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‌ A Corporate Slave Becomes a Villainous Nuisance ‌‌‌‌in a Zombie Apocalypse Episode 36 Does the villainous Yusara possess an ability? What kind of ability could it be? "Ah." It came to me the moment I spoke. "Hypnosis... Is that what you're ‌‌‌referring to?" "Yes." Right... That ability. 'It is an ability, after all.' In the novel. The villainous Yusara leads her subordinate Knight Order and joins the Investigation Team. Lacking any meaningful survival skills and possessing poor judgment, Yusara survives each crisis by using her knights ‌‌as shields. Here's the question. How was Yusara able to do such a thing? Even if she ‌‌‌were a ‌‌young mistress, there aren't many knights willing to sacrifice themselves before a corpse monster they've never seen before. Especially considering that Yusara wasn't a master who ‌‌‌earned her knights' respect. But how? The method was simple. 'Get out of the way!' 'Miss! ...Huh?' 'I said get out ‌‌‌‌of the way!' 'Wh-what, what?' 'Grrrrgh!' Hypnosis ability. To be precise, an ability to influence and manipulate the ‌‌mind of another. The duration? Perhaps a minute at most? It only worked on beings with reason (animals and zombies were excluded). And there were many restrictions—the target's face had to be visible, ‌‌‌among others. Moreover, the target would retain a clear memory of having been affected ‌‌‌‌by the ability. Yet with this ability, I could hear someone's honest truth for just a brief moment. I could make them push beyond their limits. I could help them recover forgotten memories from the past. It was magic. In ‌‌‌a world where divine power was meager and magic was complex in its workings, this was rare magic that could manifest instantaneously. This was the magical talent in Yusara that I had mentioned. 'It's quite a formidable ability.' If one were to utilize it, ‌‌the ‌‌applications would be endless. Yet Yusara despised her own ability and kept it hidden. Why? 'People are going to hate me for this.' ‌‌‌(Alone) Yujein, whom I regard as my rival, bestows blessings upon people and heals their wounds. But I possess this damp, murky ability that no one would ever welcome. If people learned of this power on top of already avoiding my presence? 'Even if she was accustomed to being despised, she never actually enjoyed it.' Yusara concealed her ability. Thanks to that, she was able to use it effectively right up until the very end. Yusara cast magic on the Knights standing nearby at that critical moment. 'Ahhhhh!' The Knights died the moment they realized what was happening to their bodies. And once the ‌‌expendable Knights were completely wiped out, she later used nearby commoners as shields. 'Is it you?' 'Ah, no....' Yusara dies at the hands of Praha, who discovers she is the culprit. She cannot bring herself to use magic against Praha. 'If I'm going to fail, then I should fail completely—kill Yujein and Praha both with magic. Or if I'm not going to fail, then I shouldn't fail at all.' She was truly caught between two worlds. Even while reading, I thought something felt ‌‌‌odd. How did Praha immediately identify Yusara as the culprit? 'He knew all along. That Yusara possessed an ability.' ‌‌‌‌Praha said it himself. ‌‌"If the ‌‌‌Lady possesses such magic, ‌‌it would be of great assistance in interrogating the root cause of this incident. Especially considering there is no one else with an ability like the Lady's." It was sound judgment. The problem was. 'I don't know how to use that ability.' But even when I deflected by saying 'I have no intention of using that ability,' Praha remained unfazed. "It matters not. My primary reason for making this proposal to the Lady is far more significant than that." Well. In the novel, he knew about my ability too, but back then he tried to exclude me from the team. So perhaps experience weighed far more heavily than hypnotic ability. ‌‌‌‌'Any Korean person I brought would have acted exactly the same way I did.' It's embarrassing to receive praise for something so unremarkable. Watching Praha wait quietly, as if he would obey whatever decision I made. I made up my mind. "I apologize, Your