“Zombies are appearing in large numbers…!?”
“Yes. Please take a look.”
With a swift motion, Milphobia opens the curtains.
Beyond the window, a corridor leading through the Demon King’s castle’s garden comes into view, but there are figures staggering around here and there.
“Are those zombies…?”
I inadvertently open the window and lean out to get a better look.
Something feels off.
After observing for a while, I realize.
“Zombies are basically moving corpses, right? Why are there only human-shaped corpses? This is a demon realm, so shouldn’t the moving corpses be of demons instead?”
“Ah, that’s true. Normally, in a kingdom where magical power is not abundant, zombies don’t typically appear, so it’s not something you’re familiar with.”
“Hm? Appear? Well, it’s true that cases of becoming a zombie are rare…”
So what does that mean?
As I tilt my head in confusion, Milphobia continues.
“The typical zombies that appear in a demon realm are said to naturally arise from the contamination of magical power, and it’s rare for corpses to actually move.”
“What!?”
The idea that zombies can naturally arise isn’t mentioned in any of the kingdom’s literature.
At least in the kingdom, we refer to corpses that begin moving due to some factor—such as being left unattended and accumulating magical power—as zombies.
“By the way, what do you mean by ‘naturally arise’? The concept of magical contamination is also something I don’t understand. Could you explain?”
“Of course. Magical contamination can also be referred to as ‘miasma.’ It harms even demons and arises from mental unsanitary conditions.”
“Mental unsanitary conditions…?”
“Stress. Especially now, with wars occurring in the West and South, demons are more prone to emitting negative magical power, which accumulates in places that haven’t been properly cleaned, becoming miasma, and from there, zombies sprout up.”
“So, it’s kind of like mold… But why do they take on human shapes?”
“We’re not entirely sure. However, a strong theory suggests that zombies might change their shape to match their surroundings. Around this Demon King’s castle, they may be adopting the common characteristics of demons, which is a human shape. In fact, in forests, there are many four-legged zombies.”
“I see, that’s quite intriguing…!”
I take another look outside the window.
The zombies move in a staggered, orderly fashion, sparking my curiosity.
If they can naturally arise, their physical structure is likely different from that of normal humans. However, if they attack the living just like regular zombies, then there should at least be a ‘brain’ directing their actions.
“They multiply on their own, have brains, and can perform simple actions…?”
“…If I could use Dark Heal to repair part of the brain and rewrite the command to ‘attack the living,’ wouldn’t it be possible to mass-produce convenient ‘simple laborers’?”
“Isn’t this a business opportunity…!?”
“Um, Alaya-sama?”
As I felt a flutter in my chest and my mind raced with thoughts, Milphobia hesitantly spoke up.
“Just to be clear, no matter how interested you are in zombie biology, please do not leave the room, okay?”
“Eh…?”
“It’s not just ‘eh…?’”
Milphobia let out a deep sigh.
“The other party is a zombie, you know? They may not have much strength, but they are fearless and don’t feel pain. They could attack without hesitation, and if you’re not careful, you might get eaten!”
“I-I know that much!”
“I’ll bring your meals, so if you need anything else, just let me know.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Please, I absolutely insist that you do not go outside on your own.”
“You don’t need to emphasize it that much… Do you think I’m that untrustworthy?”
“Oh, no, that’s not it. I apologize. It’s just that I was worried you might be curious about zombie biology and want to conduct an examination like I did…”
“…No way.”
I forced a laugh.
“There’s no way I could conduct an examination on a zombie. Besides, we wouldn’t be able to communicate, would we?”
“…That’s true.”
Milphobia showed a somewhat relieved expression.
“If that’s the case, then I apologize for the unnecessary concern.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave for now. I’ll bring lunch around noon.”
“Ah, thank you. You take care too.”
“Thank you for your concern. Well then, excuse me.”
Milphobia exited the room.
After hearing her footsteps fade away…
“Alright.”
I opened the door and stepped outside.
“I can’t conduct an examination on zombies, but I could do a one-sided assessment, right…?”
Zombies are something that aren’t typically seen in the kingdom.
There’s no miasma in the kingdom, and all corpses are purified and returned to the earth after being honored, so it’s quite rare for them to become zombies.
Even among the curious folks in the kingdom, there’s no one who keeps zombies as pets, so I’ve never had experience examining them.
Therefore, I never would have imagined that there could be such a business opportunity with zombies.
“Fufufu… I smell money.”
I proceeded down the corridor and walked toward the courtyard.
