A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 144

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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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Chapter 16. Yusara and the Zombie’s Stone
“We need to visit the Secret Room if we’re to meet the Servants who hold the Mansion keys.”
“Yes. We might also uncover clues about Mocha’s secrets and the zombies.”
“While the Local Lord is away, I’ll shake out every detail!”
“Do we have to bring the children again this time?”
“W-well, shouldn’t we? There’s nowhere particularly safe to hide them here….”
There was no good answer to that.
I wished children and zombies didn’t exist in the same world.
If it had to be a zombie world, I’d prefer a birth rate of zero! Or maybe everyone became eighteen the moment they were born!
Children should go home, eat something delicious, and pet cats!
“It’s okay, you all.”
Perhaps sharing the same thought, Yujein crouched before the children with a sympathetic expression.
She changed their shoes and tied the laces herself as she spoke.
“Muffin, Cheese. Remember what we did on the Island? Stay quiet, listen well to the adults’ instructions. If anyone gets caught, don’t try to rescue them—just run.”
“…Yes. I remember.”
“Good. Just do it like you did then. You did well last time, so you can do it this time too. And Melon….”
“What about me!”
“Melon….”
Looking at Melon, who clearly wouldn’t listen, Yujein’s expression wavered slightly. I quickly cut in before she could continue.
“If you want a doll, cooperate.”
“That’s right. If you want a doll, please cooperate.”
Cyprus, who had chimed in with a smiling face from beside me, tore a thin blanket and pillowcase into long strips and wrapped them carefully around the children’s necks and wrists.
Even around Cheese’s Sibling’s tiny hands—which were so small they seemed barely worthy of the name—he wrapped them meticulously.
“Now, it’s Melon’s turn.”
“I don’t want to do this! It looks like rags!”
“Oh, you mustn’t say such things. A magnificent person looks magnificent even in burlap. Since Melon is such a refined young lady, you’ll look splendid in this as well.”
“…If you say so.”
…Cyprus was surprisingly good with children?
“Well done. As a reward, I’ll let you touch my face as much as you’d like.”
“Can I touch your hair too?”
“Of course.”
“Wow.”
Beyond Cyprus, who was grinning and chuckling, Praha let out a sigh.
Maybe it was just that he had a good face….
* * *
Following Melon’s guidance, the Lord’s Chamber and Pochacha’s Room were empty.
“I had a feeling, but it’s as expected.”
“It seems they haven’t returned yet!”
“How long are they going to pray anyway? Are they really that devout?”
Pochacha’s Room contained only perfume bottles lined up in a display case and lace, nothing else….
“It seems they perform that adornment ritual here as well….”
“Praha, how is it? Getting used to it?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Stop it. Stop fighting. Both of you, separate. Quickly.”
We moved directly to the Lord’s Chamber.
Since there’s no door, this one thing is convenient.
We can slip in without using other means, look around, and slip back out.
“When Mother and Sister return, they’ll find everything….”
Ignoring the grumbling Melon, I lifted the pillows to check, peered under the bed, and shook the desk to see if there were any secret drawers.
I searched thoroughly.
“Yusara, do you see anything unusual?”
“No.”
The Lord of Sodom’s chamber was ordinary.
Unlike the glittering Sodom Castle that hurt the eyes, it was composed of monotonous colors, and it didn’t seem like he indulged in luxury at all.
At the head of the bed lay a single book on the banality of evil, its pages folded open.
Judging by the room alone, he seemed like someone who enjoyed a restrained life and philosophy—a model of virtue.
‘The type who wakes at six in the morning, jogs for an hour, reads for thirty minutes before bed, and eats tofu instead of rice.’
“Is there nothing on the desk either?”
“Nothing.”
Ever since I told Cyprus about finding a letter when I searched my younger brother Aspara’s desk, he’d been treating me like some kind of professional desk-ransacker, and now he drooped his shoulders dejectedly.
“I suppose we have no choice but to visit the Secret Room.”
“Melon, do you know anything about that room?”
I asked just in case.
“What room!”
Only a shout came back, so I gave up.
“Ah, it’s a bit difficult to take the children along….”
“But we can’t leave them behind either!”
“What if we put them in the Bathroom for a moment?”
You know, that Bathroom that Muffin was planning to visit at dawn.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”
“Then one person will need to stay as a guardian.”
“I’ll stay!”
Tangerine raised her hand.
“No! I want to go to my room! Why do I have to stay in the Bathroom!”
Tangerine, who had readily decided to stay, lifted the protesting Melon by the scruff and led the way ahead.
“Tangerine, please look after the children.”
“Don’t worry. Look quickly and come back soon!”
Even though it’s called a Bathroom, it seems to be about 600 square feet.
Tangerine herded the children inside and locked the door from within.
“You must find out exactly what this is about!”
Click. Hearing the lock engage, I rolled the crimson stone I’d tucked into my pocket.