Highness." "Yes." "Investigation Team duties are not my responsibility." "...Yes." "And to be honest with you. I don't know ‌‌how to use that ability. I've forgotten." I considered pretending to have the ability, but this wasn't a job application or anything. ‌‌I brought them along thinking they were capable, but when the critical moment comes, ‌‌when I have no choice but to use them even if I don't want to—I can't just ‌‌‌say 'actually, I can't do this'. "Still, there won't be moments where they freeze up out of fear or terror, and sometimes they might even be able to ‌show some creativity." "...." "Please take me with you. I want to go." "...." "...Is that too shameless of me?" * * * Originally, ‌‌I had no intention of following the Investigation Team. 'That's just an express train heading straight to death.' What I wanted was to return to Korea, not the afterlife. My thoughts changed at the Cafe where I met Cyprus. A red stone bathed in sunlight. The red stone I'd picked up from the Attendant's chest—the one who had ‌‌‌stood between me and Mascarpone when I first possessed this body. In it, I saw the Attendant's soul. 'What is he plotting now with that sinister look....' 'Is it starting again? I thought today was unusually quiet.' 'Um, Head Maid....' 'Grrrrgh....' 'Head Maid?' 'Kaaack!' 'Aaaah!' Not just the memories from right before becoming a zombie. The sense of accomplishment when first becoming an Imperial Family Attendant. The happiness of receiving a paycheck and buying gifts for my parents. That Attendant's emotions and entire life were contained within it. It was the same with the other stones. I could understand it. This stone, this red stone. It was a soul stone—a prison for the souls of those who became zombies. 'The reason only my eyes can see this is... because this body is also one that died and came back to life.' If that's the case. If the souls of those who became zombies through no fault of their own remain trapped within these stones instead of disappearing. Wouldn't it be possible to break the seal on the trapped souls and return their bodies to them? 'Then couldn't I bring Consomme back to life too?' Even if not, it was worth trying. It's an unrealistic thought, but then again, possessing into a book is equally unrealistic. If there was even a possibility of saving someone, I didn't want to abandon it just because it seemed impossible. 'Why can't I bring dead people back to life? I can possess into a novel, ‌so if a ‌‌‌‌person can possess into a story, then reviving the dead in that story should be possible too.' ‌‌‌Honestly, I was terrified. I wanted to ignore the zombies and everything else, find a way to return quickly, and get back to Earth. But if I don't do this. If there's something I can do and I turn away from it, I feel like I'll regret it for the rest of my life even after returning ‌‌‌to Earth. 'I don't know. You only live once.' Let me try living a little more righteously. In shows like 'Cool Bodies' or 'Out of the Flesh', zombies fall in love and regain their humanity, right? What says it can't happen here? While working with the Investigation Team, I'll find a way ‌‌back, and save Consomme too. What about the bite wound on her cheek? Yujein will fix it somehow! But I can't tell ‌‌‌Praha about the red stone matter straightforwardly. 'He won't believe me anyway.' Fortunately, Praha agreed immediately. "I would be delighted if the young lady would accompany me." "Hehe." I laughed, and suddenly my nose started bleeding. "Huh?" "Young lady!" Praha closed the distance in an instant, his hand covering my face. "Do not tilt your head back." His large hand pressed against my nose while his ‌‌‌‌other hand gently pushed the back ‌‌‌of my head, tilting my chin down. I looked downward in ‌‌‌what was almost an embrace. His broad chest in a crimson tunic filled my vision. 'It smells nice.' Still that soap scent. "Do you often get nosebleeds?" As he spoke, his firm chest rose and fell slightly. I answered in a nasal voice. "No, not usually." It seemed to happen only when I was exhausted. Like when I was taking three tutoring jobs and working part-time in university, during job prep, and last... during the promotion exam? "It seems like it's been a few months since the last one?" "That counts as frequent." "I suppose so." My breath escaped between my lips, hit his hand, and returned to my cheek. 