A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 136

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

“So you’ve come to Sodom searching for your missing family members.”
“That’s correct.”
“Is there any other purpose besides that?”
“What other purpose would there be?”
“Weeeeell…”
The Sodom Resident trailed off cutely.
I stopped gathering the gold buttons that had been torn from Cyprus’s shirt one by one and looked up at the man.
Could this person know something about the zombies as well?
“If you know something more, tell us. We’re all in the same boat anyway.”
“It’s nothing major. I was just wondering if you knew about the slaves being traded in Sodom’s basement.”
“Yes, I knew about it. And I just confirmed it more thoroughly.”
“How so?”
“You just told the Grand Duke to pose as a slave.”
I gestured toward Cyprus, who was laughing despite wearing a tattered shirt.
Cyprus was fastening his hood buttons to hide the symbol of the God of Marriage carved on his chest, which only made it look stranger.
Like he was wearing just a jacket over bare skin.
“That means there are slaves where we’re headed.”
“Exactly.”
The Sodom Resident nodded.
“This way, please.”
“Where are we going?”
“The Servant’s Staircase attached to the Castle Outer Wall.”
“That was locked. Do you have a key?”
“Yes. A close older brother gave it to me to use when he comes to see me.”
“Ah… I see…”
‘I won’t dig too deep into what ‘close’ means.’
As we walked, I placed the buttons I’d collected into Cyprus’s pants pocket.
Cyprus hadn’t reacted when the Sodom Resident’s hand went in, but the moment my hand touched the pocket, he flinched.
I carefully placed the buttons without touching him and dusted off my hands.
The Sodom Resident asked.
“Why are you keeping the buttons?”
“Because they’re all jewels. They’re incredibly expensive.”
Who wouldn’t pick up gold buttons lying on the ground?
Besides, leaving traces behind wouldn’t help us.
“I didn’t know they were gold. Could you give me just one button?”
“No.”
While exchanging meaningless small talk with me, the Sodom Resident walked steadily and unlocked the door with his key.
As we stepped outside onto the staircase, a hot wind suddenly struck my face.
“How will we get back?”
“I’ll lend you the key. Just return it later.”
“What if we took this key and simply fled the city?”
“Could we really do that?”
The man smiled and pointed toward the castle walls of Sodom, which were fortified like a prison.
A sigh escaped me.
“Ugh.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“No, it’s just hot.”
In truth, the heat was so oppressive that I was panting heavily.
The night still held the scorching warmth of the day, and I was dying from it, but Cyprus seemed perfectly comfortable. Perhaps it was because he was from the Southern Region.
“Are you alright? Your exposure is quite severe.”
Even if he was the Grand Duke, I felt compelled to ask since letting him walk around with his chest so openly displayed seemed rather undignified.
“I’ve trained my entire life in preparation for a day like this.”
Faced with such an answer, I simply decided to stop worrying about it.
I hugged the wall closely, dodging the sweeping searchlights of the Guard Corps as they rotated around us. Once we moved far enough from the castle perimeter, the ordinary streets of Sodom came into view.
“We’re safe from here on.”
Which meant we had entered a district where people with glazed eyes and flushed cheeks stumbled about aimlessly.
Those who caught sight of Cyprus’s sculpted physique approached with leering smiles, but upon hearing the man mention that this slave already had an owner, they clicked their tongues in disappointment and vanished.
“Hiding your face is useless. Try to look uglier.”
I clicked my tongue and pulled the hood draped over Cyprus’s head down further.
“Someone spilled alcohol on the ground, so be careful.”
The man led us into an alley.
“Wow….”
This was entirely the Entertainment District.
Taverns, casinos of every variety, small ballrooms….
Unlike the organized main street in the center, these paths were chaotic and winding.
I whispered to Cyprus.
“If that man suddenly abandons us, could we find our way back on our own?”
“If we’re abandoned, we’ll just escape Sodom as is. We don’t need the Castle Gate. Climb onto my back. Let’s scale the castle wall and flee together.”
“Stop joking.”
“Why do you think I’m joking?”
“Let’s not talk about this.”
Just then, I swatted away the wrist of a drunk who was trying to grab Cyprus’s arm.
As we navigated through the winding streets, the man asked us a question.
“Did you enjoy watching the execution ceremony?”
“Right, I was meaning to ask you about that. Were those people who died actually criminals? The documents said they committed murder.”
“They were criminals. People who borrowed money from the Casino and couldn’t repay their debts.”
“Not murder?”
“In Our City, failing to repay debt is considered a crime equivalent to murder.”
