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A Corporate Slave Becomes a Villainous Nuisance in a Zombie Apocalypse Episode 2 A mangled head bounced and rolled across the floor toward me. Someone's head. Someone who no longer had one. No.... The headless body thrashed about until an Imperial Knight kicked it out of the room and slammed the door shut with a bang. "Kyaaaah!" "Aaaah!" ‌‌‌‌‌Chaos erupted in the room. I stared silently down at the head that had rolled to a stop at ‌‌‌my feet. "...." It was unmistakably a human head. Brown hair hung haphazardly across the face, deep bite marks gouged into the cheek, eyes still open—strands ‌of its own hair embedded in those vacant eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again. It wasn't as frightening as I'd expected. 'I've never been easily scared.' If I panicked over something like this, how would I survive what comes next? Honestly, all I could think was how ridiculous this was. 'This isn't some high school horror story. I'm a working adult, not a student. Just send me home.' Still, staying too calm would look suspicious. I glanced around nervously, then let out a scream. "S-so terrifying! This is awful!" Fortunately, no one paid attention to my performance. The other Imperial Knight standing guard in the room hurriedly brought over a tablecloth and covered the rolling head. "Are you alright?" Thinking I was frozen in shock as I stared blankly at the head, he asked kindly. "Yes, ‌‌‌I'm fine." "Shall I bring you some warm water?" "If you don't mind, I'll have some. Thank you." After I spoke, I realized that "thank you" didn't suit a villainess, but what did it matter? By then, everyone else had already huddled together. Supporting Characters 1, 2, and 3 quietly edged toward the ‌protagonists who'd been sitting with me. Supporting Character 3 was the first to plop down into the only empty chair across from Yujein. "Ugh... I'm going to be ‌‌sick. What is that...." By the way, he was the only male among the supporting characters. ‌‌‌‌As Supporting Characters 1 and 2 hesitated, now standing, the Crown Prince and Grand Duke sprang to their feet. "Please, sit here." "No, we couldn't possibly...." "It's fine. We were wanting to stand anyway. Isn't that right, Praha?" "Yeah." Even though the two highest-ranking people in the room were now standing, Supporting Character 3 didn't even notice. 'So Supporting Character ‌‌3 is the Crown ‌Prince's cousin?' The pieces click into place. This bastard is going to be nothing but trouble going forward. 'From now on, your name is Trouble.' "Um... over there." Supporting Character 2, who had suddenly found herself sitting in the Crown Prince's chair, opened her mouth with an awkward expression. Her face was pale with fear. "A severed head. In other words, a dead person. What could their identity be? The ‌‌Attendant wouldn't have suddenly gone mad and charged into the room on ‌‌‌his own... Could they be an assassin sent by the Republic? Something like that?" The Grand Duke chimed in as if in agreement. "If that's the case, then one of our knights must have cut off the assassin's head. The problem is why there's no one outside at all." In a world with ‌‌no concept of zombies, this ‌‌was a perfectly natural reaction. They couldn't possibly imagine that wasn't an assassin but a moving corpse. And even less that the corpse could infect others. I folded my arms and listened quietly to their conversation. Let's see what they come up with. Time to gauge their intelligence. "Whether it's an assassin or not, the important thing is how an outsider got onto this Island." "That's right. Only authorized people can come and go from this Island, right? And the only way to enter is through the portal inside the Imperial Palace. That's why we left all the servants and guards behind..." "Could something have ‌‌‌happened at the Imperial Palace?" ‌‌No. The Imperial Palace is fine. It's not that they came through the portal—zombies just suddenly poured out of thin air on this Island. "Where did all the Imperial Knights protecting us go? At least the Attendants?" They're all infected. "What do we do? There ‌‌are only two knights in this room. If someone really ‌‌‌is attacking us..." "Even if we count all the Imperial Knights who came to this Island, there aren't even ten of them, are there?" "Why isn't anyone coming to help us..." Because they're all infected, that's why. It's frustrating knowing the answer but being ‌‌unable to say it. "Are you ‌‌alright?" Then suddenly, a voice fell from above my head. I looked up and saw the owner of that voice. It was the Crown Prince. His black hair had fallen slightly across his forehead from the earlier commotion. Between ‌‌the collar of his white shirt, buttoned all the way up, I could see a masculine neckline. A deep voice paired with a perfect jawline. Eyes that shone with straightforward, indifferent clarity. If this were my reality, I would have fallen in love without hesitation—such was his handsome appearance. 'So handsome it's almost terrifying.' According to the future I know, ‌this ‌‌‌‌man is ultimately the one who kills Yusara in the novel. 'Yet the princess Yusara certainly had high standards.' I met the gaze of the male ‌‌lead, who showed no affection toward me whatsoever, and replied. "Yes. I'm fine." "Your complexion doesn't look good." "I'm just tired." "In times like these, it's better to stay gathered ‌‌‌with others if possible." "Ah." ‌‌So you didn't come to check on me. You wanted me gone. I stared at the Crown Prince's expressionless face for a few seconds before standing. The moment I rose, the troublemaker buried himself deeper into his chair. As the only man among the four occupying seats, ‌‌‌his determination not to ‌‌‌‌yield was palpable. 