The Villainess and I, her Zombie

The four-monster-drawn carriage with the Lust family Crest on the door entered the royal castle's courtyard according to the upfront schedule and to the surprise of no one from amongst servants and guards.

"Someone looks very happy, it feels weird being the one to say that but, remember to stay calm. Claymore will most likely not remember you as you remember them."

But aside from the castle's staff, two more silhouettes were already prepared and awaiting the guests.

A tall freckled girl with shoulder-length hair the color of dark blood, wearing some exotic and expensive looking armor, and a towering blue-skinned corpse puppet wearing the same kind of armor but with the chest-piece torn in half making it into a rigid jacket that showed off his muscular torso - it was hard to miss that the blue undead was wearing boots on extremely high heels, well, it was hard to say they were boots - a thigh-high boots to boot - since he was wearing the leg armor on top of them - but the ridiculous heels were definitely taking the attention away from the long and thin package neatly wrapped and hanging across the blue undead's wide back.

It was also the blue undead who leaned down and whispered a cautious reminder into the red-haired girl's ear.

"I know, but it's Claymore, from what we've been told, there was literally nothing that changed about them - though apparently they have been showing up as a male whenever they went out in public, so maybe they prefer it over the neutral or female form in this version of the world. Haa. I wonder how they've been. I hope that in this version they were happier than previously."

Cranberry nodded as a sign of understanding that things have changed and her pen-friend most likely isn't the same person that she remembers but was happy to see them nonetheless.

"Oh...?"

The handsome coachman jumped down his seat and for whatever reason that caused Zombie to furrow his brows in surprise.

"What is it?"

Cranberry asked without taking her eyes off the carriage containing her friend.

"That guy. He looks just like the one who brought Claymore to the Pride's mansion before, but his life signature is completely different. Odd."

The blue undead explained with a concerned expression.

"...ha... so maybe the royal family put a spy from the Envy family on Claymore just in case. No matter which branch they are from Envy with their skills they can steal the appearance of others. It shouldn't be a problem. Ah, finally."

The red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders but then she perked up as the coachman got to the carriage's door and opened them while bowing down splendidly.

"...!"

Cranberry flinched once she saw the person inside.

It was most definitely Claymore, but instead of the male self that they seem to prefer after the system reset or even their neutral form, they arrived as a girl...

...A very sad-looking, petite girl in a simple white one-piece dress...

"...Claymore...?"

Cranberry paled and took a step forward, letting go of Zombie's hand.

"...!"

At the sound of her voice, Claymore flinched and raised her head. Her eyes were slightly red, betraying that she had to be crying - most likely all through her journey.

As she looked up and her eyes met with Cranberry's, Claymore's chin trembled before...

"Cranberry...!"

The pitiful girl burst into tears and ran up straight into the arms of the shocked villainess.

"Cranberry! It's Kopia...! I got taken over by anger and sent them away on a stupid mission and they're missing! Cranberry, what am I supposed to do?! I saw that a horrifying monster will show up at the ball and Kopia was there too! They will die! I can't let them die...!"

Claymore cried in a trembling voice while sobbing into Cranberry's chest.

"Wha... Kopia...? That bodyguard of yours who fell for you that you mentioned in our letters...? Wait, what do you mean you saw a monster at a ball? Do you mean the ball is in three days?"

The red-haired girl shook her head, but only after hugging the crying girl back with reassurance.

"Y-yes... I was trying to get a skill that would let me find where the two of you had been gone, but as soon as I did, it got changed into a future sight and I saw a vision about...! A vision that made me so angry that I've ordered Kopia to go and kill a certain person, and then I came to myself and realized that it was bad, so I used the future sight again and saw another vision but this was completely different and there was Kopia at the ball and there was this weird horrible monster made out of red and black smoke and...!"

Claymore was explaining everything at once, looking up at Cranberry from the height of her chest when he looked at Zombie and his eyes slid down and ended up on his right hand - and her irises shrunk in utter shock.

"This is certainly not something we should discuss in a place like this."

The red-haired girl hugged Claymore a bit tighter and looked around at all the servants and bodyguards chowing to curiously peek and listen in on them over their own work.

"Yeah. Definitely. Let's go."

Zombie joined their conversation while glaring down at the shocked Claymore and covered the two girls from the nosy looks with his body.

"You might not remember anything, but just so you know - I am the jealous undead, the moment I see your tuff of hair standing up, I'm separating you from my Cranberry."

The blue undead squinted his eyes, looking suspiciously at the top of Claymore's head.

"...don't remember...? Ah! I knew it! You two do remember the world before the reset! But then why didn't you contacted me at all! You are both such meanies!"

Claymore pulled away from Cranberry and sniffled while wiping her eyes with her hands.

"Wait, what? You know about the reset?"

Zombie shook his head and stared at the pitiful girl now sobbing alone.

"Haa... this is not what I expected, but anyway. Let's go inside. We will talk everything out."

Cranberry sighed and put her on Claymore's head and started patting the girl's hair.