The Damn Family Is Back Again

347. Family (17)

“If it’s as written on the note… I have to go in here, right?”

“…Yes.”

Harnie expressed concern.

Yes. This is definitely a place one should not enter.

Even aside from the in-game aspects, this is not a place to enter recklessly.

The main stage of Chapter 1 was the duke’s mansion.

Therefore, I know.

The training grounds and the basement, which have a forbidden danger level, are considered the most dangerous fields.

But strictly speaking, this is incorrect.

The truly dangerous field… was elsewhere.

The training ground is a field of knights teeming with gray boxes of negative intimacy. The key is how to survive in such a place. The infinitely low intimacy means that dangerous choices abound, which is suffocating, but stepping into it is possible.

The basement was problematic due to its status as a forbidden field. Entering it while avoiding the numerous eyes within the ducal house was a positional challenge, but if one aimed for a time when those eyes were absent, it seemed possible to approach even then.

However, this place is different.

A place where just entering guarantees a bad ending.

A place that harbors dangers incomparable to other fields.

A place that one must give up entering, no matter what.

A place with barriers of a different dimension than danger, choices, or intimacy.

That place was none other than the tomb of Duke Bagrand.

Even thinking logically, it was a field that should never be entered.

It was the resting place of the duke who once ruled the Bagrand ducal house, and it made no sense for an outsider like Karsein to set foot there.

Moreover, the possibility of getting entangled in all sorts of rumors was not small.

Simply entering to steal numerous treasures could lead to being chased out with the label of a beggar, or being questioned why one dared to enter the grave where their father was buried, or being thrown out on the spot with one’s neck grabbed for entering without knowing one’s place.

As mentioned in the backstory, Isabella, who still felt the absence of the duke, would see her intimacy plummet, blocking any progress, and it was obvious that the other servants within the ducal house would also view it unfavorably.

Sneaking in? That choice was impossible in this field.

For whatever reason, entering this place would leave traces, leading to being caught later, so entering meant a bad ending was already confirmed.

And now… I was in a position where I had to enter such a field.

“This is a race against time.”

“What?”

“No matter who catches us, it will be impossible to explain this situation. We have no choice but to search the tomb as quickly as possible.”

Inside Duke Bagrand’s tomb? No. Just being in front of it, just being inside the mausoleum, even just lingering nearby would be dangerous.

So, we have to finish this as quickly as possible.

With no way out, we have no choice but to win by time.

There is no other way but to obtain the treasure inside and clear this episode as soon as possible.

Harni nodded in agreement.

“But, you can’t do it alone.”

“What?”

“Here. For some reason, it seems to be full of magical devices. There are also dangerous traps that could cost you your life.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because of this.”

Harni pointed to the upper part of the maid outfit she was temporarily wearing.

That spot is where the protective jewel that always guarded her life is located.

“It has been resonating with my magic and sending warnings since earlier. That’s how I know.”

“…”

If that’s true…

Does that mean the inside is full of all kinds of traps?

It’s not surprising. After all, it’s the place where the remains of Duke Bagland are buried.

But I can’t see it.

I couldn’t see any trace of it.

Not to mention tracking, I couldn’t sense any sign of traps around.

“Do you understand why I said I would follow you?”

“…”

“Since we have plenty of time, wouldn’t it be better to get it over with quickly?”

Harnie continued, tying her hair back with a purple ribbon.

“I’ll use magic to find the location of the traps. This time, just follow me without any complaints.”

She confidently stepped forward and extended her hand to me.

No matter what I said now, I wouldn’t be able to stop her.

As it was the tomb of Duke Bagrand, its size was doubled and tripled.

It wasn’t an ordinary tomb, so thinking of it as just a single stone tomb would be a mistake.

From its grand size alone, it was already comparable to a royal tomb.

As we carefully surveyed the surroundings, we reached a place that could be called a mausoleum.

Just like outside, the inside of the mausoleum was quiet.

“Fortunately, it’s quiet around here. It won’t be difficult to enter.”

“…”

It was fortunate, if anything. The knights were fully focused on the duke’s residence, so there was no one watching this place.

However… there was also a strange sense of unease.

Normally, there should be knights guarding such a mausoleum.

Even if not, considering it was the duke’s tomb, it would be normal to have people stationed to prevent anyone from tampering with the remains.

‘The fact that all the personnel have been withdrawn…’

Unless a war had broken out, it was an impossible situation.

So, this must be the result of some kind of intervention.

The one who can do that is…

“Karsein? Karsein?”

“…Ah.”

“What’s wrong? You’ve been spacing out since earlier. You’re the one who said we don’t have time.”

Harnie snapped me out of my reverie.

Right. Now is not the time to be like this.

“The note must reach the altar.”

“It must be in the deepest part. We need to hurry.”

▶Episode XLIV. The Five Treasures is in progress.◀

▶You must gather the five treasures existing in the empire to create a dimensional portal.◀

▶Obtain the third treasure from the tomb of Duke Bagland.◀

▶Clearing this episode will complete the game, and the player will return to reality.◀

*

-Ding!

