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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Hwaji's Royal Mausoleum (2)
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"In my opinion, this place is..."
All eyes turned to Serena. She had grown accustomed to being the center of attention since reincarnating as a princess, but the urgency of the situation made her a bit tense.
"It seems like the royal family's mausoleum."
"The Royal Mausoleum? Oh, so it really exists. As expected of Lady Serena."
"It does look like the Royal Mausoleum!"
Philia and Hanson immediately agreed with Serena's guess. Chrome and Lavenda looked puzzled.
"Princess, what's a Royal Mausoleum?"
"Think of it as a large family tomb. Instead of burying the bodies, they seal the coffins and place them inside a building."
"Even if it's large, still..."
Chrome looked around and spoke again.
"What kind of tomb has a fountain?"
"I find that strange too, but if it's a stone structure this massive underground near Hwajichen, nothing else comes to mind but the Royal Mausoleum."
"Near Hwajichen? But we were in Hwajichen."
"Zone 7 is an expanded area. It grew bit by bit as the population increased. This seems like a mausoleum built before that."
Since there were people who might not know, Serena explained why she thought this was the Royal Mausoleum.
"The Hwaji royal family, the Hwaim line, has suffered frequent tomb robberies since ancient times. Direct and collateral royals alike were hit hard. Before they secured safe sea routes to the continent, tomb raiders even crossed those mountains."
"Whoa, over those mountains?"
"Ugh, those heaven-cursed scoundrels."
"So, after much deliberation, our ancestors built the Royal Mausoleum. But no matter how secret they kept it, a large mausoleum meant more people would learn of it. They ended up abandoning exposed ones and building new ones repeatedly."
The dynasty was so long-lived that they sometimes built new mausoleums simply because they ran out of space for coffins.
In any case, some mausoleums were properly maintained and passed down, while others were forgotten as records vanished. A thousand-year dynasty naturally loses records over time.
"This might be one of those forgotten ones. A stone building underground near Hwajichen with magical devices. It fits almost perfectly."
A fountain with endless water, bright lobby without visible lights, ventilation that keeps air flowing without stagnation—easy to overlook but essential.
All powered by magic or equivalent technology.
Philia and Hanson nodded like diligent students listening to their teacher. Chrome nodded as if convinced.
"Didn't know such a thing existed."
"......"
Lavenda alone still looked grim. Deciding to share some good news for the homesick girl, Serena spoke up.
"If this is indeed the Royal Mausoleum as I suspect, there's some good news."
"Is there another exit besides this one?"
Lavenda bit at the good news bait immediately. Serena shook her head.
"Not that, but the coffin chambers have communication orbs connected to the palace. That's the tradition."
It was a tradition from eras when medicine wasn't advanced enough for certain death diagnoses.
'If it was built before communicators were invented, we're in trouble. But even then, they connected it to external bells.'
Philia suddenly exclaimed as Serena got that far.
"That's right!"
"What is it all of a sudden?"
"My communicator! There's one connected to it!"
"Wow! You have a communicator?"
"Heavens, those things are expensive."
Everyone lit up at the mention of Philia's communicator—everyone except Serena.
"Hm."
Philia hurriedly pulled the communicator from the pouch at her waist. She uttered the activation word, but it didn't respond.
"Huh? What's wrong? Dear! Can you hear me?"
"Your confidence in this being the mausoleum must come from that."
"Pardon? From the communicator not working?"
"You can probably only use it in the coffin chambers. Other areas are blocked."
"Do they have to go that far just to stop tomb raiders, Princess?"
"First time hearing this."
"News to me too!"
"Don't underestimate tomb raiders. They have the audacity to defy royal authority, the shamelessness to disturb the dead, archaeological and architectural knowledge to locate and map tombs, appreciation for artifacts' value, aesthetic and literary insight, and the capital to deploy expensive gear like communicators."
Tomb raiders are that evil and terrifying?
Everyone gasped in unison.
The words carried extra weight coming from a princess plagued by tomb raiders.
"Then we just need to reach the coffin chamber and contact the outside!"
Lavenda's lavender eyes sparkled. She looked ready to dash off to find it right then.
Introductions were done, location identified, escape method revealed. Time to move.
No one ordered it, but all eyes turned to Hanson.
"Eek."
One noble princess, one noblewoman who looked even more precious than the princess.
A woman whose hard labor was, of all things, massage.
And one spry but elderly woman.
"Me?"
Hanson pointed at himself. In this group, I'm the only one who can step up! Like it or not, it's me!
"I'll! G-go, go first!"
Better to volunteer than be pushed; it looks good and boosts reputation.
"I'll take the lead!"
Hanson grabbed his spear and stood bravely. Tense from the responsibility, his speech reverted to odd.
"I wanna fetch the cart too."
Chrome stood and dusted her rear. Lavenda hesitated whether to go, while Philia stayed seated as if it were obvious.
"I'll go too."
"What? Lady Serena, you should stay here!"
"Yes, Princess. It might be dangerous, so please stay."
Philia and Lavenda firmly discouraged the princess's bravado.
'I don't want to go either.'
Serena grimaced inwardly. She desperately wanted to wait calmly like Philia.
