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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 6
* * *
Yusara tied her hair back.
She was barely moving her head, ‌‌‌‌worried the style would get ruined.
After stripping the corpse's shoes and putting them on, she was now tearing up the ‌dress.
...This is strange.
* * *
Silence fell over the corridor.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on me.
Even Yujein, who had fallen with me.
'Of course. When two people fall together but only one receives a helping hand, everyone notices. They all feel the awkwardness.'
It's like those dating reality shows where on ‌‌‌‌the first night they do a popularity vote, and if someone gets zero votes, all the cast members start walking on eggshells around that person.
Doesn't this feel a bit like that?
I sighed internally and pushed strength into my legs. ‌‌‌‌
I asked Yujein, who was still sitting on top of me.
"Aren't you getting up?"
"Oh! I'm so sorry!"
The people who had finally snapped to attention tried to help me up.
"I'm fine."
I declined and got up on my ‌‌‌own strength.
....
I rotated my ankle to gauge the extent of the injury. It just ached a bit; it didn't seem seriously damaged.
'Thank ‌‌goodness I wore combat ‌‌boots.'
If I'd been wearing heels in this situation, it would have been a disaster. I wouldn't have been able to walk.
After testing ‌my ‌‌‌ankle a few times—it seemed like it would be fine with a little rest—I opened my right hand.
Blood was flowing from a long gash across my palm where I'd been gripping the letter opener.
The sharp wound, sliced in a straight line, stung.
It wasn't severe enough to require treatment, but....
Still, I'm bleeding!
'Thank goodness this is a zombie world.'
If this were a vampire world, they'd already be swarming at the scent of blood. Ugh.
And this pathetic blade was so weak that it only tore my palm before snapping clean ‌‌in half.
It hurts so much. Someone help me. Waaah.
I remained silent, crying only internally, while everyone watched me with anxious eyes.
The first to speak were the two men responsible for this awkwardness—the ones who had only ‌‌‌‌offered their hands to Yujein.
"My lady, are you alright?"
"I apologize."
I didn't even look at ‌‌‌the Crown Prince and Grand Duke as they offered their awkward apologies.
"It's fine. What does it matter who helps?"
I reacted instinctively to the unexpected situation, but in that split second, we both reached out to help the person we preferred.
They never ‌‌imagined they'd both rush to support only Yujein, unintentionally humiliating me in ‌‌‌the process.
There was nothing to apologize for.
'An apology would only make me look more pathetic.'
What exactly would they apologize for? Sorry for liking Yujein more than me?
Of course!
It's only natural to feel a bit hurt!
No one even asked if I was alright, yet I answered that I was fine on my own—I'm mortified beyond belief!
But I can't just cry about it!
'Forget it, forget it. I'll have plenty of friends when I go back to Korea. If I fall, I have 999 friends in Seoul ready to pick me up.'
"...My lady."
"I'm really fine. I'm barely hurt at all."
I answered without meeting their eyes.
The atmosphere grew even more solemn as I responded calmly instead of raging and screaming as ‌‌‌expected.
It wasn't concern for me that created this tension.
It was simply nervousness.
Fear that I might do something reckless.
Fear that I, who received care from neither the Crown Prince nor the Grand Duke, might cry or shout from embarrassment and sorrow, or suddenly abandon the group and run off.
They were worried, ‌‌‌it's true. They felt a bit sorry, that's also true. But more than anything. ‌‌
They feared I'd cause trouble.
In fact, Mascarpone, standing behind Yujein, was already sighing—as if exhausted.
"Why did you have to brandish a sword and hurt yourself in the process?"
"My lady, I'm so sorry.... I...."
Yujein limped toward me as I fell silent.
"No, no, please don't."
I grabbed her forearm to stop her as she knelt before me, trying to brush off my dress.
"Please don't. My dress is already filthy anyway."
"But because of me, my lady.... Are you hurt anywhere? Let me treat——"
"No."
"But your palm...."
"This is my ‌‌own fault, so you don't need to worry about it, Yujein."