'I'm dizzy.' With insufficient sleep and now a nosebleed, my vision spun. Worried I might accidentally kiss Praha's neck again like last time, I gripped his forearm. Praha flinched at my grip on his arm. "...? Your Highness, is something uncomfortable?" "...It's the earring." "Oh." I lifted my eyes and noticed I still had a small piercing-like earring ‌‌dangling from my ear. 'Seems like I couldn't remove it myself. My hands are too large.' "Is it mandatory to wear earrings at the Imperial Palace?" "It's Mother's preference." ‌"Does it not ‌‌bother you?" "I'm barely restraining the urge to cut off my ears entirely." "Oh. Shall I remove it for you?" "That's not necessary. Besides, if you keep talking like that, my skin crawls." "Ah, yes." 'Sorry. I'll shut up.' While I was at it, I ‌‌withdrew my hand from Praha's forearm as well. Released from my grasp, Praha flexed his arm a few times. Yet his hand pressing against my ‌‌nose never left. Praha, still leaning close, spoke softly. "It seems the books were quite entertaining. Reading until your nose bled, no less." "Ah. Well, about that..." We have a maid at home, and... no, wait. "Never mind. I'd rather not say. Your Highness will find it irritating." "...I see." I pretended not to notice the pressure intensifying in Praha's hand gripping my nose. * * * "Would you care to have dinner here?" "Me? Here?" "Did ‌‌I not promise to treat you?" I looked at him with questioning eyes, and he added softly, "At the Villa." Did he? I don't even remember. "Shouldn't Your Highness be going? Incense-Eight is waiting for you." "My aide will handle that." "Oh. Is there ‌‌a reason?" "My aide's nose is congested, so he cannot smell anything." "..." So that person really does reek of sweat. "No, I should go. I ‌‌‌might get another nosebleed otherwise." "What a shame. Do get some rest early tonight." I'd like to, but I still ‌‌‌‌have work left. I'll have to push through with some coffee... "Oh, come to think of it, the Grand Duke bought me coffee a few days ago." "...Cyprus?" * * * When Praha showed great interest in hearing that Cyprus had bought me coffee, I dealt with him perfunctorily and returned home to find the sun already setting. Word had apparently spread that I'd met with Praha separately at the Palace, for the Duke who came to greet me broke into a beaming smile. "Splendid, my daughter! The weight loss truly has been effective!" That wasn't it at all. He was only interested in my career prospects. "Why not capitalize on this momentum and invite the Crown Prince to your morning dressing ceremony?" "Invite him to ‌‌‌what, exactly?" A maid beside me, looking uncertain, carefully explained. "His Highness the Crown Prince would be invited to observe the process of you selecting your dress, applying makeup, and adorning yourself with jewels in the ‌morning." "...So selecting a dress means I'd be wearing nothing but undergarments until then?" Getting ready with me alongside the Crown Prince? Absolutely not. I flatly refused and turned ‌‌‌‌‌to head up to my room, when the Duke suddenly staggered. "Your Grace!" "Your Grace!" The maids nearby rushed to support him in alarm. "What's wrong?!" I asked, startled as well. What kind of day was this—crises erupting right until the very end! "Are you alright?" The Duke, leaning on a maid for ‌‌‌support, replied. "My head aches and I feel chilled." The Duke's eyes, blinking weakly, were bloodshot. He ‌‌‌‌‌seemed to be breaking out in a cold sweat as well. "Shouldn't you rest?" "Yes, I should. I keep feeling parched..." "Parched...?" "..." "..." "..." "Didn't you mention attending a concert today?" "I was planning ‌‌‌‌‌to, but I should rest. I'm so dizzy!" "Yes, that would be best." I watched the Duke being supported away, ‌‌‌then turned my gaze. The blonde maid who'd been watching my expression flinched. ‌‌It was the Head Maid who'd ‌‌discarded my slippers. ‌[(Temporary Safe Zone) Duchy Residence] - Yusara (Survived)

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