A map encompassing this world appeared above the status window.

Among them, only the capital Agata of the Kaladia Empire was magnified.

The administrative districts that Emperor Heinzworth had divided were drawn coolly above the Agata map.

Five districts. Unus, Duo, Tres, Quattuor, up to Quinque.

Above the map that resembled looking into a living cell’s crosssection through a microscope, numerous white dots appeared.

‘I did well to close the door before using the skill.’

Just in case someone might come in during this crucial moment and think it strange, I had previously sealed the door.

[The white dots represent the population that used to live in Agata.]

The system window’s dull voice kindly explained.

As befitting the capital of the empire, the densely packed white dots boasted an enormous number.

[Here, we will search for ‘surviving humans’.] [The surviving humans will be marked with blue dots.] [Unidentified error_zombie will be marked with red dots, and the deceased will be marked with black dots.] [START!]

Beebeebeebeebeep…….

“……This is insane.”

As soon as it began, the dense white dots were covered with red and black as if by a wave.

From Unus to the slums of Quinque, all of it.

The Unus district where the palace was located was mostly red, with only a very small part colored black.

Starting from the palace, the white dots spread like paint on water, and were stained red and black in an instant.

「……This can’t be a joke?」

“My words exactly…….”

The wave resembling a trail of bloody stains covered the entire capital.

That perhaps hundreds of thousands of imperial citizens had mostly turned into zombies or lost their lives.

‘I hardly see any blue dots…….’

I was speechless at the expected but cruel reality.

At best, precious blue dots were spotted only in the Duo district where central nobles like the Keaton Duke and rural nobles lived.

Perhaps, like the Duke of Keaton, they were preserving their lives by operating magical barriers using magic stones.

‘The nobles probably still have food stored in their mansions so they might be safe for now, but…….’

Maybe there’s chaos inside with people fighting among themselves.

With a complicated heart, I stared hard at the blue dots, and the status window informed Zero.

[Search complete.] [The living ‘humans’ are all the blue dots shown on the map.]

「You’ve worked hard.」

Zero replied dryly to the search window, and together we looked at who had survived.

Noble families that survived in the capital were as follows.

The Duke of Daymon, the Viscount of Celeste, the Count of Lutri.

These three noble families alone owned the small blue dots in their city mansions.

“Only these three noble families survived in Duo, the nobles’ street?”

There were so many noble families in the capital!

The surviving noble families were highly regarded, but there were plenty of other decent families in the capital.

It was strange since almost all noble mansions would have barriers, given that a noble family without one was ridiculed for being poor.

‘The nearly annihilated middlenoble street Tres…….’

Doctors, wealthy merchants, lawyers, etc. lived in Tres street, which had magical barriers like Duo street but was now completely filled with red and black.

Seeing the map entirely painted in red and black, I could only groan.

I pointed to Duo, the street of nobles, filled with red and black dots, and asked Zero to inquire.

“Zero, can you ask the search window why this happened?”

「Understood. Search window, why are there almost no survivors in Duo and Tres street?」

The status window promptly responded to our curiosity.

[The crown prince’s wedding, the nobles who attended.] [Those infected in the palace turned into zombies and seemed to have a homing instinct to find their homes.] [Thus, the infection began in Duo and Tres streets.]

“Ah…….”

I understood what happened in an instant.

Seeing the zombies roaming the streets, the nobles must have immediately activated their magical barriers.
But what would they have thought when they saw their family members trying to come back as zombies?

Even if it was only until this morning, if their sons and daughters, husbands, wives, parents, or siblings were wandering near the house in a gruesome state.

‘I must have failed miserably by opening the barrier, unable to turn away from them…’

Because of the hope that even if they looked like the zombies wandering the streets, my family would be different.

Most of the nobles either turned into zombies or died as prey.

‘…Horrible.’

I never thought the damage would be this severe.

I thought at least the nobles would be alive, but looking at the reality made me feel like I would vomit.

“That means the mansions of the surviving noble families must have firmly shut their doors, even if they saw their family members become zombies.”

[Yes.]

The blue dots on the status window glowed faintly.

“……We should be thankful that at least those people survived.”