The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 85: Eighty-four

Baron Pangasikan’s— what? What?! Jeriel shrieked through the mental link.

After hearing what Count Nige had told her, Jannah was fast to connect the communication link to Jeriel, crying out for help and telling what had just been revealed to her.

Almost immediately, she got a response from her little sister with an expected reaction.

Yes! He looked quite proud and happy at the fact that he’s giving me Baron Pangasikan’s head! Jannah exclaimed, keeping her eyes and face blank as she looked at the head peeking through the sack.

Count Nige had taken it upon himself to untie the sack and reveal the head to her, smiling and chuckling under his breath as he lifted the Baron’s head in the air.

For some reason, the head doesn’t drop blood from the bottom and the cut looked clean, as if it was cut by something very sharp.

"When did you behead the Baron?" Jannah asked, deciding to dig for more information about what happened.

"A day before the capital fell into ruin." Count Nige hummed out and placed the Baron’s head back inside the sack, "When I got to his barony, I found him escaping from his home and didn’t see the gifts I sent him anywhere.. So.. I took it upon myself to finish the job."

"And? What happened after that?" Jannah urged him to reveal more, placing her hands on her lap, fiddling with the hem of her coat.

"I scavenged the manor for supplies and ended his servants as well." Count Nige kept the excited and happy smile on his face as he retell the story of what happened at Baron Pangasikan’s barony.

"Once I was done, I heated up my blade and burned the skin on the neck of the Baron’s head to stop the bleeding. I know how bad the blood gets and I don’t want that." Count Nige said as he tied the sack, sealing the head inside securely, "I don’t want him rotting so I cleaned him up a bit before setting off to get here."

Jannah’s lips formed a straight line as she glanced towards the door and at the Count’s hands, "How about your people? Were you alone when you went to the Baron’s barony and left for Philipia?"

It was weird. There’s no way that Count Nige would be able to go to Philipia with all those supplies all by himself. According to Marco, the Count had brought them a wagon filled with food, gunpowder, and weapons.

If there were too many things to carry towards their journey to the north then he would have at least one or two knights with him, but her people didn’t see anyone except for the Count. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"No." Count Nige smiled and looked up from the sack, meeting her blank gaze, "All of them slowly died."

Jannah felt a chill run down her spine. She clenched her hands into fists and forced herself to nod her head and urged him to continue, "Go on. Tell me what happened."

"They either got bitten or eaten. I tried to save them by cutting off the limbs that were bitten, but.. You know?" Count Nige shrugged his shoulders in nonchalant manner, "Then when we crossed Chivahon.. Those things appeared out of nowhere."

Jannah’s eyebrows twitched, itching for a frown to form on her face, but showing a reaction to the Count’s words would be a mistake.

"I see.. Condolences, my lord." However, offering her condolences or two wouldn’t hurt, right?

"It wasn’t your fault, my lady. They all knew that we were heading to Philipia." Count Nige’s smile twitched, she saw his unbothered confidence crumble for a moment and she swore that he looked like he was going to shed a tear.

"They protected me, my lady.. They continued to protect me until no one else was left alive except for me." The Count’s voice broke, his obnoxious and confident tone getting replaced with frustration.

Jannah didn’t know why, but her body just moved on its own. She rushed towards the Count’s side and held her arms out.

At this point, she could see his lips twitching downwards then she saw it, a tear slid down his cheek before he quickly buried himself in her arms.

He wrapped his arms around her torso, burying his face on her chest, his shoulders shaking slightly as he forced himself to utter words under his breath, "All of them sacrificed their lives, my lady.. All I wanted was for them to survive.. Jeremy.. He.. He was the last person I wanted to see sacrifice himself.."

The frustration and grief are clear in his voice, the way he gripped the back of her coat to stabilize himself and the way he buried his face further into her chest, simply letting himself melt in her arms— it was saddening.

As far as Jannah remembers, Jeremy was Count Nige’s head butler and was the one who raised the Count.

He was there for all of the Count’s milestones and was there to celebrate it with him. He was like the father that Count never had, so seeing him get killed by a zombie must have been the final sacrifice he could take before he broke down.

Jannah continued to hold him, letting him slot himself between her arms and lean his weight against hers, she could feel her front getting damp and could feel his warm tears against her skin.

She tried to put herself in his place, imagining Jeriel— no, she could never imagine herself living if Jeriel’s not with her.

I can’t live without her. Jannah thought to herself, tightening her arms around the grieving man’s body and pulling him closer, rubbing his back to offer some comfort.

Just the thought of watching Jeriel die for her sake is enough to make her eyes sting.

She went to the battlefield for Jeriel, she chose to inherit the title of her her father so Jeriel could pursue her dream to be a knight like her, she built a wall around the town for Jeriel, she chose Philipia for Jeriel, she kept the third prince close for Jeriel— her life line is her little sister.

Heck, she even built a whole base in her past life to keep Jeriel safe so living a life without her would make Jannah lose her mind and thinking about it, she couldn’t help, but feel more sympathetic towards the man in her arms.

"They kept dying on me.." Count Nige tightened his grip on Jannah’s coat, his eyes squeezed shut as he recalled the way his people jumped to the horde without hesitation.

"They sacrificed themselves just so I could arrive without a scratch." More tears escaped his eyes, his lips and throat dry from crying, but he could care less about it— his heart felt like it was about to burst and felt like it was being squeezed.

He can’t breathe, he can’t think. All he could do is let out what he was feeling by letting his tears fall and latch on the Countess.

Crying might be seen as a sign of weakness, but he doesn’t care. He had lost a lot of people whom he cared about and he witnessed them all smile his way, assuring him that they will be fine in their final moments.

It hurts. The Count continued to cry, his sobs turning muffled when Jannah pressed his face further into her chest, eyeing the door with a sense of uneasiness creeping into her skin.

She doesn’t want anyone to hear the Count’s cries, especially not when he chose to unravel his emotions to her out of all people.

Heaving a deep breath, she stopped rubbing his back and instead casted her skill, salvation, to try and heal whatever’s hurting. She knows that it might not help because he wasn’t hurt physically, but she could try, right?

The red and warm glow slowly appeared in her hand, the familiar energy swirled through her fingertips and soon enveloped the Count’s shaking form.

She watched with careful and sympathetic eyes as the man in her arms slowly ceased his cries. He was still crying, but with a quiet sniffle here and there, until he went still and all of his weight suddenly leaned on her.

He grew quiet, his breathing shallow, but steady and soft against her chest.

He had fallen asleep after grieving and crying it all out. Jannah concluded and stopped healing him. She probably just healed a small bruise or scratch somewhere in his body and ended up taking a lot of his energy.

Jannah sighed and hugged the Count, leaning her cheek against his head and embracing him to the best of her ability.

He will have to move him in another room, but she can’t carry him out of the office because people will start gossiping about him and her.

The situation at hand had left her no choice, but to stay still. She kicked the dirty sack away and made herself comfortable on the floor, she glanced over her shoulders to see if the desk was at arm’s reach.

Thankfully, it was, and she reached for it.

She pulled it towards her and once it was right at her back, she leaned on it, letting the count fall into a more comfortable position and let him use her body as a pillow.

Just this once. She told herself and brushed the Count’s hair off from his face, running a hand on his hair.

Just this once.. Jannah promised, pulling Count Nige closer.