Chapter 1

Blink.

I barely managed to lift my heavy eyelids. My mind was foggy, like I could drift off any second.

A sharp ringing echoed in my ears, and my vision was so blurry that I couldn’t see a thing.

‘What… just happened?’

I slowly tried to piece it together from the beginning.

We were on our way to the academy entrance ceremony for our youngest sibling—the baby of the family, much younger than the rest of us.

Since everyone had been too busy to gather lately, it was a rare moment when the whole family was riding together in one carriage. Worried we might be late, we decided to take a shortcut.

Right, it was around the time my usually playful second brother, Isaac, made a joke about how my pet cat, Rev, looked like she’d gained some weight lately.

‘Then all of a sudden, the carriage shook violently. Isaac grabbed my arm and…’

Threw me out with all his strength.

The moment I recalled that, my hazy vision slowly started to clear. My entire body was screaming in pain from having rolled across the hard ground.

I was just about to push myself up when—

Step. Step.

Footsteps.

I instantly went limp and held my breath. Some deep instinct told me I absolutely must not let them know I was alive.

“…Did they all die?”

My heart dropped like a stone at those words. But the strangers, after poking around a bit, seemed convinced.

“His chest was pierced clean through.”

“Looks like the rest were mashed to bits inside the carriage.”

“We’re done here. Let’s go.”

With that, the sounds of their presence gradually faded away.

I lay there for a long time. Afraid that if I moved too soon, they might come back and discover I’d survived.

Only after what felt like ages did I finally try to get up.

I collapsed twice just trying to stand. I must’ve twisted my ankle when I was thrown out—it was nearly impossible to walk properly.

Limping, I managed a few unsteady steps. The fog began to lift a little, revealing what lay ahead.

“……”

I couldn’t say a word.

The carriage was so mangled it was barely recognizable. Even the tree we’d slammed into had its trunk broken, slumped forward like it was bowing.

But the worst part… was the pool of blood on the ground.

Between the shattered wreckage of the carriage, I saw a hand sticking out.

The thick calluses on the palm told me it could only be my second brother, Isaac.

Just like the moment he’d thrown me out, he was crushed beneath the remains of the carriage.

There was no sign at all of my eldest brother, who must’ve been sitting deeper inside. And Yullia, who had been sitting across from me…

I spotted her not far off.

It looked like she’d been flung forward when the carriage broke apart. If she’d been lucky, maybe she could’ve survived like I had—but her luck had run out.

A branch had pierced straight through the center of her chest.

Only then did I truly realize—I was the only one left alive.

In this place steeped in death, I remained still for a long time, silent.

Despair swept over my entire body. A low, beast-like cry slipped out between my clenched teeth.

“Yulli… Ed… Isaac…!”

I barely managed to call their names, but all I got in return was the eerie rustle of wind brushing through the branches.

“Please… say something.”

I collapsed onto the ground and curled up. My fingertips burned raw from scraping the dirt.

But none of that mattered in the slightest.

“Please…”

My voice faded out into silence.

The life I thought would last forever had shattered in an instant. I covered my face with both hands.

It felt like I was trapped in a nightmare. How could this possibly be real? It felt like a cruel, tasteless joke.

But the sharp, aching weight rising up from deep inside my chest—pressing against my throat—proved that this was reality.

“……”

That was the moment it hit me.

As I stood before the corpses, their blood not even dried yet—I realized what I could do.

The hesitation was brief, the decision instant. I wiped the wet tears from my cheeks with my sleeve, then slowly opened and closed my eyes.

And I called for my long-time partner.

“Rev.”

– Yaaawn~ What, we’re already there… huh?

From beneath the wrecked carriage, the ragged corpse of a cat suddenly sprang upright.

– What the heck! I just had my fur perfectly groomed and now it’s a mess!

He didn’t seem the least bit concerned that his hind legs were nearly pulp. Rev gave a shiver, shook off the dust, and only then seemed to realize something had happened.

– Tch. Humans really do die so easily, huh.

With his front paw—bent at an unnatural angle—he nudged Isaac’s corpse.

“Rev. Help me.”

– O young contractor. What is it that you seek from me?

His voice cracked dry and brittle as he continued.

“I’m going to bring them all back—as zombies.”

* * *

Clap clap clap clap!

“And with that, the entrance ceremony for the Bellond National Academy has concluded!”

