I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

The soft hum of micro-propellers echoed gently along the upper-deck ventilation corridors of the main Dreadnought. Not long afterward, dozens of camouflaged mechanical-insect reconnaissance drones landed smoothly on the charging platforms in the command room. The central computer immediately absorbed the entire terabytes of raw data recorded by the drones’ optical sensors and mana detectors, processing it into elegant three-dimensional visual reports that floated in the middle of the chamber.

Sylvia, still reclining leisurely in her throne-like chair while sipping floral tea from a delicate porcelain cup, observed the integrated map projection together with her elder sister, Stacia.

Based on a comprehensive analysis of the collected data, the gigantic continent before them was controlled by several major factions. However, the faction that held the widest territory and the most dominant influence was a political entity formed from the remnants of a former superpower of the old era, the nation once known as the land of the panda. In this new world, that civilization had reunited the remnants of its territory and rebuilt its governmental order under a new name: the Tianhua Kingdom.

The drone reports revealed a striking social and technological contrast within the territory of the Tianhua Kingdom.

On one side, their civilization in the central cities or the royal capital was relatively advanced. Skyscrapers left over from the modern era still stood firm, modified with magical rune carvings on their concrete walls. The main streets were illuminated by liquid-magic lamps, and old motor vehicles had been converted to run on mana-crystal energy. These central cities were protected by rows of thick stone fortresses and high-level magic domes that pulsed continuously, creating an oasis of peace that appeared luxurious and magnificent amid the apocalypse.

Yet that beautiful scenery collapsed the moment the view shifted to the peripheral cities or border regions.

Cities located far from the Tianhua Kingdom’s center of power were nothing more than pitiful, squalid settlements. Their buildings were made only of plywood, rusted corrugated iron, or haphazardly stacked brick ruins. Protection in the border cities was minimal; the magic domes there frequently flickered dimly due to insufficient mana-crystal supply, and their protective walls were constructed merely of iron-reinforced wood that would easily shatter if struck by waves of enemies.

This inequality was rooted in the social structure that had formed after the apocalypse. In the Tianhua Kingdom, magic users whose population numbers were relatively small held extremely high social positions. Most of them had grown into extremely arrogant figures who regarded themselves as nobility or "chosen humans" far more noble than ordinary people.

Meanwhile, the majority of ordinary people who possessed no magical talent were forced to survive by traditional means. They used leftover firearms from the old civilization such as assault rifles, sniper rifles, or close-range weapons like steel swords and spears. In the eyes of the elite mages, ordinary people who fought using gunpowder and iron were considered worthless second-class citizens.

Nevertheless, genetic miracles still occasionally occurred. From time to time, children of ordinary people in the peripheral cities succeeded in naturally awakening their magical talent.

However, instead of being welcomed with joy, the awakening of such talent in the border cities became a nightmare. Most of the border-city rulers were mid- or low-level mages who were paranoid. They were extremely afraid that their positions and power would be seized by a younger generation whose potential surpassed their own. As a result, ordinary children who displayed magical talent were forced to train in secret in basements or forbidden forests. If the wicked city rulers learned of their existence, those talented children were often captured and mysteriously eliminated before their potential could develop.

This situation was completely different from what occurred in the capital or major cities of the Tianhua Kingdom.

In the central cities, the rulers and high-ranking royal officials greatly valued magical talent. Because the overall population of magic users was still very small compared to the threats outside, the central government facilitated every prospective mage with magnificent magic academies. Children who managed to enter received free education, luxurious facilities, and full scholarships from the kingdom.

This was precisely what made millions of ordinary people in the peripheral cities dream of going to the capital. They wished to take their children out of suffering. Yet the journey there was almost impossible to undertake. Besides the distances between cities stretching thousands of kilometers, the regions beyond the city walls were a living hell.

The drone reports confirmed that the greatest threats on this continent came not only from the millions of freely roaming zombies including evolved high-rank zombie variants but also from mutated wild beasts. Mana radiation and the fusion of pocket dimensions by the World Avatar had caused wild animals to develop into terrifying gigantic monsters. Winged tigers, stone-armored bears, and packs of double-tailed wolves dominated the wilderness.

