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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Hwaji's Royal Mausoleum(?) (1)
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Lavenda's face had gone pale as a ghost, and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Even sitting by the fire, she shivered uncontrollably.
"I'm from Vieta, you know."
"Yes, I've heard it plenty of times, and I've seen your passport too."
Didn't she even plaster it all over her shop? Vieta-style massages.
"Do you know what the most famous tourist spot in Vieta is?"
The Kingdom of Hwaji's polar opposite—a tiny kingdom at the eastern edge of the continent. Vieta was both the name of the kingdom and its capital.
It was a small nation with just one city to its name, but it had earned fame across the continent as a must-visit destination at least once in a lifetime.
The tourist city of Vieta. Emerald beaches with vast white sands, open-air hot springs where you could enjoy eternal snow and steaming waters at the same time, a massive harbor bustling with ships from every nation, fresh seafood, delicious venison, goat cheese with an addictive unique aroma, a theater and casino that had grown into the continent's largest under the vision of a king several generations back. And the annual theater festival that drew crowds every year.
But there was something even more famous than all that.
That's right.
"The Labyrinth."
Vieta's Labyrinth was the only one on the continent open for tourism. The kingdom had built its great reputation on Labyrinth tourism.
"Are you saying that the place you're talking about—the one so similar—is a Labyrinth?"
"Yes."
This should have been the kind of revelation to jolt anyone wide awake, but exhaustion weighed too heavily. Serena was still drowsy.
Serena bit her tongue to chase away the sleep.
In this fantasy world where Serena had been reincarnated, there existed natural dungeons called Labyrinths.
It wasn't just their massive scale or twisting paths that earned them the name. Only a tiny fraction of dungeons—extremely unusual ones—were called Labyrinths.
They appeared out of nowhere without warning or had existed since time immemorial, their origins unknown.
For a dungeon to be deemed a Labyrinth, it had to meet certain conditions.
The most crucial was its regenerative power.
'In Labyrinths, some mysterious force causes traps, monsters, and resources inside to respawn after a set time. That's the core of a Labyrinth. And all sorts of bizarre events happen there.'
For example, even if you smashed through a wall to reach the adjacent room, you couldn't. You'd just keep hitting endless walls.
'When I first heard about it, I immediately thought of game dungeons.'
She'd wondered if she'd reincarnated into a game world and tried to dig deeper into Labyrinths, but hit a dead end.
In this world, Labyrinths were seen as invaluable national assets. Owning nations treated all Labyrinth info as state secrets, sharing it only among themselves in a monopoly.
'I could have found out more by throwing money, time, and people at it, but it's like trying to investigate another country's mineral reserves, military drills, or tax rates. I gave up.'
A mere enthusiast might get away with it, but if Princess Serena got caught digging too deep, it could spark a diplomatic incident. So she dropped it. That's why Serena knew so little about Labyrinths.
Access was strictly controlled to the owning nation's military or licensed adventurers. Labyrinths yielded rare magic tools and valuables not found elsewhere. But the danger matched the rewards.
That was the extent of Serena's knowledge.
"Vieta's Labyrinth is the only one on the continent open to civilians. It's their top attraction. Sure, it's crowded, but the entry fee is cheap for Vieta citizens, so anyone can save up and go."
Lavenda hugged herself tighter.
"It's a must-do on any Vieta tour, so I went a few times to keep up with my clients' chats. But this place!"
Lavenda's face twisted as she trembled.
"You called it the Royal Mausoleum, Princess, but the vibe here is way too similar to Vieta's Labyrinth!"
'That's why she's been off the whole time.'
Her condition had been especially poor. Not just because she was the only foreigner, but because she'd been piecing together this possibility alone.
"How insolent! To dismiss Lady Serena's words like that!"
"Exactly! A Labyrinth? Absurd!"
"Don't scare people."
Even calling the royal family's mausoleum troublesome was bad enough, but suggesting it was a Labyrinth ignited their fury. They berated Lavenda to take it back.
"Enough."
Serena raised her hand to calm them.
"A Royal Mausoleum is a dungeon, and a Labyrinth is a type of dungeon, so they could share a similar atmosphere. But Lavenda isn't the hasty type. She must have a solid reason to tell me directly. Isn't that right?"
Serena decided to hear Lavenda out. Dismissing it as the wild guess of a frightened masseuse felt ominous somehow.
'She seems pretty certain.'
If she'd been sure from the start, wouldn't she have spoken up when Serena first called it the mausoleum?
Her status might have intimidated her, or the fresh crash left her too rattled—but that didn't seem right.
'Her face grew darker by the minute, and then her eyes went dead at some point.'
"Speak. Beyond the atmosphere, is there another reason?"
"Yes! There is! The reason I'm so sure is the rats!"
Lavenda pointed to the rats that had become their staple meal.
"Those rats! They look exactly like the Labyrinth Rats spinning on wheels in Vieta's Labyrinth! Same size too!"
She'd mustered the courage to contradict the princess and explain why. But despite her effort, the reactions were lukewarm.
"All rat pups look the same."
"Right! They're all identical."
"And that's your excuse for disrespecting Lady Serena? How rude!"
"Just that? Lady Landry! Rats that big and vicious aren't common! It's a Labyrinth Rat! I heard about them when I entered Vieta's Labyrinth. Aggressive rodents that only live in Labyrinths."
Lavenda grew more agitated as she spoke.
"This is definitely a Labyrinth! We've been swallowed by one! They say in Labyrinths that devour people, the swallowed victims' bodies turn up... We're all gonna die! Eaten by the Labyrinth!"
"Lavenda, stop."
Lavenda's lovely lavender eyes lost their light. She babbled whatever came to mind with hollow eyes. Serena tried to soothe her, but she wouldn't calm down easily.
