A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 135
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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It should be fine.
I’ve learned to handle weapons to some degree by now, and if things go south, I can always resort to hypnotic magic.
Besides, the Blue Birdcage is right ahead of us, isn’t it?
I’ll go listen to what they have to say, and if something feels off, I’ll just scream for help.
They asked me to come alone in secret, but what if I lose this precious lead by telling the others?
With such thoughts, I carefully slipped out of the room, taking care not to wake the sleeping Yujein.
Without telling anyone.
Without even leaving a message.
‘…That’s impossible.’
Have I lost my mind? To act like that.
If you actually believed I would really behave that way, I’m disappointed.
Please don’t talk to me for a while.
‘I’m not some genius, but I’m not an idiot either.’
This reeks of suspicion from a mile away—why would I go alone?
If I disappear while searching for my brother, that would be an even greater loss.
In truth, the moment I received that note, I gathered everyone together.
Where?
The bathroom.
Five adults crammed into that vulgar restroom with a naked man painted on the ceiling, while Muffin and Cheese kept watch through the slightly ajar door.
“Having to hide in a bathroom to discuss this—Your Highnesses’ dignity is in shambles!”
Tangerine, perched on the edge of the bathtub, snickered.
“Shh. Someone could be hiding in the ventilation shaft.”
Praha examined the room with a cautious expression, checking for any place sound might leak through.
Opinions varied on how to proceed, but everyone agreed we couldn’t afford to lose this first real clue.
“Still, we can’t send you alone. It’s too dangerous.”
“Of course not. Even if you told me to go alone, I wouldn’t. I only have one life, and it’s very precious to me.”
So then, who would go with me?
“You don’t mind going with me, do you?”
It was Cyprus.
Why Cyprus and not Praha or Tangerine?
Praha: Lacks subtlety. We might need to have a conversation with kidnappers or members of the Human Trafficking Ring, and he’s the type to hit people with facts and cause a scene.
Tangerine: Can’t sit still and wait for long periods. If we asked him to hide and stake out a location, he’d bolt after ten minutes and cause a scene.
And so, at half past two in the morning, Cyprus and I were preparing to meet the sender of that mysterious note.
“Hood on, weapons secured. Should I grab an extra cloth to cover my face?”
Tap tap.
Unsure whether to pretend to sleep with eyes closed or to cheer me on with open eyes, Yujein, lying rigidly in bed, tapped my calf—I was dressed entirely in black from head to toe.
Looking in the direction she indicated, I saw Praha in the adjacent room, striking Cyprus’s shoulder.
‘He’s hitting him that hard?’
While watching this side, he was lecturing Cyprus about something.
I frowned at Cyprus’s blonde hair as he grinned and crossed over into my room.
“Shouldn’t you put something on your head to dull the shine?”
We’re sneaking out right now, and isn’t he just gleaming all by himself?
“Why? Does light emanate from my skin?”
“It does come from your skin, but…”
Everything about him was the problem.
I stared at the self-luminous figure glowing alone in the darkness for a long moment before pulling a hood over his head.
Why does the world need lighting when Cyprus is here?
“Um, will this really be alright? You said to come alone, but going so openly with both of us…”
“The fact that they risked sending a note means they want something from us too. As long as both sides have something to gain, there’s no need to be overly submissive. If safety can’t be guaranteed, negotiations are off.”
“That’s right. Don’t worry too much, Yujein. The Grand Duke’s wife will be safe. I stake my skin on it.”
“Just your skin? Can’t you stake your life instead?”
“My life is more precious than that…”
“Just go and come back!”
Leaving behind Tangerine’s cry—half air, half sound—drifting from the other room, I stepped out.
“I’m excited. This is the first time we’re doing something together, isn’t it?”
“It could be the last, so let’s be careful.”
Leaving the Corridor and turning the corner instead of heading toward the Staircase, there was a small fountain where beverages flowed freely for anyone to drink, and the Blue Birdcage.
Cyprus’s build couldn’t be hidden anyway.
We walked together boldly.
Sure enough, a man stood beside the cage.
He wore a flamboyant crimson robe.
When the man saw us and tipped his hat, his face became visible.
“You are…”
“Brother, how cool!”
