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Chapter 34
It was now common knowledge that a catastrophe had struck the continent of Eurelle.
The land had rotted, and even the water was too polluted to drink.
And on top of that, hordes of zombies suddenly appeared.
From rural villages to the grand cities with towering gates, everywhere that had once been inhabited by humans had turned to desolation.
On the blackened, parched earth, the only things left were corpses wearing the shells of human skin.
So what about the capital of the Kingdom of Helvetia?
“This is no time for idle chatter!”
In the middle of a banquet hall glittering with crystal chandeliers, a man’s voice rang out sharply.
In an instant, the laughter of noblewomen whispering gossip behind their fans, the conversation of noblemen playing games with goblets of beer, even the soft music that had filled the hall—all abruptly stopped.
In the sudden silence, the middle-aged man who had shouted drew all eyes. He cleared his throat but showed no sign of intimidation.
With unwavering eyes, he addressed the person sitting across from him.
“People are starving to death. There are reports of murders over a single loaf of bread.”
“My, how barbaric.”
A noblewoman spoke lightly, and others sneered in agreement.
“To kill someone over a mere loaf of bread… are they not beasts?”
“Hah. If there’s no bread, why not just eat the meat?”
One nobleman bit into a chunk of meat stacked on the table.
The table, piled high with rare delicacies and soft white bread, completely denied the reality that the continent was overrun with zombies.
The man’s plea was quickly drowned out by mockery and chatter.
No, they had never really cared about the situation outside.
Though they already knew, seeing it realized in such a way only deepened their despair.
He bit his lip, hoping that even a single word would reach them, and raised his voice once more.
“If the Crown Prince is still alive somewhere outside, what would you do?”
The banquet hall froze.
“We have not yet confirmed the survival of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. It’s understandable. Even before the calamity, he was outside. Thinking he might be dead… isn’t unreasonable. But…!”
He drew a deep breath.
“But if he is alive? And if we do nothing while he suffers outside?”
“Sir! You speak too boldly!”
“Are you suggesting we have ignored His Highness?!”
“If not, then why have we yet to organize a search party?”
“Well, outside the castle, where it’s safe from the calamity, there may not be anyone alive…”
“In that case, I myself returned from outside alive. Am I then not considered a living person?!”
“Silence.”
A heavy voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
The middle-aged man with a stylish mustache turned his gaze back to the person across from him, leaving the shouting noble behind.
“You are correct, sir.”
King Frederick II, leaning languidly against his platinum throne, continued without changing his demeanor.
“The first thing we must do is find my son, Samuel. Not waste time with this tedious banquet.”
Though he himself had hosted the boring banquet, no one in the hall dared to contradict him.
“Form a search party. Only the most skilled and courageous may accompany this mission to find the sole crown prince of the kingdom. Whether Samuel lives or dies is irrelevant. If alive, he must be brought back to the capital. If dead, as his father, I must at least retrieve his remains and perform the proper rites. And…”
The king’s gaze shifted to a middle-aged man kneeling nearby.
“You shall lead the search party, Brodelian Lindberg.”
From the surrounding nobles came stifled snickers—this was, essentially, a death sentence.
Skilled and brave? In other words, send some fool into the dangerous outside world where death could come at any moment.
Everyone knew this was a polite way of saying the crown prince was likely dead.
But Brodi Lindberg seemed deaf to the derision and murmured quietly.
“Understood.”
The king, showing no interest, popped a grape into his mouth.
Unlike the lethargic and tense capital, life on the farm was always busy but peaceful.
Ever since a large number of zombies had been employed as laborers, farm owner Nana and Worker No.1 Ishanka no longer had to cling to the field as before—but that didn’t make work any easier.
From harvesting crops to maintaining tools, preparing products for sale, and upkeep of the facilities—it was a nonstop chain of tasks.
Peace required management.
Nana mainly handled overall management, such as selling crops, organizing inventory, and checking facilities, while Ishanka ventured into the eastern forest to hunt or gather wild seeds.
Sometimes, they even had to chase off wild boars that ruined the fields or birds after ripe peaches.
And what about Sam?
He was the farm’s Worker No.2 and engineer.