As a result of the pressure from both zombie threats and mutated monsters, human territory within the Tianhua Kingdom had shrunk drastically year by year, isolated inside city fortresses ruled by local lords of varying temperaments some tyrannical and fearful of new talent, others wise and striving to protect their people to the best of their ability.

"A truly strange social system," Sylvia murmured while setting her teacup back onto the tray. The Queen of Death slowly shook her head. "Their society is surrounded by enemies from every direction, yet instead of uniting and utilizing every available potential, they are busy oppressing one another and limiting the potential of their own race merely to preserve fragile little thrones."

"Mortal humans are always like that, Sylvia," replied Stacia, who stood beside the main console while rearranging digital analysis files. As Sylvia’s elder sister and also the greatest alchemy and science expert in Nocture, Stacia always viewed such matters from a rational perspective. "When fear dominates their minds, greed and egoism become the primary rudder of their actions. Not every place is as fortunate as my kingdom under your leadership."

Sylvia merely smiled faintly. "Well, it’s not my concern anyway. Whether they go extinct from being eaten by zombies or kill one another among mages, the Tianhua Kingdom is not my territory."

Sylvia rose from her lounge chair, stretching her slender arms into the air. The fabric of her evening gown swayed elegantly with her movement. For months she had only sat aboard the ship, watching the monotonous ocean scenery, drinking tea, and monitoring projection screens. Her adventurous spirit and curiosity were now beginning to claim their due.

"I’m bored," Sylvia said casually, turning toward Stacia with a spark of hidden mischief in her heterochromatic eyes. "I want to go down to that land right now."

Hearing the casual remark from her younger sister, Stacia, who had been typing algorithms on the instrument screen, suddenly froze. The genius girl turned quickly toward Sylvia with eyes wide open.

"Wait a moment! Absolutely not, Sylvia!" Stacia exclaimed reflexively, her voice rising an octave. "You are the highest Queen of Nocture as well as the Supreme Commander of this entire sailing fleet! How could you possibly just jump down onto a foreign land that we haven’t fully mapped yet?!"

Sylvia narrowed her eyes and waved her hand lightly through the air. "Since we’re sailing near the coast, I only want to take a short stroll. Besides, Celes and you are here to watch over the ships for a while. The fleet’s mapping can continue without me sitting motionless on the deck."

"This is not about whether the mapping continues or not, Sylvia!" Stacia stepped forward, blocking her sister’s path with the most serious expression she could manage.

It had been quite some time since Sylvia had felt the suffering of being lectured by Alicia, their eldest sister who was extremely strict, disciplined, and rather fierce back at the Nocture Palace. Because Alicia was thousands of kilometers away on the old continent, Sylvia’s occasionally rebellious nature when dealing with her own family suddenly surfaced. She felt a little free from the rigid supervision of the eldest sister.

Seeing Stacia begin to plant her hands on her hips and attempt to reprimand her, Sylvia actually felt amused. As an elder sister, Stacia was indeed trying to lecture Sylvia so that her younger sibling would not act recklessly. However, the effect of Stacia’s lecture was nowhere near comparable to Alicia’s intimidation. To Sylvia, Stacia’s scolding felt far softer and far less influential compared to the tension created by Alicia when their eldest sister was truly furious.

"Listen to me carefully, Sylvia!" Stacia began lecturing her younger sister at length, her index finger raised in the air with a worried expression. "You cannot always act according to your own whim like this! What if there is a sudden spatial anomaly on that land? What if there is a hidden threat that has not yet been detected? If something happens to you on that land, Alicia will flay my skin alive when we return to Nocture! You know yourself how terrifying Sister Alicia is when she is already enraged!"

Sylvia listened to Stacia’s long lecture with a mischievous smile blooming on her lips. She tilted her head slightly, resting her cheek on her hand. "Oh? So you are more afraid of Sister Alicia’s lecture than of my request, Sister Stacia?"

