The Prince Who Absorbs Abilities With a 'Click' - C28

Chapter 28: Zombies Greet the 8th Prince

“Your Highness! Finally, the city walls are in sight!”

Winston, who had stuck his head out of the carriage, shouted.

Winston was one of the members of the delegation and had been assigned to temporarily serve as my bodyguard.

‘Finally, we’ve arrived.’

In the distance, the grand sight of Balderheim city appeared.

‘It’s been so boring.’

This was my first time leaving the palace as a prince, but it turned out to be much more tiring and boring than I had imagined.

I had been lounging in the carriage, supposedly in comfort, but I couldn’t do anything, so it felt unbearable.

‘Of all people, I had to ride with Winston, which meant I couldn’t even play games.’

If I had been alone in the carriage, I would have started playing games right away, but I couldn’t do that.

It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with Winston being there.

As a bodyguard, he was supposed to stay close and protect me, so it wasn’t an issue.

‘There’s really nothing interesting going on.’

I had secretly hoped something exciting might happen—maybe an ambush or assassination, something thrilling like that.

But nothing happened.

‘Isn’t it usually the case that something goes wrong on days like this?’

In typical fantasy settings, I had expected some unwelcome guests to show up and launch an attack or something.

But reality was different.

The procession was annoyingly peaceful.

Well, it made sense.

Balderheim city was not far from the imperial capital.

And this city was located within the territory of the Exion Empire, so it was essentially just me moving around within the empire.

Moreover, the empire’s flag was fluttering atop the carriage.

On top of that, the imperial crest was flying above the empire’s flag, which was only done when a member of the royal family was part of the procession, which meant I, the prince, was included.

Would anyone try to ambush us under these circumstances?

That would either mean the empire’s security had completely collapsed or that it would be a clear act of suicide for whoever tried it.

‘You’d have to be crazy to do that.’

Still, the boring routine would end soon enough.

Winston, who had been sitting across from me, spoke up again.

“Your Highness, when you get off the carriage, please stay close to me.”

Even though he was a temporary guard, Winston was a member of the Imperial Knight Order.

I respected his dedication to his role.

“Okay, I understand.”

I gave a short reply to his request.

After all, the place ahead was not dangerous for me.

I had already given orders to the zombies, and this was essentially a staged play.

My mind wasn’t on the zombies right now; I was thinking about something else.

‘How can I swipe that money?’

Obviously, the delegation wasn’t going empty-handed.

The supply carts were loaded with many treasures.

‘But do zombies even need gold and riches?’

Thinking about it, zombies were creatures that only craved humans. Imagining one wearing a gold necklace or a gold ring on its finger didn’t really make sense to me.

Anyway, the strategy the empire’s leadership, including my older brother, the crown prince, was taking was simple.

Instead of trying to seize the city by force, they seemed to be aiming to negotiate peace with the zombies.

The preparations for this negotiation involved gathering wealth.

In a way, it was like bowing to monsters. Some might consider this a disgrace to the empire, but it seemed like the leadership had other plans.

‘Weaponizing the zombies.’

The apocalyptic zombies from Earth had wiped out the city the Duke of Crest ruled in a flash.

That alone was enough to confirm their power.

So, it made sense that the empire would be interested in these zombies.

It wasn’t something to brush off as nonsense, as there were several officers in the delegation with military and strategic expertise.

‘But it’s none of my business.’

Whatever they were planning, their attempt would surely fail.

After all, I was the only one who could control the zombies.

Even though I was a prince, I had no intention of obeying the empire’s will.

All I cared about was getting my hands on that money.

Before long, the carriage reached the city gate.

The soldiers guarding the gate were nowhere to be seen, and instead, the stench of rotting flesh filled the air.

“Ugh. Your Highness, the smell here is unbearable.”

Winston gagged and covered his nose.

The cause was the body parts scattered all over the street.

‘It’s worse than I thought.’

Not long ago, this had been one of the largest and most vibrant cities, but now it was completely different.

The streets once bustling with people were now filled with abandoned carriages and zombies, and the once-grand buildings were stained with dark red blood.

“Grrr.”

The zombies were making eerie noises as they wandered around.

‘My orders are definitely being followed.’

The zombies were just wandering around; they didn’t attack.

Instead, they began doing something unexpected.

“…”

I was left speechless by their actions.

Instead, Winston spoke up with a surprised expression.

“Your Highness! The zombies are bowing to us. They must recognize you as a named one!”

No.

They weren’t bowing to us.

They were specifically bowing to me.

Viscount Lux watched the grim scene of the city, his silence deep and heavy as he scanned the devastation.

Shattered shops, broken windows, and bloodstained walls.

“…”

Once the busiest city, Balderheim had now become a city of death.

Duke Crest, whom he had served loyally all his life, had met his end along with this city, but Lux’s heart was still filled with loyalty to the Crest family.

Now, that loyalty was directed at the Duke’s grandson and the future emperor, Prince Raiel.

“Lord, look over there.”

An officer, sitting by the carriage window, pointed to the other side of the street.

“The zombies aren’t attacking.”

All the officers present were essentially on a journey with the crown prince.

But they had met a strong headwind—the death of the Duke.

With their main base of support, the Crest family, gone, they were now concerned that the crown prince’s ship might sink.

Knowing that if the ship went down, they would perish too, they had all staked their lives on this mission.

‘Using the Duke’s death…’

To overcome this obstacle, they had to use the Duke’s death to their advantage.

And that advantage was the zombies.

Lux had noticed something unusual about the zombies that had swept through the city.