"We're all gonna die! Yeah, the earthquake. What if that wasn't an earthquake but the moment Hwajichen got swallowed by a Labyrinth? If the whole capital was eaten, what rank is this Labyrinth...?"
"Stop it!"
Lavenda finally snapped out of it at the princess's sharp command. She scanned the group with fear-filled eyes, then bowed her head in apology.
"I'm sorry. I got too worked up."
"A Labyrinth, huh. Thank you for pointing out a possibility I overlooked. But getting so hysterical won't help, and besides..."
'A Labyrinth? For real?'
Serena frowned. She prayed it wasn't true.
"Your opinion lacks sufficient evidence to accept. I don't know much about rats, so it's hard to be sure, but animals of the same species look alike. You might be mistaken."
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"Listen up, everyone. Whether this is the Royal Mausoleum or a Labyrinth, the fact remains: we need to find a way out. Let's cherish and help each other as we search for escape. I'll make sure to reward your efforts."
Lavenda slumped to the ground as if drained of strength. The others calmed too.
Talking about unchanged priorities seemed to reassure them. Or maybe the princess's promise of rewards eased their minds.
"I'm exhausted, so let's rest. We'll need night watch shifts."
"We'll do it."
"Yes, Lady Serena, you rest. You must be worn out."
"Lie down here."
Chrome fetched a blanket from the cart and made up Serena's bed.
How to decide watch rotations? No clocks—how to time the shifts?
'Still so much to do. Right, the map. Gotta figure that out too.'
Serena was half-forced onto the blanket by Philia. She'd skipped work that morning because she hated it, and now duty kept sleep at bay. Life was full of ironies.
'Need to wash my face too. My million-gold skin!'
But the pressure of a million gold couldn't beat the sleep that crashed over her as her head hit the ground.
Serena fell asleep.
Was it because she slept in the light? Or sheer exhaustion? Serena had a lucid dream.
'So empty.'
Serena awoke in a strange space devoid of anything. No floor, yet she could stand somehow. Fog shrouded everything around her. She knew she was awake, but still dreaming.
"A lucid dream, of all things. They say you don't sleep properly in them. Won't I wake up even more tired?"
Knowing it was a dream, Serena grumbled freely. No need for dignified princess poise here.
Serena swiped at the fog—or whatever obscured her surroundings—a few times, gave up, and sat on the non-existent floor.
First lucid dream ever; no clue how to end it. Might as well sort her thoughts.
"A Labyrinth, huh."
When Lavenda first mentioned the possibility, Serena was shocked. She hadn't shown it, but really shocked.
"I thought it had to be the Royal Mausoleum."
Labyrinths were so rare, and info so scarce, she'd been certain. But Lavenda's words shook her.
"Tch. Can't relapse into protagonist syndrome here."
Anyone who knew lazy current Serena wouldn't believe it, but child Serena had been diligent and hardworking. Energetic, enthusiastic, proactive in everything.
Young Serena believed there was a special reason she'd reincarnated with memories into this fantasy world. Even without a mission, life would be bumpy with incidents galore.
Why?
Because she was the protagonist.
Why the protagonist?
Reincarnated with memories, duh.
Reincarnators were usually protagonists or key side characters driving the plot, even if not main leads. Sure, some stories had so many they ended up as background extras, but usually they mattered.
So young Serena studied hard.
Fantasy world—maybe a fun adventure with companions?
Born royal—could be political intrigue or territory management.
Or a romance fantasy where I'm the villainess? Arranged marriage romance?
Maybe my sibling's the lead in a BL story?
Not knowing the genre, Serena built stamina and knowledge. She couldn't make soap in a world that already had good ones, couldn't cook, so territory stuff was out.
Then she learned about Labyrinths and thought it might be a conquest story, researched, gave up, and lost interest in other things.
"Reality hit."
Serena was a reincarnator, but no protagonist. Harsh truth, not a dream. Her real reality.
Father: drug addict. Mother: severe mental patient. Sibling: affection-starved trash. Grandfather? Sole survivor of his family overnight, a living corpse sustained as a monarch.
Pretty pathetic, right?
A true protagonist would grind through adversity, but Serena wasn't one.
Her will was never that strong. Facing reality, she grew into a pathetic adult shaped by her pathetic upbringing.
"Ugh, seriously. Please not a Labyrinth conquest story. No way I'm the main quest trigger, right?"
Main character quest! Rescue the princess trapped in the Labyrinth! But after trials, he finds only her bleached bones!
"Argh."
"You seem burdened with worries."
"Huh?"
A stranger's voice rang out suddenly. Serena whipped her head toward it.
A robed figure stood beside her as if always there.
"Eek, you scared me."
The hood was pulled so low his face was invisible. Serena gaped, wondering what kind of dream this was.
"I'd love to help, but I can't offer a hand without compensation. What to do."
"Do lucid dreams even spawn NPCs?"
"What can be done, child? Will you offer tribute?"
A pale hand emerged from the robe's folds.
"What kinda nonsense dream is this."
Serena laughed in exasperation. She swatted away the proffered hand. Rude, sure, but it was a dream—who cared?
"Hee hee."
As if amused by a grandchild's antics, the robed one chuckled warmly, unoffended by her rudeness.
'Nice voice.'
Incredibly beautiful timbre, yet gender ambiguous. Not just gender—age, health, all inferences from the voice were perfectly erased. Just a heart-stirring beautiful voice.
"Hopefully next time I can aid you."
With those words, Serena sensed the dream space dissolving.
'Waking up, looks like.'
Aside from being lucid, a totally forgettable nonsense dream. Serena thought nothing more of it.
Just one striking detail.
The stranger's eyes in the dream burned like crimson flames. She hadn't seen his face, yet that alone lingered vividly in her memory.
