OBNVZ C3

Chapter 3

Kimon and Dazzling, knights of the Imperial Guard, were colleagues assigned to neighboring rooms.

Among the knights, Kimon—confident and assertive—stood out far more, while Dazzling had comparatively little presence.

It was Kimon who sensed the strange shift in atmosphere and opened the door to the sealed room, and Kimon who swiftly shoved aside the decapitated attendant that lunged at them without warning.

More confident. More aggressive.

“Wait a moment!”

So now, when the rumored young lady called out to them as they were about to go inspect the corpse, Kimon openly let out a sigh while Dazzling remained silent.

“My lady, what is it?”

“Take this with you.”

In this dangerous situation, what Lady Yusara handed to the knights—after stopping them in their tracks—was merely a handkerchief.

A white silk handkerchief.

Embroidered with the imperial crest.

The very one she always carried intending to gift it to the Crown Prince, though he had consistently refused it.

Caught off guard as he received the infamous handkerchief, Kimon opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“…Why are you giving this to us?”

Even the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke—who were restraining her from rushing out recklessly—looked puzzled.

An awkward silence fell.

The only one unfazed was the lady herself.

She spoke calmly.

“Earlier, Your Highnesses said there were bite marks on the severed head, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then that person could have caused them. What if the one in the corridor suddenly gets up and bites someone?”

“…Pardon?”

“My lady, that doesn’t make any sense—”

Kimon let out a scoffing laugh, but she ignored him. Pointing at the handkerchief, she continued,

“After confirming that person is completely dead, stuff this into the corpse’s mouth. And be careful not to get bitten.”

Kimon immediately objected.

“That man is already unconscious—most likely dead. We appreciate your concern, but the magical rope His Highness provided is sufficient to restrain the corpse’s mouth.”

“The rope is thin, isn’t it? Even if tied, wouldn’t the jaw still be able to move?”

“…My lady, think about it. Even if the corpse were to wake up, would it really bite someone at the cost of slicing its own tongue? It would know best how sharp the thread binding its mouth is.”

“It wouldn’t even dare move its mouth, let alone bite anyone. So rest assured,” he added mockingly.

Standing beside him, Dazzling glanced up at Kimon with uneasy eyes. The situation was tense, but Kimon’s tone was walking a dangerous line.

What if he gets slapped for that?

I heard Lady Yusara can’t stand being disregarded…

Yet the lady did not grow angry. She simply persisted.

“Either way, there’s no harm in being cautious.”

“My lady—”

“What I’m saying is, if you’re going to do it, make sure it’s done perfectly so it can’t move at all. Does doing your job perfectly harm you in any way, Sir Knight?”

The Crown Prince, who had been watching, intervened.

“Kimon. Follow the lady’s instructions.”

With that, the knights had no choice but to comply.

Reluctantly clutching the handkerchief, Kimon heard her emphasize once more:

“Tie the limbs and mouth thoroughly, but be careful not to get bitten. This handkerchief is to prevent that. If the corpse shows even the slightest sign of movement, do not touch it.”

“…Yes, my lady.”

“Absolutely do not get bitten.”

“Who does she think she is, ordering us around?”

The moment they were far enough that her voice could no longer reach them, Kimon snapped in anger. His ears were flushed red, clearly irritated at having to follow her instructions.

“Does she already think she’s His Highness’s fiancée or something?!”

Watching his more skilled but somewhat arrogant colleague, Dazzling responded cautiously,

“Well… it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

“I know that! That’s why His Highness gave us the magical rope—to be careful! Isn’t that enough? Why do we have to shove a handkerchief into a corpse’s mouth too? That’s disgusting!”

Easy for her to say when she’s not the one doing it. Kimon glanced back and shoved the handkerchief into the inner pocket of his jacket.

“A corpse moving? Doesn’t she hear how ridiculous that sounds? Let’s see if I actually follow that idiot woman’s orders.”

She didn’t really give an order…

But saying that now would only provoke Kimon further, so Dazzling tried a different approach.

“The Crown Prince told us to follow her instructions. There must be some reason for it. I think she was just worried about us…”

“So what if she was? Who is she to worry about us? We’re Imperial Knights! And she’s just a lady!”

“The only ones who have the right to command us—or worry about us—are members of the imperial family!”

“If it were a duke instead of her, would I be grateful? No!”

Kimon seemed determined not to follow her words out of sheer stubbornness.

In truth, he wasn’t being entirely unreasonable.

Now that they were closer, it was clear—the person sprawled in the corridor was a corpse. Someone already dead wouldn’t suddenly come back to life.

Binding it with magical rope alone was already sufficient caution. Was there really any need to block its mouth with a handkerchief?

“And did you see that? Pulling out the handkerchief His Highness rejected right in front of him. What, was she trying to make a statement? Someone should tell her—women who cling like that are unsightly.”

“…Don’t you just dislike her?”

“Ah—whatever!”

Kimon stomped his foot, clearly having no intention of listening.

