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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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A Corporate Slave Becomes a Villainous Nuisance in a Zombie Apocalypse
Episode 34
These past few days.
Praha probably never thought of me, ‌‌‌but I found myself thinking of him occasionally.
Why, you ask?
'Because he's the one who kills me in the future!'
The greatest variable in this entire life!
The figure who had occupied a corner of my mind all this time was now entering through those doors.
Following the nobles who knelt in unison, I lowered myself to my knees as well.
In ‌‌‌‌the silence, the herald's voice rang out.
"His ‌‌Majesty desires the reverence of his subjects."
A command to bow deeper.
"Ugh."
Mascarpone, suffering from muscle soreness, let out a low groan beside me.
"...Ruler of the continent...."
My situation was no different.
'My ‌‌‌‌precious knee cartilage.'
Did I have to endure this suffering every time I met the Emperor?
"Reverence!"
Reverence should come from the heart, not be forced through coercion—wasn't that pathetic?
"During the recent war, His Majesty personally severed the heads of 126 barbarian chieftains who refused to submit to his authority...."
I revere him.
'The Emperor of Blood ‌‌and Steel, the ‌‌‌Soldier Emperor, they called him.'
This Empire I had possessed had only recently ended a war that had ‌‌‌lasted ‌‌‌‌over thirty years.
When the previous Emperor, who had gone on a personal campaign, died suddenly without an heir, this current Emperor ‌‌‌‌ascended the throne almost by accident.
He was the one who had sent the teenage Praha and Cyprus into that war.
Contrary to everyone's expectations that ‌‌‌‌the Empire was finished, he was also the one who led the war to victory.
By filling the positions of dead men with women, giving them opportunities.
An era where women's succession was ‌legally guaranteed, yet ‌‌‌people's consciousness had not caught up with the system.
An ‌‌era where discriminatory ideologies still lingered in some people's minds. ‌‌
An era where people like the Duke, who believed a woman's greatest asset was her beauty, coexisted with female Knights like Dazling.
'And he's also the one who created the Maze Garden at the Villa we escaped from.'
"You may rise."
Only after the Emperor had sufficiently enjoyed the sight of nobles kneeling before him did he grant permission to stand.
From his elevated judge's seat, the Emperor gestured to Praha, who was about to take his place on the lower ‌‌platform.
"My cold-hearted son, come here and sit beside me. I cannot see your beautiful face from there, and it grieves me."
He rose from his seat and took Praha's hand directly.
"I am honored."
"Honored? ‌‌‌But you are my son."
Praha, who had greeted him with a blunt demeanor, took a seat in the chair positioned one ‌‌level below the Emperor's.
Only then could I observe Praha in detail.
A crimson garment reminiscent of a chogori, adorned with jade ornaments.
Unlike the Western-style clothing he typically wore, his attire evoked the ancient Silla warriors—yet his lips were even redder than his robes.
The ‌‌‌Emperor was right; he truly was beautiful.
'As for the Emperor, on the other hand.'
Despite being Praha's mother, she ‌‌‌‌bore no resemblance to him whatsoever.
She was short and compact, with a massive scar running across one cheek.
What stood out most was the long sword ‌‌‌‌at the Emperor's side, its grip worn smooth in the shape of a palm.
'All the courtiers ‌‌are unarmed, yet she walks in alone with a blade—deliberately cultivating an atmosphere of dread.'
In that moment of silent ‌‌complaint.
My eyes met with Praha's, who sat beside the Emperor.
Whoosh.
I quickly averted my gaze, hoping he hadn't noticed me staring.
The Emperor surveyed the assembly.
"Let us begin."
I stopped my wandering thoughts and focused.
Finally, this damned meeting was starting.
First, they discussed rewards for the Knight of the Central Staircase and the Head Chef—those who had sacrificed their lives to save the Imperial Family that day.
Next came the situation assessment.
"Chief Mage, come forward. How did ‌‌this happen? Have you discovered anything?"
The Emperor pressed the matter while absently fingering the grip of the sword at his side.
I was curious too.
Why had the zombies appeared in the first place?
"There were no intruders recorded in the Portal."
Mascarpone's mother, the Imperial Family's Chief Mage, calmly demonstrated that the Portal showed no anomalies and that no intruders had breached it.
"This phenomenon either arose naturally as a disease, resulted from a mage surpassing my abilities, or ‌‌represents the will of the gods." ‌‌‌
"The will of the gods?"
"Divine power cannot be detected through magic, after all."
The Emperor's displeasure was evident.
Instead, one courtier spoke up, gauging the Emperor's reaction.
"Has the Temple received any ‌‌divine revelation regarding this matter?"
"Indeed. Did they not say that Yujein awakened as a Saint and saved the lives of both Highnesses?"
Yes, gods. Say something, will you?
'Come to think of it, weren't the priests not even in attendance?'
Yujein's absence made sense, but not a single priest was visible in this vast Imperial Court.
As I looked ‌‌around with this question in mind, the ‌Emperor waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough. I have no desire to allow those who call themselves the gods' people into my Palace."
"However, Your Majesty...."
"They're desperate to expand their influence, so if they'd received any revelation, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops immediately."
"...."
"I've brought a theology professor from the Imperial University. Question him."
Faced with the Emperor's resolute demeanor—a ‌‌‌man who had personally beheaded 126 people—the nobles fell silent.
The professor, suddenly thrust into the spotlight of every attending noble's attention, stammered.
"It is true that the gods have often intervened in human affairs since ancient times. They have even cast curses. However, in this case, the god directly saved the lives of both Your Highnesses...."