Despite my continued denials, Yujein's expression wouldn't soften. She looked ready to trade her skin for mine if she could.
I sighed and spoke.
"If you're really sorry, do something about those shoes."
"Pardon?"
"Break the heels. The men here can handle that much."
I looked up at the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke in turn. Both, who had been watching us tensely, flinched.
"If I had any sacred power to heal, I'd fix your ankle instead—it looks like you ‌‌actually sprained it."
"My lady...."
"Enough. We don't have time to bicker like this, and you know ‌‌‌it."
I cut off Yujein's continued apologies.
I discarded the broken blade and wiped my bleeding palm roughly against my clothes.
I spoke to the people around me.
"Aren't you leaving?"
Only then did ‌‌‌the gazes fixed on me scatter. People returned to ‌‌their respective ‌‌positions. As ‌‌‌if nothing had happened.
'Strangely irritating.'
Whatever. Not my concern. They're people ‌I won't see again anyway once we leave. ‌‌
* * *
"It appears that knight was defending the Central Staircase and cutting down the corpses climbing up. In the process, he sustained injuries himself."
"So he was infected at the end."
"Then since that knight eliminated all the corpses, can we assume there are no more undead now?"
"I wish that were the case."
I'd asked "Aren't you leaving?" but we couldn't leave immediately.
Reason: no path.
We couldn't descend by treading on a staircase of corpses.
Setting aside the danger of stepping through soft human flesh and blood, if even one of them were ‌‌‌still alive and grabbed at an ankle passing over them, the situation would spiral beyond control.
As for ‌‌‌heading toward the Right Corridor in the distance...
'Who knows what else might appear along the way.'
And there were people limping from ‌‌their injuries.
"It appears there are no more corpses ‌‌‌in the Central Corridor."
Judging that remaining in an open corridor on all sides was dangerous, I ‌‌‌entered the Washroom beside the staircase.
Dazling returned after scouting the surroundings ‌‌and confirmed it was safe. Simultaneously, people groaned and sank down. I too found a relatively cleaner patch of floor and stretched out my legs to ‌‌‌‌sit.
'I've lived long enough to sit on a bathroom floor, haven't I.'
The Crown Prince, who had been watching the sprawled people with a blank stare, leaned his back against the entrance wall. Dazling stood at the Crown Prince's corner, and the Grand Duke stood at Dazling's corner.
Each of them stood or sat uneasily, exchanging opinions in hushed tones.
"I hope all the corpses in this mansion are dead out there."
At Supporting Character 2's hopeful remark, the Grand Duke shook his head.
"That won't be the case."
Seeing ‌‌Supporting Character 2's expression as if crying out 'Why!', he continued with the utmost gentleness.
"Remember the Attendant lying in the corridor near the Secret Room? The one that bit the knight to death. There are likely other corpses scattered elsewhere that didn't converge on the Central Staircase like that Attendant."
True enough—zombies aren't dolphins; they wouldn't all swarm together in one ‌‌direction.
Mascarpone, who had been pondering, asked.
"Come to think of it, how was that Attendant even there?"
"What do you mean, Mascarpone?"
"When we found it, that Attendant was already a corpse—before transformation, still an unmoving corpse. That means it was alive before that."
"You're saying how a living person could have crossed to the Right Corridor while avoiding the corpses' attacks."
"Yes. To come this way, ‌‌you'd have to pass through the Central Corridor at least once. As we all know, there's the knight who became a corpse there. The one His Highness just... dealt with."
"Perhaps they passed while the knight was still alive and defending?"
"The knight sent an Attendant who was certain to become a corpse soon?"
The Crown Prince, who had been listening quietly, spoke.
"They probably used the Servant Passage."
"The Servant Passage...?"
"It's a pathway built within the walls to move quickly without catching the masters' attention. A sort of secret route. They likely emerged into the Corridor near the Secret Room through it. And then...."
"They died before reaching the Secret Room."
The Grand Duke replied.
I, listening in, asked ‌‌a question.