His main work was inventing things or building machines Nana requested.
Sam was largely content with his current situation.
Occasionally, a request would make him think, “Why do you want me to make this?”—but such clients existed even in Greenwich.
Some had even gotten angry if a device didn’t work because they hadn’t plugged it in. By comparison, Nana was quite reasonable.
Sometimes, she even solved problems that had stumped him, albeit with a rather blunt tone and choice of words.
“Are you overthinking this? Think simply. Simplicity often leads to the solution. I don’t know why you’re making a rattle for adults that sings.”
“The machine I asked you to make for the sparkling tooth insert isn’t done yet? Instead of wasting time making trash from the parts I gave, meet the deadline, engineer.”
Each word landed like a punch, yet it was strange—though he knew nothing about machines, it was as if she suddenly knew their purpose instinctively.
Perhaps that’s why her requests, seemingly absurd at first, always proved useful once completed.
Sam carried the finished machine in his arms, searching for Nana.
Through the warehouse, workshop, and vegetable field, he finally found her.
Her destination was the second floor of the hay storage.
Climbing the ladder, the familiar fragrant, dry smell of hay filled his nose.
And there she was, lying on the haystack with a cloth spread beneath her.
“You’ve been searching for quite a while. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve finished today’s work and am now rewarding myself. A great reward called rest.”
“…On a haystack?”
“It’s a bed. I put down a sheet.”
“To me, it just looks like hay with a cloth on it.”
“You seem completely devoid of romance.”
Did you know the story of Heidi? In it, her hay bed was a childhood dream for many.
Watching Nana grumble and get up, Sam felt a bit frustrated.
Calling hay a bed was hardly scientific. He, a thorough scientist, couldn’t comprehend the sentiment.
But he said nothing more. Experience had taught him that speaking now would only backfire.
“I finished the device you asked for.”
Sam carefully placed the machine on the haystack with both hands.
Thunk.
The heavy metallic sound echoed over the hay.
“C-could it be…?”
“Yes. It’s a cheese maker.”
Sam put one hand on his hip, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
“This eliminates the need to boil milk in a cauldron or separate whey manually. A smart cheese maker that handles all the complicated steps at once.”
His expression brimmed with pride.
After multiple failures and late-night work, this was Sam’s masterpiece.
Nana looked at the machine, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Now she could make real cheese herself!
Then—
Ding!
A familiar system notification rang in her ear.
<Party member Sam Lindberg has completed an invention. Bonus experience granted due to unexpected technical reaction. A new skill has been unlocked.>
<Skill Unlocked: [Plants Are My Friends]
‘A true farmer understands the hearts of crops!’
This skill allows the user to read the emotions of plants and improve their mood. Harvested crops in a good mood have increased quality and sell for more.>
Nana’s face brightened at the new skill.
It would be very useful when managing high-value crops!
In high spirits, she grabbed Sam by the shoulder, laughing broadly.
“You’re a genius. Not just anyone could make this!”
Sam shrugged, raising his upper lip in pride.
“Of course! I was top of my class at Greenwich Academy. My name was even on the lab door.”
Receiving praise, he proudly thumped his chest.
“Name it, and I’ll make it—windmill, alchemy cauldron, anything! I’m the farm’s greatest inventor!”
“Really? Then I need a liquor distiller next.”
Nana immediately issued her next request.
“…I stayed up all night yesterday.”
“You’re asking me to make it? You’re a genius; it’s special since you stayed up! I’ll give you a three-day reward leave.”
“Does he think I’m a zombie, only serving other zombies without sleep or food? Three days isn’t enough to recover…”
“One day then.”
“Thank you for the one-day reward leave, master. I’ll rest well.”
Sam quickly left the hay storage before Nana changed her mind.
‘My professor was right—there really are no good clients. This evil client!’
The thought of drafting the blueprints in the workshop three days from now made Sam feel like crying.
Far removed from the sweet little village, the kingdom’s capital stood stern and dangerous.
Brodi quietly opened a drawer and took out an old small box.
Inside were yellowed letters and a portrait of young Samuel.
He murmured softly,
“His Highness is alive. Surely.”
