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Chapter 20
As the sun began to set, the farm was bathed in the red glow of the evening sky.
In the fields, the zombies continued their silent work.
Raking the soil, digging out weeds with shovels, moving along the rice paddies without a word, finishing the day in quiet routine.
Amid this peaceful yet bizarre scene—there was one figure sprawled across the sofa.
The one who had once been a cat and had returned to human form, Tanbbang. Real name: Ateruna.
“Why haven’t those humans come back yet, even though they went out together during the day?”
She muttered to herself, annoyance written all over her face as she stuffed a handful of corn chips into her mouth.
It wasn’t exactly worry—it was closer to irritation. Yet, deep down, a strange unease was creeping in.
Ateruna relied on her sharp instincts and analytical mind to come up with a few possibilities.
The first:
They’d both been taken by the undead.
The most plausible scenario, but she shook her head immediately.
“No. If that were really the case, the farm land would have turned black again. But it’s peaceful and intact, unlike before.”
Second:
They had sneaked off to go somewhere together.
That was possible. Annoying, yes, but she herself sometimes went for solitary walks.
“But even so… it’s way too late.”
The thought spiraled, and her discomfort grew.
Third:
Could it be… they fell in love and eloped?
“Hahaha! No way. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Ateruna almost spat out her corn chips as she laughed, clutching her stomach.
“My brother? With the butler? Run away? Really? Leaving the farm and me behind?”
Even as she said it, she couldn’t believe the absurdity—but still, why did it feel slightly annoying?
At that moment, a familiar sound reached her ears.
From afar, a murmuring noise.
At first, she thought it was just branches clashing in the wind, but the sound grew closer, and soon she was certain.
‘It’s the undead.’
She sprang from the sofa and ran to the window.
In the distance, dozens of undead were advancing in formation toward the farm.
“Not just a few… with that number, they really… really got them?!”
Panicked, Ateruna ran toward the front door—but stopped just before opening it.
“Right… I need to transform.”
If she went out in human form, the undead would immediately attack.
Quickly, she shifted into her cat form and slipped out through the cat entrance.
And at that moment, she froze.
The sight before her exceeded her imagination.
In front of the house.
Dozens of undead lined up in order.
And in front of them, Nana was waving her hand with a bright smile, and Ishanka stood with a look of utter resignation.
Ateruna’s cat eyes widened.
‘What on earth have you two been up to?!’
From the day the Eastern Forest was declared farmland, Nana’s farm had visibly changed.
<Due to the Eastern Forest being revived, all surrounding wildlife has returned to the forest.
The Eastern Forest has been declared as farmland and belongs to Adrien Logitten.
If desired, Adrien Logitten may add the animals from the Eastern Forest to the farm’s livestock.>
“No need. Let them live as they will.”
Even someone who loves animals can reach their limit when their land is constantly disrupted. Nana was no exception.
Fortunately, the revived forest naturally drew animals back, and the wild creatures that had been disturbing the farm stayed away.
Occasionally a few birds would circle the farm, but that became a meal in Ishanka’s hands.
“Tonight’s dinner is roasted brainbird.”
<The bird has been identified.
[Brainbird] has been added to the animal compendium.
Adrien Logitten receives experience points.>
A bird party and experience points. Wild animals were now just resources.
But the biggest change to the farm was something else entirely.
Clink.
Shush-shush.
Chaaa.
All the sounds of plowing, sowing seeds, and watering—the zombies themselves were creating them.
The moment the Eastern Forest became Nana’s land, the undead occupying it had come under her command.
The few workers she had before had multiplied into dozens, and the farm’s efficiency exploded.
Nana sipped watermelon juice, a bright smile on her face.
“This is the life of a landowner. They don’t eat, don’t sleep, don’t complain—perfect in every way.”
Beside her, Tanbbang, nibbling on roasted fish, silently nodded.
Of course, at first she was shocked.
Seeing the bizarre horde of zombies enter the farm, she had spent several days locked inside the house.
But as days passed, the zombies did not slaughter—they simply focused on farming.
Through this repeated routine, Tanbbang convinced herself:
‘Right. You don’t have to be alive to farm.’
And so, the farm worked by zombies became a familiar everyday scene.
Meanwhile, Ishanka, as usual, headed out to hunt in the Eastern Forest.
With workers abundant, there was no need for him to farm anymore. Rather, he had a reason to keep moving to avoid stiffening up.
But every time he brought back something, Nana and Tanbbang reacted as if it were a feast.
A meat party!
A good person who caught meat!
A good person who cooked meat!
Between Ateruna pretending to be a cat, Nana who only knew how to eat, and Ishanka, former barbarian king, now butcher and hunter, Ishanka naturally became the one responsible for the meat.
From preparation to cooking, and even preserving leftovers as jerky or smoked meat—nothing went to waste. He was a meticulous worker.
And so, another day passed on the farm. The zombies, now true farmhands, tilled the fields, planted seedlings, and harvested fruit.
Nana also happily passed along the edge of the spinach field.
Among the weeding zombies, a familiar silhouette brushed past her.
At that moment, Nana stopped.
‘…No way.’
She couldn’t ignore it.
The face she had most wanted to see alive.
The one person she desperately hoped to see again.
She held her breath and crossed the weed-covered field.
In front of a zombie harvesting spinach, Nana’s face went pale.
Brown hair, smiling like a gentle big dog—her campaign target.
“…Ash.”
At the edge of the Eastern Forest, Nana sat on a small stump, muttering in a daze.
“I completely forgot.”
The thought she had buried while the world fell apart, while frantically farming, all the while ignoring the possibility that Ash might have become a zombie.
She looked up at the quiet figure standing under a tree.
Brown hair drained of color, eyes vacant.
No warm smile, no eye contact, nothing like before.
And yet, Nana recognized him immediately.
He was Ash.
In truth, part of her had already known.
The devastation of that day and the missing villagers.
He had simply hoped to remain human to the very end.
“…Ash.”
She called his name, but only silence returned.
Nana commanded him to sit by the tree stump.
She turned her back.
She could not make a zombie farm.
The next day.
Ash remained in the same spot as yesterday, silent.
“…Come here.”
His steps were slow but without hesitation, responding to her command.
Up close, it was even clearer.
The smile she loved most was gone.
“Smile.”
Ash’s shoulders trembled slightly.
But his expression remained unchanged.
Not a twitch in his lips or eyes.
“Smile! Ash, please smile! I beg you…”
At first it was a command.
Gradually, it became a prayer, desperate and heartbreaking.
Nana collapsed to the ground, sobbing quietly.
He remained expressionless.
“Like before… like the old days, just smile.”
Her voice trembled with tears, and she sat there for a long time.
The forest was silent, holding its breath.
Slowly, Nana stood.
“…Go back and sit there.”
Ash turned wordlessly.
Heavy, quiet steps carried him back to the stump.
Nana left the forest, lips pressed tight in bitter silence.
Time passed.
The farm continued to move.
The zombies tilled, Ishanka went hunting, and Tanbbang returned with a mouse in her mouth.
“Mweeeh…”
But Nana—the one who had always welcomed Tanbbang at her usual spot—was no longer there.
