The Abandoned Villainess Became a Zombie - Chapter 25

“…You’re saying war will break out?”

The first to react to my words was Heresden, who had just finished hanging all the laundry I had left behind and was returning to his room.

He opened the half-closed door and looked at me.

“Yes. That’s what I believe.”

Idorian had said that the zombies must be eradicated in order to restore the Empire’s stability.

But not long after the zombies were exterminated, the Empire would surely vanish into history.

“I don’t know the exact situation in other countries, but since the outbreak started here, we’ve suffered the most.”

Rumi had said the same thing.

That the kingdom where his family lived wouldn’t be as dangerous as the Empire, so his family would all be safe.

“You mean other nations will see our weakened Empire as a target?”

I nodded.

Then would begin a scramble for land by the neighboring countries eyeing the now-vulnerable Empire.

“…That’s entirely possible.”

After a moment of thought, Heresden agreed with me.

In the novel, even before the cure was completed, the zombies had never been fully eradicated.

The novel never featured the idea of luring zombies with blood to kill them.

Thinking about it now, this situation had essentially occurred because of my interference.

‘I basically handed them a way to kill zombies more easily and quickly.’

Feeling the story had derailed from the original, I clenched my fists without realizing it.

‘At this rate, all the zombies will be wiped out before the cure is even developed.’

What’s more, if the crisis was resolved too quickly, the main characters might not even feel the need to develop the cure at all.

“If the neighboring countries haven’t suffered as much as we have, then just as you said, Penelope, they’ll definitely come for the Empire.”

“Yes. But if we, on the contrary, keep the zombies alive, no country will dare to go to war with us.”

Historically, no one dared to provoke a nation plagued by an epidemic. Even in times of war, troops would retreat when disease broke out.

Sometimes, that very plague became a shield that protected a country from war.

And for us, the captured zombies could serve that very role.

“They won’t want to start a war and end up dragging zombies back to their own countries.”

As long as the zombies were kept alive, the Empire could remain safe from foreign invasion.

No one would wage war if it meant taking on that risk.

“……”

Heresden, who had been silently watching me, turned his head toward Idorian.

“Your Highness.”

Idorian, who seemed deep in thought, finally looked at Heresden.

“It’s something worth considering.”

Hearing Heresden say that made me feel the tension begin to ease. Thankfully, it seemed the argument for sparing the zombies was starting to get through.

“…Yes. It could indeed serve as a way to protect the Empire from other nations.”

Just as I began to relax a little, Idorian added something I hadn’t expected.

“At least until we regain our strength.”

At those words, I gasped without meaning to. What he meant was that the zombies should be spared only until the Empire regained its power.

In other words, once the Empire was strong again, they would no longer be needed.

“The cure…”

“You’re right, Penelope.”

Just as I was about to insist they should be spared at least until the cure was developed, Idorian—who had been rubbing his brow in thought—spoke.

“I hadn’t considered that, but you’re right. Just killing the zombies won’t solve everything.”

“Yes. The cure—”

“Keeping them alive for a while might be a good idea.”

Idorian interrupted me again.

“No, the cu—”

“Until the Empire regains its former strength, that is.”

Ugh!

It was so hard to get a word in with how slowly I spoke.

“We’ll also need to implement safety measures.”

“Yes, from the location to how they’ll be managed, it all needs to be considered.”

Heresden and Idorian both looked like they had a lot to say—and right now, I didn’t have the slightest chance to speak.

“Let’s at least come up with a rough plan and report it to His Majesty.”

There was no room for me to butt in.

“We’ll send the letter tomorrow morning. After dinner, we’ll meet again to discuss further.”

Just as I kept watching for a chance to speak, Idorian finally announced the meeting was over.

“For now, let’s each think it over and continue the discussion later.”

“Yes, understood.”

Heresden turned around as if to leave the room.

Wait, why so fast!

Just as it seemed I’d lose my chance to speak for good, I started to raise my hand.

“Penelope, can I see you for a moment?”