“….”
“You didn’t actually think all those people were murderers, did you? How adorable.”
The man who spoke while touching his own head pulled out a wig that had been rolled up inside the robe he was wearing and put it on.
Despite how carelessly it had been handled, the moment the wig settled into place, the hairstyle of the man I had seen on the first day was complete.
The man applied cosmetics from his pocket to his lips, cheeks, and eyes, then asked me a question.
“Your Younger Brother came to Sodom to gamble, correct?”
“…Yes.”
“Is he skilled? Or does he have an enormous amount of money?”
“Neither.”
“Then we need to hurry. Unless you want to meet only your Younger Brother’s severed head.”
“….”
The man laughed, pointing to the brightly lit Purple Mansion over there. As expected, beyond the open fence without a gate, the pink walls inside were visible.
I didn’t miss the bread and circus patterns drawn on that wall.
Or the laughter leaking out from there and the tobacco smoke.
The man wiped away the messily applied lipstick and asked.
“Before we go in, is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Yes, there is.”
“Ask away.”
“What’s your name?”
The man’s eyes widened for a moment, then he smiled.
“My name is Mocha.”
* * *
The smoke is so thick I can barely see ahead.
A hazy space where the fine dust concentration would probably measure around 13,847.
The lighting is dim, and the music is so loud it’s disorienting.
This kind of setting often appears in action movies. Gangsters and assassins stab people in places like this.
Dark, noisy, crowded—even if someone gets stabbed repeatedly, nobody would notice.
“Be careful.”
Cyprus, apparently thinking the same thing, pulled me closer.
My skin touched Cyprus’s exposed flesh, but this isn’t the time to worry about such things.
I pressed my hand against Cyprus’s taut abdomen and rose onto my toes, whispering against the ear that descended to my lips.
“Is this a Casino?”
“They do gamble here, but… over there they’re selling alcohol and drugs.”
“What are they doing on that stage?”
“Ah, the Grand Duke’s consort is short, so you wouldn’t be able to see what’s written there. Ouch, don’t hit me for that. When the appointed time comes, they conduct a Slave Auction.”
“…I suppose we don’t need to dig further to find out where the slaves sold from Promé ended up.”
I’m beginning to get a rough idea of where my Younger Brother went as well.
“By the way, the Local Lord visits here frequently. There’s a reason he wakes up so late every afternoon.”
Mocha whispered with a snicker from beside me.
Mocha brought a shimmering veil from somewhere and draped it over my head.
“A hood isn’t enough! Your face stands out too much!”
With that, he wrapped a body chain covered in cubic crystals around Cyprus’s bare torso.
“Now that’s what a proper slave looks like!”
As he spoke, a man from one of the gambling tables was dragged away, screaming.
“No, no! I can pay it back! I have money! I have money, I swear! Ahhhhh!”
I made careful note of where the man was being taken.
“Shall we go?”
Mocha, smiling smoothly, guided us to a woman lounging on a sofa.
Mocha pressed his lips to the back of the woman’s hand as he spoke.
“Priest.”
A priest?!
How fallen you’ve become!
The Fallen Priest, already thoroughly intoxicated, asked Mocha a question.
“Who is this handsome fellow?”
“He’s this lady’s slave.”
“Then who is this lady?”
“A generous donor to our Temple.”
“I haven’t heard anything about a donor.”
“My goodness, didn’t I tell you to go easy on the drinking?”
Mocha thrust his hand into Cyprus’s trousers again, retrieving a golden button from the pocket and presenting it.
‘Cyprus has it rough…’
I looked at him with sympathy, but Cyprus merely smiled like a slave.
I know it sounds strange to describe it that way, but he was genuinely smiling like a slave!
“Our donor says one handsome slave isn’t quite enough. Would it be acceptable to show her the warehouse in the Basement, Priest?”
“Not a bad idea. But we’ll need to hurry. The match will be starting soon. If there’s a handsome fellow you want, you’ll need to take him out before then.”
“Of course. Naturally.”
Mocha agreed with practiced ease.
Cyprus and I exchanged a meaningful glance.
‘So this match they’re talking about is probably similar to what we saw at the execution grounds the other day.’
And that place…
“You’ll be putting the handsome men in the match first this time too, won’t you, Priest?”
“Of course. Always the handsome ones first. People want to see beautiful men suffer.”
For the first time, a crack appeared in Cyprus’s expression upon hearing those words.
Cyprus quickly lowered his head and whispered to me.
“Did you hear? They put the handsome ones in first.”
“Yes. I heard.”
This is insane.
This is bad.
My younger brother is handsome.
[Sodom Castle]
-Yusara, Cyprus, Mocha (Alive)

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————