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

A Corporate Slave Becomes a Villainous Nuisance in a Zombie Apocalypse
Episode 45
A circular table like those in a hotel banquet hall. Name cards placed at ‌‌‌each seat.
The name written at the seat beside me.
[Smoothie, Treasurer]
'They seated me with his subordinate at ‌‌‌‌the same table?'
Moreover, the only members of our party at this table were myself and Tangerine. Praha, Cyprus, and Yujein were seated at a different table with the Lord and Lady of ‌Prome.
'That must be the table of honor.'
They're openly snubbing me.
Though it's awkward to call ‌‌‌them out on it.
The table is round.
= Which means the hierarchy isn't clearly defined like it would be at a rectangular table.
Moreover, the round ‌tables in this banquet hall were small.
Praha, Cyprus, Yujein, and the Lord and Lady of Prome—seating them meant one table was completely full.
In fact, even the Lord's Son was seated at a different table. ‌‌‌
'They're clever. I'm irritated, but there's nothing I can ‌‌do about it. Getting angry would only make me look foolish.'
"Ha ha."
Cyprus, still standing beside me, twisted his mouth in an odd way.
Praha and Yujein, who had ‌‌been dragged away by the Lady of Prome to admire some sculpture before spotting us and coming over, wore the same expression.
"...."
"...."
"I'm hungry!" ‌‌
Only the oblivious Tangerine giggled away.
"Now, this is...."
I cut off Cyprus before he could say ‌‌‌anything.
"It's fine."
"But, my lady."
"I'm exhausted. ‌‌‌Let's eat quickly and get some rest."
Before anyone could say more, I dropped into my seat.
'I haven't done anything since arriving here, yet people keep trying to provoke me.'
Why bother?
'People really do make their lives exhausting.'
I glanced at the seat beside me.
A man wearing large glasses stood awkwardly.
His shoulders had gone rigid—caught between the Imperial Family members venting their frustrations ‌‌in front of him, unable to do or say anything.
"Come on, sit down. Look how tense he is."
I gestured the two men still hovering beside me and Yujein to their seats, then turned to the bespectacled man.
"Smoothie, the treasurer...?"
"Y-yes!"
The man who had been staring blankly at ‌‌‌me suddenly straightened up with a start, bowing deeply.
"I'm Smoothie, the estate manager of Promé Castle. It's an honor to meet you!"
"Yes, I'm pleased to meet you as well."
Fair-skinned, gentle, and soft to the touch—he looked like some kind of idol.
An estate manager, then.
Actually, this worked out perfectly.
'In modern terms, he'd be like an accountant or tax specialist.'
I happened to have something I needed to ‌‌‌‌consult with someone like him about.
"Smoothie, what ‌‌process does one need to go through to become an estate manager?"
"I, I received a degree from university...."
"Then, do you happen to know much about bank loans as well?"
"A, a little bit."
"Then! Is it! Possibly legal for an heir to mortgage a ‌‌family mansion still owned by their parents and take out a home equity ‌‌loan from a bank without permission?!"
My brother took out a loan using the Duchy Residence in the Capital as collateral to get gambling funds!
"Is this even allowed?!"
I had to ask while I ‌‌‌had the chance!
Caught off guard by my sudden passion, Smoothie fumbled for words.
"Under Imperial law...."
His face turned red and he stammered, which made him seem utterly unreliable.
"Since an heir can be changed at any time before the current head of household passes away...."
Surprisingly, his explanation was quite ‍‌professional.
Without moving from his seat, he rattled off amended laws and precedents one after another.
"So you're saying the contract itself could be rendered completely void?"
"Yes, yes! Though the procedure is complicated!"
"Thank you! Really, thank you so much!"
"Oh, no! The honor is mine!"
Less than thirty minutes after sitting down, my favorability toward Smoothie had skyrocketed.
This guy is incredibly useful!