Idorian gestured with his eyes, motioning for me to step out.

“Your Grace, Duke Heresden. Could you help with this?”

Just as Heresden was about to leave the room, Rumi called out to stop him.

“I hurt my shoulder a little when I fell earlier.”

Idorian looked at Heresden, who had halted in front of him, then soon slipped past him and exited the room.

“Does it hurt a lot? I’m sorry, it’s because of me.”

“…It’s not a serious injury. If His Grace helps, everything should be fine.”

Though Rumi casually passed the task onto Heresden, the duke gave a slight, incredulous laugh—but perhaps because of Lilia’s apologetic expression, he turned back.

“Lady Sweedy, is it this rod I need to hang?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll take care of this side. Um, we also need to hang curtains in Uben’s room after this…”

“Alright.”

Heresden nodded as if it were no trouble. In response, Lilia smiled brightly and thanked him.

“Penelope.”

Only after Idorian urged me again from outside the door did I stop watching Lilia and Heresden and step out of the room.

“Could we talk in your room for a moment?”

As I came into the hallway, Idorian looked around as if searching for a suitable place to talk.

When I nodded, he motioned for me to lead the way.

‘What is he trying to talk to me about in private?’

I glanced back at Idorian, wondering if this was about what he hadn’t managed to say earlier.

But when I turned around, Idorian was also looking behind him. There stood Rumi, who had left the room after handing off the task to Heresden.

“I want to come too.”

“What?”

“I want to hear what you two are going to talk about. Or am I not allowed?”

Before Idorian could respond, Rumi continued, “If not, then I’ll just stay with you.”

“…Alright.”

Leaving behind Idorian’s reluctant answer, I opened the door to my room, and the two of them entered one after the other.

They looked around my room for quite a while.

Even though it had the same layout and furniture as theirs.

“Can I sit here?”

Rumi pointed to the bed nearest the door.

There weren’t any proper chairs in the room, so I nodded, and he promptly sat down, leaning near the headboard.

In contrast, Idorian remained standing beside the bed, simply watching me. It didn’t look like he planned to sit, so I took the initiative.

“Your Highness, what did you want to talk about?”

“If we can completely exterminate the zombies, I thought you’d be the happiest.”

After a moment of hesitation, Idorian finally spoke.

“You said they were terrifying. That even the smell of blood made you afraid.”

Idorian looked at me, his expression showing he didn’t quite understand.

“And yet, you’re saying we should spare the zombies… I just can’t understand your reasoning. Is there a reason for it? Do you… really believe there’s a cure that can turn them back into humans?”

“…Yes. Maybe not right away, but eventually.”

“So in the end, it’s faith without evidence.”

I wanted to argue against Idorian’s words, but I hesitated, unable to find the right words, and fell silent.

His eyes narrowed, as if he truly couldn’t understand why I was being so stubborn.

“Then…”

It seemed like he was about to tell me to just give up.

“About that cure—maybe I could make one.”

Rumi, who had been seated behind me, suddenly spoke.

When I turned around, I saw that he had sat up straight at some point.

“What?”

“Once we return to the capital, I’ll take it on.”

For some reason, despite previously disagreeing with Lilia and me, Rumi had suddenly changed his stance.

“If we don’t want this decision to go down in history as a senseless massacre, I think we should at least try.”

Idorian’s face contorted even further.

“…I think it might actually be possible.”

Despite the confident words, Rumi’s voice faded like smoke.

“You really think you can develop a cure?”

“Maybe? It’s just a feeling.”

His vague tone made it clear even he wasn’t certain.

“Haa… Rumi, this isn’t something we can treat with faith or intuition.”

Frustrated by the situation, Idorian let out a deep sigh and ran a hand down his face.

“If you both really want to spare all those zombies, then bring me a solution backed by concrete evidence.”

He looked between me and Rumi before speaking again.

“Penelope, just like you mentioned war to justify the necessity of the zombies—convince everyone with that same clarity.”