I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 347

Chapter 347: Family (17)

“According to the note… we have to go in there?”

“…Yes.”

Harnie’s voice was laced with apprehension.

Yes, this was a place we shouldn't enter.

Even setting aside the game mechanics, this wasn't somewhere to tread lightly.

The main setting of Chapter 1 was the Duchy.

Therefore, I knew.

I knew that the training grounds and the basement, with their forbidden danger levels, were considered the most dangerous areas.

But strictly speaking, that wasn't entirely true.

Because the truly dangerous area… was somewhere else.

The training grounds were tricky because of the knights swarming the area, their hostility represented by the abundance of negative affinity gray boxes. The sheer number of dangerous choices due to the low affinity was daunting, but entering the area itself was possible.

The basement’s danger stemmed from its status as a forbidden zone. Avoiding the countless eyes within the Duchy and infiltrating the basement was a challenge, location-wise. But if you timed it right, when no one was looking, it was possible to access it.

However, this place was different.

Simply entering it guaranteed a bad ending.

It carried a level of danger unmatched by any other area.

A place I had to avoid at all costs.

A place protected by a barrier different from danger levels, choices, or affinity.

It was the tomb of the Duke of Bagrand.

Common sense dictated that this was a place one should never enter.

It was the resting place of the former Duke, the one who had ruled the Bagrand Duchy. It was absurd for me, an outsider, to set foot inside.

There were countless ways things could go wrong.

I could be accused of trying to steal the valuables within, my supposed "true nature" as a common thief exposed, leading to my expulsion. Or they might question my audacity, a nobody entering the tomb of their father. I could be seized and thrown out on the spot.

As mentioned in the behind-the-scenes story, Isabella's affinity, already fragile due to the Duke's absence, would plummet, blocking off any potential paths forward. Not to mention, the other servants within the manor would surely look upon me with disdain.

Sneaking in? That wasn't an option either.

Any trace of my presence within the tomb would lead to my downfall, guaranteeing a bad ending.

And yet… I had to enter.

“This is a race against time.”

“What?”

“If anyone finds us here, there’s no way to explain ourselves. We have to search the tomb as quickly as possible and get out.”

Simply being near the tomb, let alone inside it, was dangerous.

So I had to be quick.

With no other options, I had to win this through speed.

There was no other way but to retrieve the treasure inside and clear this episode as quickly as possible.

Harnie nodded in understanding.

“But you can’t go alone.”

“What?”

“There seem to be a lot of magical traps here. Some of them are dangerous enough to be fatal.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because of this.”

Harnie pointed to the area above her chest, where her maid uniform was fastened.

That was where she usually kept her protective jewel, the one that had always kept her safe.

“It’s been resonating with my mana, sending out warnings. That’s how I know.”

“…”

If that was true…

Then the tomb was filled with traps.

It wasn't surprising. This was the resting place of the Duke of Bagrand.

But I couldn't see them.

I couldn’t see anything.

Not the traps, nor any sign of pursuit.

“Now you understand why I insisted on coming with you, right?”

“…”

“We have plenty of time, so it’s best to finish this quickly, don’t you think?”

Harnie retied her purple ribbon as she continued.

“I’ll take the lead and detect the traps with my magic. Just follow me this time, and don’t argue.”

She stepped forward confidently and extended her hand.

There was no point in arguing.

The Duke’s tomb was massive, with multiple layers.

It wasn’t a simple burial mound.

Its sheer size rivaled that of a royal tomb.

We surveyed the surroundings as we approached the entrance to the tomb itself.

Just like outside, the inside was quiet.

“Fortunately, it’s quiet. Entering shouldn’t be a problem.”

“…”

It was fortunate that the knights were preoccupied with the manor, leaving the tomb unguarded.

But… there was something unsettling about this silence.

Normally, a tomb like this would be heavily guarded.

Even if not, considering it was the Duke's tomb, there should have been guards posted to prevent grave robbers.

‘The fact that there’s no one here…’

…was impossible, unless there was a war or something.

This meant someone had intervened.

And the only person who could have done that…

“Carsein? Carsein?”

“…Ah.”

“What’s wrong? You’ve been spacing out. You’re the one who said we’re short on time.”

Harnie’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Right. I didn’t have time for this.

“The note said we have to reach the altar.”

“That must be the deepest part of the tomb. We need to hurry.”

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

▶ Gather the five treasures of the Empire to create a dimensional portal. ◀

▶ Obtain the third treasure within the Duke of Bagrand’s tomb. ◀

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

***

-Ding!

▶ Entered the tomb of Rossel Bagrand. ◀

Despite the obvious danger, there was no warning message.