"Then couldn't we use that passage as well?"
See?
--------------
(Far away) Left Stairs
Central Staircase
*Current Location
(Somewhere here) Servant Passage
(Secret Room we came from)
--------------
That's what I meant. Now that we can't use the Central Staircase, wouldn't it be better to use that passage?"
People glanced sideways at me for suddenly speaking up, but no one said anything.
The Crown Prince shook his head.
"There's a high probability that the corpses responsible for the Attendant's arm are still inside ‌‌‌that passage."
"Ah."
I hadn't thought of that.
"Then we'll have to take the Left Stairs."
"Yes. The problem is that the stairs are quite far from here."
"...But there's no alternative."
Realistically, the Left Stairs were our only option.
The Crown Prince and Grand Duke seemed to have entered here less to seek other opinions and more to give everyone a brief rest before the long walk to the Left Stairs.
The pale Supporting Character 2 asked.
"How ‌‌‌far is it?"
"We need to walk as far as we came. Then descend the stairs and return to the center ‌‌again. We don't know what's on the First Floor." ‌‌‌‌
Everyone's gaze naturally fell upon Yujein.
Yujein's cheeks flushed as she sensed the attention.
Yujein's holy power was only enough to heal a paper cut on a finger. She couldn't mend a sprained ankle. Besides, she'd already exhausted her abilities earlier. Blessing us all.
Nuisance ‌‌‌‌Man sighed.
"Why would you cast blessings no one asked for?"
...As if he hadn't wanted her ‌‌‌‌to cast them earlier.
Human hearts are truly fickle.
Just moments ago, no matter how much he rambled, I'd kept my mouth shut, thinking I ‌didn't want to show off. But now that my body was injured and my ‌‌mood had soured, his nonsense became unbearably irritating.
'I'm truly pathetic too.' ‌‌‌‌
Nuisance Man continued running his mouth, oblivious to people's feelings.
"Actually, I've been thinking about this since earlier."
Bending forward at the waist, I spoke with ‌‌grim resolve.
"The men escape first."
"...."
"...."
"How noble. Such a cowardly notion."
The Grand Duke's sarcasm was sharp, but Nuisance Man remained unmoved.
"Think about it ‌‌‌‌rationally. We can't all fail to escape just because some people are holding us back." ‌‌‌‌‌
"If that's what rationality looks like, I'd rather be emotional...."
"I'm not saying we abandon them entirely. The women go back to the room and hide, we escape first and send a rescue team. That's the most efficient approach, isn't it? Besides, she can't even run anymore with that injury!"
Short, stubby fingers pointed at Yujein.
"If it were just one person to carry in shifts, fine. But four? That's ‌‌‌‌too many."
Those four were, of course, the women.
Me, Yujein, Mascarpone, Supporting Character 2.
"Should've done this from the start. Why'd we even bring them along? Weak, no stamina, can't even handle weapons.... ‌‌‌‌Just dead weight dragging us down."
The women couldn't refute him.
Not even the confident Mascarpone, nor the docile Supporting Character 2, and certainly not the commoner Yujein.
They possessed shame—unlike Nuisance Man. ‌‌
The Crown Prince sighed and called out.
"Paprika."
Nuisance Man caught the irritation in that voice and waved his palms placatingly. "Okay, okay. You're strict, brother. Then leave ‌‌‌this knight as an escort."
Dazling, suddenly singled out, blinked in confusion.
The intention was transparent.
The Crown Prince and Grand Duke were of noble birth, so they'd go. Leave the disposable knight behind.
'As a shield.'
Snap.
In that instant, reason shattered in my mind.
Damn it. I can't take this anymore.
[Imperial Villa, ‌Second Floor, Washroom]
- Yusara, Yujein, Crown Prince, Grand Duke, Mascarpone, Supporting Character 2, Dazling, Nuisance Man (Alive)
I'm ready to translate the Korean line, but I don't see ‌the actual Korean text that needs to be translated. Could you please ‌‌‌provide the Korean line you'd like me to translate?

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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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