It was the soul stone of the zombie I’d dealt with in the Dining Room earlier.
‘If I could view this stone’s memories now, it would help me piece things together.’
What on earth had happened in this Mansion while I was away?
But using this stone would turn my body ghostlike.
I couldn’t suddenly vanish before everyone’s eyes, so I’d have to save it for later.
“Are you frightened?”
Praha, noticing me standing vacant with my hand in my pocket, seemed to think I was afraid and spoke to me from beside me.
Concern gleamed in his orange eyes as he gazed down at me. His thick lashes fluttered beautifully above his irises.
“I am frightened.”
Witnessing people who had ceased to be human was always terrifying.
The thought of being savagely torn apart was frightening, and the possibility of infection was equally dreadful.
I’d watched zombie dramas where people trembled in fear at first, only to become warriors after a few seasons, dispatching zombies without so much as a blink—yet why did I remain terrified every single time?
And more than anything else.
“About that prophecy… you’re truly not worried?”
I was terrified those zombies might harm Praha.
I didn’t want to dwell on what Praha and Cyprus had so coolly brushed aside, adding more worries to their burden, but what could I do when I was genuinely anxious?
He was going to die!
By ‘one who had died before’!
If Praha were scratched by a zombie just ten minutes from now, if he were in danger, could I possibly avoid remembering that prophecy?!
What if my anxiety over the prophecy made me act rashly, causing a grave mistake, and Praha got hurt trying to save me?!
What if my attempt to avoid the prophecy actually brought it to pass?!
My imagination spiraled with endless possibilities.
All because of me, perhaps.
“Then I’ll really cry.”
I’d cry like Melon, with snot dripping from my nose and drool running down my chin.
Melon had the excuse of being young, but if an adult like me did that, it would just be pathetic.
Seeing me furrow my brow as though I were about to burst into tears, Praha spoke with utmost sincerity.
“That won’t happen.”
“But what if—”
“Even if it does, I’ll make sure it doesn’t.”
“How?”
“By doing my absolute best.”
“What does that even mean…?”
“I’m sincere. I’d rather die than see you cry.”
“But if you die, then I’ll cry anyway—why would you say such a thing…?”
If you don’t want me to cry, then don’t die. I added this with a laugh.
“So from now on, you really need to be careful.”
“Yes. I’ll be careful.”
“Don’t just say it—you actually have to be careful.”
Stay alert and live cautiously. Fear even the falling raindrops. You mustn’t be struck down by them.
1)
“I’ll make Cyprus handle all the dangerous stuff!”
I pointed at Cyprus, who was strolling beside me humming cheerfully.
“Isn’t that a bit much?”
Praha, glancing between the bewildered Cyprus and me, opened his mouth.
“That form of address, I mean.”
“Oh, Miss Yujein! You can’t drink that!”
Just then, I had to stop Yujein from drinking the juice flowing from a fountain in the Corridor, cutting off Praha’s words.
“It’s… so hot… Why are you doing this?”
“Mocha mentioned it—the liquid flowing from this fountain isn’t just juice. Some of it has sedatives mixed in, and some has stimulants.”
“Good heavens!”
“Yes. So you absolutely cannot drink it.”
Gambling, drugs, an Elephant that occasionally appears, and provocative spectacles.
Living like this would shorten one’s lifespan, but before that, my brain would pop like popcorn.
How do the people of Sodom even survive like this?
“Ah. Crown Prince Praha, what were you trying to say?”
I turned back to look at Praha, whose words had been interrupted.
“…It’s nothing.”
“Come on, what is it?”
“…I was going to mention that I saw Muffin drinking that juice at dawn that day.”
“What?!”
These lunatics!
Indignant at the reality of how child protection didn’t exist here, I quickly forgot about Praha’s suspicious silence.
“What should I do? Once we leave here, I need to take Muffin to the hospital right away…”
“Yes. The fortunate thing is, it’s not a drug that causes physical abnormalities.”
I patted the trembling Yujein to calm her.
Anyway, this hopeless City needs to collapse soon.
“…It seems to be around here.”
Praha, who had come down to the first floor and followed the directions Tangerine had given, pointed at a mural.
“The door isn’t locked. It should open if we just push it.”
“Which part should I push?”
“Probably here.”
A massive mural depicting some blond young man naked (Cyprus: Does he look like me?) on it.
When I pressed around the young man’s armpit, which was subtly worn compared to the rest, the wall slowly rotated with a grinding sound.
“Step back.”
I grabbed Praha, who was standing fearlessly at the front, and pulled him behind me.
The Secret Room opened.
Heir to the Empire, be cautious.
2)
[Yusara and the Secret Room]
-Yusara, Praha, Cyprus, Yujein (Survived)
-Tangerine, Muffin, Cheese, Cheese’s Sibling, Melon (Eliminated)
1) Bertolt Brecht, 【Reading Morning and Evening】
2) J.K. Rowling, 【Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets】

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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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