“Why are you calling me brother when I’m supposed to be the younger one?”
It was the Priest of the God of Pleasure, the one Cyprus had linked arms with on the day we first came to Sodom.
The man who’d been scolded by Praha for calling him brother.
The heavily made-up man who’d been coquettish—the one I’d wondered if he had a crush on Cyprus.
As the man finally removed his hat completely, short silver hair came into view.
“Was that person’s hair this short back then?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t look closely at men’s hair.”
“Hmm.”
Cyprus and I whispered to each other as we observed the man approaching gracefully.
Without the bizarre makeup, his face was surprisingly clean-cut.
His golden-tanned skin had sharp cheekbones and jawline, and his eyes were cold.
Moreover, he looked much younger than before.
‘No wonder Praha called him brother.’
The man recognized Cyprus immediately and smiled with his eyes.
“My, I told you to come alone.”
His voice was also much deeper than what I’d heard back then.
“…So you’re the one who sent me that note?”
“Shh. Come over here first.”
The man who had grabbed my elbow pulled me into a wall niche swallowed by darkness. Cyprus and I pressed ourselves tightly against the alcove’s interior.
Just then, Maids with hushed footsteps appeared from the opposite Corridor.
The man leaning his head against Cyprus’s forearm whispered.
“The people in this castle don’t sleep. Especially not at night.”
A hand adorned with ornate rings pointed toward a fountain beside the Blue Birdcage.
One of dozens scattered throughout Sodom Castle—a fountain the size of a tablet used by the Bank, except juice flowed instead of water.
“Have you ever tried drinking from it?”
“Never.”
“Good. They regularly add drugs to it. Purple juice is a sedative, red juice is a stimulant.”
“…Why are you telling me this?”
“So you don’t accidentally drink it and get hurt?”
“What happens if you do drink it?”
“Nothing physically wrong with you, but you won’t be able to remember what happened right before very clearly.”
I stared at the man speaking with a smile, mentioning how countless guests who had visited Sodom Castle had consumed this juice.
Cyprus’s hand remained near his lower abdomen, ready to subdue him at any moment—whether he knew it or not.
“How did you know I came here looking for my sister? How did you even get into the castle?”
“The Priests who serve the God of Pleasure are freer within Sodom than anyone else. And we have plenty of information.”
“How did you find out about my sister’s whereabouts?”
“That’s a secret.”
“Then could you tell us the location of the other people we’re looking for? The children, I mean?”
“I don’t know about that. But if you come with me, you’ll figure it out for yourselves.”
“Then….”
“Are you just going to keep asking questions? You haven’t even kept your promise.”
The man, speaking in a coquettish tone, cut off my words and stroked Cyprus’s forearm that he was leaning against.
Had it been me, I would have recoiled from such contact, but Cyprus maintained his smile.
‘Bringing him was worth it.’
“I clearly told you to come alone. Don’t tell anyone.”
“I never promised that.”
“Tsk. So I can just leave then?”
“Then I’ll chase after you.”
Whether I could or not, Cyprus had much longer legs and a quicker body than either of us. Could you really escape from him?
I lifted my head confidently.
“What does it matter? One person or two—it won’t make a difference anyway.”
“It makes a lot of difference….”
“I’m not going unless I’m with this man.”
“You lack courage. Are you scared? Afraid I’ll harm you?”
“Of course I am.”
Let me say it again: I have only one life, and it’s incredibly precious.
“Hmm. I suppose there’s no helping it.”
Only then did the man who had been leaning against Cyprus’s arm lift his head to look up at him.
Then, with a sly smile, he winked.
“The place we’re about to go doesn’t accept unidentified adult men.”
The man’s hand, which had crept closer, suddenly seized Cyprus by the collar with a firm grip.
Despite the coquettish lilt of his words, the man’s hand was large and rough. That hand gripped Cyprus’s shirt and tore it to shreds.
The man stuffed the torn fabric deep into Cyprus’s trouser pocket, then slid his hand along the exposed line of Cyprus’s chest.
“If anyone asks who you are, tell them you’re the slave of the woman who came with you.”
[Sodom Castle]
-Yusara, Cyprus, Priest (Alive)
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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