-Yusara's Smoothie Acrostic-
S: Smoothie works great! ‌‌‌‌
M: Magnificently great!
D: Dazzlingly great!
'Just from a few words, I can tell he's brilliant. So why is someone like this rotting away ‌‌in a rural fiefdom like Prome?'
The Lord of Prome doesn't seem like the type to treat his employees ‌‌‌‌well.
"Oh, so you were university classmates with the Baron's son?"
"Yes, that's right!"
"But why didn't you apply for a position in the Imperial Palace treasury? If you graduated at the top of your class, ‌you would have been more than qualified. The Lord's Son... well, he got in through a donation, I heard."
"That's... I'm an orphan. I made it through university on scholarships, but after that, I didn't have the money to prepare for the exam...."
"Oh my."
So that's why he came here....
"I never thought he'd end up working under me! You ‌‌‌‌really do learn something ‌‌new every day!"
I regarded the Lord's Son across the table with cold eyes as he laughed raucously while pointing at Smoothie.
I understood perfectly.
'The man who made him feel inferior during university days now works beneath him—he must be absolutely thrilled about that.'
Smoothie merely offered a bitter smile, as if accustomed to such contempt and ridicule, so I pushed a pumpkin pie toward him.
"Eat ‌‌‌up and take heart."
"Th-thank you... my lady...!"
"So anyone with a degree can work as a property manager? I don't mean anything by it—I'm just thinking I should prepare for contingencies myself...."
While I engaged in animated conversation with someone from the same profession whom ‌‌‌I'd ‌‌met after so long, our table had somehow emptied until only Smoothie and I remained.
"The crowd has thinned considerably."
"Ah, it's likely because of the bear gall liquor the Lord of Prome serves.... He enjoys hunting and fermenting it himself."
'His hobbies are repulsive too.'
"Is ‌‌‌‌that ‌‌‌‌liquor potent?"
"Th-that's true, but... the Lord of Prome insists quite forcefully that everyone drain their ‌‌cups... so everyone flees before the bear gall liquor even appears...."
"Oh, then we should escape too...."
"My lady, it seems you've grown quite close to Smoothie!"
At that moment, a booming voice resonated across the table.
What?
Absorbed in conversation, I lifted my ‌‌head.
Somehow the Lord and Lady of Prome, Praha, Cyprus, Yujein—everyone was looking our way.
My eyes widened under the concentrated ‌‌‌‌attention.
The Lord of Prome continued, raising his voice further.
"You seem quite fond of Smoothie, my lady. I've been watching since earlier, and you haven't stopped smiling!"
"Well... yes. The conversation is enjoyable."
Now that I understood my younger brother couldn't dispose of the Mansion as he pleased, how could I not be delighted?
At my shrug, a sinister ‌‌‌smile crossed the Lord ‌‌‌‌of Prome's lips.
He then spoke in a deliberately subtle, whispered tone.
"Indeed... Smoothie has a decent face. It may not befit a lady of your station, but surely there's no harm in keeping him company during your stay? Smoothie would consider it an honor."
"Pardon?"
"Please treat him kindly, my lady. He is a retainer I hold dear."
"Ha."
Is this man insane?
The innuendo in his words was vulgar and crude.
I furrowed ‌‌my brow and shot back.
"Treat him kindly? He's not a ‌‌‌dog." ‌‌
These days you can't even pet a dog carelessly. Don't you know about animal rights?
But the Lord of Prome, who seemed ignorant of human rights let alone animal rights, remained oblivious.
The Lord ‌‌‌‌of Prome spoke.
"My, our young lady is still so innocent.... Why, there's even a saying, isn't there? Men are dogs."
At those words, the banquet hall fell silent.
At least our party fell silent.
"Hahahaha!"
Only the Lord's Son was laughing.
The Lord of Prome, oblivious to the atmosphere, clutched his belly as if dying of laughter and continued speaking.
