intention of explaining anything to anyone.

And while I did enjoy this version of him—the villain ready to erase these people from existence rather than reveal my secret...

I didn’t want him to live as an outcast, hated by all of humanity.

Even if some of these people didn’t deserve an explanation.

I turned to Zane, still blocking the way.

My gaze darkened.

Since killing that piece of trash... something inside me had changed.

At the same time, nothing had changed.

In my body. In my mind.

But this wasn’t the time.

There would be plenty of opportunities later.

"So this is all just to uncover my little ’secret’?"

My voice came out calm. Cold.

Cold—just like Cassel’s.

"How ridiculous."

It was obvious—they were furious at my mockery.

After all, they could tolerate being mocked by someone stronger.

But me?

In their eyes, I was nothing more than a weak girl, kept by a man.

Honestly...

I quite liked the looks on their faces.