"What's your conclusion?"
But the professor could offer no clear answer either.
In the end, everything remained a mystery.
-Let me summarize what we've learned so far-
When: Four days ago
Where: Imperial Villa
Who: ?
What: Zombies
How: ? ‌‌‌‌
Why: ?
- ‌‌Hypothesis 1. An assassination attempt targeting the Imperial Family. (Bioterrorism or magic)
- Hypothesis 2. A naturally occurring plague.
- Hypothesis 3. A curse from the gods.
(If that were true, ‌‌‌the god wouldn't have helped us!)
Conclusion: ???
"So the Empire's supposed greatest minds are useless!"
The Emperor brought his armrest down with a crash.
The nobles flinched ‌‌‌at the Emperor's wrath—a man who could have their heads severed at any moment if displeased. ‌‌
Only Praha remained composed.
'Usually in situations like this, the possessed one steps in brilliantly and shows off ‌‌‌‌their insight.'
People who'd been dismissing my words as nonsense would fall silent as I continued speaking.
The male protagonist would look at me with eyes that said, 'That's unexpected.'
But me?
I know nothing.
'Well, incompetent people can be possessed too when you think about it. If you don't like it, make them take an IQ test before possessing them ‌‌next time.'
"This and that...."
"This or that...."
In the end, opinion coalesced around the theory of an assassination attempt targeting the Imperial ‌‌‌Family—though the method remained unclear.
"Could it be a conspiracy by the remnants of the fallen kingdom?"
"Do they have that much power?"
"Just in case, let's investigate whether similar incidents have occurred in other regions."
The response strategy also leaned toward ‌‌‌‌keeping it quiet, concealing it, and finding and eliminating the cause, rather than hastily stirring up the entire nation. ‌‌‌‌
"Can we create a cure if we capture a few moving ‌‌‌‌‌corpses?"
"For that, we would first need to reopen the sealed ‌‌‌‌Portal."
"That's far too dangerous. Motion rejected."
"Then...."
"To conclude."
"We must assemble an Investigation Team."
'Just like the novel.'
I glanced sideways at Praha, who sat motionless before me ‌‌like a portrait.
The Emperor, stroking his chin, spoke.
"I have no desire to plunge my nation—which has only just begun to stabilize—into chaos. First, we must investigate this matter with precision and discretion."
"Your Majesty, according to the testimony of the Crown Prince present here, this disease is highly contagious. Your concern about preventing chaos is absolutely correct, but...."
"But?"
"If the disease spreads among the people without any preparations in place...."
"Then you believe."
The Emperor, fixing his gaze upon the stammering official, lifted the corners of his mouth.
"What do ‌‌you think people would say if the Imperial Family announced such an absurd story? Better yet—do you think they ‌would even believe it? That corpses are walking about?"
"That's—"
"Enough. I have already made my decision."
The Emperor continued.
"Great undertakings always demand sacrifice. Since I already understand how this disease spreads, a few measures will suffice to prevent its expansion. I am prepared to accept the loss of a few cities in the process."
'Good heavens.'
Shouldn't we be trying to minimize casualties instead...?
I rescinded my respect for the Emperor.
"I shall personally appoint the key members of the Investigation Team."
The Emperor, resting his chin on his hand, announced as usual.
"First, Yujein, priestess of the God of Light. According to the Temple's claim, she has become a saint."
"...."
"Being a holy person, you are surely prepared to sacrifice your life for the ‌‌‌‌Empire, yes?"
"...."
"And. Crown Prince Praha and Grand Duke Cyprus de Mer. My children."
"...?!"
I stood abruptly before sitting back down.
He's sending his own sons?
'In the original story, he bore responsibility for failing to protect the nobles. Why this time?'
Why is he throwing his own sons into the jaws of death?
If they die by accident, there's no heir left?
I looked at Praha.
Our eyes met immediately.
Amber eyes greeted me with composure.
Suddenly, I understood.
'He's been watching me this whole time.'
"The Crown Prince shall accept this duty."
"Yes." ‌‌
The ‌gaze that had ‌‌been fixed upon me withdrew. Praha rose to his feet.
And I realized something.
'What was it that Mascarpone said earlier?'
Only the Emperor had the authority to summarily ‌‌‌execute a member of the Imperial Family.
Paprika's punishment meant Praha himself could face consequences as well.
And that Emperor...
"I trust you."
He was smiling, but the Emperor had not forgotten that his son Praha had overstepped his authority.
"I shall obey your command."
"Yes, that's how it should be."
The Emperor's gaze upon Praha was cold.
The Emperor was the type for whom his ‌‌‌own power was paramount.
The type who could not share even a fragment of it, not even with his own son.
Rather, the type most wary of his successor.
Because a successor meant the second-in-command of power.
The Emperor feared that Praha's influence—having swiftly resolved the incident at the Villa—would grow greater than his own.
'That's why he's trying to eliminate Yujein and Cyprus from the Capital.'
There was still the succession; Praha had a younger brother. Young as he was.
"Do not forget."
Without raising the kneeling Praha to his feet, the Emperor spoke gently.
"Everything you enjoy comes from me, and the only reason I respect you is because you are my son."
"Yes."
Praha answered calmly.
Watching the two of them—less like ‌‌a father and son, more ‌‌like a capable retainer and a king sharpening his blade against such a retainer—I understood.
Whether in the original story or now. ‌‌‌
Praha had not volunteered for the Investigation Team.
He had been driven out by the Emperor's displeasure.
[(Temporary Safe Zone) ‌‌‌Imperial Palace]
- Yusara, Praha, Mascarpone (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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