At least I should follow her instructions, Dazzling thought. Even if just outwardly.

If both of us ignore her, she won’t be pleased.

And from how she thanked him earlier, she didn’t seem like a bad person.

Being careful not to get bitten is easy enough.

That small difference would decide their fates.

I don’t like standing out.

You know what I hated most during new employee training? Talent shows.

Listening to lectures all day, memorizing pointless company history, being stuck with coworkers all day—I could tolerate all of that.

But talent shows?

I hated them.

Who even likes that…? My talent is lying down. Can I show that off?

But I’m not a sociopath.

If I know someone’s going to die, how can I just ignore it?

I said I didn’t want to stand out—not that I’d abandon basic human decency.

I couldn’t go out into the corridor in their place and handle the corpse mutating into a zombie. I couldn’t shout, “Attention everyone! I’ve been reincarnated into a novel!”

But this much, at least—I could do.

And if that knight still doesn’t listen after all this?

Then that’s on him.

I’m so tired… Just disappear, all of you. I want to be alone.

But until I escape this place, being alone isn’t an option.

Gulp.

Swallowing hard, I stared at the knights who had already reached the corpse.

After confirming it had completely stopped breathing, they carefully untied the magical rope, then bound one arm and the torso again. They wrapped the rope around its mouth and nose as well.

The corpse’s other arm—being carried toward us—had been torn off.

Exactly as described in the novel.

Q. Describe how it feels to watch a corpse mutating into a zombie enter the room while you can do nothing.

A. It feels like absolute hell.

I seriously want to go home…

The knights laid the corpse in the center of the room. As I tried to approach, a long arm blocked my way.

Looking up, I saw the owner—it was the Grand Duke.

“My lady, no further. It’s dangerous.”

He was smiling, but his arm was firm, like a barrier.

I had no choice but to watch as the two knights stepped back.

Did they put the handkerchief in its mouth?

I couldn’t see.

Maybe I should’ve just told them to break its jaw instead.

One of the knights—the one who had opened the door earlier—glanced at me, looking oddly triumphant.

What’s with him?

The reason soon became clear from the Crown Prince’s words.

“Kimon. The handkerchief?”

“I have it.”

“Why didn’t you follow her instructions?”

“I checked multiple times in the corridor. The man was already dead. I saw no need to waste my lady’s precious handkerchief on blocking a corpse’s mouth.”

“Hey—”

Whether it’s precious or not is for me to decide. I’m the owner!

Why won’t he just listen?!

“…Fine. Step away from there for now.”

That corpse could wake up at any moment. Unable to get closer because of the Grand Duke, I sighed.

The other knight—the one who had offered me water earlier—quickly stepped back.

But Kimon remained unmoved.

“My lady, I understand you’re frightened.”

Raising his chin mockingly, he bent down and grabbed the corpse by the hair.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Look—even when I pull it up like this, there’s no reaction, is there?”

That was when the corpse opened its mouth.

“Grrk!”

“Don’t!”

The sharp magical rope tore through its mouth.

It bared its teeth—its lips splitting wide open without concern.

A scream. Blood. The Grand Duke’s large hand covering my eyes.

I forced it away and looked.

The Crown Prince grabbed the back of the corpse’s head clinging to the knight. Crack. The sound of bones twisting echoed as the head was forcibly torn away. Moments later, the corpse’s neck was severed entirely.

The knight stood frozen, one hand covering his ear.

Blood streamed down his cheek and neck without stopping.

“So this is what you meant?”

Even in this situation, the Crown Prince remained calm. Setting the severed head down, he flicked the blood from his hand and looked at me with emotionless amber eyes.

He used the magical rope… He cut off the head with it.

“Thanks to you, my knight has survived.”

“…No. He hasn’t.”

My quiet reply was fixed on the knight whose ear had been bitten off.

Everyone followed my gaze.

The ear is close to the brain.

It didn’t take long.

The knight who had been bitten turned into a zombie within minutes.

And it was the very knight who had been working with him—his partner—who severed his neck.

One head. One attendant. One knight.

There are already three zombie corpses in this room.

Pushing aside the Grand Duke’s arm, I walked toward the body.

From the jacket of the headless corpse—who had been an Imperial Knight just minutes ago—I retrieved my handkerchief.

Wiping my sweat-dampened hands with it, I met everyone’s eyes.

“You’ve all seen it clearly now. If you’re bitten by a moving corpse, you become one too.”

“Bleeegh!”

The nuisance who had been gagging the whole time finally vomited.

Ignoring him, I continued,

“Get a grip, everyone. It looks like the genre of our lives just changed today.”

“I’ve been reincarnated into a possession story…”

“And for the rest of you—this is now a survival story.”

[Imperial Villa – Second Floor, Sealed Room]

• Yusara, Yujein, Crown Prince, Grand Duke, Supporting Character 1, Supporting Character 2, The Nuisance, Imperial Knight Dazzling (Alive)
• Imperial Knight Kimon (Deceased)