“I’m not sure if it’s because they’re named monsters, but they seem to have intelligence, unlike regular zombies.”

Lux nodded at the officer’s words.

Regular zombies didn’t have any intellectual capacity. They were monsters with a violent nature, attacking without thought, let alone trading.

There were those who had labeled this delegation a gamble.

Even if they were named zombies, what if they turned out to be unintelligent?

Besides, there had been tens of thousands of people living in Balderheim. If they had all turned into zombies, the delegation would have been nothing more than food for them.

But that worst-case scenario didn’t happen.

The zombies in the streets didn’t attack the delegation, even though they had spotted them.

Instead, they bowed their heads as though greeting them.

“It seems they are welcoming us.”

“Interesting.”

Lux narrowed his eyes.

These zombies were far more intelligent than expected.

If they could be controlled…

It would be an enormous opportunity.

An opportunity to raise the empire even higher.

An opportunity to solidify the crown prince’s position!

The other officers seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and one by one, they started voicing their thoughts.

“Indeed. With that level of intellect, as His Highness said, it’s not impossible to use them as weapons.”

“If this negotiation goes well, we may be able to control them ourselves.”

As Lux listened to the officer’s opinion, his gaze turned toward the carriage ahead.

Inside it was Crown Prince Kain Chronos.

“Control, huh…”

Though Kain was the representative of the delegation, he was only a sixteen-year-old prince.

In the end, the practical negotiations and decisions would go the way Lux wanted, and Lux’s will aligned with the crown prince’s intentions.

‘The eighth prince will be thoroughly excluded here.’

Viscount Lux gaze revealed an unyielding determination, not allowing for even the slightest variable.

A short while later, the delegation arrived at the Duke’s mansion, located at the city’s center.

Upon arrival, two zombies opened the main gate.

As they moved inside, they saw zombies patrolling the mansion’s surroundings in groups.

“Indeed… is this even possible?”

The zombies moved as if they were one organized army.

“Viscount, it seems that…”

A captain lowered his voice and spoke.

“It appears the one controlling the zombies has turned the entire city into a dungeon.”

Viscount Lux’s expression hardened. The captain’s words were correct.

This city had already become like a dungeon.

If so, how incredible must the one responsible for such a feat be?

“…”

The hopeful plans he had held just moments ago seemed to collapse all at once.

To destroy a city in such a short time and then turn it into a dungeon?

A sense of unease washed over him, realizing that this opponent was not as simple as he had expected.

‘Why didn’t I think of that?’

If someone could control a dungeon of this scale…

The worst-case scenario flashed through the Viscount’s mind.

‘A lich? It can’t be the Archlich, can it?’

Zombies were undead monsters. The only higher undead capable of controlling them were liches.

“…”

Viscount Lux bit his lip but he couldn’t retreat here.

At the very least, he had to meet with the person in charge and speak with them.

Soon, the mansion’s front door opened wide, and zombies came out in a line.

The leading zombies were carrying a magnificent box.

“A box?”

Not just Viscount Lux, but everyone held their breath and watched as the zombies opened the box’s lid.

“AAAAHHHHH!”

Inside the box, only the head of a zombie remained, and it let out a terrifying scream.

The delegation members flinched and stepped back.

The head screamed for a while, but suddenly became quiet after noticing something.

“…”

Following the zombie head’s gaze, Viscount Lux turned his head as well.

‘The Crown Prince?’

There, standing in front of them, was the Eighth Prince.

Was it merely a coincidence?

The zombie head suddenly screamed again, as though it was saying something.

“AAHHH! AHHH! AHHH!”

With those sounds, the zombies quickly closed the box’s lid.

Thud—

Then, they carried the box and casually retreated back into the mansion.

“…?”

What was that? What did we just see?

Viscount Lux was confused by the scene they had just witnessed.

Not only the Viscount but everyone present was also confused.

What was the sudden behavior of the zombies? And why did they stop screaming?

Could it have been some kind of message for the delegation?

‘I don’t know.’

As expected, looking around, everyone seemed to be trembling with fear.

Except for one person.

‘Kain?’

The Eighth Prince, Kain Chronos, remained calm even after the strange spectacle. He wasn’t just calm; he was moving toward the mansion.

Stepping into the mansion, which had once been the ‘Duke’s residence’ but had now become the zombies’ lair, Viscount Lux heard Winston calling from behind.

“Your Highness! Moving so recklessly is dangerous!”

Here, the chances of me being in any immediate danger were essentially zero.

I had just realized something important: the zombies recognized me.

‘Do they recognize me as the Master?’

The game’s title was Dungeon Master.

It seemed like they were bowing to me, thinking of me as the Master.

At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but I quickly realized that the zombies were specifically bowing in my direction.

‘Moreover, the zombie head stopped when it saw me.’

The zombie head, which had been screaming just moments ago, went quiet when it made eye contact with me.

That confirmed it.

They recognized me.

This was probably true not just for the zombies, but for other dungeon monsters as well.

‘Thanks to that, things will go more smoothly.’

Initially, I had been worried they might attack me, but now I felt assured that I was safe.

So, while everyone else stood outside in confusion, I confidently entered the mansion.

‘The problem is communication.’

Unfortunately, even though I was recognized as the Master, that didn’t mean I could understand the zombies’ speech.

Their screams were just “AAHHH” or “GRRR” to my ears.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter if we don’t communicate.’

After all, this negotiation didn’t need language to work.

As long as things went my way, that was all that mattered.

‘I’m starting the negotiation manipulation now.’

From here on out, I would no longer be the prince. I would be an actor playing my role.