'Philia, after over five years serving me, don't you know? I only move when...'
There's no choice.
Where there's good news, there's bad. Serena had one more fact to share with the group.
"If this is the Royal Mausoleum, there's one more thing you all need to know."
Their faces darkened, sensing bad news from her tone. Tense Hanson swallowed hard.
"Even changing locations couldn't stop the tomb raiders. Our fed-up ancestors made a big decision."
"What..."
"They turned every Royal Mausoleum into a dungeon."
Dungeon.
In her past life's games, dungeons were monster-filled spots great for leveling and farming.
This world was similar, with monsters gathered there.
Here, dungeons were typically monster lairs, wizards' secret labs, or nobles' hidden vaults rigged with traps and monsters against intruders.
Natural and artificial dungeons coexisted; Hwaji's mausoleums were all artificial.
"So there are monsters?"
"Mostly traps over monsters. Monsters could disturb the dead's rest."
Maintenance was tough too. Stocking live monsters required ecosystems and constant care, which would expose the location instantly.
Undead could taint the corpses, so they were ruled out from the start.
Thus, the Hwaim family favored golems and traps, using cutting-edge tech with mechanisms that worked even without power.
"But those traps..."
Serena trailed off, rummaging through memories.
'This isn't just bad news; it's really bad.'
As royalty, she'd studied family history, including mausoleum traps.
No proper teachers survived, so she self-studied in the secret library, but the info was consistent.
"There will be a ton of them."
No mercy for grave desecrators. Traps were lethal, evolving with raiders' techniques.
Despair settled on their faces at the news of numerous, potent traps.
Serena quickly reassured them. Morale couldn't drop so soon after crashing here.
"Don't worry too much. This seems like an old one even I don't know, so the traps should be easier to avoid."
"Rusted and broken, maybe?"
"Possible, but..."
Serena answered from her studies.
"Raids continued even after traps, growing sneakier. Traps evolved accordingly, so newer mausoleums are harder."
"With that many traps, how do they perform ancestral rites, Princess?"
"Secret passages!"
Double Hanson brought up passages again.
"Magic, right? I heard even us country folk know—bloodline-responsive magic. Royals pass, raiders get trapped."
Serena shook her head.
"Some were built that way, but raiders found the passages anyway. Bloodline magic... distant heirs can turn raider too."
Philia recalled hazy parental tales.
"Do they complete rites outside? But Mom said royals entered the mausoleums..."
Eighteen years ago's tragedy halted Hwaji royal rites. They held annual memorials in the capital instead.
"There's a class only direct royals take."
Bad news delivered; time for good again. Serena bluffed to lift spirits.
"Memorizing trap layouts and patterns."
'Self-studied since teachers died.'
Who'd teach young Serena after the rite massacre killed her family?
Grandfather who lost wife, kids, grandkids, siblings, relatives?
Father, drug addict shunned by the king, skipped the rite by luck and survived?
Cousin brother, presumed dead for years, miraculously returned—teen at disappearance?
Still fine. Serena had textbooks and a study buddy.
'Flower trash useful for once.'
For the first time, she appreciated rummaging secret royal blueprints with brother Seraph.
She'd pitied his "royal privilege" enthusiasm for trap diagrams; who'd have thought it'd help here.
'I skimmed, but it'll be fine. Really. Old place means simple traps.'
How nice if flower trash were here now.
'Even dung's useful when you need medicine—and it's gone.'
First time post-reincarnation she missed her brother.
'Snap out of it. I'm the only one here with trap knowledge. How many traps have they seen in life?'
At least Serena knew them from past life media and this life's books. Better than others.
"Mausoleum traps follow traditions. I know more than you, so I must go."
'Can't send the lone soldier to die blindly.'
Double Hanson seemed liable to die cluelessly. No faith in him.
"I'll go too."
"Countess? I-I'll go too!"
If Serena moved, Philia followed. Her motto since becoming Serena's maid, she stood.
Lavenda rose too, hating to be left alone.
'Wish one stayed, just in case.'
While five left the lobby, rescuers might arrive.
Hanson essential combat; exclude.
Chrome muttering about cart; leave her, she'd wander off searching.
'Philia risky alone with strangers. Lavenda too.'
Plus possible golems; odd to leave defense-less young women guarding.
Serena pondered briefly, then quit. After years thoughtlessly coasting post-rebirth, sudden scheming dizzied her.
'Whatever. Everyone go.'
One task first.
"You have spear and sword; better if someone else takes one."
Serena pointed to Hanson's waist-hung longsword. Recipient decided.
'Not me. Not Philia—she'd swing wildly. Lavenda strong grip from massages, but delicate hands say no rough work.'
"Give the sword to Chrome."
'She carves, so handles blades better than us.'
Chrome at least wouldn't self-injure swinging.
"Ugh."
"Problem? Guard rules? Fine—I ordered it, emergency permits."
"It's just..."
Hanson drew the sword. Thinking him suicidal, Serena flinched but couldn't dodge.
Luckily, not attacking. He knelt with a wooden sword.
Not sharp steel, but wood. Serena's eyes widened.
"I've committed a grave sin."
'This bastard?'