"There's a saying in this world, you know. The similarities between dogs and men. First, you must feed them. Second, you must entertain them. Since I've taken care of Smoothie's meals, all that's left is for the young lady to have some fun playing with him. Hahahaha!"
"...."
That bastard....
'A fifty-something man spouting such jokes in front of people as if they're hilarious....'
You've really stepped in it.
Because I absolutely despise jokes like that? ‌
Jokes that make an already miserable social life twice as miserable....
I tilted my head to the side, feigning composure.
"Is that so?"
I blinked exaggeratedly, then sliced the meat with my knife in deliberate, unhurried movements.
My slow and serene response silenced the room, drawing every eye toward me.
After ‌‌building sufficient tension, I raised the knife.
"Then perhaps I should."
I pointed directly ‌‌at Praha and Cyprus sitting across from me, then ‌‌spoke with perfect clarity.
So that everyone at the banquet could hear.
"Could I take these two Highnesses to my home and have the three of us live together?"
"...Pardon?"
"If the three of us sleep in one bed, wow, that would be fun."
"What are you saying right now...."
"Why? You said men are dogs."
Isn't it fine to keep two dogs together?
I smiled sweetly.
I added to the Lord of Prome, whose mouth hung open stupidly.
"Men are dogs, you said. By that logic, these two Highnesses here are also dogs."
"...."
"Or are the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke not men?"
You were the one who made the dog comparison first, so you choose.
Are these two dogs, or are they not men?
The entire assembly froze at my ‌audacity in comparing members of the Imperial Family to dogs.
"Hic."
Smoothie hiccupped beside me.
No one dared open their mouth, no one dared breathe.
"I, I...!"
The Lord of Prome's face flushed ‌‌‌crimson as if it might ‌‌burst, his body ‌‌‌‌trembling.
Then.
Praha, who had been chewing his salad with an expressionless ‌‌‌face, deliberately set down his fork with a sound.
Clack.
And I spoke.
"Woof woof."
"Oh, I was going to do that first! Then I'll be meow meow."
Cyprus, who had quickly interjected, pressed his ‌‌clenched fist against his cheek and smiled with his eyes.
Praha, who had quietly risen beside the meowing Cyprus, walked toward me with heavy steps.
"...."
He carefully wiped his hands with the wet cloth I had been using. Then he gently cradled one of my hands in both of his.
Praha, who had brought my hand to his cheek, spoke.
"The dogs I've encountered in my life usually sit on their master's lap."
"...."
"But my body is too large to sit on the lady's lap."
"...What?"
"I'll sit here instead."
Praha sat down in the empty seat beside me.
"Then me too!"
"M-me too!" ‌‌
Cyprus and Yujein, who had been watching the situation, quickly rose and came to my table.
"Meow."
Unlike ‌‌‌Cyprus, who sat down quickly, Yujein sat while gauging the mood and murmured softly.
"Squeak, squeak."
...It seemed she was imitating a mouse.
"Me too, me too!"
Tangerine, who had been devouring the pumpkin pie fountain ‌‌over ‌‌there, came running and quacked loudly.
"I want to do it too, I do! I'm, um... quack?"
"What's with the quack...."
"A duck! Oh, but there's no seat. May I sit on the lady's lap?"
"Tangerine. Please."
"Hic, hic."
Smoothie, who had suddenly found himself ‌‌‌sitting alongside the Empire's most precious nobility, hiccupped as if he might faint.
I caught a glimpse of ‌‌the Lord of Prome and his wife, left behind at the other table, staring blankly with their mouths agape.
I whispered to Praha.
"You're not wearing earrings today, Your Highness?" ‌‌‌
"No."
"What a shame. They looked good on you."
"...."
"I'm joking. Don't ‌‌blush."
The guest of honor table had changed.
[(Temporary Safe Zone) Promé Castle]
- Yusara, woof woof, meow meow, squeak squeak, quack quack (Survived)

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