Even though there were surely traps laid out to threaten my life, there was no indication of the danger level.

There was no information about what actions might trigger a bad ending.

There was nothing.

I had nothing to rely on but my own senses, my experience, and my calculations.

“There’s a hollow space beneath this section of the floor. If our weight shifts, the floor will flip, and we’ll fall. There’s probably a pit below, or blades waiting for us.”

Indeed, after passing that section, I saw a dark, viscous liquid, thick and red, coating the floor below.

“Let’s stay low here. Around this height. There are thin cracks in the walls. If we go any higher, something invisible will slice us.”

As we reached the midpoint, I saw a severed head lying on the floor, a grim reminder of the fate that awaited careless intruders.

“It’s a trapped corridor. A double trap, at that. It seems we have to stick to the inner wall, but not too close. Judging by the cracks, the layers are different. Let’s step as close to the edge as possible without falling.”

As we proceeded, the walls on either side suddenly split apart. The outer wall seemed to have been a separate layer entirely, while thin, sharp blades emerged from the cracks in the inner wall.

The interior of the tomb was vastly different from the spacious main chamber.

The deeper we went, the more dangerous and complex the traps became.

We were able to avoid most of them.

If there was a mechanism we had to disable, we calculated the solution and proceeded.

But we couldn’t just bulldoze our way through.

Because sometimes, we had to stop.

“…”

Harnie had stopped me. There was a magical trap ahead that I couldn't disable on my own.

She was supposed to dispel the magic… but she wasn’t doing anything.

“Harnie? What’s wrong…?”

“…”

…No. Looking at her expression, I understood.

She wasn’t doing nothing.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“This magic… it’s already active.”

“What?”

“It was triggered before we could even try to dispel it. No, to be precise… it was activated the moment we entered this place…”

Harnie’s violet eyes trembled.

‘…Activated the moment we entered?’

A chill ran down my spine.

Most of the traps I had encountered so far were designed to activate upon the intruder's approach. To protect the tomb, to punish those who dared to enter.

But the fact that it was already active…

Meant something different.

“Are you saying the magic in this tomb was triggered the moment we stepped inside?”

“…I think so, judging by the timing.”

It wasn't strange.

It made sense for the tomb to detect intruders immediately.

That was its purpose.

We hadn’t just intruded upon the tomb.

We had entered the Bagrand Duchy. The entire manor was a fortress.

If there was a device here that emitted a signal…

If a beacon was lit to announce our presence…

If the family somehow learned of our intrusion…

It wouldn't be surprising if knights came to eliminate us.

…But.

Harnie didn’t seem worried.

Even though we should have been running for our lives.

“Carsein… this…”

Her eyes widened, and she pointed at my pocket.

I followed her gaze and couldn’t help but be surprised.

-Ding!

▶ The hidden story of the fourth note has been revealed. ◀

▶ Providing the player with missing information! ◀

[After regaining her senses, Isabella infused the note with as much mana as possible.]

[This tomb can only be accessed by those with the mana of the direct Bagrand bloodline. An object infused with such mana acts as a key.]

The note glowed brightly.

Within it, I saw another aspect of Isabella’s heart.

“…I knew it. The Duchess was trying to help you as much as possible. It seems that act wasn’t something you should regret, Carsein.”

“…”

▶ Under Isabella’s protection, the tomb’s alarm magic will not activate. ◀

***

With the main alarm system disabled, there was nothing to stop us.

Thanks to Isabella’s protection, we were able to bypass the inner chambers and reach the deepest part of the tomb.

▶ Acquired the third treasure, the Phoenix Jade. ◀

Along with an apologetic message explaining why the treasure had to be hidden here, I obtained the Phoenix Jade.

As always, it contained an important message.

Before Karn Bagrand’s message, there was a will left by Rossel Bagrand himself, containing the true message.

Its contents, as expected, were unsettling.

『That demon is disguised as a human. Don’t be fooled by his act. He has deceived the nobles of the Empire, the aristocracy, even the Imperial Family and the entire Pesselus Empire. He waits, hidden behind an invisible mask.』

『He had everything a person could want. Status, wealth, power. He lacked nothing. And yet, he became a demon. And he plotted to bring the world to its knees. That is the true nature of Project Yggdrasil, the plan to cultivate the World Tree, which feeds on human souls.』

『Project Yggdrasil requires five treasures. That is why we had to scatter and hide them. But… that alone won’t be enough to stop him.』

『Because that demon… said the most important ingredient is the frozen soul of a man who has turned his back on the world.』

Next Chapter

Index

Previous Chapter