"Th-that’s... not what I meant!" Stacia flustered, her face suddenly flushing red upon realizing her younger sister’s wordplay. "I mean... your safety as my little sister and our Queen is the number-one priority!"

"Calm down, Sister Stacia," Sylvia laughed softly, her melodious laughter melting the tension in the command room. "You know very well that there is not a single creature on this continent capable of harming my body. The zombies out there would even kneel if I released just one percent of my death aura."

Stacia sighed heavily, her shoulders rising and then slumping in exhaustion. She knew full well that once her stubborn younger sister had made a decision, it was extremely difficult to stop her especially when Sister Alicia was not nearby to deliver a lethal reprimand.

"Haaaah... fine, fine. I know I will never win an argument with you," Stacia surrendered completely, rubbing her forehead that felt somewhat dizzy. Yet her eyes returned to Sylvia with the caring gaze of an elder sister. "But I will not allow you to go down to that land alone! Absolutely not!"

Sylvia raised one eyebrow. "Then? Do you want to come with me?"

"I must remain on the ship to supervise the reactor calibration process and the fleet’s mapping systems," Stacia answered while shaking her head. She then snapped her fingers toward the shadows in the corner of the command room. "But you must bring personal guards."

From behind the shadow of Sylvia’s throne-like chair, a black cat with glowing red eyes stepped out without a sound. That creature was Noir, Sylvia’s zombie dragon who always hid within the Queen’s shadows and had now become a black dragon.

At the same time, Sol, the golden dragon in cat form who had previously been sleeping soundly on the lounge chair, awakened. The golden-furred cat leapt, glided through the air, and landed smoothly upon Sylvia’s right shoulder. Sol meowed softly with an adorable voice, then rubbed its head against Sylvia’s cheek, as if affirming that it was ready to accompany its Queen on an adventure.

"Noir and Sol," Stacia pointed at the two creatures. "They possess true dragon combat power if they transform into their original forms. Only if you bring both of them will I allow you to step down from this ship."

Sylvia stroked Sol’s head on her shoulder, making the little dragon purr happily, then glanced toward Noir who bowed its head in full obedience beside her feet.

"A fair offer," Sylvia answered while smiling with satisfaction at her elder sister. "Agreement accepted, Sister Stacia."

One hour later, the main Dreadnought lowered a small silent-moving magic boat that approached the coastline of the new continent.

Sylvia stepped out of the boat, landing gracefully upon the stretch of beach sand wet with sea foam. Her black leather boots left the first footprints upon the soil of the Tianhua Kingdom. Her black hair fluttered in the sea breeze that carried the scent of earthy acidity and faint residual odors of decay from the distance.

On her shoulder, Sol sat upright, its golden eyes scanning the surrounding area with full vigilance. Meanwhile, at her left side, Noir walked slowly, its body shadow merging perfectly with the shadow of Sylvia’s evening gown.

In accordance with the agreement made with Stacia, once Sylvia had landed safely on the beach, the magic boat was immediately reeled back up onto the ship’s hull.

From the edge of the beach, Sylvia stood watching the gigantic steel fortress of Nocture begin reactivating its main engines. The low humming sound once again echoed across the sea surface. The Eclipse-class Dreadnought fleet slowly turned its bow, sailing away from the land once more to continue their primary mission: traversing the vast oceans and mapping the remaining regions of the new Earth still hidden behind the fog of mystery.

The silhouette of the gigantic ships gradually shrank on the horizon, merging with the blue of the sea and the afternoon sky.

Now, on the edge of a foreign land filled with political chaos, an arrogant mage hierarchy, and the threat of millions of freely roaming zombies, the Queen of Death stood together with her two guardian creatures.

Sylvia curved a thin smile full of charm as well as lethal danger. She straightened the folds of her evening gown, turned around, and stepped into the darkness of the coastal forest that stretched before her.

"Let us see..." Sylvia whispered softly, her melodious voice sinking into the roar of the land wind. "How interesting the new civilization built by the people of this continent will be."