▶You have entered the field of Roselle Bagland’s tomb.◀

Even though it was clearly dangerous, there was no danger warning.

Even though something was obviously set up to threaten my life, there was no indication of the level of danger.

Also, it didn’t tell me what kind of careless action would lead to a bad ending for me.

There was no information at all.

With nothing given to me, the only thing I could rely on was my body’s senses. And the knowledge from experience and calculation.

“There is an empty space below this path. The moment the center of gravity shifts, the top and bottom will reverse, and we will fall. Below, well, it’s a cliff, so we’ll either die or the blades will be waiting for us.”

Indeed, after passing through that section, a dark place was occupied by a red, hard-sticking liquid.

“Let’s lower our posture here. About this height, I guess. As we came here, there were fine cracks in the wall. If we go above a certain height, the invisible things will cut our flesh.

Around the midpoint, the head of an intruder who tried to pass carelessly was rolling on the floor.

“It looks like a path full of traps. It’s a double mechanism. It seems we should stick to the inner wall, but not too close. Judging by the cracks, it feels like different layers are attached. Let’s step only as far as we can without falling.”

Later, both sides split completely. The wall close to the outside seemed to have flown in whole from wherever it was attached, and on the inner wall, thin thorny blades rose from the fine cracks.

The inner chamber was distinctly different from the clearly wide tomb.

From the entrance of the inner chamber to the deeper inside, the deeper it went, the more dangerous and complex traps were installed.

Most of what could be avoided was avoided.

If there was a device to solve, it was calculated, controlled, and passed.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t just bulldoze my way through this tomb.

That’s because, occasionally, there were times when I had to stop like this.

“…”

Harniye just called me to this spot. Because I have to solve the magical trap ahead with my own hands.

So now I have to deactivate that magic… but she is doing nothing right now.

“Harniye? Why are you…”

“…”

…No. I understand from her expression.

She is not doing nothing.

“What is it? What’s the situation?”

“This, the magic has already activated on its own.”

“What?”

“Even before we could undo it. No, to be precise… the magic has been active since we arrived here…”

Harnié’s violet eyes trembled.

‘…It has been active since we arrived here?’

A chill ran down my spine.

The magic I had seen so far was mostly prepared to eliminate intruders. To prevent intruders from entering this tomb, the sharp blades were honed to thoroughly punish those who dared to enter the Duke’s grave.

But the fact that it was already activated…

It’s a different story.

“Are you saying that the magic installed in this tomb has been active since we set foot here?”

“…Probably, yes. In terms of time.”

It didn’t matter what kind it was.

It wasn’t strange to notice when an intruder set foot.

That itself.

Because it is the security system of this tomb.

The intruder didn’t just recklessly set foot inside the tomb.

The place they set foot in was originally the Duke of Bagland’s estate. This place itself was no different from a fortress.

If there was a device here that made a sound.

If a beacon was lit here to signal the arrival of an intruder.

In any way, if the occurrence of an intruder was detected within the family.

It wasn’t unusual for intruders to come here from outside the mausoleum to be eliminated.

…However.

Harnie didn’t seem in a hurry at all.

Even though the knights of the duke’s house would soon storm in, and we should be fleeing as if our feet were on fire.

“Karsein. This…”

With her eyes wide open, Harnie pointed to my pocket with her finger.

When I turned my eyes there, I couldn’t help but be surprised as well.

-Ding!

▶The hidden story of the fourth note has appeared.◀

▶Providing the player with missing information!◀

[Isabella, after regaining her sanity, put as much mana into the note as she could and handed it over.]

[This mausoleum is a place that cannot be accessed without the mana of the direct bloodline of the family, and items containing mana are used as entry passes.]

A brightly glowing note.

Inside it, another part of Isabella’s heart could be seen.

“…As expected. The Duchess was trying to help you as much as she could. It seems that action was never something to regret, Karsein.”

“…”

▶With Isabella’s protection, the alarm magic inside the mausoleum does not activate.◀

*

With the largest alarm device gone, there was nothing blocking our way.

With Isabella’s protection, we were able to go beyond the inner chamber and reach the deepest part of the tomb.

▶The Third Treasure. Acquired the Phoenix Jade.◀

With an apology message that it had to be hidden here somehow, the third treasure was obtained.

As always, it contained important messages.

Before Karn Bagland’s message, the will left directly by Rossell Bagland contained the real message here.

As expected, the content was quite unsettling.

『That demon is disguised as a human. Pretending to be stupid, but don’t believe it. It deceived not only the nobles of the empire but also the noble society, and furthermore, the entire imperial family and the Peselos Empire, hiding behind an absolutely invisible mask, waiting.』

『It had everything one could have in terms of status. It had all the money one could have. It had everything without any lack. But it became a demon. Not satisfied with that, it planned to put the world under its feet. That is the true nature of the Yggdrasil Project, a plan to grow the World Tree that feeds on human souls.』

『The Yggdrasil Project requires five treasures. Therefore, we had to thoroughly spread and hide this. But… that alone will not be enough to stop it.』

『That demon… said the most important thing is the soul of a human who has turned away from the world and frozen cold.』