'Sigh.' I wasn't leaving. Not a chance. I simply leaned against a nearby table instead. The Crown Prince, having dismissed me, immediately pulled away the tablecloth that had been covering the head. "Ugh...." ‌‌Ignoring the troublemaker's retching sounds, the Crown Prince knelt before the severed head and examined it carefully. The Crown Prince spoke. "The neck was already severed." ‌‌"Pardon?" "I merely pushed. Yet the head separated from the body. That seemed odd." When the others didn't understand, the Crown Prince, who had fallen silent for a moment, continued his explanation. "My knight did not use a weapon against this Attendant who rushed at us. He simply pushed with his bare hands. And the head came off. That means the Attendant's neck was already nearly severed before my knight opened the door. So much so that a mere touch would cause it to separate ‌‌from the body." The Grand Duke, frowning, responded. "In other words, despite having his neck severed to that degree, he still managed to charge all the way here intact." "And he even ‌made a sound." "How did he make a sound with his neck cut?" "I don't know." Fascinating. The ‌‌‌Grand Duke murmured as he walked toward me. "Excuse me." He flashed a smile at me as I stood leaning against the table, then passed by and approached the Crown Prince. The Grand Duke knelt beside the Crown Prince, and together they examined the head. "Something bit at this spot. An animal?" "Too weak to be animal teeth." I wondered if the male ‌‌‌lead had secured his position through looks alone—both men had surprisingly good instincts. I simply stood there, watching the two examine the severed ‌‌head. Don't stand out. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely don't stand out. The Crown Prince rose, brushing off his knees, and spoke. "I cannot determine what this is." "Then...." "We should venture outside to investigate." He spoke calmly, then turned to the knight guarding the ‌‌‌door. "Have you confirmed the situation outside?" "Yes, Your Highness. Both the Attendant guarding the door and the knight patrolling the Corridor have abandoned their posts. However." "However?" "I believe I saw someone collapsed near the Central Staircase. They were dressed as an Attendant." I couldn't help but look at the knight's face at those words. ‌‌‌Did that knight realize? That what he'd just said was a death flag he'd planted in himself. * * * In the novel, the story unfolds as follows. Two Imperial Knights, acting on the Crown Prince's orders, venture into the Corridor and retrieve the fallen Attendant. The Attendant, apparently killed instantly by a pierced heart, is missing an entire arm. As they lay the body on the floor and examine whether this is truly an Attendant, what weapon pierced the heart, the Attendant's remaining hand suddenly twitches. 'He appears to be alive!' The moment the Imperial Knight urgently cries out and presses his ear to the Attendant's chest. The transformed zombie Attendant lunges at the Imperial Knight. People frantically pull the Attendant away, but it's already too late—the Imperial Knight, his vital points torn open, dies. And shortly after, the Imperial Knight too begins to transform. Losing a valuable Imperial Knight ‌in a room of pure nobility throws everyone into a state of panic, teaching them about zombies ‌‌‌through this catastrophic event. And it was I, Yusara, in the ‌‌novel who opposed bringing the corpse into this room. Of course, I didn't voice my objection logically. 'Why are you ‌‌bringing a corpse in here! What if that body starts moving like the one with the severed neck! Are ‌‌you absolutely certain it's really dead? Check properly! Actually, no need ‌‌‌to check—just cut off its head and dump it somewhere!' It was selfish and despicable dialogue, but it was the optimal response. Though it was cleanly ignored. The ‌‌key point was that 'my objections would be disregarded regardless'. No matter what I said, ‌‌‌these people would silence ‌‌me. That's how the story had to progress. 'Either way, that Imperial Knight has to die for the plot to move ‌‌‌forward. I can't stay here forever.' I watched the Imperial Knight with complicated feelings. He was young. At most, twenty-five. The Crown Prince issued orders to the Imperial Knights. "Go and retrieve him. Move together, don't ‌‌‌‌‌act rashly, and first confirm whether he's dead." "What if he's already deceased?" "Doesn't matter. Bring him back, corpse or not. Restrain him." The Crown Prince unwound a silver cord resembling violin strings from his wrist and tossed it to a nearby Imperial Knight. In the novel too, the Crown Prince instructs them to carefully bind the corpse's arms and mouth with that cord. Just in case. The problem is that the zombie's mouth corners are sliced open by the sharp cord as it thrashes, yet it still ‌‌‌manages to bite the Imperial Knight. "Should ‌‌‌‌‌we restrain him even if he's a corpse?" "When people with severed necks are moving around, there's no harm in being cautious." The Crown Prince replies quietly and heads toward the door. "Your Highness? Where are you going?" "Someone must guard the door while you're away." "What? There's no need for Your Highness to do that! One of us will do it!" "Then I'll go check the corpse myself." "Your Highness! How could—" "I'll go with you." That's when the Grand Duke, grinning widely, interjected. "Your Grace...." The Grand Duke spoke to the two bewildered Imperial ‌‌‌‌Knights. "What choice do we have? There are only two of you knights here, and besides you two, only I and Praha know how to handle weapons. If you go ‌‌‌out, it's only right that we guard the door." "But...!" "Don't worry. We won't lock the door while you're gone." Gentle but resolute. 'At least the Crown Prince has a weapon. He's unarmed and yet shows no fear.' The knights, suddenly finding themselves under the protection of two such esteemed individuals, swallowed hard. The Crown Prince and Grand Duke, positioned on either side of the ‌‌‌door, signaled after a moment and opened it. The moment it swung open, a headless corpse lay ‌‌‌‌exposed, its belly visible. "Ugh." That troublemaker's retching sounds are insufferable. Everyone swallowed and peered beyond the threshold. Indeed, someone lay half-reclined against the far wall, their back pressed against it. The two knights with swords began moving cautiously forward. One of ‌‌‌‌‌them will be dead soon. Dead. One of them will be... "Wait!" Ah... damn it. I'm really stepping up, aren't I, Yusara... [Imperial Villa 2nd Floor Secret Room] - Yusara, Yujein, Crown Prince, Grand Duke, Supporting Character 1, Supporting Character 2, Troublemaker, Imperial ‌‌Knight 1, Imperial Knight ‌‌‌2 (Alive)

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please ‌‌read directly on our official site: valirscans.org

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