The children, unable to hide their boredom, shot to their feet the moment the ceremony ended. As they turned around, their families greeted them with bright, cheerful smiles.

One by one, they took their parents’ hands and began to leave the hall—except for one boy, who remained seated.

His name was Andrea Walker.

The youngest son—born late—of the Duke of Walker. He had been looking around ever since the ceremony began, but not a single trace of his family had appeared, leaving him deeply disheartened.

‘They said they were all coming together…’

Just this morning, they’d promised—even if they were too busy to leave with him, they’d definitely be there by the end of the ceremony.

Andrea lightly tapped the chair leg with the tip of his shoe.

He was upset, but he could understand. His siblings were all more than ten years older than him—he knew, at least vaguely, how busy their lives were.

“Is that boy…?”

“I heard someone from the Walker ducal house was enrolling this year…”

“Then that must be him?”

He was used to the whispers. People pretended not to stare as they threw glances in Andrea’s direction.

Tears welled in his wide eyes, and the way he tightly pressed his lips together, as if holding something in, made him look just like a doll—adorably so.

Just then, all eyes turned toward the people entering the hall.

Someone let out a breath they hadn’t meant to.

As Andrea sulked, pouting his lips, a shadow fell over his head.

Only then did he slowly look up.

A familiar face beamed down at him with a bright smile.

“Our baby brother. Who told you to sit there looking so cute, huh?”

“Isaac!”

“There we are. Sorry we’re late. A little something came up.”

“The carriage broke down, so we had to stop by a nearby town and send for another one. That’s why we’re late.”

Andrea leapt to his feet. He rushed to hug Isaac in delight—only to pause when he noticed something off.

“Huh? Where are your glasses?”

“I left them off today to look cool. What, is it weird?”

“Yeah. Your face is scary—you have to wear them all the time.”

“Why you little—! That’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?”

Isaac easily scooped Andrea up into his arms, like he was handling a baby. It was a light, effortless motion.

“Put me down! I’m not a kid anymore!”

“You’re eleven. That’s peak baby age, buddy.”

“Am not!”

Andrea protested so fiercely that Isaac had to put him down again.

“Ed, Yullia. And Emily.”

Andrea looked up at the rest of his siblings, beaming.

“You’re the best! I’m so happy!”

“Oh really, and what about me?”

“You’re always messing around~!”

As Andrea grumbled, Isaac huffed and made a move to lift him up again.

“Cut it out.”

Edmund stopped him.

With a brief grip on Isaac’s wrist—a silent warning—he let go just as quickly. But that was more than enough for Isaac, the ever-perceptive second son, to understand his older brother’s intent.

“Yeah yeah~ Got it. You’re always babying the youngest, you know that?”

Isaac lifted his hands and stepped back with a grin. A sign of surrender.

“Is Yullia sick or something?”

“She got a little motion sick on the way here. She’ll be fine soon~.”

Emily stepped in front of Yullia slightly as she answered, shifting to block Andrea’s view.

Because of that, what filled Andrea’s field of vision next was a big black cat.

“Oh! Rev came too!”

“Yep. He came to celebrate with you!”

Emily grinned and held up the cat she’d been carrying in her arms. Andrea, who had a particular fondness for Rev, immediately lit up.

“Woooow! Thanks, Rev!”

As Andrea roughly patted Rev’s head, the cat flinched away in disgust.

His tail flicked sharply, showing just how displeased he was.

“Congratulations again on getting into the Academy.”

Emily smiled brightly as she said it, and Andrea looked up at her and nodded.

“Thanks!”

Seeing his smile made it feel like every worry in the world had vanished.

* * *

Tap.

As Edmund stepped out of Andrea’s room and gently closed the door, Isaac leaned in and asked quietly,

“He asleep?”

Edmund gave a silent nod in response.

“Good. Now we can finally talk.”

A sharp glint flickered in Isaac’s eyes, catching in the dim light. Without his glasses to soften his features, his gaze looked outright fierce.

All traces of his usual smile were gone, and for a fleeting moment, there was even a hint of anger in his face.

“Emily Walker. What the hell did you do?”

All of my siblings’ eyes turned to me at once.

I had no idea where to even begin. When I first discovered this power… when our parents found out… when I made the contract with Rev…

All of it flashed through my mind in an instant—but I knew there was a simpler, more effective explanation.

“To put it simply… our current state is kind of like… zombies.”